# US 9,195,875 B1 · Method and apparatus for defining fields in standardized test imaging > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,195,875 B1 - Document ID: US9195875B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 12/256,282 - Filed: 2008-10-22 - Granted: 2015-11-24 - Earliest claimed: 2007-10-22 - Assignees: Data Recognition Corporation - Applicants: Damon E. Ray - Inventors: Damon E. Ray - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9195875B1 ## CPC - G06V 30/412: Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables - G09B 7/02: of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B) ## Abstract Disclosed herein, among other things, are method and apparatus for defining fields in a standardized test imaging system. In various embodiments, at least one page of a standardized exam is converted into a raster image. One or more bubble response fields are automatically identified on the raster image and a location of one or more bubble response fields is stored in a database. According to various embodiments, a portion of the raster image is defined that includes one or more bubble response fields. A size of the bubbles of the one or more bubble response fields is selected, and one or more bubbles of the size selected are automatically detected. A position of each bubble detected is determined and stored, according to various embodiments. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: converting at least one page of a standardized exam into a raster image; automatically identifying a location of at least one bubble response field on the raster image, thereby providing an identified location of the at least one bubble response field, wherein user input defines a number of bubbles in the identified location, and wherein at least a portion of the at least one bubble response field is demarcated using a graphical user interface; storing the identified location in a database; automatically detecting one or more bubbles within the at least one bubble response field; and verifying whether the number of bubbles detected is equal to the number of bubbles defined by the user input. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically identifying further includes: selecting a size of the bubbles within the at least one bubble response field; automatically detecting one or more bubbles of the size selected; and determining and storing a position of each bubble detected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein it is verified that the number of bubbles detected is equal to the number of bubbles defined by the user input. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein automatically converting at least one page of a standardized exam into a raster image includes converting the page into a tagged image file format (TIFF) image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein automatically converting at least one page of a standardized exam into a raster image includes converting the page from a portable document format (PDF) image into a raster image. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein automatically converting at least one page of a standardized exam into a raster image includes converting from a color image into a black and white image. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing directions to locate one or more bubbles associated with a response for a particular question. ### Claim 8 A method, comprising: converting a scanned image from a first format to a second format; automatically searching the image for at least one bubble response field on the image; identifying a position of the at least one bubble response field, thereby providing an identified position in the at least one bubble response field, wherein user input defines a number of bubbles within the bubble response field, and wherein at least a portion of the at least one bubble response field is demarcated using a graphical user interface; storing the position of each bubble in a database; automatically detecting one or more bubbles within the bubble response field; and verifying whether the number of bubbles detected is equal to the number of bubbles defined. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein it is verified that the number of bubbles detected is equal to the number of bubbles defined. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein automatically searching the image includes using a pattern-matching search. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein automatically searching the image includes defining tolerances for the pattern-matching search. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein automatically searching the image includes searching the image for patterns of a shape and a size. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein automatically searching the image includes providing user input for defining the shape and the size. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein converting a scanned image from a first format to a second format includes converting a scanned image from a portable document format (PDF). ### Claim 15 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein if the number detected is not equal to the number defined by the user, further comprising detecting the bubbles by tracing. ### Claim 16 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein if the number detected is not equal to the number defined by the user, further comprising redemarcating at least a portion of the at least one bubble response field.