International Business Machines Corporation

Infoprintsolutions Company, LLC

Firetide, Inc.

Ravi Prakash

Joan LaVerne Mitchell

Nenad Rijavec

Jorjeta Gueorguieva Jetcheva

Scott David Mastie

Sachin Kanodia

Mohan Natarajan

Rodney Gene Moon

Clair Frederick Rohe

Vinay Gupta

Robert E Shirley

John R Hillery

David A Stepneski

Christine A Fellows

Bina M Hallman

A system and method for managing image storage size. The invention uses reduction criteria to determine how much to reduce the storage size of an image over time. In one embodiment, reduction of data storage size includes degrading the quality of the image. The reduced-size image replaces the image from the previous iteration. The smaller storage allows longer access to the information in quick access storage and quicker transmission time.

Managing image storage size

Defect and maintenance detection for an image capture device (ICD) capable of distinguishing between a defect in the ICD and one on the imaged object. The defect detection system includes, inter alia: a value combiner that combines a brightest image video value for each sensing element of the ICD experiencing the imaged object with a corresponding stored device video value to create a combined value for each image video value; and a defect determinator determines the presence of a defect(s) by comparing the combined values to a defect threshold. The maintenance detection system includes a determinator that determines when maintenance is required based on whether a single image is considered defective or whether a number of consecutive defective images have been created. Device video values are updated sluggishly according to corresponding image video values.

Defect and maintenance detection for image capture device

A system, method and program product for rotating a first image in an image buffer such that the resulting, rotated image is substantially free of an aliasing error, i.e., broken lines, stair stepped edges, etc., is disclosed. An algorithm is applied to the first image that uses weighted sums of data points of the first image to create the rotated image. The weighting is based on the skew angle and data point location of the first image. The resulting rotated image also has a reduced data storage space requirement compared to rotated images created by prior art techniques.

Image rotation with substantially no aliasing error

Further compression of data allowing economical storage of data for extended periods of time in high-speed access memory is performed in reduced time by performing further compression during transcoding in the transform domain and without restoring image data to its original image data form. The reduction in processing time is achieved by exploiting the large number of zero-valued quantization transform coefficients and not changing quantized transform coefficients at zig-zag scan positions where non-zero coefficients are rare during range reduction of the entropy decoded quantized transformed data. The range can be restored by computation or estimation of an altered quantization table which is stored with the further compressed quantization values. Further advantages accrue from use of JPEG packed format for the data during transcoding.

Enhancing compression while transcoding JPEG images

Systems, methods and program products for recording a document's background data during front-end generation of the document, and inserting a background data identifier on the document. In addition, the invention provides for use of the background data for document processing. For example, the invention provides for removal of the background data from scanner image data of the document to create a foreground image. The foreground image can be used to conduct processing relative to the document such as archiving, fraud detection and other processing. Background data recordation and removal during back-end processing results in improved archive accuracy, lowered storage size requirements, and reduced transmission costs. In addition, background data recordation allows referencing of a single background by a large number of documents.

Background data recording and use with document processing

A system and method for reducing a size of an image. The invention comprises a system for rotating the image in a first direction using a rotation algorithm to generate an intermediate reduced image; a system for rotating the intermediate reduced image in a direction opposite the first direction using the rotation algorithm to generate a final reduced image; and wherein the rotation algorithm uses weighted sums of neighboring pixels in the image prior to rotation to calculate new pixel values. The invention may also comprise an enhancement system for boosting contrast of the final reduced image.

Image size reduction method and system

A character recognition system and method. The system comprises an (OCR) optical character reader system for collecting character data by electro-optically scanning printed characters; a conversion system for converting the character data to a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) format; and a recognition engine for interpreting the converted character data using a MICR algorithm.

MICR-based optical character recognition system and method

Further compression of data allowing economical storage of data for extended periods of time in high-speed access memory is performed in reduced time by performing further compression during transcoding in the transform domain and without restoring image data to its original image data form. The reduction in processing time is achieved by exploiting the large number of zero-valued quantization transform coefficients and not changing quantized transform coefficients at zig-zag scan positions where non-zero coefficients are rare during range reduction of the entropy decoded quantized transformed data. The range can be restored by computation or estimation of an altered quantization table which is stored with the further compressed a quantization values. Further advantages accrue from use of JPEG packed format for the data during transcoding.

A system which provides a continuous indication of the operating integrity, of an entire image capture and processing system without the need for interfering with document throughput or the need for special paper test documents to be inserted into the scanning path. The system monitors performance from document presentation and scanner output, through image processing. It schedules maintenance of the system on an actual as needed basis. It continuously collects and monitors the imaging characteristics from work documents being processed and calculates a projected date at which maintenance will be required in order to retain system operating integrity. Minimum and maximum video values are collected from the output of each picture element sensor for each document. A running indication of system integrity is stored in a white trend array and a black trend array. These arrays are adjusted after an interval of time or one or more documents have been processed. The change in value of a trend array element depends upon whether the change indicated by the processing of the previous document indicates a deterioration of performance or a return to acceptable performance by the image capture system. After a further interval, the arrays are shifted in parallel to develop a maximum trend and a minimum trend for each picture element.

Image capture and processing system health check

A system and method of detecting and authenticating a watermark on a document such as a check which is supposed to include a watermark having known characteristics to verify the authenticity of the document. A digitized image of the document is stored and processed through transformation which generates a frequency distribution. That frequency distribution is processed to determine one or more harmonic compared to a stored value associated with the document to determine that a watermark exists and it is the correct watermark.

Method and system for watermark detection

A system and method for detecting alteration of a document. The invention evaluates markings in half-tone fields by ascertaining a first dot count of dots isolated from the marking in the half-tone field of the document; forming an image of the marking; superimposing the image on a blank half-tone field having the same predetermined pattern as the half-tone field of the document; ascertaining a second dot count of dots isolated from the image superimposed on the blank half-tone field; and determining whether the marking has been altered by comparing the first dot count to the second dot count. An alteration is indicated where the first dot count and second clot count are different.

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Concord, NC, United States of America

Ravi Prakash