Patent ID: 7382939

Claim:
An information processing apparatus for retrieving image data having a high degree of similarity to entered input image data, from image data that has been registered, comprising: an area identification unit adapted to identify text area and non-text area in the input image data; a direction identification unit adapted to recognize text in the identified text area and to identify an orientation of the input image data based upon the orientation of the recognized text; a rotation unit adapted to rotate the identified input image data to a correct direction based upon the identified orientation of the input image data; a first retrieval unit, wherein, if said area identification unit identifies that the input image data contains both text area and non-text area, said first retrieval unit is adanted to extract a feature of the text area in the correct direction and a feature of the non-text area in the correct direction from the input image data rotated to the correct direction by said rotation unit, and to retrieve image data having a high degree of similarity to the input image data, from the image data that has been registered, based on the extracted feature of the text area and the extracted feature of the non-text area; a second retrieval unit, wherein, if said area identification unit identifies that the input image data contains text area but does not contain non-text area, said second retrieval unit is adapted to extract a feature of the text area in the correct direction from the input image data rotated to the correct direction by said rotation unit, and to retrieve image data having a high degree of similarity to the input image data, from the image data that has been registered, based on the extracted feature of the text area; and, a third retrieval unit, wherein, if said area identification unit identifies that the input image data contains non-text area but does not contain text area, said third retrieval unit is adapted to extract a feature of the non-text area in each of a plurality of directions from the input image data, and to retrieve image data having a high degree of similarity to input image data, from the image data that has been registered, based on the extracted feature in each of the plurality of directions, wherein said first retrieval unit does not extract a feature of the text area in a direction other than the correct direction and a feature of the non-text area in a direction other than the correct direction, and said second retrieval unit does not extract a feature of the text area in a direction other than the correct direction.