Automated currency processing system
First Claim
1. A currency bill evaluation device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the currency bills in the stack, the device comprising:
- an input receptacle for receiving a stack of currency bills to be evaluated;
an output receptacle for receiving the currency bills after the currency bills have been evaluated;
an image scanner;
a transport mechanism for transporting the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacle along a transport path past the image scanner to obtain currency bill images;
the image scanner automatically evaluating each currency bill image and identifying from the currency bill image a serial number for each currency bill; and
a memory storing the serial number of each currency bill in the stack and storing the currency bill images.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A document processing system comprises an input receptacle for receiving documents. A transport mechanism receives the documents from the input receptacle and transports the documents past a full image scanner and a discrimination unit. An output receptacle receives the documents from the transport mechanism after being transported past the full image scanner and the discrimination unit. The full image scanner includes means for obtaining a full video image of said documents, means for obtaining a image of a selected area of said documents, and means for obtaining information contained in said selected area of said document. The discrimination unit includes means for determining the authenticity of said document. A system controller directs the flows of documents over the transport mechanism.
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Citations
67 Claims
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1. A currency bill evaluation device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the currency bills in the stack, the device comprising:
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an input receptacle for receiving a stack of currency bills to be evaluated;
an output receptacle for receiving the currency bills after the currency bills have been evaluated;
an image scanner;
a transport mechanism for transporting the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacle along a transport path past the image scanner to obtain currency bill images;
the image scanner automatically evaluating each currency bill image and identifying from the currency bill image a serial number for each currency bill; and
a memory storing the serial number of each currency bill in the stack and storing the currency bill images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A currency bill evaluation method, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a stack of currency bills to be evaluated in an input receptacle;
transporting the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to an output receptacle along a transport path;
image scanning each of the transported currency bills to obtain currency bill images;
evaluating each currency bill image to identify from the currency bill image a serial number for each currency bill; and
storing the serial number of each currency bill in the stack and storing the currency bill images. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A currency bill evaluation device, comprising:
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an input receptacle for receiving a stack of currency bills to be evaluated for a deposit transaction;
an output receptacle for receiving the currency bills after the currency bills have been evaluated;
an image scanner;
a transport mechanism for transporting the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacle along a transport path past the image scanner to obtain currency bill images;
the image scanner evaluating each currency bill image to determine a denominated value for each currency bill;
a memory storing the currency bill images; and
an accounting system crediting an account of a customer associated with the deposit transaction for the denominated values of the currency bills. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
a display for presenting the stored image of the flagged currency bill to a user; and
an input device through which the user may specify the denomination value for the flagged currency bill.
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28. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 24, wherein the output receptacle consists of a single output bin.
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29. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 24, wherein the output receptacle consists of two output bins.
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30. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 24 further including a desktop housing containing the input receptacle, output receptacle, transport mechanism and image scanner.
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31. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 24, further comprising a stacking wheel comprising flexible blades positioned to restack currency bills in the output receptacle.
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32. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 24, wherein the currency bills have wide and narrow dimensions and the currency bills are transported with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport path.
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33. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 24 wherein the full image scanner further evaluates each currency bill image to identify a serial number of each currency bill, the memory operating to store the serial numbers of each currency bill in the deposit transaction.
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34. A currency bill evaluation method, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a stack of currency bills to be evaluated for a deposit transaction in an input receptacle;
transporting the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to an output receptacle along a transport path;
image scanning each of the transported currency bills to obtain currency bill images;
evaluating each currency bill image to determine from the currency bill image a denomination value for each currency bill;
storing the currency bill images for each currency bill;
crediting an account of a customer associated with the deposit transaction for the denominated values of the currency bills. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
displaying the stored image of the flagged currency bill to a user; and
user inputting of the denomination value for the flagged currency bill.
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38. The currency bill evaluation method of claim 34, wherein the output receptacle is a single output bin.
