Patent ID: 6963665

Claim:
A form sheet type determining method comprising the steps of: extracting each character string on an input form sheet as a keyword, after performing character recognition on the each character string; and collating the extracted keywords with a plurality of sets of keywords registered beforehand for each predetermined form sheet as one set of keywords in a keyword register, thereby to determine the type of said input form sheet, wherein each keyword in each set of keywords registered beforehand is registered in said keyword register in association with a predetermined corresponding weight, and wherein in said step of collating, each of said extracted keywords of said input form sheet is given a weight; the degree of matching between said input form sheet and said predetermined form sheet types is evaluated for each predetermined form sheet type by using said weights of said extracted keywords and said predetermined weights of the keywords in each set of said form sheet types within said keyword register; and one of said predetermined form sheet types having the highest degree of matching is determined to be the type of the input form sheet.