Screen Scraping System with OCR Text Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices limit the ability to select and manipulate text within images and across the entire screen, failing to support simultaneous selection of text in SMS interfaces and text embedded within images.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device system that allows users to select any portion of the screen, recognizing and extracting text and images within the selected area using a combination of text extraction and image analysis methods, including OCR, to provide analysis results and related operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a scrape function is used to capture content, then both text and images can be selected, but text embedded within images cannot be extracted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent selection capabilityVSAvoidembedded text extraction
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple extraction methods (text extraction for plain text areas and OCR for image areas) into a single unified scraping system. When a user selects a region containing both text and images, the system simultaneously applies both extraction methods to retrieve all content types including embedded text within images.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an image recognition/OCR component as an intermediary that processes image areas within the selected region. This intermediary component extracts text from images by converting image data into recognizable text, thereby enabling the system to retrieve embedded text that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If text selection is limited to input fields, then selection functionality is simple to implement, but text in SMS interfaces and embedded text cannot be selected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveselection function implementationVSAvoidtext selection scope
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the selection function universal by enabling it to operate across multiple content types and interfaces. The same selection mechanism works for input fields, SMS message bodies, and images containing text, eliminating the need for separate selection implementations for different contexts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the screen into different content areas (text areas, image areas, SMS interfaces) and applies appropriate extraction methods to each segment. This segmentation allows the system to handle diverse content types while maintaining a unified selection interface for the user.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If only edit operations are supported after text selection, then the system is simple to manage, but analysis and other operations are not available

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation managementVSAvoidoperation types
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the operation menu dynamic by automatically adjusting available operations based on the selected content type. When text is selected, text-related operations (edit, copy, paste) are shown; when images or embedded text are selected, additional operations like image analysis and OCR are included in the menu.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary analysis of the selected content area to determine what operations are applicable before presenting the operation menu to the user. This preliminary action identifies content types (text, image, embedded text) and pre-configures the appropriate operation set, ensuring relevant operations are always available.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2990930B1Scraped information providing method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2022.04.20 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP2990930B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2990930B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2990930B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An information providing method of an electronic device is provided. The information providing method includes determining a selected area based on a user input, determining an extraction method based on types of one or more objects included in the selected area, extracting information from the selected area according to the determined extraction method, and performing a specific function based on the information.