SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING CURRENCY BILLS AND TICKETS

• US 20090087076A1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Hallowell, Curtis W., Jenrick, Charles P., Mennie, Douglas U., Klein, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,701,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 11/02 for validating inserted tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/20 Controlling or monitoring the operation of devices; Data handling
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 3/125 by moving deflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0043 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

A method of processing documents includes receiving a stack of documents including currency bills and substitute currency media. Each substitute currency medium has at least one barcode. The method further includes transporting the stack of documents via a transport mechanism, one document at a time, along a transport path and denominating with a currency detector each of the currency bills in the stack of documents. The currency detector is positioned adjacent to the transport path. The method further includes scanning with a barcode scanner a barcode on each substitute currency medium in the stack of documents. The barcode scanner is positioned adjacent to the transport path. The method further includes imaging with an image scanner each substitute currency medium in the stack of documents to generate a raw image file of the substitute currency medium. The image scanner is positioned adjacent to the transport path.

Claims

1. A method of processing documents, comprising:

receiving a stack of documents including currency bills and substitute currency media, each substitute currency medium having at least one barcode;

transporting the stack of documents via a transport mechanism, one document at a time, along a transport path;

denominating with a currency detector each of the currency bills in the stack of documents, the currency detector positioned adjacent the transport path;

scanning with a barcode scanner a barcode on each substitute currency medium in the stack of documents, the barcode scanner positioned adjacent the transport path; and

imaging with an image scanner each substitute currency medium in the stack of documents to generate a raw image file of the substitute currency medium, the image scanner positioned adjacent the transport path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating all of the currency bills with at least one authentication detector.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing in a storage device an image file created from the raw image file, the image file including at least a partial image of a substitute currency medium.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, cropping the raw image file to create the image file.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, deskewing the raw image file to create the image file so as to orientate the image file in a predetermined manner.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, compressing the raw image file to create the image file so as to reduce the image file size.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sorting the substitute currency media from the currency bills and further sorting the currency bills by denomination into separate output receptacles.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after scanning and imaging each substitute currency medium:

transporting, via the transport mechanism, the substitute currency media to a document destruction device; and

destroying each substitute currency medium.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, prior to destroying each substitute currency medium, performing an image quality check of each image file for each substitute currency medium.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1000 documents per minute.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1500 documents per minute.

12. A method of processing documents, comprising:

receiving at least one batch of documents including currency bills and substitute currency media;

transporting via a transport mechanism the at least one batch of documents, one document at a time, past an evaluation unit, the evaluation unit including a currency detector and an image scanner;

denominating the currency bills in the at least one batch of documents with the currency detector;

imaging the substitute currency media in the at least one batch of documents with the image scanner to produce an image file.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the image file on a storage device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising imaging the currency bills in the batch of documents with the image scanner.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising scanning a barcode on the substitute currency media with a barcode scanner to obtain a unique identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the unique identifier is a ticket number.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the image file of the substitute currency medium includes image data for the barcode, the method further comprising decoding the image data for the barcode using software to obtain a unique identifier, the obtained unique identifier being a ticket number.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising performing an image quality check by comparing the obtained ticket number with the scanned ticket number.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one batch of documents is a plurality of batches of documents, the method further comprising separating each of the batches of documents with a header card.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the header card includes an indicia associated with a transaction identifier, the method further comprising associating the transaction identifier with each of the image files.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents past the evaluation unit at a rate of at least 1000 documents per minute.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents past the evaluation unit at a rate of at least 1500 documents per minute.

23. A document processing device, comprising:

an input receptacle for receiving a stack of documents, the stack of documents including currency bills and substitute currency media;

a transport mechanism for transporting the documents, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path;

a currency detector positioned adjacent the transport path, the currency detector denominating all of the currency bills in the stack of documents;

a media detector positioned adjacent the transport path, the media detector scanning an indicia located on each passing substitute currency medium; and

an image scanner positioned adjacent the transport path, the image scanner imaging each of the substitute currency media to produce an image file.

24. The document processing device of claim 23, further comprising at least one authentication detector configured to authenticate all of the currency bills in the stack of documents.

25. The document processing device of claim 23, further comprising a plurality of output receptacles, the transport mechanism transporting currency bills to one or more of the plurality of output receptacles and transporting substitute currency media to a different one of the plurality of output receptacles.

