Abstract:
A method for increasing efficiency of interaction by an operator with data on a computer display includes presenting the data to the operator on the computer display, and providing multiple instances of an on-screen control at different locations on the display for selection by the operator using a pointing device linked to the display. The control is actuated responsive to the selection by the operator of any of the instances of the control on the display.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to data encoding and specifically to methods and apparatus for improving the efficiency of data input to a computer. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   There are many applications for data input from a hard copy to a computer system that use automated Optical Character Recognition (OCR), followed by manual verification of the OCR results. Often, the computer that performs the OCR also generates a confidence rating for its reading of each character or group of characters. Human operators perform the verification step, either by reviewing all the fields in the original document, and correcting errors and rejects discovered in the OCR results, or by viewing and correcting only the characters or fields that have a low OCR confidence level. 
   There are methods known in the art for improving the reliability of the verification step. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,875, to Chevion et al., whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for organizing data on a computer screen so as to improve productivity of human operators in verifying OCR results. The method is implemented in document processing systems produced by IBM Corporation (Armonk, N.Y.), in which the method is referred to as “SmartKey.” 
   SmartKey works by presenting to the human operator a “carpet” of character images on the screen of a verification terminal. The character images are taken by segmenting the original document images that were processed by OCR. Segmented characters from multiple documents are sorted according to the codes assigned to them by the OCR. The character images are then grouped and presented in the carpet according to their assigned code. Thus, for example, the operator might be presented with a carpet of characters that the OCR has identified as representing the letter “a.” Under these conditions, it is relatively easy for the operator to visually identify OCR errors, such as a handwritten “o” that was erroneously identified as an “a.” The operator marks erroneous characters by clicking on them with a mouse, and then typically presses a “done” or “enter” button. 
   The displaying of composite, “carpet” images to the operator, made up entirely of characters which have been recognized by the OCR logic as being of the same type, enables errors to be rapidly recognized and marked on an exception basis. Once recognized, these errors can then be corrected either immediately or sent to another operator for correction, along with characters rejected by the OCR logic. The remaining, unmarked characters in the carpet are considered to have been verified. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Even in productivity-enhancing verification systems, such as SmartKey, there is a built-in inefficiency, in that it has been found to take the operator around 30-50% of the total verification time to move the cursor in between the characters and the “done” button. Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for overcoming this inefficiency, thus increasing the speed of verification of coding of information, particularly coding of characters in form documents by OCR. 
   In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a system for verification of coding of information is provided, wherein multiple “done” or “enter” buttons appear on the computer screen at different locations. The distance on the screen between an image of an item to be verified and the nearest button is thus significantly reduced. The “done” buttons are preferably interspersed between or around the items for verification. For example, in the particular case of processing SmartKey carpets, the “done” buttons are preferably incorporated into the grid of fields containing individual characters to be verified. Thus, the operator need make only a small movement of a mouse or other pointing device in order to bring the cursor to the nearest “done” button. Clicking on any such button indicates that the operator&#39;s interaction with this screen is completed. 
   Although preferred embodiments described herein relate specifically to placement of a “done” or “enter” button for use in data verification, the principles of the present invention are equally applicable to on-screen controls and user tasks of other types. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that duplication of such controls at multiple locations on the computer screen can enhance the speed and efficiency of data processing in a variety of applications. Although particular types, arrangements and locations of on-screen controls are described herein by way of example, alternative arrangements will be apparent to those skilled in the art, depending on the specific workflow pattern of a given system. For example, a system comprising multiple buttons on a display screen can be used for data entry/input. Each time an operator finishes inputting data in one field, he presses the nearest “done” button. This, saves much time in data entry. Similarly, in optical inspection systems, the multiple buttons on the display screen can be used to accept or reject an inspected item. 
   There is therefore provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for increasing efficiency of interaction by an operator with data on a computer display, including: 
   presenting the data to the operator on the computer display; 
   providing multiple instances of an on-screen control at different locations on the display for selection by the operator using a pointing device linked to the display; and 
   actuating the control responsive to the selection by the operator of any of the instances of the control on the display. 
   Preferably, actuating the control includes receiving an input from the operator to indicate that the data are verified. 
