APPARATUS, METHOD AND ARTICLE FOR EVALUATING A STACK OF OBJECTS IN AN IMAGE

An evaluation system to determine a value of a stack of objects preprocess a pixelated color image to produce a set of two color contour data, processes the two color contour data to identify a location of a top and a bottom of the stack, and locates, for each of the objects in the stack, a respective set of color pixels from the pixelated color image corresponding to each object based on the identified locations of the top and bottom of the stack. Each of the objects in the stack are then classified into a color classification based on the object's respective set of color pixels, and the value of the object is determined based on a known correspondence between the color classification and a value. The cumulative value of the stack is determined by summing the determined values for each of the objects in the stack.