Patent ID: 8503785

Claim:
An automated method of processing image data of a response form that has a plurality of response bubbles, including at least one filled and at least one unfilled response bubble, the method comprising: (a) providing in a memory one or more baseline response bubble attributes for unfilled response bubbles; (b) processing image data of a response form to determine one or more response bubbles that are unfilled; (c) automatically calculating in a processor one or more actual response bubble attributes of the one or more unfilled response bubbles; (d) calculating a difference metric value by comparing in a processor the one or more baseline response bubble attributes to the one or more actual response bubble attributes; (e) resetting the one or more baseline response bubble attributes to a new set of one or more baseline response bubble attributes if the difference metric value exceeds a predetermined threshold, and maintaining the one or more baseline response bubble attributes if the difference metric value does not exceed the predetermined threshold; and (f) processing the image data of the response form in the processor using either the reset or maintained one or more baseline response bubble attributes as determined in step (e) to determine the filled and unfilled response bubbles of the response form.