Image integration printing system, device, and image integration printing method

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image integration printing system, which includes an image capturing device, a host device and a printing device. The image capturing device is used to capture an image of an object. The host device is electrically connected to the image capturing device, and includes a storage unit, a recognition unit and a processing unit. The storage unit is used to store the image and a form transmitted from the image capturing device, the recognition unit is used to recognize a field in the form corresponding to the image, and the processing unit is electrically connected to the storage unit and the recognition unit and used to combine the image into the field in the form corresponding to the image to correspondingly generate an output file. The printing device is electrically connected to the host device and used to print the output file.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the following application: The original application was filed on July 10, 2018. The original application number was 201810752474.X Original patent application title: Image Integration Printing System, Apparatus, and Image Integration Printing Method Original applicant: Hongguang Precision Industry Co., Ltd. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to an image integration printing system and an image integration printing method, and more particularly to an image integration printing system, apparatus, and related image integration printing method that can bring an image and its contained related information into a blank form and print the integrated form. Background Technology

[0003] In response to social development and technological advancements, a wide variety of personalized services are constantly being introduced to cater to consumers' diverse needs. When applying for these personalized services, consumers typically need to fill out a form with their personal information and provide supporting identification documents, such as an ID card or driver's license. Currently, customer service personnel or consumers print out the relevant documents and application form, then attach photocopies of the documents to the completed form. This process is therefore cumbersome and time-consuming. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide an image integration printing system and related image integration printing method that can bring images and their contained related information into a blank form and print the integrated form, so as to solve the above problems.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention discloses an image integration printing system, comprising an image capture device, a host device, and a printing device. The image capture device is used to capture an image of an object. The host device is electrically connected to the image capture device and includes a storage unit, a recognition unit, and a processing unit. The storage unit is used to store the image and a window transmitted from the image capture device. The recognition unit is used to identify fields in the window corresponding to the image. The processing unit is electrically connected to the storage unit and the recognition unit and is used to combine the image with the corresponding field in the window to generate an output file. The printing device is electrically connected to the host device and is used to print the output file.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit uses optical image recognition to identify the format of the window in order to find the field in the window corresponding to the image.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit finds the field in the window that matches the size of the image based on the size of the image.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit uses optical character recognition to recognize at least one character in the image in order to find the field in the window corresponding to the image.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit recognizes at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and recognizes another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image using optical character recognition. The processing unit fills the at least one character recognized by the recognition unit into the other field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit recognizes at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and finds another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image based on default coordinates using coordinate positioning. The processing unit fills the at least one character recognized by the recognition unit into the other field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit uses coordinate positioning to find the field of the corresponding image in the window based on the default coordinates.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the unit format of the image and the window is JBIG, JPG, JPEG or TIFF compression format.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the image capturing device is a scanner, which is used to scan the object to generate the corresponding image.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also discloses an image integration printing apparatus, comprising: an image capture device, a host device, and a printing device. The host device includes: a storage unit, a recognition unit, and a processing unit. The image capture device sends an image to the storage unit, the image being generated by the image capture device capturing an object. The storage unit receives and stores the image, sends a stored form to the recognition unit, and sends the image to the processing unit. The recognition unit receives the form and sends a field to the processing unit, the field being a field in the form corresponding to the image identified by the recognition unit. The processing unit receives the image and the field, and sends an output file to the printing device, the output file being generated by combining the image with the field corresponding to the image in the form. The printing device receives and prints the output file.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit uses optical image recognition to identify the format of the window in order to find the field in the window corresponding to the image.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit finds the field in the window that matches the size of the image based on the size of the image.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit uses optical character recognition to recognize at least one character in the image in order to find the field in the window corresponding to the image.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit recognizes at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and recognizes another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image using optical character recognition. The processing unit fills the at least one character recognized by the recognition unit into the other field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit identifies at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and finds another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image based on default coordinates using coordinate positioning. The processing unit fills the at least one character identified by the recognition unit into the other field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit uses coordinate positioning to find the field of the corresponding image in the window based on the default coordinates.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the unit format of the image and the window is JBIG, JPG, JPEG or TIFF compression format.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the image capturing device is a scanner, which is used to scan the object to generate the corresponding image.

[0023] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention further discloses an image integration printing method, which includes: capturing an image of an object using an image capture device; identifying a field in a window stored in a storage unit that corresponds to the image; combining the image with the field in the window that corresponds to the image to generate an output file accordingly; and printing the output file using a printing device.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit of the host device identifies the field of the corresponding image in the window stored in the storage unit, including the identification unit using optical image recognition to identify the format of the window in order to find the field of the corresponding image in the window.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit finds the field in the window that matches the size of the image based on the size of the image.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit of the host device identifies that the field of the corresponding image in the window stored in the storage unit includes at least one character of the image identified by the identification unit using optical character recognition, so as to find the field of the corresponding image in the window.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the recognition unit recognizing at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and recognizing another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image using optical character recognition, and the processing unit filling the at least one character recognized by the recognition unit into the other field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the recognition unit recognizing at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and finding another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image based on default coordinates using coordinate positioning, and the processing unit filling the at least one character recognized by the recognition unit into the other field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit of the host device identifies the field of the corresponding image in the window stored in the storage unit, which includes the field of the corresponding image in the window found by the identification unit using a coordinate positioning method based on default coordinates.

