Partial OCR note confirmation methods

• US 6,510,238 B2
• Filed: 05/13/1999
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Currency Systems International, Inc. (De La Rue PLC)
• Original Assignee: Currency Systems International, Inc. (De La Rue PLC)
• Inventors: Haycock, Richard Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancus, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, MARTIN E
• Application Number:
  US09/311,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20010053241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 382/135, 382/140, 382/229-231, 382/137, 382/105, 209/534, 235/379, 705/43, 902/11, 902/12, 902/14, 902/17
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/274 Syntactic or semantic context, e.g. balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/17 Apparatus characterised by positioning means or by means responsive to positioning

Abstract

Methods for identifying a note with a partial OCR of one or more characters in the note'"'"'s serial code. The methods record the characters read and associates each character read with its field position in the serial code. The method can use this information or combine the character and field information with positional information of the note within a stack in order to identify a note with a reasonable degree of statistical probability.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a note having a serial code that comprises a series of random characters having no mutual dependency, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) reading at least one readable character of the note'"'"'s serial code;

(b) identifying a respective field position for each character read during said step of reading;

(c) responsive to a determination that at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read, identifying the note by using the at least one readable character and the respective field position of said at least one readable character; and

(d) identifying the note by determining a position of said note in a stack of notes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the serial code characters are identified using an optical character recognition device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the position identified in step (d) is correlated to account information when the note is distributed.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the position identified in step (d) is correlated to account information when the note is deposited.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the note is identified in step (c) by eliminating all serial codes not having said at least one character located in said field position.

5. A method for determining the correlation of a partially read serial code to a complete serial code that comprises a series of random characters having no mutual dependency, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) reading at least one readable character of a serial code;

(b) identifying a respective field position for each character read during said step of reading;

(c) responsive to a determination that at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read, comparing said at least one readable character and said respective field position with said complete serial code, wherein if said complete serial code contains said at least one readable character in said field position, then said partially read serial code correlates with said complete serial code; and

(d) comparing a position of a note in a stack of notes to a recorded position associated with said complete serial code wherein said partially read serial code and said complete serial code do not correlate if said position and said recorded position are not equal.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

(e) identifying account data to the note when distributed from said stack.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

(e) identifying account data to the note when the stack is deposited.

8. A method for identifying notes distributed from an automated teller machine wherein said notes each have a serial code that comprises a series of random characters having no mutual dependency, said method comprising the steps of:

a) reading at least one readable character of a note'"'"'s serial code;

b) identifying a field position in the serial code of the at least one readable character;

c) recoding the field position and the character;

d) correlating account data with the recorded character and field position data;

e) comparing a complete serial code to said recorded character and field position data to determine if there is a match, wherein a match may be determined even though at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read;

wherein the reading of step (a) and identifying of step (b) occurs before the notes are installed in the automated teller machine; and

wherein the correlating of step (d) further comprises identifying the note by its position in a stack of notes.

10. A method for identifying a note having a serial code, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) reading at least one readable character of the note'"'"'s serial code;

(b) identifying a field position of said at least one readable character;

(c) responsive to a determination that at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read, identifying the note by using the at least one readable character and the field position of said at least one readable character; and

(d) identifying the note to a position in a stack of notes, wherein the position identified is correlated to account information when the note is distributed.

11. A method for identifying a note having a serial code, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) reading at least one readable character of the note'"'"'s serial code;

(b) identifying a field position of said at least one readable character;

(c) responsive to a determination that at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read, identifying the note by using the at least one readable character and the field position of said at least one readable character; and

(d) identifying the note to a position in a stack of notes, wherein the position identified is correlated to account information when the note is deposited.

12. A method for determining the correlation of a partially read serial code to a complete serial code, comprising the steps of:

(a) reading at least one readable character of a serial code;

(b) identifying a field position of said at least one readable character; and

(c) responsive to a determination that at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read, comparing said at least one readable character and said field position with said complete serial code; and

(d) comparing a position of a note in a stack of notes to a recorded position associated with said complete serial code, wherein if said complete serial code contains said at least one readable character in said field position and said recorded position corresponds with said position of said note in said stack of notes, then said partially read serial code correlates with said complete serial code.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

(e) identifying account data to the note when distributed from said stack.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

(e) identifying account data to the note when the note is deposited.

15. A method for identifying notes distributed from an automated teller machine comprising the steps of:

a) reading at least one readable character of a note'"'"'s serial code before the notes are installed in the automated teller machine;

b) identifying a field position in the serial code of the at least one readable character before the notes are installed in the automated teller machine;

c) recording the field position and the character;

d) correlating account data with the recorded character and field position data;

e) identifying the note by its position in a stack of notes; and

f) comparing a complete serial code to said recorded character and field position data to determine if there is a match, wherein a match may be determined even though at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read.

16. A method for allowing the identification of a note having a serial code, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) reading at least one readable character of said serial code;

(b) identifying a field position of said at least one readable character;

(c) identifying a stack position of said note in a stack of notes;

(d) storing said at least one readable character, said field position, and said stack position for later retrieval wherein said at least one readable character, said field position, and said stack position are all correlated; and

(e) correlating an account holder to said stack position when said note is distributed.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps:

(f) retrieving said at least one readable character, said field position, and said stack position for comparison with a complete serial code, wherein a match is determined if said at least one readable character is found at said field position in said complete serial code.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said note is distributed from an ATM.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said steps of reading, identifying said at least one character, identifying said field position, and identifying said stack position all occur before said note is placed in said ATM and wherein said step of correlating an account holder occurs when said note is distributed from said ATM.

20. A method for allowing the identification of a note having a serial code, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying a stack position of said note in a stack of notes when said note is deposited by an account holder;

(b) correlating said account holder to said stack position of said note;

(c) reading at least one readable character of said serial code;

(d) identifying a field position of said at least one readable character; and

(e) storing said at least one readable character, said field position, and said stack position for later retrieval wherein said at least one readable character, said field position, and said stack position are all correlated.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps:

(f) retrieving said at least one readable character, said field position, and said stack position for comparison with a complete serial code, wherein a match is determined if said at least one readable character is found at said field position in said complete serial code.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said note is deposited into an ATM by said account holder.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said steps of reading, identifying said at least one character, identifying said field position, identifying said stack position, and correlating said account holder all occur after said note is deposited in said ATM.

24. A method for identifying a note having a serial code, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) reading at least one readable character of the note'"'"'s serial code;

(b) identifying a field position of said at least one readable character;

(c) responsive to a determination that at least one character other than said at least one readable character of said serial code cannot be read, identifying the note by using the at least one readable character and the field position of said at least one readable character; and

(d) identifying the note by determining a position of said note in a stack of notes.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said step of reading is performed using an optical character recognition device.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the position determined in step (d) is correlated to account information when the note is distributed.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the position determined in step (d) is correlated to account information when the note is deposited.