Patent Publication Number: US-7916358-B2

Title: Device for conversion of a hard-copy document containing text or image data into the electronic document

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part, of application U.S. Ser. No. 11/456,092, filed Jul. 7, 2006, U.S. 
    
    
     The present invention relates generally to the area of document type conversion and particularly to printed hard-copy documents conversion with text or image data either single- or multi-page into electronic form via scanning of the initial document. 
     PRIOR ART 
     Methods and devices for scanning of documents capable of scanning single pages or lists of a document by means of radiating its surface, on which text is printed or embossed, by visible or other radiation (electromagnetic or other) and picking up the echoed signal are known in the art. Radiation types which do not penetrate into carrier material and print material and well reflected from the carrier material are used. Use of such scanners is based on the different intensity of the signal reflected from the carrier surface and the signal reflected from the surface of an embossed image (glyph). 
     Such devices comprise well-known optical scanners for inputting images into a computer (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,494, Sue, Jun. 30, 1987). 
     Scanners for topographic scanning, applied, for example, for nondestructive checking of products or for medical diagnostics, are known in the art (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,446, Fujimoto, et al., Jan. 31, 1995). Radiation types penetrating to some extent into the carrier material and print material and reflected from their surfaces to a variable degree are used. Use of such scanners is based on the different intensity of the signal reflected from the division surface between the materials which have different properties. 
     The known devices for scanning allow processing one page at a time (one-sided scanning) or one list at a time (double-sided, or duplex, scanning). The document sustains a considerable mechanical impact. Some document types, for example, old books, do not allow scanning without special treatment, such as mechanical division into pages. This may cause the loss of information as well as damage to a valuable book. 
     This shortcoming of the known devices confines greatly the ability of using thereof for data reading out from multi-page documents. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The declared technical result is achieved by using a scanning method and device in which radiation type is chosen depending on the physical properties of the document&#39;s media matter and the printer&#39;s ink matter, so that the chosen radiation has different reflectivity and/or refractivity therein. 
     The proposed device uses the method comprising the scanning of single- or multi-page hard copy documents by using a method of volumetric scanning of printed or embossed information. 
     The proposed device comprises the scanning of single- or multi-page hard copy documents by using a device for volumetric scanning of printed or embossed information. A device for volumetric scanning is chosen so that the affecting radiation or another affecting factor has different reflective and/or penetration capability in a document&#39;s media matter and in the printer&#39;s ink matter. If a document is formed by locally changing the volume or the shape of the media matter, then the difference in reflective and/or penetration and/or refractive capability depends on the density of the media matter and/or the presence of local voids in the matter or between pages. The resolution capacity of the volumetric scanning device is chosen to be sufficient for accurately detecting all document image elements. The thickness of a unit (single) scanning layer must be at least no greater than the thickness of a document page. 
     A volumetric scanning device may be based on the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance, supersonic effect, X-radiation or other principles, depending on the document matter, the printing matter (data image (or printer&#39;s ink) matter), required resolution capacity, and other factors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The essence of the invention is illustrated by the  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 . 
         FIG. 1  An approximate embodiment of a multi-page document, obtained with by using the proposed invention. 
         FIG. 2  Scanning of multi-page documents moving on a conveyer. 
         FIG. 3  The main units comprising the proposed device. 
     
    
    
       FIG. 1  represents the result of the volumetric scanning of multi-page document (the example comprises 3 sheets document). For the better representation the text referring to different pages is shown by the font of different thickness. 
       FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  shows a device for the volumetric scanning in a simplified form and an initial document placing therein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The arbitrary spatially oriented document  1  is placed into the scanning means operating area  3 , for example, feeding by conveyer  2 . 
     The layer-by-layer scanning is performed with each layer scanning results storage. 
     On obtaining the whole set of layers data, the results are combined, all the irrelevant data (noise incl.) is eliminated, and the electronic document orientation is adjusted to that suitable for the further processing. 
     After that the graphical data referring to each document page is singled out (extracted). 
     The graphical data presumably containing text is directed for recognition by one of the known means. 
     The recognition results may be then saved. 
     The volumetric scanning means  3  is connected to a single layers scanning results combining means  4 , further connected to an irrelevant data elimination (clearing) means, further connected to spatial orientation adjustment means  6 , and further connected to single pages portions division means  7 . Further a device for the text recognition from the graphical file may be connected. A device for the text recognition from the graphical file may be located distantly. In this case all stored data is transferred distantly to the place of further processing (incl. recognition) by any of the known and commonly used means: by physical media, via internet or by other communication channels. 
     The mentioned devices may be realized either as separate devices or electronic blocks, or may be joined into groups or in the entire joint block (module) 
     The data processing means (scanning results combination, data preliminary processing and data recognition) may be realized on the base of one or more data processing means on the base of computer. Moreover, to the abovementioned devices may be provided with data storage means, either text and/or graphic, on the base of the same or the different device. 
     Depending on the data media matter, data image matter, required resolution, other parameters, the volumetric scanning means used should be based on the nuclear-magnetic resonance, ultra-sonic, X-ray, X-ray tomography or other principles. 
     The volumetric scanning means is chosen so that its effecting radiation (or the other effecting factor) has different altering ability (on echoing or passing, on reflecting or refracting etc.) hitting the data media matter and data image (printer&#39;s ink) matter. 
     In a case the document is formed by the media matter local volume or shape altering, the difference in the reflecting or refracting ability appears due to local altering of the media matter density and/or presence of local hollows in the matter or between the document paper sheets. 
     The volumetric scanning means resolution is chosen to be sufficient for reliable recognition of all image constituents (elements) on the data media. 
     The thickness of the single scanned layer should be not more then the document single sheet. 
     In the volumetric scanning the multi-page document is assumed as a three-dimensional object, and the required technical result is obtained by the addition (introduction) of supplementary operations, performed by a computer (single layers combination, single pages data extraction, etc.) 
     The essence of the suggestion is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
     The results of multi-page document processing (a three-page document is used as an example) are shown in  FIG. 1 . Text in  FIG. 1  has different thickness only for greater obviousness and ability to attribute text to its corresponding page. The present results look like a text array printed in a font whose thickness is the same as in the original document. 
     The essence of the suggestion is illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
     A single- or multi-page document ( 1 ) with arbitrary orientation in space is placed in a scanning region. A device for volumetric scanning is adapted for effective separation of signals obtained from the image and from the carrier material. A device for volumetric scanning is connected with a device for joining up of scanning results of unit layers ( 4 ) and further with a device for preliminary processing of scanning results ( 5 ) which consists in cleaning up noise and correction of orientation, dividing into portions (parts) ( 6 ), and further with a device for character and/or text recognition ( 7 ), relating to unit pages and so on. Further a device for recognition of text information contained in a graphical file may be connected. Enumerated separate devices may be embodied as separate modules or united in groups or into an integrated module. Tools for information processing (integration of the results of scanning, preliminary processing of information, and recognition) may be built on the basis of one or more computer-based tools for information processing. Additionally, a device for saving graphical and/or text information may be connected to this one or another device. 
     Results of volumetric scanning, after they are obtained from a scanner or after preliminary processing such as integration of scanning results, may be transmitted, on carriers or via communication channels or by another way, to a place where preliminary processing, recognition, systematization, and other operations are performed. The said place may be located at a distance from the place of scanning. 
     Operations of scanning and further processing of information (including saving) may also be separate in time. 
     Depending on the material of a document, material used for printing, required resolution capacity, and other factors, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), supersonic or X-ray (X-ray tomography) volumetric scanning device or other known tools are applied