Current scanner technology allows a user to capture and utilize all or portions of various scanned documents, images, objects, etc. for use within various computer applications, even when the documents are comprised of a variety of different components. A document containing text, black and white and/or color photographs, graphics, and color and black and white line art can be scanned in its entirety. Alternatively, the user may choose to select only certain portions of the original document for scanning by utilizing scanner software to select an area or particular image contained in a preview scan of the document. The selected area is then scanned to produce a final image.
The usability of existing scanners and their associated user interface for selecting portions of documents has been hindered by the inability of many users to understand the simple concept of drawing a selection box around the image of interest in a preview scan of the document displayed in a window in a computer monitor indicating what will be scanned for a final image. The result is that, in many situations, the user scans the entire document when only a portion was actually needed. Typically, the user will then visually crop the image of interest from the entire scanned document in an application, such as a word processor or an Adobe PhotoShop.TM. editing type application. Thus, valuable file space, as well as precious time, are wasted.
Existing solutions tend to stress automaticity at the expense of user flexibility, or else simplicity at the expense of accurate region finding and definition. The former is exemplified by scanners in which default regions are provided by an automated page analysis technology that can annoy users interested in selecting only certain portions of a scanned document. The latter is exemplified by scanners in which relatively simple pages cannot be readily subdivided into appropriate regions of different types (e.g., text, drawings, and images). The present invention allows the user an intermediate solution, in which the automaticity of region selection is controlled by the user's clicking of a mouse within the region they wish to be automatically selected. The user then has the ability to readily override the first estimate of the bounding box, if it proves to be incorrect, by using the user interface.
It is thus apparent that there is a need in the art for an improved method or apparatus which solves the objects of the invention. The present invention meets these and other needs in the art.
This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/164,795 of Theodore W. Neff et al. filed Oct. 1, 1998 entitled User Interface for Initiating a Final Scan Using Drag and Drop, which is incorporated herein by reference for all that is disclosed and taught therein.