# US 2015/0146984 A1 · System and method for identification and extraction of data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2015/0146984 A1 - Document ID: US20150146984A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/552,099 - Filed: 2014-11-24 - Published: 2015-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-22 - Assignees: Parchment Inc. - Applicants: Parchment - Inventors: Jason Brown - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20150146984A1 ## CPC - G06V 30/40: Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition - G06F 16/00: Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor - G06F 18/28: Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries - G06F 40/10: Text processing (natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40) - G06F 40/205: Parsing - G06F 40/284: Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates - G06V 30/418: Document matching, e.g. of document images - H04N 1/04: Scanning arrangements {, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa}(H04N1/387 takes precedence) - G06V 30/10: Character recognition - G06V 2201/13: Type of disclosure document - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A system and method of for describing target data as a sequence of pattern elements and pattern element groups that comprise an overall target pattern is described. Pattern elements may utilize regular expression syntax along with other metadata that describe the behavior of the element. A pattern element group may be a collection of fully defined pattern elements where at least one pattern element from the group must have a match for the overall pattern to match. Patterns contain both pattern elements and pattern element groups. The general process involves first performing optical character recognition (OCR) on the document, which in turn produces a sequence of text tokens representing the lines of text on each page of the document. The search algorithm may then apply each defined pattern to the entire document capturing and/or extracting data that match each pattern's required elements and element groups. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for identifying and extracting text from an electronic document, the system comprising: one or more processors; memory; and a text identifier and extractor that receives the electronic document, generates a stream of text tokens based on the electronic document, matches a pattern to a portion of the stream of text tokens, and outputs the text in accordance with the matched pattern. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the pattern includes a plurality of pattern elements, and wherein each of the plurality of pattern elements describes at least one text token. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of pattern elements describes at least one text token according to a regular expression. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of pattern elements further includes attributes that indicate whether the pattern element is one or more of greedy, required, and can be discarded. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, further comprising at least one pattern element group, wherein the pattern element group includes a plurality of pattern elements. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the pattern is further defined according to a sequence of pattern elements and pattern element groups. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further including a scanning input device, wherein the scanning input device transforms the physical document into the electronic document, and wherein the electronic document is an electronic representation of the physical document. ### Claim 8 A method for identifying and extracting text from an electronic document, the method comprising: receiving, at a text identifier and extractor, the electronic document; generating a stream of text tokens based on the electronic document; matching a pattern to a portion of the stream of text tokens; and outputting the text in accordance with the matched pattern. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method claim 8, wherein the pattern comprises a plurality of pattern elements, and wherein each of the plurality of pattern elements describes at least one text token. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of pattern elements describes at least one text token according to a regular expression. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the pattern elements further includes attributes that indicate whether the pattern element is one or more of greedy, required, and can be discarded. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising at least one pattern element group, wherein the pattern element group comprises a plurality of pattern elements. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the pattern is further defined according to a sequence of pattern elements and pattern element groups. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising transforming a physical document into the electronic document, wherein the electronic document is an electronic representation of the physical document. ### Claim 15 A computer readable storage medium comprising processor executable instructions operable to perform the method comprising: receiving, at a text identifier and extractor, an electronic document; generating a stream of text tokens based on the electronic document; matching a pattern to a portion of the stream of text tokens; and outputting the text in accordance with the matched pattern. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the pattern comprises a plurality of pattern elements, and wherein each of the plurality of pattern elements describes at least one text token. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of pattern elements describes at least one text token according to a regular expression. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of pattern elements further includes attributes that indicate whether the pattern element is one or more of greedy, required, and can be discarded. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising at least one pattern element group, wherein the pattern element group comprises a plurality of pattern elements. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the pattern is further defined according to a sequence of pattern elements and pattern element groups.