Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 5 · column 2 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
as employees oi riannmg research Corp. in Herndon, the two men helped write and build the system presently used by the United States Patent Office - a program which cost $400 million to build but allowed patents to be scanned easily onto disk for storage and later review.
“It would take 18 months to two years to review all the patents for similarities before a new patent was issued,” Dr. Jamison said of the outdated technique once used by the US Patent Office. “With the program, patents can be scanned, stored, retrieved easily, speeding the process along.”
Using this technique but perfecting it to work on small micro - or home - computer systems and making it financially feasible for small businesspeople, Dr. Jamison and Mr. Landrum’s business competes for clients as close as Reston and as faraway as Japan.
The business does advertise in professional magazines though several customers joined them as they opened their doors nearly two years ago. Through recommendations and repeat customers the company “has a fairly good business,” Mr. Landrum said with a slow and content smile.
Their isolation from the concrete jungle has not been detrimental to their business. “Clients pause for a second when you tell them where you are located,” Dr. Jamison said of his business location - typically
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