Methods and apparatus for wireless display units for document trays in financial document processing

• US 7,514,646 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Schott, Susan H., Doran, Wayne M., Cira, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAPIRO, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US09/848,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20020165871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,896 Days
• Field of Search: 209/583, 209/584, 209/587, 209/900, 209/534, 209/656, 209/657, 235/379, 271/3.01, 271/3.14, 382137-140
• US Class Current: 209/583
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque

Abstract

Techniques for use of wireless labels to provide information relating to documents in a document processing operation are described. A plurality of document processing trays each have affixed a label for receiving and displaying messages which are received wirelessly from a central communication interface The messages provide information relating to documents to be placed within or contained within the trays. When a group of documents undergoes initial processing, the group of documents is sorted into a plurality of sorting locations. Each of the sorting locations has an associated tray and label and the documents within the sorting location are placed within the tray. Messages relating to the documents within each tray are transmitted and displayed on the label affixed to the tray. The messages provide information such as the large group, such as an entry, and sorting location to which the documents belong and the endpoint of the documents. The message may also provide information relating to the processing priority of the documents. As processing continues, new messages are transmitted appropriate to the processing stage of the documents. If documents are sorted into new sorting locations, new associations between the trays and the sorting locations are established and the documents are placed in and associated with trays and labels associated with the new sorting locations.

Claims

1. A check processing apparatus comprising:

an image capture transport including (i) an image capture device for capturing images of physical checks in which each check has an assigned entry number associated therewith, (ii) a number of pockets into which physical checks can be sorted and in which each pocket has an assigned pocket number associated therewith, and (ii) a transport controller for providing information relating to physical checks which have been processed at the image capture transport;

an encoding transport including a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) encoder for encoding MICR codelines onto physical checks;

a physical receptacle for (i) containing physical checks which have been processed at the image capture transport, and (ii) allowing the physical receptacle along with physical checks contained therein to be physically transported from the image capture transport to the encoding transport;

an electronic label affixed to the physical receptacle and including (i) a physical display for displaying a visual message, (ii) a first communication interface for receiving electronic messages which have been wirelessly transmitted from another communication interface, and (iii) a processor for causing the physical display to display a visual message having both an entry number and a pocket number associated with the physical checks contained in the physical receptacle;

a subserver for receiving information which associates the physical receptacle and the electronic label affixed thereto to a corresponding pocket of the image capture transport;

a transmitter server for generating display messages based upon information from the subserver; and

a second communication interface for wirelessly transmitting the generated display messages from the transmitter server to the first communication interface of the electronic label so that visual information including both the entry number and the pocket number associated with the physical checks contained in the physical receptacle can be displayed on the physical display of the electronic label.

2. A check processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic label includes a first manually-operable button electrically coupled to the processor and for, when manually operated, directing the processor to cause the physical display to display visual information including the entry number and the pocket number in sequential screens.

3. A check processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electronic label includes a second manually-operable button electrically coupled to the processor and for, when manually operated, allowing an operator to send a signal to the second communication interface.

4. A check processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic label further includes an alerter electronically coupled to the processor and for, when driven by the processor, providing an audible alert signal.

5. A check processing apparatus comprising:

an image capture transport including (i) an image capture device for capturing images of physical checks in which each check has an assigned entry number associated therewith, (ii) a number of pockets into which physical check can be sorted and in which each pocket has an assigned pocket number associated therewith, and (iii) a transport controller for providing information relating to physical checks which have been processed at the image capture transport;

a balancing station including (i) a display for displaying check images, (ii) an input device for enabling an operator to enter check amounts, and (iii) a balancing station controller for examining information associated with check images to determine if a balanced condition exists and for providing a balance complete signal when a determination is made that a balanced condition exists;

a reconciliation station including (i) a display for displaying check images, and (ii) a reconciliation station controller for reconciling physical checks which have been identified as being exception items and for providing a reconciliation complete signal when reconciliation is completed;

an encoding transport including a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) encoder for encoding MICR codelines onto physical checks;

a physical receptacle for (i) containing physical checks which have been processed at the image capture transport, and (ii) allowing the physical receptacle along with physical checks contained therein to be physically transported from the image capture transport to the encoding transport;

an electronic label affixed to the physical receptacle and including (i) a physical display for displaying a visual message, (ii) a first communication interface for receiving electronic messages which have been wirelessly transmitted from another communication interface, and (iii) a processor for causing the physical display to display a visual message having both an entry number and a pocket number associated with the physical checks contained in the physical receptacle;

a subserver for (i) receiving information which associates the physical receptacle and the electronic label affixed thereto to a corresponding pocket of the image capture transport, (ii) receiving the balance complete signal from the balancing station, and (iii) receiving the reconciliation complete signal from the reconciliation station controller;

a transmitter server for generating display messages based upon information from the subserver; and

a second communication interface for wirelessly transmitting the generated display messages from the transmitter server to the first communication interface of electronic label so that visual information including both the entry number and the pocket number associated with the physical checks contained in the physical receptacle can be displayed on the physical display of the electronic label.

6. A check processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electronic label includes a first manually-operable button electrically coupled to the processor and for, when manually operated, directing the processor to cause the physical display to display visual information including the entry number and the pocket number in sequential screens.

7. A check processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the electronic label includes a second manually-operable button electrically coupled to the processor and for, when manually operated, allowing an operator to send a signal to the second communication interface.

8. A check processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electronic label further includes an alerter electronically coupled to the processor and for, when being driven by the processor, providing an audible alert signal.

9. A check processing apparatus for enabling an operator to physically transport checks from an image capture transport which captures images of checks and sorts the checks into a plurality of pockets to an encoding transport which encodes magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) codelines onto checks, each check having an assigned entry number associated therewith and each pocket having an assigned pocket number associated therewith, the check processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of check document trays for (i) containing checks which have been sorted into the plurality of pockets at the image capture transport, (ii) allowing checks to be moved from each of the plurality of pockets into a corresponding one of the plurality of check document trays, and (iii) allowing the plurality of check document trays along with checks contained therein to be physically transported from the image capture transport to the encoding transport for encoding MICR codelines onto the checks; and

a plurality of electronic labels associated with the plurality of check document trays such that each of the plurality of electronic labels is affixed to a corresponding one of the plurality of check document trays, each of the plurality of electronic labels including (i) a physical display for displaying a visual message, (ii) a communication interface for receiving electronic messages which have been wirelessly transmitted from a communication interface associated with the image capture transport, and (iii) a processor for causing the physical display to display a visual message which is based upon at least one electronic message which has been received from the communication interface associated with the image capture transport to provide visual information including both the entry number and the pocket number associated with the checks contained in a check document tray which has been physically transported from the image capture transport to the encoding transport.

10. A check processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the electronic label includes a first manually-operable button electrically coupled to the processor and for, when manually operated, directing the processor to cause the physical display to display visual information including the entry number and the pocket number in sequential screens.

11. A check processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the electronic label includes a second manually-operable button electrically coupled to the processor and for, when manually operated, allowing an operator to send a signal to the communication interface associated with the image capture transport.

12. A check processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the electronic label further includes an alerter electronically coupled to the processor and for, when being driven by the processor, providing an audible alert signal.