Optical reading apparatus, character recognition processing apparatus, character reading method and program, magnetic ink character reading apparatus, and POS terminal apparatus

A character reading method comprising the steps of:

• using a processor and memory for
• acquiring a scanned image containing a string of characters;
• extracting a recognition image containing the string of characters and a neighboring image area from the scanned image, the recognition image containing a plurality of matching areas;
• applying a recognition process to the recognition image by comparing each matching area with templates;
• and
• determining and setting a size of each of a second and subsequent matching areas to which the recognition process is applied based on a position at which a character in the string of characters in an immediately previous matching area was recognized;
• wherein, if a noise character is erroneously recognized and no character is recognized within a specific distance from the noise character, a next matching area is reset.

A computer-readable medium containing a program of instructions adapted to cause, when executed, a computer to perform the operations of:

• acquiring a scanned image containing a string of characters;
• extracting a recognition image containing the string of characters and a neighboring image area from the scanned image, the recognition image containing a plurality of matching areas;
• applying a recognition process to the recognition image by comparing each matching area with templates;
• and
• determining and setting a size of each of a second and subsequent matching areas to which the recognition process is applied based on a position at which a character in the string of characters in an immediately previous matching area was recognized;
• wherein, if a noise character is erroneously recognized and no character is recognized within a specific distance from the noise character, a next matching area is reset.