   Further preferably, presenting the data includes presenting the data in a plurality of data fields on the display, and providing the multiple instances includes placing the instances of the control in proximity to different ones of the fields. Typically, the on-screen control indicates that the operator has finished processing the data in the plurality of the fields. Preferably, placing the instances includes interspersing the instances of the control between the data fields, wherein providing the multiple instances includes choosing the locations so as to minimize a traverse of the pointing device required to select one of the instances. 
   In a preferred embodiment, presenting the data includes displaying in the fields characters from a document to which codes have been assigned so that the operator can verify that the assigned codes are correct. Preferably, displaying the characters includes displaying results of optical character recognition (OCR) processing. Most preferably, displaying the results includes displaying together a plurality of the characters which have been assigned the same code by the OCR processing, with one of the characters in each of the fields. 
   Preferably, providing the multiple instances includes providing three or more instances of the control on screen. 
   There is also provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, apparatus for operator interaction with a computer, including: 
   a display, arranged to present data to an operator; 
   a processor, coupled to drive the display to present the data together with multiple instances of an on-screen control at different locations on the display; and 
   a pointing device, coupled to the processor so as to enable the operator to select for actuation any of the instances of the on-screen control by the operator. 
   Preferably, selection of any of the instances of the on-screen control indicates that the data are verified. 
   There is further provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a computer software product for increasing efficiency of interaction of an operator with data on a computer display, including a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to present the data to the operator on the computer display while providing multiple instances of an on-screen control at different locations on the display for selection by the operator using a pointing device linked to the display, and to actuate the control responsive to the selection by the operator of any of the instances of the control on the display. 
   The present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, taken together with the drawings, in which: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a simplified pictorial illustration showing a system for verification of coding of information, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are simplified pictorial illustrations of a computer screen arranged for improved efficiency verification of coding of information, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  is a simplified pictorial illustration showing a system  20  for verification of coding of information, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. System  20  receives a document  22  for extraction of information therefrom. The document preferably comprises a preprinted form having fields  24  that are filled in with handwritten, typed or printed contents  26 . The contents typically comprise alphanumeric characters, although they may comprise symbols or marks of other types, generated by hand or by machine. 
   A scanner  28  first captures an image of document  22  and conveys the corresponding image data to a document processor  30 , typically comprising a suitable general-purpose computer. In order to extract information from document  22 , system  20  performs OCR on the image data, and thus assigns a code (such as an ASCII code) to each character. Alternatively, the document is input to the processor from another source, typically in electronic form, either as a document image or as characters keyed in by an operator. Further alternatively, although the methods described hereinbelow are applied specifically to verification of OCR characters, the principles of these methods are applicable to verification of data coding of substantially any type. 
   The OCR and verification functions of processor  30  (typically together with other document processing functions) are preferably performed using software running on processor  30 . The software may be supplied on tangible media, such as diskettes or CD-ROM, and loaded into the processor. Alternatively, the software may be downloaded to the processor via a network connection or other electronic link. Further alternatively, processor  30  may comprises dedicated, hard-wired elements or a digital signal processor designed to carry out some or all of the processing functions. 
   Typically, processor  30  retrieves items from memory  32  and presents them on a screen  42  for verification by an operator  39 . An item may be an alphanumeric character, a symbol or any other object requiring verification. More typically, the items are characters all having the same code, and requiring operator verification, as in the IBM SmartKey system, described in the Background of the Invention. Processor  30  typically allows the operator to process a screen full of items. 
   Operator  39  views multiple items simultaneously on screen  42 , and identifies any anomalous item appearing on the screen. In the example of  FIG. 1 , as shown in the inset at upper right, the operator views a SmartKey “carpet” of characters  26 , all of which were coded by processor  30  (or by another processor or operator) as representing the letter “A”. The carpet is also seen to include a number of anomalous characters  27 , which were evidently miscoded. The operator typically marks anomalous items  27  by clicking a mouse  40  on these items. Alternatively, the operator may use a pointing device of another type, such as a joystick, trackball or other devices known in the art. As is exemplified in  FIG. 1 , inset A, the operator has to identify and mark anomalous letters “o” that appear in the carpet of “A”s. For each field  24 , there is typically a proximal “field done” button  33  on which he clicks his mouse  40  having identified and marked the anomalous character  27 . 
