Method for specifying, executing and analyzing method sequences for recognition

A method. for specifying, executing and analyzing a method sequence for optical recognition of dispatch labels and form entries, comprising the steps of:

• identifying a method sequence for an optical character recognition analysis of data fields of an input form, including analysis steps for failed recognition of the data fields, the method sequence being expressed as a series of plural individual method sequence steps, the input form being one of a dispatch label and a form entry;
• specifying the method sequence steps in graphical form and inputting the graphical form of the method sequence steps into a computer system, the graphical form being a flowchart comprised of sequential flowchart blocks, each flowchart block corresponding to one method sequence step and comprised of attributes and function details defining optical character recognition of data associated with the corresponding method sequence;
• compiling the flowchart into a loadable, computer-executable module;
• optically reading data from each of the data fields of a data-filled input form;
• executing the computerexecutable module to handle analysis of the optically read data including displaying of the flowchart, the flowchart blocks and the attributes and function details associated with each flowchart block, as displaying an optically scanned copy of the data-filled input form;
• on a data field-by-data field basis, sequentially analyzing the optically read data from each data field corresponding to a different one of the method sequence steps as represented by a different one of the flowchart blocks, the attributes and function details defined for the corresponding flowchart block determining the analysis of the optically read data for that data field;
• and
• determining data value of each optically read data based on the corresponding displayed flowchart block and the displayed associated attributes and function details.

A method for specifying, executing and analyzing a method sequence for the recognition of an optically scanned data-filled form, comprising the steps of:

• performing a specification phase, including
• inputting, in graphical form, a method sequence into a computer system as a flowchart having plural flowchart blocks, each flowchart block having attributes and function details defining optical scanning recognition of a corresponding data field of a data-filled form;
• compiling the flowchart into a loadable, computer-executable module;
• optically scanning data from the data fields of the datafilled form and displaying the scanned form on a computer display;
• executing the module and displaying on the computer display the flowchart blocks;
• on a data field-by-data field basis, analyzing the scanned data by comparing the scanned data of each data field to a corresponding on of the flowchart blocks, including displaying the attributes and function details associated with the corresponding flowchart block of the data field currently being analyzed;
• and
• recognizing the data from the scanned data based on the displayed attributes and function details.