PURPOSE: To exactly segment a character row from address information, which are described with various formats, by collating a pattern, which normalizes an address information describing area, and the describing pattern of the address information to be prepared in advance.

CONSTITUTION: When a mail 1 is carried in, a photo-electric converting part 11 optically scans the surface of the mail 1 and the digital signal of a multi- value is outputted and sent to an address area detecting part 12. A window, a window frame, a label and the constitution of a row in address information 2, etc., are analyzed by the picture signal of the mail 1 and an area 6, in which the information 2 are described, is detected. Next, a normalizing part 13 compresses and normalizes the area 6 to the binary pattern of a coarse mesh and sends the pattern to a pattern collating part 15. This pattern and the pattern in an address describing pattern dictionary part 14 are collated by the collating part 15 and the pattern of the information 2 is decided. Thus, a real detecting and segmenting position is determined on the basis of the address describing pattern of highest similarity and the exact segmenting can be executed.