Seiko Epson Corporation

Masahiro Katagiri

Sachie Shizuka

Tadashi Furuhata

Yoshitake Sato

Takashi Takehana

Atsushi Kobayashi

Junichi Otsuka

Atsushi Sakai

Masatoshi Nakazawa

Masaki Hyogo

Background images are removed and only desired payment information is extracted from a grayscale image of a check or similar financial instrument. A density distribution improvement process applied to grayscale raw image dataacquired by scanning a check corrects the density distribution of the raw image datato separate the density range of the desired payment information from the density range of the background image. A threshold levelfor clearly separating the payment information from the background image is then calculated from the characteristics of the density distribution of the grayscale improved image dataacquired by the density distribution improvement process. Histograms of the density distributions are used to determine the characteristics of the density distribution. The improved image datais then converted to binary image datausing the threshold level

Image processing apparatus and image processing method

A device control system, a device control method, and a device control program for rendering a trace function as a function added to a service object that provides the software application with an interface to a particular device based on the Microsoft .NET Framework. The device control system has a service object, a service object for tracing, and renders a trace function in a service object that provides a device interface to a software application based on the .NET Framework. The trace function can be rendered in the service object based on whether the trace function is disabled or enabled without modifying the software application.

Device control system, device control method, and device control program

Column misalignment between a magnetically-recognized character string and an optically-recognized character string is corrected to improve character recognition reliability. A character string is read magnetically and the result outputted. The same character string is also read optically and the result outputted. A magnetic data reading unit detects the magnetism of a character string printed in magnetic ink and outputs the detected magnetic data. A recognition result comparing unit then applies a column offset detection process to detect misalignment between the character columns in the magnetic and optical results, then applies a column offset correction process to correct any column offset and align corresponding character columns. The comparing unit then compares corresponding character columns in the magnetic data recognition result and image data recognition result. For each position comparison, the comparing unit outputs the common character if the magnetically-recognized and optically-recognized character at that position match, or a question mark if the magnetically-recognized and optically-recognized character at the position do not match or if one or both of the magnetically-recognized or optically-recognized character is missing.

Magnetic ink character recognition apparatus and magnetic ink character recognition method

Column misalignment between a character string recognized by a MICR and a character string recognized by optical character recognition is corrected to improve character recognition reliability. A magnetic data reading unit detects the magnetism of a character string printed in magnetic ink and outputs the detected magnetic data. An image reading unit optically reads the same character string printed in magnetic ink and outputs the image data. A magnetic data recognition unit applies a character recognition process to the magnetic data output by the magnetic data reading unit and outputs magnetic data recognition result. An image data recognition unit applies character recognition to the image data output by the image reading unit and outputs image data recognition result. A recognition result comparing unit applies a column offset detection process to detect misalignment between the character columns in the magnetic data recognition result and image data recognition result, then applies a column offset correction process to correct the column offset and align corresponding character columns, and then compares corresponding character columns in the magnetic data recognition result and image data recognition result based on the character strings after correcting the column offset and outputs a final recognition result.

A device status monitoring system and method for a POS (point of sale) terminal system, in which an OPOS (OLE for Retail POS) object continuously records changes in device status to a file. A control system (OPOS object) includes a first object (control object) providing an interface for a device class to an application program, and a second object (service object) providing an interface for a specific device to the first object. The second object has commands for executing a process for: receiving status data indicating a device status from the specific device; detecting, as status change data, status data that changed by comparing the received status data with previously received status data; determining, based on predefined recording conditions, whether the status change data is data to be recorded in a log file; generating log data for recording the status change by converting the status change data to a text message and adding time information to the text message; and storing the log data to a log file specified by the recording conditions.

Device status monitoring system, device status monitoring method, and a data storage medium and object program therefor

Device environment configuration systems, methods, and data storage media are provided that are adapted to automatically replicate device environment configuration information in a developer system to one or more other client systems. The user settings in OPOS device environment configuration settings of the developer PC can be found. Control objects and service objects stored to a data storage medium can then be installed to a client PC based on these user settings, and the OPOS device environment configuration settings from the developer PC can then be added to the client PC registry. Specific information stored in the client PC registry can be obtained based on the hardware specifications, such as the devices connected to the client PC and the connection port, and terminal-specific settings can be compiled for overwriting to the OPOS device environment configuration settings. These terminal-specific settings can then be stored to the OPOS device environment configuration settings in the registry of the client PC.

Device environment configuration systems, device environment configuration methods, and data storage media therefor

Peripheral device, specifically a printer, power on/off status is monitored on the host computer to prevent an erroneous operation resulting from printer resets caused by printer power being turned off and on. A printer power monitoring method implemented in a host computer monitors printer power supply status in a printer capable of sending to the host computer status information resulting from a change in printer status, including a drop in printer power supply voltage below a specific threshold level. The printer power monitoring method has a step of receiving status information sent from the printer; a step of requesting current status information from the printer after the printer status information has been received; and a step of determining that printer power is off if a response to the current status information request is not received.

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Nagano-ken, Japan

Masahiro Katagiri