Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Aktiengesellchaft

Siemens Dematic Postal Automation, L.p.

Gert Seidel

Shahrom Kiani

Ben F Bruce

Linda J Kessler

Peter Enghauser

Brenda J Bishop-Jones

G&ouml;ran Keil

A method for specifying, executing and analyzing method sequences for the recognition of dispatch labels and form entries. In the specification phase, the method sequences are input in graphical form into a computer system as flowcharts with attributes and function details which define the influence of individual variables on the method sequence. Codes are then automatically generated from the flowcharts as an internal representation which is converted by a compiler into a loadable, executable module which is called for each processing step in the handling phase for recognizing the respective dispatch label or form entry. In the handling phase for recognition, information for describing the particular current sequence and the current values of the attributes is written to an attribute file for each processing step. In the analysis phase, the course of processing for each dispatch or each form is displayed in the flowcharts with the attributes together with the associated images of the dispatch labels or form entries.

Method for specifying, executing and analyzing method sequences for recognition

The invention provides a method of processing an information form such as a postal change of address form. Such a form includes various data elements, such as a name of a person submitting the form and the information on which action is to be taken. In the case of mail forwarding, these data elements would include, for example, the name of the person that wishes mail to be redirected, an old address to which mail for that person was previously sent, and a new address to which mail for that person should be sent. Such a method includes the steps of scanning a sheet having written information thereon reflecting the data elements to obtain an image, processing the image with character recognition logic to obtain text data corresponding to the written information, analyzing the text data with a computer to determine a scanning error probability therein, if the scanning error probability exceeds a predetermined limit, attempting to correct such error by editing of the text data by at least one of a computer using predetermined correction criteria and a human operator viewing the text data, checking one or more elements of the text data (such as a new address and an old address) against a first database of valid data elements (e.g., a postal address database), if the element is found in the first database, updating a second database such as a National Change of Address (NCOA) database to include at least new or revised text data, and rejecting the text data and aborting updating the second database for such text data that cannot be corrected. The invention further provides a system for processing a series of change of information forms such as COA forms, which system is capable of carrying out the foregoing process.

Method and system for form processing

The present invention pertains to a method and device for recognizing distribution data on postal packets, small packages or journals during the automatic mail processing, especially to systems by which the automatic handwritten adress recognition process is supplemented and improved by video coding. The distribution data are written on various backgrounds, including pattern backgrounds. After a first unsuccessful optical character recognition attempt, the complete surface of the postal packet is displayed with a grid on a videocoding-screen. Once a picture segment has been selected which contains a larger part of the distribution data, the operator submits an image portion containing said picture segment and the adjacent areas to a new optical character assessment, while making sure that all the data area is included in the image portion. If the second optical character recognition attempt does not succeed, the image portion is reoriented as many times as required for the final video coding to appear on the screen.

Method and device for recognizing distribution data on postal packets

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Constance, Germany

Gert Seidel