   When the operator has corrected all the anomalous letters “o”, he clicks mouse  40  either on one of “done” buttons  33  or a “done” button  31  at the bottom of the screen. This is indicative that all of the characters on the screen have been verified by operator  39 . Alternatively, the operator may press an “enter” button on a keyboard  38 . At this point the screen is considered to have been verified, with the exception of the marked anomalous items  27 . By selecting a “done” button  33  that is adjacent to the last character  27  that he has marked, rather than selecting button  31  or pressing the “enter” key, the operator avoids a long traverse of mouse  40  and thus shortens the time needed to complete screen  42  and move on to the next one. The distance between at least one of the control buttons and any one of the data fields is preferably configured so as to optimize the tradeoff between throughput lost due to reducing the data area on screen, and throughput gained by reducing time spent by the operator on control actions. The anomalous items marked by the operator are sent for further processing. 
   Alternatively, as shown in the lower inset B, operator  39  may be required to verify and/or correct fields  24  comprising numerical characters  26  on a screen of numerical characters. The letter W in the string “3W0” stands out as being an anomalous item  27 . In this case, the operator has to identify, mark and possibly correct anomalous item  27  “3W0”. If there are no more anomalous items  27 , he clicks mouse  40  on a “field done” button  33  or on “screen done” button  31  so as to show that all items on screen designated B have been verified, with the exception of “3W0”. 
   Reference is now made to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , which are simplified pictorial illustrations of screen  42 , arranged for verification of coding of information with improved efficiency, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2A  shows a multiplicity of “done” buttons  33  proximal, but external to fields  24 . These buttons  33  sit on a grid interspersed between fields  24 . The grid may be arranged such that the buttons  33  are placed above and below, or in between fields  24 . 
     FIG. 2B  shows an alternative arrangement of “done” buttons, in which “done” buttons  37  are placed within some of fields  24 . In this example, there is one “done” button  37  per field  24 . This placement enables the operator to reach the nearest “done” button by a quick, simple left or right movement of mouse  40 . 
   Although the embodiments of FIGS.  1  and  2 A- 2 B described above relate specifically to verification of OCR results, the principles of the present invention can be applied to enhance the efficiency of a wide variety of computerized data entry functions. The inventor has found that by duplication and strategic placement of on-screen controls (without limitation to controls of a specific type, such as “done” buttons), it is possible to reduce the time that an operator spends on interaction with a given screen. This sort of strategic duplication is not known in the prior art. The strategic placement of on-screen buttons may be particularly useful in data entry systems, for manually inputting information to a computer. In such applications, the user may be required to select fields on screen with a mouse, and then enter data into the selected fields. “Enter” buttons may be strategically placed at multiple locations on the screen to indicate that the user is finished processing the fields in this screen. 
   Another application of on-screen buttons is in inspection systems. For example, in a food processing line, the trade-name of a food product may appear thereupon. Quality control of the product typically comprises inspection of a large number of items simultaneously using a computerized magnification system, as is known in the art. The quality control inspector checks that the appearance of the trade-name is clear and legible on multiple items at a time. If the inspector finds an item with a defect in the appearance of the name, he points using pointing device (as in  FIG. 1 ) to mark the item which is to be rejected from the product line, and then selects the nearest “done” button to indicate that the rest of the items are acceptable. Of course, such on-screen button systems can be applied to other types of inspection systems, such as manufacturing inspection systems for semiconductor chips, metal parts and the printing industry. Such systems can also be applied in medical diagnostics, wherein the operator might be required to view multiple cell images, for example, and to mark cells or other features belonging to a certain type or exhibiting some pathology. 
   Another exemplary application of the present invention is in the area of process or system control. In this case, the screen might contain multiple graphic illustrations or images, each indicative of the status or dynamics of a given process. The operator is required to mark processes that need special attention. A process in this sense may be a network activity, for example, and special attention may be required when the activity indicates a possible security problem. A single screen may be used in this manner for dynamic monitoring of multiple networks at once. 
   It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the various features described hereinabove, as well as variations and modifications thereof that are not in the prior art, which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.