Patent ID: 8139862

Claim:
An apparatus for extracting each character from a character string having a plurality of characters arranged in a first direction and included in an image and including a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising: a) an integrating means for integrating pixel values along a second direction orthogonal to said first direction at each of all coordinate positions in the said direction of said image; b) a calculating means for calculating a standard deviation value of values related to pixel values along said second direction at each of said all coordinate positions; c) a combining means for combining said integrated pixel value of said integrating means with said standard deviation value of said calculating means at each of said all coordinate positions; d) a setting means for setting a threshold; and e) a determining means for determining a part of said all coordinate position having said combined value of said combining means higher than said threshold of said setting means and recognizing said part having said combined value higher than said threshold of said setting means as a character area to be extracted.