Negotiable instrument processing device, negotiable instrument processing method and negotiable instrument processing system

• US 20030075596A1
• Filed: 06/25/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Koakutsu, Naohiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,902,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/04 by paper currency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming

Abstract

The size of image data for a check or other negotiable instrument used for electronically clearing payments made by such negotiable instruments is reduced. A scanning process setup command received from a host system by a communication unit 11 is interpreted by the command interpreting unit 25 and settings for a specified image reading area 43 and/or cropping areas 51 to 54 are stored in control data storage unit 32. The image reading unit 14 is controlled and driven by the scanning control unit 31, and an image of the negotiable instrument is read by scanning the specified image reading area 43. An image cropping unit 35 extracts only the image data in the specified cropping areas 51 to 54.

Claims

1. A negotiable instrument processing apparatus comprising:

an image reading unit that scans a negotiable instrument, captures an image the negotiable instrument, and outputs image data;

a reading area setting unit that is responsive to a first input to set a reading area for scanning by the image reading unit; and

a scanning control unit that controls driving the image reading unit according to the reading area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first input is a first control command from a host system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reading area set by the reading area setting unit is rectangular, and the reading area setting unit sets the reading area based on a starting point and ending point specified by the first input at diagonally opposite corners of the rectangle.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the starting point and ending point specified by the first input are specified as coordinates of an orthogonal coordinate system of which a first axis is a direction of negotiable instrument movement relative to the image reading unit and a second axis is a direction orthogonal to the direction of relative movement.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a size detection unit that detects a size of the negotiable instrument;

the reading area setting unit being responsive to the size detection unit detecting the negotiable instrument size to automatically set the reading area.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the size detection unit detects at least a length of the negotiable instrument in a direction orthogonal to a direction of movement of the negotiable instrument relative to the image reading unit based on the image data output from the image reading unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a transportation unit that conveys the negotiable instrument along a transportation path;

and

first and second paper detection units positioned along the transportation path with a specific interval therebetween that detect presence of a negotiable instrument in the transportation path;

the size detection unit further detecting negotiable instrument length in the transportation direction based on the specific interval, information relating to the transportation distance from the transportation unit, and detection information from the paper detection units.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cropping area setting unit that is responsive to a second input to set at least one cropping area for capturing a part of the image data;

and

an image cropping unit that captures data within the at least one cropping area from the image data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second input is a second control command from the host system.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a cropping area set by the cropping area setting unit is rectangular, and the cropping area setting unit sets the cropping area based on a starting point and ending point specified by the second input at diagonally opposite corners of the rectangle.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the starting point and ending point specified by the second input are specified as coordinates of an orthogonal coordinate system of which a first axis is a direction of negotiable instrument movement relative to the image reading unit and a second axis is a direction orthogonal to the direction of relative movement.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cropping area setting unit deletes a cropping area based on a third input.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third input is a third control command from the host system.

14. A negotiable instrument processing method comprising:

receiving a first input, the first input including reading area settings specifying a reading area for capturing an image of a negotiable instrument;

setting the reading area based on reading area settings received in the first input receiving step; and

scanning a negotiable instrument, capturing an image thereof, and outputting image data based on the reading area set in the reading area setting step.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting a size of the negotiable instrument;

the reading area setting step to automatically setting the reading area based on the negotiable instrument size detected by the size detection step.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a second input, the second input including cropping area settings specifying at least one cropping area for capturing a part of the image data output in the image reading step;

setting a cropping area based on the cropping area settings input in the second input step; and

capturing data within the cropping area from the image data output in the scanning, capturing and outputting step.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a third input, the third input including a cropping area deletion instruction for deleting a cropping area;

and

deleting a cropping area based on the cropping area deletion instruction.

18. A negotiable instrument processing system comprising a negotiable instrument processing apparatus and a host system controlling the negotiable instrument processing apparatus, wherein:

the negotiable instrument processing apparatus comprises;

an image reading unit that scans a negotiable instrument, captures an image thereof, and outputs image data;

a reading area setting unit that sets a reading area for scanning by the image reading unit based on a reading area setting command from the host system;

a scanning control unit that controls driving the image reading unit according to the reading area set by the reading area setting unit;

a magnetic head for reading magnetic ink characters printed on the negotiable instrument; and

a transmission unit for sending magnetic ink character data read by the magnetic head to the host system; and

the host system comprises;

a receiving unit that receives the read magnetic ink character data;

a size detection unit that determines a size of the negotiable instrument based on the read magnetic ink character data received by the receiving unit;

a reading area determination unit that determines the reading area based on the negotiable instrument size identified by the size detection unit; and

a reading area setting command transmission unit that generates a reading area setting command based on the reading area determined by the reading area determination unit and sends the reading area setting command to the negotiable instrument processing apparatus.

19. A negotiable instrument processing method for processing negotiable instruments by a negotiable instrument processing apparatus and a host system, comprising:

(A) the following steps performed by the negotiable instrument processing apparatus;

receiving from the host system a reading area setting command specifying a reading area for capturing an image of a negotiable instrument;

setting the reading area based on the reading area setting command received in the reading area setting command receiving step;

scanning a negotiable instrument, capturing an image thereof, and outputting image data according to the reading area set in the reading area setting step;

reading magnetic ink characters printed on the negotiable instrument; and

sending the magnetic ink character data read in the magnetic ink character reading step to the host system; and

(B) the following steps performed by the host system;

receiving the read magnetic ink character data;

determining a size of the negotiable instrument based on the read magnetic ink character data received in the receiving step;

determining the reading area based on the negotiable instrument size identified by the size detection step; and

generating a reading area setting command based on the reading area determined by the reading area determination step and sending the reading area setting command to the negotiable instrument processing apparatus.