Reading order determination apparatus, method, and program for determining reading order of characters

摘要

A method and apparatus for determining a reading order of characters The method includes preparing a list of character information, which is character information extracted from image data by character recognition processing and preparing a list of line information, which is made up of a line box surrounding a set of characters which are continuously aligned in the same direction in image data and an alignment direction of characters in the line box. In response to a request for adding character information to the list of character information, extracting a line box containing a character region of the character to be added, obtaining all character information having the character region contained in the concerned line box from the list of character information and rearranging according to the position with respect to the alignment direction of characters corresponding to the line box to determine a new reading order of characters.

主权项

1. A reading order determination method for determining a reading order of characters by a computer, wherein the computer is accessible to a character information storage unit for storing a list of character information, the list containing character information made up of text data and character region data of each character extracted from image data by character recognition processing aligned and listed in a reading order of characters, and a line information storage unit for storing a list of line information, the list listing line information made up of a line box that surrounds a set of characters continuously aligned in the same direction and an alignment direction of characters in the line box in the alignment order of lines, the method comprising:
(a) detecting line information having a line box containing a region indicated by character region data of added character information from the list of line information in response to a request for addition of character information to the list of character in formation; (b) obtaining a subset of character region data from the list of character information, wherein the character region data indicating a region contained in the line box of the line information detected by said detection means; (c) rearranging each character region data in the subset according to a position with respect to an alignment direction of characters of the line information that has been detected; and (d) determining a reading order of characters in the list of character information by updating the list of character information based on an alignment order of character region data in the subset.