"...identifies structures in computer data, associates candidate actions with each detected structure, enables the selection of an action, and automatically performs the selected action on the identified structure... the system may operate on recognizable patterns for text, pictures, tables, graphs, voice, etc. So long as a pattern is recognizable, the system will operate on it. ... The present invention provides a computer system with a central processing unit (CPU), input/output (I/O) means, and a memory that includes a program to identify structures in a document and perform selected computer-based actions on the identified structures. The program includes program subroutines that include an analyzer server, an application program interface, a user interface and an action processor. The analyzer server receives data from a document having recognizable structures, and uses patterns to detect the structures. Upon detection of a structure, the analyzer server links actions to the detected structure."
So they "invented" a device that has embedded pattern feature-extraction, communicates with a server to perform recognition on the extracted data, and return the results, with which the device can do anything it wants with.
Yeah, I don't buy that this is an invention in the 21st century, with no prior art.*
This is a patent for integration of prior inventions, and not really an invention itself (hence, not a real patent). Pattern recognition is an invention; putting it on a device is not. Even if we say "yeah, let's grant patents on integration," there is still prior art for this particular one since it is so broad.
*EDIT: it has been pointed out that this patent was filed in 1996.