[0030] In summary, this invention utilizes a recognition unit to identify fields in a form corresponding to an image, and a processing unit to combine the image with the corresponding field in the form. Furthermore, this invention can also utilize a recognition unit to identify text contained in an image and fields in the form corresponding to that text, and a processing unit to fill the text contained in the image into the corresponding field in the form. In this way, when processing consumer applications, businesses only need to capture the image of the document using an image capture device. The image integration and printing system can then automatically integrate the document image with a default blank form to print out a form containing the relevant information, eliminating the need for cumbersome manual printing, data entry, and cutting and pasting of document copies. Therefore, this invention effectively simplifies the application process and shortens the application time. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of the image integration printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the integration of images and forms to generate an output file according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the image integration printing method of the image integration printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Component designation explanation 1. Image Integration Printing System 11 Image capture equipment 12. Main unit 121 storage units 122 Identification Units 123 Processing Unit 13 Printing device 14 images 15 Forms Fields 151 and 152 16 Output Image Steps S1~S7 Detailed Implementation

[0034] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention is presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of the invention are limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of the present invention. To provide a thorough understanding of the invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The invention may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0035] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of the image integration printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the integration of image 14 and window 15 to generate output file 16 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this invention, the image integration printing system 1 can be used to assist businesses in generating complete application documents based on consumer application data, such as... Figure 1As shown, the image integration printing system 1 includes an image capture device 11, a host device 12, and a printing device 13. The image capture device 11 is used to capture an image 14 of an object (e.g., an identity document, such as an ID card, health insurance card, or driver's license). In this embodiment, the image capture device 11 can be a scanner, used to scan the object to generate the corresponding image 14. However, the invention is not limited to this; the image capture device 11 can also be a camera lens, used to photograph the object to generate the corresponding image 14. The host device 12 is electrically connected to the image capture device 11 and includes a storage unit 121, a recognition unit 122, and a processing unit 123. The storage unit 121 is used to store the image 14 transmitted from the image capture device 11 and a form 15 (e.g., a blank application form). The processing unit 123 is electrically connected to the storage unit 121 and the identification unit 122, and is used to combine the image 14 and the related information contained in the image 14 into the fields of the corresponding image in the window 15, so as to generate an output file 16. In this embodiment, since the output file 16 is generated by saving a new file, the window 15 is not overwritten and can be reused. Further, in this embodiment, the unit format of the image 14 and the window 15 is preferably a compressed format such as JBIG, JPG, JPEG or TIFF, so as to avoid misrecording or mischange and help speed up the subsequent image processing. The storage unit 121 can be a memory unit, such as a hard disk, flash memory or any machine-readable storage medium. The identification unit 122 is used to identify the fields in the window 15 that correspond to the image 14 and the related information contained in the image 14, respectively. The identification unit 122 can be an image recognition program or coordinate application, etc., and the processing unit 123 can be a processor or microcontroller, etc. However, the form of the storage unit 121, the identification unit 122, and the processing unit 123 of the host device 12 of the present invention is not limited thereto; that is, any software, hardware, or firmware that can achieve the above functions falls within the scope of protection of the present invention. Furthermore, the output file 16 can be an editable file or a non-editable file, depending on actual needs. The printing device 13 is electrically connected to the host device 12 and is used to print the output file 16. The printing device 13 can be a printer or a multifunction printer, etc.

[0036] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the image integration printing method of the image integration printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the following steps: S1: Use image capture device 11 to capture image 14 of the object; S2: The identification unit 122 of the host device 12 identifies the field 151 of the corresponding image 14 in the window 15 stored in the storage unit 121; S3: The processing unit 123 of the host device 12 combines the image 14 into the field 151 of the corresponding image 14 in the window 15; S4: The identification unit 122 of the host device 12 identifies at least one character of the image 14 and the field 152 of the corresponding character of the image 14 in the window 15 stored in the storage unit 121. S5: The processing unit 123 of the host device 12 fills the at least one character of the image 14 into the field 152 of the form 15 corresponding to the at least one character of the image. S6: The processing unit 123 of the host device 12 correspondingly generates an output file 16 integrating the image 14 and the window 15; and S7: Print out file 16 using printing device 13.

