Scanner Object Copying with Automatic Layout and Cropping

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Copying small objects like receipts is tedious due to their tendency to shift and overlap during scanning, requiring multiple attempts and often resulting in wasted time and paper when trying to align and trim them for duplication.

Innovation Solution

A method involving scanning, cropping, and formatting image data to produce a compact arrangement of multiple objects on a page, allowing for efficient copying and archiving of small items by determining the size of each object and optimizing page layout for maximum coverage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple receipts are placed on the scanner bed for copying, then copying efficiency is improved, but the receipts tend to shift and overlap during scanning, requiring multiple attempts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecopying efficiencyVSAvoidposition stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection and identification of receipts before copying. It detects the presence, position, and dimensions of multiple receipts on the scanner bed, then uses this information to automatically adjust scanning parameters and positioning, eliminating the need for manual alignment attempts during the copying process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If receipts are trimmed and taped down to prevent shifting, then position stability is improved, but time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposition stabilityVSAvoidtime consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention replaces the mechanical approach of taping down receipts with an automated image processing system. The system uses image detection algorithms to identify receipt positions and dimensions, then automatically adjusts scanning parameters to accommodate the receipts without any mechanical constraint methods like taping or trimming.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple receipts are aligned manually before scanning, then copying accuracy is improved, but operation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment accuracyVSAvoidoperation simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-alignment by automatically detecting the positions and dimensions of multiple receipts on the scanner bed. It then independently adjusts scanning parameters and positioning to ensure accurate copying, eliminating the need for manual alignment by the user and simplifying the operation to simply placing receipts on the bed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS7483589B2Method for copying objects

Publication Date: 2009.01.27 LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A method for copying objects smaller than a background defined by a scanner of an apparatus includes scanning a plurality of objects to acquire image data associated with the plurality of objects and the background; cropping the image data to remove object data for each object of the plurality of objects from the background; determining a size associated with each object of the plurality of objects, based on the object data; and formatting a page to produce a compact arrangement of multiple objects of the plurality of objects on the page, the page receiving the multiple objects in accordance with the size.