Detecting embossed characters on form factor

A portable computing device capable of reading information embossed on a form factor utilizing a built-in digital camera, the device comprising:

• a camera capable of capturing an image of a form factor having information embossed thereupon;
• and
• a transaction module capable of detecting a plurality of embossed characters, wherein the detecting utilizes a gradient image and one or more edge images with a mask corresponding to the regions for which specific information is expected to be found on the form factor.

A portable computing device utilizing a built-in digital camera to read information from an embossed form factor, the device comprising:

• a camera capable of capturing an image of the embossed form factor;
• and
• a transaction module capable of detecting a plurality of embossed characters, and capable of determining dissimilarity between each pair of embossed characters to confirm consistency.

A system for reading information embossed on a form factor, the system comprising:

• means for capturing an image of a form factor having information embossed thereupon;
• and
• means for detecting a plurality of embossed characters, wherein the means for detecting utilizes a gradient image and one or more edge images with a mask corresponding to the regions for which specific information is expected to be found on the form factor.

A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• capture an image of a form factor having information embossed thereupon;
• and
• detect a plurality of embossed characters, wherein the detecting utilizes a gradient image and one or more edge images with a mask corresponding to the regions for which specific information is expected to be found on the form factor.