[0037] The following explains the above steps. When you want to generate complete application documents, you can first use the image capture device 11 to capture the image 14 of the object and store it in the storage unit 121 of the host device 12 (step S1). Next, the recognition unit 122 can recognize the field 151 of the corresponding image 14 in the window 15 stored in the storage unit 121 (step S2). For example, the recognition unit 122 can use optical character recognition to recognize the format of the window 15 to find the field of the corresponding image 14 in the window 15. That is, the recognition unit 122 can find the field 151 in the window 15 that matches the size of the image 14 based on the size of the image 14; or the recognition unit 122 can first use optical character recognition to recognize at least one character in the image 14, and then find the field 151 of the corresponding image 14 in the window 15 based on the at least one character; or the recognition unit 122 can use coordinate positioning to find the field 151 of the at least one character or the at least one graphic in the window 15 based on the default coordinates of the at least one character or the at least one graphic in the corresponding image 14. For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, if the recognition unit 122 recognizes that the image 14 contains the string "ID card" using optical character recognition, the recognition unit 122 can search for the field 151 in the window 15 containing the string "ID card front photocopy pasting area" based on the recognition result. Alternatively, if the recognition unit 122 recognizes that the image 14 contains the string "ID card" using optical character recognition, the recognition unit 122 can find the field 151 based on the default coordinates of the string "ID card" contained in the corresponding image 14. After the recognition unit 122 recognizes the field 151 of the corresponding image 14 in the window 15 stored in the storage unit 121, the processing unit 123 of the host device 12 can combine the image 14 with the field 151 of the corresponding image 14 in the window 15 (step S3).

[0038] Furthermore, the recognition unit 122 of the host device 12 can also recognize at least one character in the image 14 and the field 152 in the window 15 stored in the storage unit 121 corresponding to the at least one character in the image 14. The processing unit 123 can then fill the at least one character in the image 14 into the field 152 in the window 15 corresponding to the at least one character in the image 14 (steps S4 and S5). For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, if the recognition unit 122 identifies, using optical character recognition, that the image 14 contains the string "Wang Daming" (registered as a name), "August 8, 1999" (registered as a date of birth), and "X123456789" (registered as a unique identifier), the recognition unit 122 can search for the fields 152 in the form 15 that require the name, date of birth, and ID number to be filled in, using optical image recognition, optical character recognition, or coordinate positioning based on the recognition results. Then, the processing unit 123 can fill in "Wang Daming," "August 8, 1999," and "X123456789" into the corresponding positions in the fields 152 searched by the recognition unit 122. Afterward, the processing unit 123 of the host device 12 can export the form containing at least one text and image to the corresponding output file 16 (step S6). Finally, the host device 12 can transmit the output file 16 to the printing device 13 and control the printing device 13 to print the output file 16, thus obtaining a complete application document (step S7). Furthermore, the present invention can also be designed to combine only the image 14 into the field 151 corresponding to the image 14 in the form 15, or to identify only at least one character of the image 14 and fill it into the field 152 corresponding to that at least one character of the image 14 in the form 15, depending on the actual design requirements.

[0039] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also discloses an image integration printing apparatus, comprising: an image capture device, a host device, and a printing device. The host device includes: a storage unit, a recognition unit, and a processing unit. The image capture device sends an image to the storage unit, the image being generated by the image capture device capturing an object. The storage unit receives and stores the image, sends a stored form to the recognition unit, and sends the image to the processing unit. The recognition unit receives the form and sends a field to the processing unit, the field being a field in the form corresponding to the image identified by the recognition unit. The processing unit receives the image and the field, and sends an output file to the printing device, the output file being generated by combining the image with the field corresponding to the image in the form. The printing device receives and prints the output file.

[0040] Specifically, the recognition unit uses optical character recognition (OCR) to identify the format of the window to find the field in the window corresponding to the image; the recognition unit finds the field in the window that matches the size of the image based on the image's size; the recognition unit uses optical character recognition (OCR) to identify at least one character in the image to find the field in the window corresponding to the image; the recognition unit uses OCR to identify at least one character in the image and uses OCR to identify another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image; the processing unit then processes the data from the recognition unit. The identified at least one character is filled into the other field of the corresponding at least one character in the image within the form; the recognition unit identifies at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and locates the other field of the corresponding at least one character in the form using coordinate positioning based on default coordinates; the processing unit fills the identified at least one character into the other field of the corresponding at least one character in the image within the form; the recognition unit locates the field of the corresponding image in the form using coordinate positioning based on default coordinates. The image and the unit format of the form are JBIG, JPG, JPEG, or TIFF compressed formats. The image capture device is a scanner, which is used to scan the object to generate the corresponding image.

