Long Beach, CA – Laserfiche, a pioneer in the digital document management industry, was awarded its first patent related to camera-based document imaging on February 12, 2008, by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The technology covered by patent number 7,330,604 allows pictures of documents or books to be straightened using a versatile image processing algorithm. “This patent shows another elegant way that Laserfiche helps organizations run smarter,” said Laserfiche President & CEO Nien-Ling Wacker. “I am very proud of the hard work and diligence on the part of our development team and research partners to give users another tool for digitizing documents. Receiving this patent is a major milestone.”

Camera-based document imaging enables users to use their digital cameras or even smart phones to create archival images of physical documents. The patented algorithm allows the shape of a page to be detected in a photo. Further processing then flattens the image and crops the picture to the page, resulting in an easy-to-read rendition of the page. “I realized early on that the trend of increasing camera resolutions would make using cameras on documents a great option for our customers,” stated Laserfiche Chief Technology Officer Karl Chan, one of the inventors of the technology. “Issuance of this patent demonstrates the progress we have made and our leadership in this area.”

According to Laserfiche Director of Software Engineering, Kurt Rapelje, another inventor, Laserfiche’s technology was entered in a contest between algorithms that was held at the 2007 International Workshop on Camera-Based Document Analysis and Recognition in Brazil. The contest was open to research groups and software companies worldwide. “Laserfiche’s technology was judged the best at handling a challenging collection of real-world digital photos of documents,” Rapelje said.

Laserfiche’s camera-based document imaging technology was developed by in-house development staff and in cooperation with teams at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA, and a group affiliated with Peking University in Beijing, China. In addition to Karl Chan and Kurt Rapelje, key inventors on the patent include Minghui Wu, Beijing; Rongfeng Li, Beijing; Wenxin Li, Beijing; and Edward P. Heaney, Jr., a Harvey Mudd graduate and a Laserfiche software engineer.

Laserfiche continues to develop algorithms for camera-based document imaging and has other patents pending. “I’m sold on this technology,” exclaimed Chris Wacker, Laserfiche senior vice president of sales and marketing. Wacker has discarded his desktop scanner in favor of using a camera and an internal release of the software. “This will be a great addition to the Laserfiche 8™ suite of products.” Laserfiche plans to release the software as an add-on to Laserfiche 8 later this year.

Laserfiche (www.laserfiche.com) creates simple and elegant document management solutions that help organizations run smarter. Since 1987, more than 25,000 organizations have used Laserfiche software to help staff find what they need in seconds, collaborate more effectively and complete daily tasks more efficiently. Engineered for rapid deployment, Laserfiche easily integrates with the primary business applications organizations use every day.

Laserfiche media contacts:
Francine Marlenée – 562-988-1688 ext. 211, fmarlenee@laserfiche.com