Extracting text written on a check

• US 7,020,320 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parascript, LLC
• Original Assignee: Parascript, LLC
• Inventors: Filatov, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kanjibhai
• Assistant Examiner(s): MISTRY, O NEAL RAJAN
• Application Number:
  US10/093,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 382/137, 382/119, 382/116
• US Class Current: 382/137
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/268 Lexical context

Abstract

A check processing system for recognizing text on a check and processing the check using an interpretation for the recognized text is disclosed. The check processing system recognizes text on a check using a text recognition method wherein the text is compared to information entries in a customized recognition list stored in a restrictive lexicon. Thus, a process of creating restricted lexicons containing only customized recognition lists is disclosed. Like the text on the check, the information entries may be strings of characters, such as, without limitation, strings of numerical characters, alphabetic characters or a combination of alphabetic and numerical characters. Furthermore, the strings of characters for the text, as well as the information entries, may be a word or a phrase of words, such as payee names or memo categories. After the text is recognized, the check processing system processes the check using the interpretation by linking the check to the interpretation on an account statement.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a check with text located on the check, the check being issued from a checking account by a payor to a payee, the system comprising:

a restricted lexicon containing a plurality of reference information entries being strings of characters predefined as identification information that may be written on the check;

a text recognition module analyzing text on the check against the plurality of reference information entries in the restricted lexicon to identify an information entry as the interpretation for the text, wherein the text is memo category information identifying a particular memo category to which the check is associated; and

an account statement generation module generating an account statement for the checking account and linking the check to the interpretation for the text on the account statement.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the restricted lexicon is one of a plurality of restricted lexicons each associated with a separate checking account number and each containing information entries being strings of characters predefined as identification information that may be written on checks issued from the separate checking accounts, the system further comprising:

a checking account recognition module recognizing an account number on the check and selecting the restricted lexicon based on a match between the account number on the check and the checking account number associated with the restricted lexicon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the account statement generation module links the check with the interpretation on the account statement by labeling a listing of the check on the account statement with the interpretation for the text.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information entries are predefined by the payor.

5. A method for processing a check issued from a checking account by a payor to a payee, the method comprising:

receiving a recognition list having a plurality of information entries being strings of characters defined by the payor as memo categories that may be handwritten on the check;

locating a memo category handwritten on the check;

analyzing the handwritten memo category against each of the information entries in the recognition list to recognize one of the plurality of information entries as an interpretation for the handwritten memo category; and

generating an account statement for the checking account detailing transactions of the checking account over a predetermined period of time and linking the check to the interpretation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the generating act comprises:

labeling a listing of the check on the account statement with the interpretation.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

if the handwritten memo category does not match an information entry, providing the handwritten memo category to the payor for interpretation of the handwritten memo category.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the providing act comprises:

presenting the handwritten memo category to the payor using an Internet server.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a supplemental information entry submitted by the payor as the interpretation for the handwritten memo category; and

updating the recognition list to include the supplemental information entry.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving act comprises:

receiving the supplemental information entry using an Internet server.

11. A method for processing a check issued from a checking account by a payor of the checking account to a payee, the method comprising:

receiving a field recognition list associated with the checking account, wherein the field recognition list includes a plurality of information entries predefined for the checking account to be expenses that may be input in a memo field on the check;

detecting the checking account number on the check;

selecting the field recognition list for the memo field of the check based on the checking account number; and

analyzing text in the memo field of the check using the field recognition list to determine if the text in the memo field is recognized as one of the plurality of information entries in the field recognition list.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the analyzed text is not recognized as an information entry in the field recognition list, electronically sending the text to the payor for recognition.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

electronically receiving a supplemental information entry submitted by the payor for the text sent to the payor for recognition; and

updating the field recognition list to include the supplemental information entry.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the acts of electronically sending and electronically receiving are sending over the Internet and receiving via the Internet.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating an account statement for the checking account detailing transactions of the checking account over a predetermined period of time, the statement identifying an expense for each check as recognized for the checks by the act analyzing.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the analyzed text is not recognized as an information entry in the field recognition list, electronically sending the text to the payor for recognition,

electronically receiving from the payor a replacement recognition list including a supplemental information entry submitted by the payor for the text sent to the payor for recognition; and

replacing the recognition list with the replacement recognition list.

17. A method for processing a check issued from a checking account by a payor of the checking account to a payee, the method comprising:

receiving a first field recognition list associated with the checking account, wherein the first field recognition list includes a plurality of payee names predefined for the checking account;

receiving a second field recognition list associated with the checking account, wherein the second field recognition list includes a plurality of expenses predefined for the checking account;

detecting the checking account number on the check;

selecting the first field recognition list and the second field recognition list based on the checking account number; and

analyzing payee text in a payee field of the check using the first field recognition list to determine if the payee text is recognized as one of the plurality of payee names in the first field recognition list; and

analyzing memo text in a memo field of the check using the second field recognition list to determine if the memo text is recognized as one of the plurality of expenses in the second field recognition list.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating an account statement for the checking account detailing transactions of the checking account over a predetermined period of time, the statement identifying a payee for each check as recognized for the check by the act of analyzing the payee text, and the statement identifying an expense for each check if an expense as recognized for the check by the act of analyzing the memo text.

19. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for processing a financial document issued on a financial account by an issuer of the financial document, the computer process comprising:

receiving a field recognition list associated with the financial account, wherein the field recognition list includes a plurality of memo category names predefined for the financial account to be possible categories into which financial documents associated with the financial account may be categorized;

detecting an account identifier for the financial account on the financial document;

selecting the field recognition list based on the detected account identifier; and

analyzing text in a memo field against the plurality of memo category names in the field recognition list to recognize the text as one of the plurality of memo category names in the field recognition list.

20. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

if the text in the memo field is not recognized as one of the plurality of memo category names in the field recognition list, electronically transmitting the unrecognized text to the issuer for recognition.

21. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

electronically receiving a supplemental memo category name submitted by the issuer, wherein the supplemental memo category name represents an interpretation for the unrecognized text; and

updating the field recognition list to include the supplemental memo category name.

22. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

electronically receiving a replacement field recognition list submitted by the issuer, wherein the replacement field recognition list comprises a supplemental memo category name representing an interpretation for the unrecognized text; and

replacing the field recognition list with the replacement field recognition list.

23. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 19, wherein the financial document is a check.

24. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

generating an account statement for the financial account detailing transactions of the financial account during a predetermined period of time, wherein the account statement associates the financial document with the memo category name recognized by the analyzing act.

25. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 19, wherein the memo field is one of a plurality of text fields and the field recognition list is one of a plurality of field recognition lists, the method further comprising:

receiving a second field recognition list associated with a second text field on the financial document and associated with the financial account, the second field recognition list having a plurality of predetermined information entries that are defined based on the second text field and the financial account and that may be in the second text field;

wherein the selecting act further comprises selecting the second field recognition list based on the detected account identifier; and

wherein the analyzing act further comprises analyzing text in the second text field against the plurality of predetermined information entries in the second field recognition list to determine if the text is recognized as one of the information entries in the second field recognition list.

26. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

storing the field recognition list and the second field recognition list in a lexicon;

storing the lexicon in a data store as one of a plurality of lexicons each specifically associated with at least one of a plurality of financial accounts, wherein the lexicon is specifically identified in the data store as being associated with the financial account using the account identifier; and

wherein the selecting act selects the lexicon from the plurality of lexicons based on the detected account identifier.

27. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 25, wherein the financial document is a check and the issuer is a payor, and wherein the text in the second text field represents a payee name, the second field recognition list being a list of possible payee names defined as being names for possible payees of checks issued from the financial account.