Patent US 5,956,433

A method and apparatus for removing spots from character images of a multi-character image read by an image scanner. A character image is cut out from the multi-character image. Separated segments in the cut-out character image are then detected. A respective segment of the detected, separated segments is deleted as a free spot if the number of detected segments exceeds a maximum segment number. After deleting a free spot, an attempt is then made to recognize a character in the character image. When a character cannot be recognized, a black pixel width is identified by analyzing the distribution of black pixel widths in the character image. Then, a circumscribed rectangle is defined in accordance with the identified black pixel width. Pixels of images lying outside the circumscribed rectangle are deleted from the character image as an externally contacted spot.