System and method to manipulate an image

1. A method of operating an image reader comprising:

searching a digital image for nominally straight edges;

characterizing the nominally straight edges in terms of length and/or direction;

establishing a first group of edges as a function of their proximity to the digital image's center;

establishing a second group of edges as a function of their proximity to other remaining edges;

transmuting a rectangle bounding the first group of edges and the second group of edges into a rectified image; and

wherein the rectified image is an image that is cropped by discarding portions of the digital image outside of the rectangle.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising searching the digital image in high resolution and low resolution.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining a predominant orientation of the nominally straight edges; and

discarding edges that are not nominally parallel or perpendicular to the determined predominate orientation.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising rotating the digital image.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising capturing the digital image and automatically searching the digital image for nominally straight edges.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

capturing the digital image in high resolution and low resolution at the same time; and

searching the digital image in high resolution and low resolution.

7. A method of operating an image reader comprising:

searching a digital image at a high resolution for nominally straight edges;

searching the digital image at a low resolution for nominally straight edges;

characterizing the nominally straight edges in terms of length and/or direction;

determining a predominant orientation of the nominally straight edges;

discarding edges that are not nominally parallel or perpendicular to the determined predominate orientation;

establishing a first group of edges as a function of their proximity to the digital image's center;

establishing a second group of edges as a function of their proximity to other remaining edges;

transmuting a rectangle bounding the first group of edges and the second group of edges into a rectified image; and

wherein the rectified image is an image that is cropped by discarding portions of the digital image outside of the rectangle.

8. The method of claim 7 , comprising rotating the digital image.

9. The method of claim 7 , comprising capturing the digital image and automatically searching the digital image at a low resolution for nominally straight edges.

10. The method of claim 7 , comprising capturing the digital image in high resolution and low resolution at the same time.

11. An indicia reading device comprising:

an image sensor for outputting signals representative of an image in a field of view; and

a processor communicatively connected to the image sensor, the processor being configured for:

searching an image for nominally straight edges;

characterizing the nominally straight edges in terms of length and/or direction;

establishing a first group of edges as a function of their proximity to the image's center;

establishing a second group of edges as a function of their proximity to other remaining edges;

transmuting a rectangle bounding the first group of edges and the second group of edges into a rectified image; and

wherein the rectified image is an image that is cropped by discarding portions of the image outside of the rectangle.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured for searching the image in high resolution and low resolution.

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured for:

determining a predominant orientation of the nominally straight edges; and

discarding edges that are not nominally parallel or perpendicular to the determined predominate orientation.

14. The device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured for rotating the image.

15. The device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured for capturing the image and automatically searching the image for nominally straight edges.

16. The device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured for:

capturing the image in high resolution and low resolution at the same time; and

searching the image in high resolution and low resolution.

17. An indicia reading device comprising:

an image sensor for outputting signals representative of an image in a field of view; and

a processor communicatively connected to the image sensor, the processor being configured for:

searching an image at a high resolution for nominally straight edges;

searching the image at a low resolution for nominally straight edges;

characterizing the nominally straight edges in terms of length and/or direction;

determining a predominant orientation of the nominally straight edges;

discarding edges that are not nominally parallel or perpendicular to the determined predominate orientation

establishing a first group of edges as a function of their proximity to the image's center;

establishing a second group of edges as a function of their proximity to other remaining edges;

transmuting a rectangle bounding the first group of edges and the second group of edges into a rectified image; and

wherein the rectified image is an image that is cropped by discarding portions of the digital image outside of the rectangle.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured for rotating the image.

19. The device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured for capturing the image and automatically searching the image at a low resolution for nominally straight edges.

20. The device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured for capturing the digital image in high resolution and low resolution at the same time.