System and method for dynamically switching optical character recognition packages

Abstract

An optical character recognition (OCR) scanning system utilizes a memory device, a registry, a scanning application, a processor, and a scanning device to scan the text of documents into memory. The scanning device is configured to capture an image of a document in response to a scan command from the scanning application. The scanning application locally stores a set of current parameter values indicating the location in the memory device of the OCR package that should be used to currently analyze and interpret images produced by the scanning device. If the scanning application receives a message to update the current parameter values, the scanning application retrieves new parameter values from the registry and stores these values in the memory device as the current parameter values. If the scanning application receives a message to initiate a document scan, the scanning application transmits the scan command to the scanning device and retrieves the current parameter values from the memory device. The processor uses these retrieved parameter values to locate code defining an OCR package. Once the OCR package is located, the processor executes the OCR package to analyze and interpret the image produced by the scanning device.

Now, therefore, the following is claimed:  
     
         1 . A method for electronically scanning images of text documents into memory, comprising the steps of: 
 capturing an image of a document via a scanning device;    dynamically selecting one of a plurality of OCR packages;    indicating which of the plurality of OCR packages is selected; and    analyzing said image with said OCR package that is indicated as being selected in said indicating step.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 receiving a request from a user to change which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected; and    changing which of said OCR packages is indicated as being selected by said user in response to said request.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of receiving a request from said user to change which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected comprises a scanning application having a set of parameter values defining a location in a memory device, the scanning application configured to receive an update message.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of changing which of said OCR packages is indicated as being selected by said user in response to said request comprises a scanning application having a set of parameter values defining a location in a memory device, the scanning application configured to receive an update message, said scanning application configured to retrieve a new set of parameter values from a registry within the memory device in response to said update message.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 enabling a user to dynamically change which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of enabling a user to dynamically change which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user comprises retrieving OCR parameter values and executing an OCR package located at a memory address defined by the OCR parameter values.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of enabling a user to dynamically select one of said plurality of OCR packages comprises updating a registry.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a scanning device; and    providing a plurality of optical character recognition (OCR) packages to analyze images captured by said scanning device.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of indicating which of a plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user comprises reading a registry.  
     
     
         10 . A computer system for analyzing an electronic image of a document captured by an optical character recognition (OCR) scanning device, comprising: 
 logic configured to enable a user to dynamically select one of a plurality of OCR packages to analyze said image;    logic configured to indicate which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user; and    logic configured to execute said OCR package selected by said user.    
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the logic configured to indicate which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user comprises a registry.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising: 
 logic configured to enable said user to dynamically change which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user.    
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the logic configured to enable said user to dynamically change which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user comprises retrieving OCR parameter values and executing an OCR package located at a memory address defined by the OCR parameter values.  
     
     
         14 . An optical character recognition (OCR) system for electronically scanning text of documents into memory, comprising: 
 a scanning device for capturing images of documents;    a computing device coupled to the scanning device, the computing device configured with a plurality of OCR packages for analyzing said images captured by said scanning device;    means for enabling a user to dynamically select one of said plurality of OCR packages to analyze said image captured by said scanning device;    means for indicating which of a plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user to analyze said image; and    means for analyzing said image with said OCR package that is indicated by said indicating means as being selected by said user.    
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 means for receiving a request from said user to change which of said OCR packages is selected; and    means for changing which of said OCR packages is indicated as being selected by said user in response to said request.    
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 means for enabling, said user to dynamically change which of said plurality of OCR packages is selected by said user.