Xerox Corporation

Alex S Taylor

Stuart Taylor

Ercan E Kuruoglu

Christopher R Dance

Mauritius Seeger

William M Newman

A summary of a captured document image is produced on the basis of detected handwritten annotations made to a document prior to image capture. The scanned (or otherwise captured) image is processed to detect annotations made to the document prior to scanning. The detected annotations can be used to identify features, or text, for use to summarize that document. Additionally, or alternatively, the detected annotations in one document can be used to identify features, or text, for use to summarize a different document. The summary may be displayed in expandable detail levels.

Using annotations for summarizing a document image and itemizing the summary based on similar annotations

A system enables users at different locations (e.g. different geographic locations) to work collaboratively on a document, and to view each other's annotations to the document. Each user can work with a paper document, and make handwritten annotations to the paper document. The system includes a plurality of workstations communicating with a server. Each workstation comprises a document-imaging device, such as a camera, for generating a digital image of the document. Handwritten annotations are identified by image processing, and new annotations made by each user can be tracked in real time. Image bitmaps of the annotations are distributed by the server to each workstation so that each user can view other user's annotations. In one view, the annotations from different users are superimposed in a combined image.

Method and apparatus for collaborative annotation of a document

A user-interface for selecting text from images of documents using auto-completion is described. The auto-completion process may be used to complete words (or text sequences), phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or other groupings of words. In response to user input, the OCR results for one or more images of documents are searched. The user input may include typing in a partial word (or the initial characters in a text sequence) via an input device or alternatively, annotations made by a user on a hardcopy document prior to scanning the document. One or more word matches are presented to the user for acceptance until the user accepts a word match or until all word matches have been presented to the user. Once a user accepts a word match, the word match is copied into an electronic document such as a word processing document, spreadsheet document, or other electronic document created by an application program. The auto-completion process may be repeated until the selected text region is copied into the electronic document.

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Guilford, United Kingdom

Alex S Taylor