AUTOMATIC BACKGROUND DETECTION OF SCANNED DOCUMENTS

A method for generating a background statistics that distinguishes between gray level information from document areas and non-document areas. The method includes determining a full page background statistics from selected pixels within a scanned area; determining a sub-region background statistics from selected pixels within a sub-region of the scanned area; determining if the sub-region background statistics corresponds to image data from a non-document area; determining if the full page background statistics is corrupted; and generating a validated full page background statistics if the full page background statistics is corrupted.