[0041] Compared to prior art, this invention utilizes a recognition unit to identify fields in a form corresponding to an image, and a processing unit to combine the image with the corresponding field in the form. Furthermore, this invention can also utilize a recognition unit to identify text contained in an image and fields in the form corresponding to that text, and a processing unit to fill the text contained in the image into the corresponding field in the form. In this way, when processing consumer applications, businesses only need to capture the image of the document using an image capture device. The image integration and printing system can then automatically integrate the document image with a default blank form to print out the form containing the relevant information, eliminating the need for cumbersome manual printing, data entry, and cutting and pasting of document copies. Therefore, this invention effectively simplifies the application process and shortens the application time.

[0042] In summary, the embodiments provided above are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image integration printing system, characterized in that, It includes: An image capture device is used to capture an image of an object, which is an identity document. A host device electrically connected to the image capture device, and the host device comprising: A storage unit for storing the images and windows transmitted from the image capture device; The identification unit is used to identify the fields in the window corresponding to the image; and The recognition unit also recognizes at least one character in the image and another field in the window stored in the storage unit that corresponds to the at least one character in the image; wherein when the recognition unit recognizes that the image contains a first string corresponding to the identity document using optical character recognition, the recognition unit searches the field in the window that has a second string corresponding to the first string according to the recognition result, so as to find the field in the window that corresponds to the at least one character in the image; the recognition unit finds the field in the window that matches the size of the image according to the size of the image; as well as The processing unit is electrically connected to the storage unit and the identification unit and is used to combine the image and related information contained in the image into the fields of the window corresponding to the image and the fields of related information corresponding to the image, respectively, so as to generate an output file accordingly. as well as A printing device, which is electrically connected to the host device and used to print the output file.

2. The image integration printing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The recognition unit uses optical character recognition to recognize at least one character in the image and uses optical character recognition to recognize another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image.

3. The image integration printing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The recognition unit uses optical character recognition to identify at least one character in the image and uses coordinate positioning to find another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image based on default coordinates.

4. The image integration printing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The image and the unit format of the window are in JBIG, JPG, JPEG or TIFF compression format.

5. The image integration printing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The image capture device is a scanner, which is used to scan the object to generate the corresponding image.

6. An image integration printing apparatus, characterized in that, It includes: an image capture device, a host device, and a printing device, wherein the host device includes: a storage unit, a recognition unit, and a processing unit; wherein, The image capture device sends an image to the storage unit. The image is generated by the image capture device capturing an object, which is an identity verification document. The storage unit receives and stores the image, sends the stored window to the recognition unit, and sends the image to the processing unit; The identification unit receives the window and sends a field to the processing unit. The field is the field in the window that the identification unit identifies as corresponding to the image. The identification unit also identifies at least one character in the image and another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image that is stored in the storage unit. The processing unit receives the image and the field, fills the at least one character identified by the recognition unit into the other field of the at least one character in the image in the form, and sends an output file to the printing device. The output file is generated by combining the image and the relevant information contained in the image into the field of the image and the field of the relevant information in the form, respectively. The printing device receives and prints the output file; when the recognition unit identifies that the image contains a first string corresponding to the identity document using optical character recognition, the recognition unit searches the window for a field with a second string corresponding to the first string based on the recognition result, so as to find the field in the window that corresponds to the image; the recognition unit finds the field in the window that matches the size of the image based on the size of the image.

7. The image integration printing apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The recognition unit identifies at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and identifies another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image using optical character recognition.

8. The image integration printing apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The recognition unit uses optical character recognition to identify at least one character in the image and uses coordinate positioning to find another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image based on default coordinates.

9. The image integration printing apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The image and the unit format of the window are in JBIG, JPG, JPEG or TIFF compression format.

10. The image integration printing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The image capture device is a scanner, which is used to scan the object to generate the corresponding image.

11. An image integration printing method, characterized in that, It includes: An image of an object is captured using an image capture device; the object is an identity document. The identification unit of the host device identifies the field corresponding to the image in the window stored in the storage unit, and identifies at least one character in the image and another field corresponding to the at least one character in the window stored in the storage unit. The processing unit of the host device combines the image and the related information contained in the image into the fields corresponding to the image and the fields corresponding to the related information of the image in the window, respectively, to generate an output file accordingly. as well as The output file is printed using a printing device; wherein the identification unit of the host device identifies that the field corresponding to the image in the window stored in the storage unit includes: When the recognition unit identifies that the image contains a first string corresponding to the identity document using optical character recognition, the recognition unit searches the window for a field with a second string corresponding to the first string based on the recognition result, so as to find the field in the window that corresponds to the image; the recognition unit finds the field in the window that matches the size of the image based on the size of the image.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, It further includes the recognition unit recognizing at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and recognizing another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image using optical character recognition.

13. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, It further includes the recognition unit recognizing at least one character in the image using optical character recognition and finding another field in the window corresponding to the at least one character in the image based on default coordinates using coordinate positioning.

Images