Method and apparatus for accepting check deposits via the internet using browser-based technology

• US 7,392,935 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2006
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Young, Deborah A., Lee, Frank S., Weisbord, Gene, Molina, Art, Chun, Byron G., Byrne, Michael D., Sahni, Bipin M., Sturgis-Griffith, Stephanie
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US11/351,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20060249567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 705/35, 705/36, 705/37, 705/38, 705/39, 705/40, 705/41, 705/42, 705/43, 705/44, 705/45
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A browser plug-in to drive a device for securely transmitting documents in real-time over the Internet into an enterprise'"'"'s computing environment is provided. Leveraging the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, a system and method for providing a browser plug-in that allows a bank customer to scan checks using a personal computer and deposit the checks via the browser to a bank account is provided.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for transmitting captured objects from a capturing device in real-time from one or more client components through an enterprise server component to one or more enterprise backend processing components, comprising the steps of:

one or more client components creating a session with a component on an enterprise server;

responsive to said creating a session, said enterprise server launching an enterprise application and downloading one or more corresponding runtime components onto said one or more client components;

from a browser window on said one or more client components, executing said one or more runtime components to invoke interface APIs of a capturing device, and on said browser window displaying an interface to said enterprise application for accessing said enterprise application;

from the browser runtime components, calling capturing device interface APIs to communicate with said device, wherein said capturing device interface APIs make device driver calls to said capturing device;

capturing one or more objects through said capturing device;

from said one or more runtime components, optionally calling capturing device interface APIs to direct said device to selectively extract additional information from each said captured object;

said browser runtime components pre-processing said captured objects to ensure message consistency and compatibility with said enterprise server;

transmitting said captured one or more objects and, if available, said selectively extracted additional information, to a repository communicably connected to said enterprise application for enterprise backend post-processing; and

said browser runtime components detecting exception conditions on said capturing device and, if within scope of said runtime components, handling exception conditions, and passing said detected exception conditions and said handled exception conditions, as well as unhandled exception conditions and ancillary information to said enterprise server component;

wherein no captured objects are stored on said one or more client components.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said capturing device is a scanning device and said one or more captured objects is one or more scanned images.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein any of said scanned one or more images for deposit is a bank check, coupon, or document.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein future plugins are supported that work with a variety of scanning device protocols, scanning devices, and documents.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein said scanning device returns scanned images and any extracted information to said plugin as Base64 string and plain-text for some selectively extracted regions, and said plugin prepares image and extracted information to the browser as a combination of Base64 strings and plain-text within a HTTP message, which can be further transmitted to said enterprise server component as an HTTP message.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

providing a deposit bag that serves as a holding area until a deposit is committed.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said runtime components are any of plugins or ActiveX components.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said selectively extracted information is any of:

a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) line, written text, or a bar-code.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said one or more client components are developed as ActiveX controls that are downloadable over the Web.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said one or more client components provide an interface such that said enterprise application interacts with said scanning device.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said one or more client components provides an abstraction layer to said capturing device such that said enterprise application interfaces with one or more different capturing device types.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

responsive to a new version of said one or more client components posted to said enterprise server component, said browser initiating a download of said one or more client components of the new version.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said one or more client components interact through HTTP messages.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said capturing one or more objects is performed in parallel with said transmitting said captured one or more objects, whereby a trickle-in approach is implemented.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein any of said captured one or more objects is replaced by a file upload.

16. A system for transmitting captured objects from a capturing device in real-time from one or more client components through an enterprise server component to one or more enterprise backend processing components, comprising:

means for one or more client components creating a session with a component on an enterprise server;

responsive to said creating a session, means for said enterprise server launching an enterprise application and means for downloading one or more corresponding runtime components onto said one or more client components;

from a browser window on said one or more client components, means for executing said one or more runtime components to invoke interface APIs of a capturing device, and on said browser window means for displaying an interface to said enterprise application for accessing said enterprise application;

from the browser runtime components, means for calling capturing device interface APIs to communicate with said device, wherein said capturing device interface APIs make device driver calls to said capturing device;

means for capturing one or more objects through said capturing device;

from said one or more runtime components, means for optionally calling capturing device interface APIs to direct said device to selectively extract additional information from each said captured object;

means for said browser runtime components pre-processing said captured objects to ensure message consistency and compatibility with said enterprise server;

means for transmitting said captured one or more objects and, if available, said selectively extracted additional information, to a repository communicably connected to said enterprise application for enterprise backend post-processing; and

means for said browser runtime components detecting exception conditions on said capturing device and, if within scope of said runtime components, handling exception conditions, and means for passing said detected exception conditions and said handled exception conditions, as well as unhandled exception conditions and ancillary information to said enterprise server component;

wherein no captured objects are stored on said one or more client components.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said capturing device is a scanning device and said one or more captured objects is one or more scanned images.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein any of said scanned one or more images for deposit is a bank check, coupon, or document.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein future plugins are supported that work with a variety of scanning device protocols, scanning devices, and documents.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein said scanning device returns scanned images and any extracted information to said plugin as Base64 string and plain-text for some selectively extracted regions, and said plugin prepares image and extracted information to the browser as a combination of Base64 strings and plain-text within a HTTP message, which can be further transmitted to said enterprise server component as an HTTP message.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for providing a deposit bag that serves as a holding area until a deposit is committed.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein said runtime components are any of plugins or ActiveX components.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein said selectively extracted information is any of:

a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) line, written text, or a bar-code.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein said one or more client components are developed as ActiveX controls that are downloadable over the Web.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein said one or more client components provide an interface such that said enterprise application interacts with said scanning device.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein said one or more client components provides an abstraction layer to said capturing device such that said enterprise application interfaces with one or more different capturing device types.

27. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

responsive to a new version of said one or more client components posted to said enterprise server component, means for said browser initiating a download of said one or more client components of the new version.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein said one or more client components interact through HTTP messages.

29. The system of claim 16, wherein said capturing one or more objects is performed in parallel with said transmitting said captured one or more objects, whereby a trickle-in approach is implemented.

30. The system of claim 16, wherein any of said captured one or more objects is replaced by a file upload.