PURPOSE:To segment a character pattern of a one character portion from an image buffer without necessitating a sufficient space among characters and among lines of a business form, by detecting and easing an invasion block from the upper and lower parts and the right and left of a character pattern to be segmented which exists in an image in a square area. CONSTITUTION:An image in a square area containing a character pattern to be segmented is copied to a work memory 23, and the character pattern is segmented by a method for detecting and erasing an invasion block from the upper and lower parts and the right and left of the character pattern to be segmented which exists in an image in the square area by using a technique of a contour tracking 25 and a block erasion 27. Accordingly, even if an inter- character space and an inter-line space do not exist in a business form to be read, the character pattern can be segmented by which the existing slip, etc., can be converted roughly as they are to an OCR business form. Also, in a character entry area of the business form, a space becomes unnecessary, therefore, the OCR business form can also be miniaturized.
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