Method of obtaining an electronically stored financial document

• US 20020138490A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mirror Imaging L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Mirror Imaging L.L.C.
• Inventors: Gagnon, Richard J., Schulze, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,963,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A method for a bank to obtain an electronically-stored financial document is disclosed. The financial document includes a specific document parameter, such as a record date. The bank maintains the financial document in an off-site storage system when the record date is later than a pre-selected date and in an on-site storage system when the record date is earlier than or equal to the pre-selected date. The off-site storage system is remotely-located from the on-site storage system. The bank receives a request for the financial document from a client and compares the record date to the pre-selected date to determine if the record date is later than, earlier than, or equal to the pre-selected date. In processing the request, the bank utilizes a computer terminal connected to the off-site and on-site storage systems to access one of the storage systems in response to the comparison of the record date to the pre-selected date. After accessing the appropriate storage system, the bank inputs data into the computer terminal to identify the requested financial document and then retrieves the requested financial document. The bank then reproduces the requested financial document and distributes the requested financial document to the requesting client, or some other end user of the bank.

Claims

1. A method for a financial institution to obtain an electronically-stored financial document from an off-site storage system remotely-located from an on-site storage system wherein the financial document includes at least one specific document parameter, said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining the financial document in the off-site storage system when the specific document parameter of the financial document is greater than a predetermined parameter;

maintaining the financial document in the on-site storage system when the specific document parameter of the financial document is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter;

receiving a request for the financial document at the financial institution;

comparing the specific document parameter of the requested financial document to the predetermined parameter to determine if the specific document parameter is greater than, less than, or equal to the predetermined parameter;

utilizing a computer terminal located at the financial institution and connected to the off-site and on-site storage systems to access one of the storage systems in response to the comparison of the specific document parameter of the requested financial document to the predetermined parameter;

inputting identification data of the requested financial document into the computer terminal after the desired storage system is accessed; and

retrieving the requested financial document as defined by the inputted identification data.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the specific document parameter of the financial document is a particular numerical sequence and the predetermined parameter is a predetermined numerical value.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the step of comparing the specific document parameter to the predetermined parameter is further defined by comparing the particular numerical sequence of the financial document to the predetermined numerical value to determine if the particular numerical sequence is greater than, less than, or equal to the predetermined numerical value.

4. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the particular numerical sequence of the financial document is a record date of the financial document and the predetermined numerical value is a pre-selected date.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the step of comparing the specific document parameter to the predetermined parameter is further defined by comparing the record date of the financial document to the pre-selected date to determined if the record date is later than, earlier than, or equal to the pre-selected date.

6. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the step of utilizing the computer terminal to access one of the storage systems is further defined by accessing the off-site storage system when the particular numerical sequence is greater than the predetermined numerical value and accessing the on-site storage system when the particular numerical sequence is less than or equal to the predetermined numerical value.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the step of inputting identification data of the requested financial document into the computer terminal is further defined by inputting identification data into a primary interface inter-linked with the on-site storage system when the particular numerical sequence of the financial document is less than or equal to the predetermined numerical value.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of inputting identification data of the requested financial document into the computer terminal is further defined by selecting an exit function at the primary interface when the particular numerical sequence of the financial document is greater than the predetermined numerical value.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the selection of the exit function is further defined by initiating a secondary interface inter-linked with the off-site storage system and inputting identification data into the secondary interface.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the step of inputting identification data into the secondary interface is further defined by selecting a desired output format for the requested financial document.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9 further including the step of automatically generating routing codes upon the initiation of the secondary interface and the inputting of the identification data into the secondary interface.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11 further including the step of inter-linking the exit function with the secondary interface and configuring the routing codes to automatically forward the inputted identification data to the off-site storage system.

13. A method as set forth in claim 12 further including the step of forwarding the inputted identification data and the routing codes into a mainframe computer for temporarily storing the identification data and routing codes in the mainframe computer.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 further including the step of downloading the stored identification data and routing codes to the off-site storage system for retrieval of the requested financial documents.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14 further including the step of grouping the stored identification data and routing codes into batches of common requests for optimum retrieval of the requested financial document.

16. A method as set forth in claim 14 further including the step of creating a back-up file of the downloaded identification data and routing codes in the off-site storage system.

17. A method as set forth in claim 14 further including the step of categorizing the downloaded identification data and routing codes for processing in the off-site storage system.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 further including the step of providing a status of the requested financial document to update progress to the financial institution.

19. A method as set forth in claim 17 further including the step of verifying the completeness and accuracy of the inputted identification data.

20. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the step of retrieving the requested financial document is further defined by electronically locating the requested financial document in the off-site storage system.

21. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the step of retrieving the requested financial document is further defined by reproducing the requested financial document after the requested financial document is electronically located in the off-site storage system.

22. A method as set forth in claim 21 further including the step of distributing the reproduced financial document to an end user of the financial institution based on the routing codes.