Patent ID: 6233363
Filing Date: 2001-05-15
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
An image reading apparatus for reading images from above a document table upon which a document is placed in a state that a surface having an image to be read faces upwardly, said image reading apparatus comprising:a reading unit which reads the image of the document to obtain image data; anda processor which carries out a process having the steps of:detecting a finger area which corresponds with a finger and a shadow of the finger on the document, out of the image data which are obtained by said reading unit;detecting pixels on a boundary of the thus detected finger area;detecting pixels having a brightness which corresponds with a letter from among the thus detected pixels on the boundary of the finger area;detecting a group of the pixels which corresponds with the letter in the finger area by starting at the thus detected pixels which correspond with the letter, and repeatedly linking the thus detected pixels with pixels having the brightness which corresponds with the letter from among pixels close to the thus detected pixels in the finger area; andsubjecting the image data which are obtained by said reading unit to a process for erasing the finger area except for the thus detected group of the pixels.