26. The document processing device of claim 25, wherein the currency bills are sorted by denomination and each denomination is transported to a different one of the plurality of output receptacles.

27. The document processing device of claim 23, further comprising a storage device, image files associated with each substitute currency medium being saved to the storage device.

28. The document processing device of claim 23, further comprising a controller configured to at least crop the image file, deskew the image file, and compress the image file.

29. The document processing device of claim 28, wherein the image file is converted into a JPEG file format.

30. The document processing device of claim 23, further comprising a controller configured to perform an image quality check of the image file.

31. The document processing device of claim 23, further comprising a document destruction device for destroying at least the substitute currency media.

32. The document processing device of claim 23, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1000 documents per minute.

33. The document processing device of claim 23, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1500 documents per minute.

34. A method of processing documents, comprising:

receiving a batch of documents including currency bills and substitute currency media, each substitute currency medium having a barcoded pattern;

transporting the batch of documents via a transport mechanism, one document at a time, along a transport path;

imaging each of the documents with an image scanner to generate a raw image file, the image scanner positioned adjacent the transport path;

using a controller, denominating each of the currency bills from the raw image file of each of the currency bills; and

using the controller or another controller, decoding the barcoded pattern in the raw image file for each substitute currency medium.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising authenticating all of the currency bills with at least one authentication detector, the authentication detector positioned adjacent the transport path.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising storing in a storage device an image file created from the raw image file, the image file including at least a partial image of a currency bill or a substitute currency medium.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, cropping the raw image file to create the image file.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, deskewing the raw image file to create the image file so as to orientate the image file in a predetermined manner.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, compressing the raw image file to create the image file so as to reduce the image file size.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

transporting, via the transport mechanism, the substitute currency media to a document destruction device; and

destroying each substitute currency medium.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising, prior to destroying each substitute currency medium, performing an image quality check of each image file for each substitute currency medium.

42. The method of claim 34, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1000 documents per minute.

43. The method of claim 34, wherein the transport mechanism transports the documents along the transport path at a rate of at least 1500 documents per minute.

44. A method of processing substitute currency media, comprising:

receiving a stack of substitute currency media in an input receptacle, each substitute currency medium having a barcoded pattern;

transporting the stack of substitute currency media via a transport mechanism, one substitute currency medium at a time, at a rate of at least 400 substitute currency media per minute, along a transport path;

imaging each substitute currency medium with an image scanner to generate a raw image file, the image scanner positioned adjacent the transport path; and

using a controller, decoding a barcoded pattern in the raw image file for each substitute currency medium.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising storing in a storage device an image file created from the raw image file, the image file including at least a partial image of a substitute currency medium.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, cropping the raw image file to create the image file.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, deskewing the raw image file to create the image file so as to orientate the image file in a predetermined manner.

48. The method of claim 45, further comprising, prior to storing the image file, compressing the raw image file to create the image file so as to reduce the image file size.

49. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

transporting, via the transport mechanism, the substitute currency media to a document destruction device; and

destroying each substitute currency medium.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising, prior to destroying each substitute currency medium, performing an image quality check of each image file for each substitute currency medium.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein the transport mechanism transports the substitute currency media along the transport path at a rate of at least 1000 documents per minute.

52. The method of claim 44, wherein the transport mechanism transports the substitute currency media along the transport path at a rate of at least 1500 documents per minute.

53. A method of processing substitute currency media, comprising:

receiving a stack of substitute currency media in an input receptacle, each substitute currency medium having a barcoded pattern;

transporting the stack of substitute currency media via a transport mechanism, one substitute currency medium at a time, at a rate of at least 400 substitute currency media per minute, along a transport path;

imaging each substitute currency medium with an image scanner to generate a raw image file, the image scanner positioned adjacent the transport path; and

using a controller, extracting ticket data from the raw image file for each substitute currency medium.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the ticket data is a ticket number.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the controller uses OCR to extract the ticket data.

56. The method of claim 53, wherein the transport mechanism transports the substitute currency media along the transport path at a rate of at least 1000 documents per minute.

57. The method of claim 53, wherein the transport mechanism transports the substitute currency media along the transport path at a rate of at least 1500 documents per minute.