SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE PROCESSING OF MICR DOCUMENTS THAT PRODUCE READ ERRORS

• US 20050139670A1
• Filed: 12/31/2003
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Harrington, Kathryn Gerrald, McGlamery, David Craig
• Granted Patent: US 7,165,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/98 Detection or correction of errors, e.g. by rescanning the pattern or by human intervention; Evaluation of the quality of the acquired patterns

Abstract

System and method for the processing of MICR documents that produce read errors. MICR documents are read and sorted to a destination pocket for processing subject to a determination that existing digit errors do not prevent the routing of the document. In example embodiments, an error does not prevent the routing of the document if it is not related to the routing/transit field. An optical character recognition (OCR) process is performed on the stored, electronic image of the document to correct digit errors in the stored data read from the documents. If a determination is mode that the correction cannot be determined through the OCR process, the image and corresponding MICR data is displayed on a user terminal, for manual correction by reference to an image of the document, rather than the document itself.

Claims

1. A method of processing at least an image of magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) encoded document having associated therewith an error in a stored data field read from the MICR document, the method comprising:

receiving an image of the document, the document being routed to a destination subject to a determination that the error does not prevent the routing of the document;

performing an optical character recognition (OCR) process on at least one portion of the image of the document, wherein the at least one portion substantially corresponds to the stored data field; and

applying a correction to the error in the stored data field based at least in part on a comparison of at least one result of the OCR process and the stored data field,

wherein the correction is applied subject to having been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the performing of the OCR process on the at least one portion of the image of the document further comprises:

determining if at least two portions of the image of the document correspond to the stored data field; and

performing the OCR process on the at least two portions of the image of the document, wherein each of the at least two portions corresponds to the stored data field.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one result of the OCR process further comprises at least two results of the OCR process.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the stored data field corresponds to an amount and wherein the at least two results comprise a result from an OCR of a MICR amount and a result of an OCR of a written amount.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising routing the image to an operator to apply the correction if the correction has not been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising routing the image to an operator to apply the correction if the correction has not been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

7. The method of claim 3 further comprising routing the image to an operator to apply the correction if the correction has not been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising routing the image to an operator to apply the correction if the correction has not been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

9. A computer program product to enable at least a portion of the processing of magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) encoded documents, a plurality of the MICR encoded documents each having associated therewith an error in a stored data field, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for receiving images of the MICR encoded documents, the MICR encoded documents being routed to a destination when the error in the stored data field does not prevent the routing of a document;

instructions for performing an optical character recognition (OCR) process on at least one portion of the image of the document, wherein the at least one portion substantially corresponds to the stored data field containing the error; and

instructions for applying a correction to the error in the stored data field based at least in part on a comparison of at least one result of the OCR process and the stored data field, wherein the correction is applied subject to having been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the instructions for performing the OCR process on the at least one portion of the image of the document further comprise:

instructions for determining when at least two portions of the image of the document correspond to the stored data field; and

instructions for performing the OCR process on the at least two portions of the image of the document,

wherein each of the at least two portions corresponds to the stored data field.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the at least one result of the OCR process comprises at least two results of the OCR process.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the stored data field corresponds to an amount and wherein the at least two results comprise a result from an OCR of a MICR amount and a result of an OCR of a written amount.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction cannot be successfully determined by the comparison.

14. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising instructions for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising instructions for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising instructions for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

17. Apparatus to enable at least a portion of the processing of magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) encoded documents, a plurality of the MICR encoded documents each having associated therewith an error in a stored data field, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving images of the MICR encoded documents, the MICR encoded documents being routed to a destination when the error in the stored data field does not prevent the routing of a document;

means for performing an optical character recognition (OCR) process on at least one portion of the image of the document, wherein the at least one portion substantially corresponds to the stored data field containing the error; and

means for applying a correction to the error in the stored data field based at least in part on a comparison of at least one result of the OCR process and the stored data field, wherein the correction is applied subject to having been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for performing the OCR process on the at least one portion of the image of the document further comprises means for performing the OCR process on at least two portions of the image of the document, wherein each of the at least two portions corresponds to the stored data field.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the at least one result of the OCR process comprises at least two results of the OCR process.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the stored data field corresponds to an amount and wherein the at least two results comprise a result from an OCR of a MICR amount and a result of an OCR of a written amount.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising means for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been successfully determined by the comparison.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising means for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been successfully determined by the comparison.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising means for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been successfully determined by the comparison.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising means for routing the image to an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been successfully determined by the comparison.

25. A system for processing magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) encoded documents comprising:

a sorter to sort and read the MICR encoded documents, wherein reading each of a plurality of the MICR encoded documents results in an association therewith of an error in a stored data field, and wherein a MICR encoded document is routed to a destination pocket when the error in the stored data field does not prevent the routing of the document and after an image of the document is captured; and

a computing platform operatively connected to the sorter, the computing platform operative to perform an optical character recognition (OCR) process on at least one portion of the image of the document, and apply a correction to the error in the stored data field based at least in part on a comparison of at least one result of the OCR process and the stored data field, wherein the correction is applied subject to having been substantially, successfully determined by the comparison.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the computing platform is further operable to perform the OCR process on at least two portions of the image of the document in order to apply the correction to the error based at least in part on a comparison of at least two results of the OCR process and the stored data field.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the stored data field corresponds to an amount and wherein the at least two results comprise a result from an OCR of a MICR amount and a result of an OCR of a written amount.

28. The system of claim 25 further comprising an operator terminal operatively connected to the computing platform to enable an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been successfully determined by the comparison.

30. The system of claim 27 further comprising an operator terminal operatively connected to the computing platform to enable an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been successfully determined by the comparison.

29. The system of claim 29 further comprising an operator terminal operatively connected to the computing platform to enable an operator to apply the correction when the correction has not been successfully determined by the comparison.