Patent ID: 7346214

Claim:
A method for capturing a complete data set of forms provided with graphic characters, wherein the form layout of the forms contains several separate data fields (a, b, c, d, e), wherein a spatial position of the separate data fields within the form layout is identical for all of the forms ( 1 ), the method comprising the following steps: a) producing an image of a form ( 1 ) and saving the image data of the individual data fields (a, b, c, d, e); b) based on the image data of the data fields, aided by a character recognition program ( 3 ), identifying the graphic characters contained in the data fields (a, b, c, d, e) inasmuch as the graphic characters are identifiable with a predetermined degree of certainty; c) determining unidentified data fields (d, e) of the form ( 1 ) where graphic characters could not be identified at all or could not be identified with the predetermined degree of certainty; d) separating the image data of the unidentified data fields from the image date of identified data fields, and, for each unidentified data field (d, e), correlating image data (B d , B e ) of each unidentified data field with a reference parameter (R 4 , R 5 ) assigned to the data field (d, e) to generate a transfer data set ( 6 ) to be processed of the image data with the correlated reference parameter of one or more unidentified fields; e) transferring only the transfer data set ( 6 ) to be processed to an external evaluation station ( 7 ); f) in the external evaluation station ( 7 ), identifying the graphic characters of the unidentified data field (d, e) based on the image data (B d , B e ) of the transfer data set; g) in the external evaluation station ( 7 ), combining the identified graphic characters to a graphic character data set and compiling the identified graphic characters with the reference parameter (R 4 , R 5 ) of the corresponding data field (d, e) to a processed transfer data set ( 8 ) and returning the processed transfer data set ( 8 ); h) based on the reference parameter (R 4 , R 5 ) of the returned processed transfer data set ( 8 ), correlating the graphic character data set with the other data fields of the same form to generate the complete data set ( 10 ).