Image analysis – Applications – Mail processing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-18
2001-07-24
Johns, Andrew W. (Department: 2621)
Image analysis
Applications
Mail processing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266431
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an address recognizing method and a mail processing apparatus which reads and recognizes an address on a letter.
2. Discussion of the Background
A zip code reader-sorter takes letters one by one, reads and discriminates address information on the letter and the reader-sorter stacks the letters on the basis of the discriminated result.
However, detecting the position at which the address is displayed at the time of the discrimination is difficult, and various designs are employed for the detection. For example, for detecting the address information accurately in a large quantity of letters of the same format, as in direct mail, a cursor mode and a special forms mode are provided. In the case of direct mail according to these modes, the coordinates of the position of the address information are specified manually. The specified position is extracted from the letter as the address information position, which is read according to this specification, and the information within the extracted position is discriminated.
The application of this mode is very effective when direct mail is supplied in a large quantity. However, when direct mail is small quantities is mixed in the mail, the specification according to this mode cannot be performed. If that mode is specified, as the information written in the specified position is discriminated as the address, then when direct mail of a different format comes after a small quantity of direct mail is recognized, the information in the same region is recognized as the specified information. This causes misreading. This delays the processing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the problems and disadvantage of the prior art by correlating position data of a letter with position data of a previous letter or position data of a letter registered in a dictionary.
An object of the invention is to provide an address recognizing method and a mail processing apparatus which reduces the load of the operator.
To achieve the object and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a method recognizes the address of a letter, and comprises registering data including a whole image and coordinate data of address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of a referring letter, obtaining a whole image of a letter, correlating the whole image with the registered whole image, and detecting address information mentioning position from the obtained whole image based on the coordinate data when the correlating result indicates conformity.
Further, the present invention provides a method for recognizing an address of a letter, and the method comprises storing whole image and coordinate data of address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of processed mail, comparing the last stored whole image with the stored whole image just before and judging whether it conforms, assuming processed mail is bulk mail when the conformity accumulates to a number by comparing result, obtaining a whole image of a letter, correlating the whole image with the last stored whole image, and detecting address information mentioning position from the obtained whole image based on the coordinate data when the assuming result indicates bulk mail and the correlating result indicates conformity.
Further, the present invention provides a method for recognizing an address of a letter, and the method comprises storing a whole image and coordinate data of address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of a processed letter, obtaining a whole image of a letter, correlating the whole image with the last stored whole image, and detecting address information mentioning position from the obtained whole image based on the coordinate data when the correlating result indicates conformity.
Further, the present invention provides a method for recognizing an address of a letter, and the method comprises registering data including a whole image and coordinate data of an address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of a referring letter, storing whole image and coordinate data of address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of processed mail, comparing the last stored whole image with the stored whole image just before and judging whether there is conformity or not, assuming processed mail is bulk mail when the conformity accumulates to a number by comparing result, obtaining a whole image of a letter, correlating the whole image with the registered whole image or the last stored whole image, and detecting address information mentioning position from the obtained whole image based on the coordinate data when the correlating result indicates conformity with the registered whole image or the correlating result indicates conformity with the last stored whole image and the assuming result indicates it is bulk mail.
Further, the present invention provides a mail processing apparatus for processing a letter on which an address is written, comprising means for registering data including a whole image and coordinate data of address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of a referring letter, means for obtaining a whole image of a letter, means for correlating the whole image obtained by obtaining means with the whole image registered by the registering means, and means for detecting address information mentioning position from the obtained whole image based on the registered coordinate data when the correlating result indicates conformity by the correlating means.
Further, the present invention provides a mail processing apparatus for processing a letter on which an address is written, comprising means for storing whole image and coordinate data of address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of processed mail, means for comparing the last whole image stored by the storing means with the whole image stored by the storing means just before, means for judging whether conformable or not based on the comparison result by the comparing means, means for assuming processed mail is bulk mail when the conformity accumulates to a number by the judging means, means for obtaining a whole image of a letter, means for correlating the whole image obtained by the obtaining means with the last stored whole image stored by the storing means, and means for detecting address information mentioning position from the obtained whole image based on the coordinate data stored in the storing means when the assuming result indicates it is bulk mail by assuming means and the correlating result indicates conformity by correlating means.
Further, the invention provides a mail processing apparatus for processing a letter on which an address is written, comprising means for storing a whole image and coordinate data of address information mentioning position corresponding to the whole image of a processed letter, means for obtaining a whole image of a letter, means for correlating the whole image obtained by the obtaining means with the whole image last stored by storing means, and means for detecting address information mentioning position from the obtained whole image based on the coordinate data stored by the storing means when the correlating result indicates conformity by the correlating means.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4809340 (1989-02-01), Mersereau
patent: 4998626 (1991-03-01), Ota
patent: 5460273 (1995-10-01), Stevens et al.
patent: 5581628 (1996-12-01), Nakamura et al.
Johns Andrew W.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Nakhjavan Shervin
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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