Borderless Table Detection Engine Whitespace Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing document converters struggle to accurately convert fixed format documents into flow format documents, especially when dealing with complex elements like borderless tables, resulting in limited flowability and requiring substantial manual reconstruction.

Innovation Solution

A borderless table detection engine that utilizes whitespace detection to identify and reconstruct borderless tables by grouping overlapping whitespaces, determining cell layouts, and assigning text to individual cells, allowing for the creation of a flowable table format.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If base techniques are used to preserve visual fidelity of borderless tables in fixed format documents, then layout accuracy is maintained, but the flowability of the output document deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelayout accuracyVSAvoidflowability

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the borderless table structure by detecting individual cell boundaries through whitespace analysis and hierarchical grouping. Each cell is identified and structured as a discrete element, allowing the table to be reconstructed in flow format while preserving the original layout relationships. This segmentation enables the conversion from fixed format to flow format without manual reconstruction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If manual reconstruction is performed to achieve truly useful flow format documents, then flowability is improved, but time consumption and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflowabilityVSAvoidmanual reconstruction time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by enabling the document conversion system to automatically detect, analyze, and reconstruct borderless tables without human intervention. The whitespace detection algorithm and hierarchical grouping mechanisms perform the reconstruction tasks that would otherwise require manual effort, significantly reducing time consumption while maintaining high flowability in the output document.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If existing document converters are used for borderless tables, then conversion speed is maintained, but detection accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconversion speedVSAvoiddetection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical layout analysis methods with a whitespace-based detection system. By substituting the conventional approach of detecting table borders with an analysis of whitespace patterns and hierarchical grouping, the system achieves both high detection accuracy and maintained conversion speed, overcoming the limitations of existing converters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP2807608B1Borderless table detection engine

Publication Date: 2024.04.10 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

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AI summary

A borderless table detection engine and associated method for identifying borderless tables appearing in data extracted from a fixed format document. Due to the lack of visible borders, reliable automated detection of a borderless table is difficult. The borderless table detection engine uses whitespace, rather than content, to detect borderless table candidates. Applying heuristic analysis, the borderless table detection engine discards borderless table candidates with a layout that lacks sufficient characteristics of a table and is unlikely to be a valid borderless table.