Forms processing

Abstract: The widespread use of printed forms for data acquisition makes the ability to automatically read and analyze their contents desirable. The components of a forms analysis system include conversion from paper to an image through scanning, image enhancement, document identification, data extraction, and data interpretation. This paper describes techniques for manipulating electronic images of forms in preparation for data interpretation. A combination feature extraction/model-based approach is used for forms identification, registration, and field extraction. Forms identification is implemented with a neural network. The system is demonstrated on United States Internal Revenue Service forms.

Abstract: A wireless telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smart remote control, or other Internet-enabled processing device includes a scalable electronic forms processing engine which supports a designated subset of the W3C recommended XForms standard. The designated subset may be selected for a given device based on the computational and memory capabilities of the device. Advantageously, the invention allows 'thin' devices to process electronic forms without requiring implementation of the complete W3C recommended XForms standard.

Abstract: A system and method for providing interactive computer assisted teaching. The system is premised on and extends the ubiquitous nature of paper in classroom environments to be an interaction medium with a computer based system. By utilizing intelligent form and embedded data processing, highly interactive and customized teaching applications can be created. A student and other members of the educational community interacts with the system by making marks on an educational material and then scanning that educational material back into the system. Intelligent forms processing techniques are used to identify the marks made and pass them on to a teaching application. The teaching application will then determine an appropriate course of interaction, which may include having a responsive educational material printed out for the student. The system provides for having a single computer in a classroom, wherein students can use a familiar medium, paper, to interact with the computer. Moreover, each student in the classroom can concurrently benefit from having the computer in the classroom. Teaching applications may also be created used by the system to facilitate participation of parents and school administrators in the educational process.

Abstract: This paper describes an intelligent forms processing system (IFPS) which provides capabilities for automatically indexing form documents for storage/retrieval to/from a document library and for capturing information from scanned form images using intelligent character recognition (ICR). The system also provides capabilities for efficiently storing form images. IFPS consists of five major processing components: (1) An interactive document analysis stage that analyzes a blank form in order to define a model of each type of form to be accepted by the system; the parameters of each model are stored in a form library. (2) A form recognition module that collects features of an input form in order to match it against one represented in the form library; the primary features used in this step are the pattern of lines defining data areas on the form. (3) A data extraction component that registers the selected model to the input form, locates data added to the form in fields of interest, and removes the data image to a separate image area. A simple mask defining the center of the data region suffices to initiate the extraction process; search routines are invoked to track data that extends beyond the masks. Other special processing is called on to detect lines that intersect the data image and to delete the lines with minimum distortion to the rest of the image. (4) An ICR unit that converts the extracted image data to symbol code for input to data base or other conventional processing systems. Three types of ICR logic have been implemented in order to accommodate monospace typing, proportionally spaced machine text, and handprinted alphanumerics. (5) A forms dropout module that removes the fixed part of a form and retains only the data filled in for storage. The stored data can be later combined with the fixed form to reconstruct the original form. This provides for extremely efficient storage of form images, thus making possible the storage of very large number of forms in the system. IFPS is implemented as part of a larger image management system called Image and Records Management system (IRM). It is being applied in forms data management in several state government applications.