Apparatus and method for scanning and decoding information in an identified location in a document

1. A method comprising:

sequentially, in an imaging scanner, capturing two or more images of a single document;

identifying, in the imaging scanner, a first location in a first captured image where information to be decoded is located, analyzing each character in the first location, and producing a first string including both a corresponding character and a first confidence value for each character in the first location;

determining, in the imaging scanner, that a first measurement of the confidence values in the first string is beyond a range associated with a first confidence threshold and;

identifying, in the imaging scanner, a second location in a second captured image where information to be decoded is located, analyzing each character in the second location, and producing a second string including both a corresponding character and a second confidence value for each character in the second location;

comparing, in the imaging scanner, the first confidence value for each character in an identified location in the first string with the second confidence value for the character in the same identified location in the second string;

selecting, in the imaging scanner, a character from one of the first string or the second string with a higher confidence value; and

producing and outputting, by the imaging scanner, a combined string including the selected characters.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to determining that the first measurement of the confidence values in the second string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, determining that a second measurement of the confidence values in the second string is beyond the range associated with the second confidence threshold; and

wherein said identifying a second location in a second captured image where information to be decoded is located comprises identifying the second location in the second captured image after determining that the second measurement of the confidence values in the first string is beyond the range associated with the second confidence threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first confidence value is within in a range, with a lower end of the range indicating a lower level of certainty with respect to the accuracy of a corresponding character in an associated string and a higher end of the range indicating a higher level of certainty with respect to the accuracy of the corresponding character in the associated string.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that the first measurement of the confidence values in the first string is within the range associated with the first confidence threshold, outputting the first string, and ending a decoding process.

5. The method of claim 2 , responsive to determining that the second measurement of the confidence values in the first string is within the range associated with the second confidence threshold, ending a decoding process.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the second location comprises expanding, by a predefined amount, the first location to identify the second location.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that a first measurement of the confidence values in the combined string is within the range associated with the first confidence threshold, outputting the combined string and ending a decoding process.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that a first measurement of the confidence values in the combined string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, identifying a third location in a third captured image where information to be decoded is located, analyzing each character in the third location, and producing a third string including a corresponding character and a confidence value for each character in the third location.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining that a first measurement of the confidence values in the third string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, and responsive to determining that the first measurement of the confidence values in the third string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, determining that a second measurement the confidence values in the third string is beyond the range associated with the second confidence threshold;

comparing the confidence value for each character in the combined string with a corresponding confidence value in the third string;

selecting a character from one of the combined string or the third string with a higher confidence value; and

outputting a fourth string including the selected characters and the confidence value associated with each selected character.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying comprises identifying the first location based on predefined attributes associated with the information to be decoded.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first confidence threshold is associated with a percentage of the confidence values associated with a higher certainty of accuracy and the second confidence threshold is associated with a percentage of the confidence values associated with a lower certainty of accuracy.

12. An imaging scanner comprising:

an image capturing component configured to sequentially capturing two or more images of a single document; and

a processor configured to:

identify a first location in a first captured image where information to be decoded is located, analyze each character in the first location, and produce a first string including both a corresponding character and a first confidence value for each character in the first location;

determine that a first measurement of the confidence values in the first string is beyond a range associated with a first confidence threshold;

identify a second location in a second captured image where information to be decoded is located, analyze each character in the second location, produce a second string including both a corresponding character and a second confidence value for each character in the second location;

compare the first confidence value for each character in an identified location in the first string with the second confidence value for the character in the same identified location in the second string;

select a character from one of the first string or the second string with a higher confidence value; and

produce and output a combined string including the selected characters.

13. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to the determining that the first measurement of the confidence values in the first string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, determine that a second measurement of the confidence values in the first string is beyond a range associated with a second confidence threshold; and

wherein the processor is configured to identify a second location in a second captured image where information to be decoded is located after said determining that the second measurement of the confidence values in the first string is beyond the range associated with the second confidence threshold.

14. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine that a first measurement of the confidence values in the second string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, and responsive to determining that the first measurement of the confidence values in the second string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, determine that a second measurement of the confidence values in the second string is beyond the range associated with the second confidence threshold; and

wherein the processor is configured to compare the confidence value for each character in the first string with a corresponding confidence value in the second string after the processor has performed an operation to determine that a second measurement of the confidence values in the second string is beyond the range associated with the second confidence threshold.

15. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that the confidence value is within in a range, with a lower end of the range indicating a lower level of certainty with respect to the accuracy of a corresponding character in an associated string and a higher end of the range indicating a higher level of certainty with respect to the accuracy of the corresponding character in the associated string.

16. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that the first measurement of the confidence values in the first string is within the range associated with the first confidence threshold, output the first string, and end a decoding process.

17. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that the second measurement of the confidence values in the first string is within the range associated with the second confidence threshold and end a decoding process.

18. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to identify the second location by expanding the first location by a predefined amount.

19. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that a first measurement of the confidence values in the combined string is within the range associated with the first confidence threshold, output the combined string, and end a decoding process.

20. The imaging scanner of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that a first measurement of the confidence values in the combined string is beyond the range associated with the first confidence threshold, identify a third location in a third captured image where information to be decoded is located, analyze each character in the third location, and produce a third string including a corresponding character and a confidence value for each character in the third location.