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39. The currency bill evaluation method of claim 34, wherein the output receptacle is two output bins.
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40. The currency bill evaluation method of claim 34, wherein the currency bills have wide and narrow dimensions and the step of transporting comprises the step of transporting the currency bills with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport path.
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41. The currency bill evaluation method of claim 34, wherein the step of evaluating further comprises the step of identifying a serial number of each currency bill from the currency bill image, the step of storing including the step of storing the serial numbers of each currency bill in the deposit transaction.
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42. A currency bill evaluation device, comprising:
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an input receptacle for receiving a stack of currency bills to be evaluated;
an output receptacle for receiving the currency bills after the currency bills have been evaluated;
an image scanner;
a currency bill discriminator; and
a transport mechanism for transporting the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacle along a transport path past the image scanner and the currency bill discriminator;
the image scanner obtaining currency bill images and further evaluating each currency bill image to determine a denominated value for each currency bill; and
the currency bill discriminator obtaining discrimination data for each currency bill and further evaluating the discrimination data in view of a restricted set of master discrimination information relating only to currency bills having the image scanner determined denominated value. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
an accounting system crediting an account of a customer associated with the deposit transaction for the denominated values of the currency bills which have been successfully discriminated.
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47. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 46 wherein successful discrimination of a currency bill is authentication of that currency bill.
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48. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 46 wherein successful discrimination of a currency bill is authentication of that currency bill and confirmation that the image scanner determined denominated value is correct.
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49. A currency bill evaluation method, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a stack of currency bills to be evaluated in an input receptacle;
receiving the currency bills after the currency bills have been evaluated in an output receptacle;
transporting the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacle along a transport path past an image scanner and a currency bill discriminator;
obtaining currency bill images with the image scanner;
evaluating each currency bill image to determine a denominated value for each currency bill;
obtaining discrimination data for each currency bill with the currency bill discriminator; and
evaluating the discrimination data in view of a restricted set of master discrimination information relating only to currency bills having the denominated value determined in the currency bill evaluating step. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
crediting an account of a customer associated with the deposit transaction for the denominated values of the currency bills which have been successfully discriminated.
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54. The currency bill evaluation method of claim 49 wherein successful discrimination of a currency bill is authentication of that currency bill.
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55. The currency bill evaluation device of claim 54 wherein successful discrimination of a currency bill is authentication of that currency bill and confirmation that the image scanner determined denominated value is correct.
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56. A currency bill processing system, comprising:
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an input receptacle for receiving a stack of currency bills;
a document imager;
a currency bill denomination scanner;
one or more output receptacles;
a transport mechanism that conveys the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle past both the document imager and the denomination scanner to the one or more output receptacles, whereby the document imager obtains an image of each currency bill and the denomination scanner obtains reflective scan data for each currency bill;
a processing device operable to;
evaluate the obtained currency bill images and extract currency bill field information from those currency bill images; and
evaluate the obtained reflective scan data and attempt a determination of a denominated value of each currency bill from the reflective scan data;
a video display for displaying selected currency bill images;
a value indication input that allows a user of the system to enter the denominated value and/or field information of a currency bill from the displayed currency bill image; and
a counter that accumulates the processing device determined denomination values along with the user input denomination values for the currency bills. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. A currency bill processing method, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a stack of currency bills;
conveying the currency bills, one at a time, along a transport path;
imaging each currency bill as it is conveyed along the transport path to obtain a currency bill image;
reflectively scanning each currency bill as it is conveyed along the transport path to obtain reflective scan data;
collecting the conveyed currency bills;
determining currency bill field information from an evaluation of the obtained currency bill image;
determining the denominated value of each currency bill from an evaluation of the obtained reflective scan data;
displaying selected currency bill images;
receiving user input of the denominated value and/or field information of a currency bill from the displayed currency bill image; and
accumulating the determined denomination values along with the user input denomination values for the currency bills. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67)
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Specification