Image page search for arbitrary textual information

A computer software product configured to automatically identify a pattern on a page that includes said computer software product, comprising a medium readable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon:

• a first sequence of instructions which, when executed by said processor, causes said processor to:
• synthetically generate textual patterns as signal templates;
• a second sequence of instructions which when executed by said processor, causes said processor to compensate, if necessary, for visual differences between the synthetically generated textual patterns and images being compared against the synthetically generated images;
• and
• a third set of instructions, which when executed by said processor, causes said processor to compare compensated images against images in a database.

An optical apparatus, configured to automatically identify a pattern on a page, comprising:

• a generating unit for synthetically generating textual patterns as signal templates;
• a compensating unit for compensating, if necessary, for visual differences between the synthetically generated textual patterns and images being compared against the synthetically generated images;
• and
• a comparing unit for comparing compensated images against images in a database.

A computer-readable medium configured to automatically identify a pattern on a page, having stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions, said plurality of sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to perform the steps of:

• synthetically generating textual patterns as signal templates;
• compensating, if necessary, for visual differences between the synthetically generated textual patterns and images being compared against the synthetically generated images;
• and
• comparing compensated images against images in a database.

A computer system for automatically identifying a pattern on a page, said computer system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to said processor;

• the memory having stored therein sequences of instructions, which, when executed by said processor to perform the steps of:
• synthetically generating textual patterns as signal templates;
• compensating, if necessary, for visual differences between the synthetically generated textual patterns and images being compared against the synthetically generated images;
• and
• comparing compensated images against images in a database.