Detection of courtesy amount block on bank checks

Abstract

A multi-staged technique for locating the courtesy amount block on bank checks is presented. In the case of a check processing system, many of the proposed methods are not acceptable, due to the the presence of many fonts and text sizes, as well as the short length of many text strings. Particular methods chosen to implement a courtesy amount block locator (CABL) are described. First, the connected components in the image are identified. Next, strings are constructed on the basis of proximity and horizontal alignment of characters. Finally, a set of rules and heuristics are applied to these strings to choose the correct one. The chosen string is only reported if it passes a verification test, which includes an attempt to recognize the currency sign. © 1996 SPIE and IS & T.