Method of evaluating checks deposited into a cash dispensing automated banking machine

• US 7,735,721 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Diebold Self-Service Systems (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Crews, Tim, Laskowski, Edward L., Ma, Songtao
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik; Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON JR, WILLIAM MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/371,353
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 382/137, 382/138, 382/139, 382/135, 705/35, 705/43, 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: G07D 7/04 Testing magnetic properties of the materials thereof, e.g. by detection of magnetic imprint G07D7/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]

Abstract

An automated banking machine system and method includes ATMs which accept checks and dispense cash to users. The ATMs are operated to acquire image and magnetic data from deposited checks to determine the genuineness of checks and the authority of a user to receive cash for such checks. Cash may be dispensed to the user from the ATM in exchange for the deposited check. The ATMs dispense cash responsive to communications with a transaction host. The transaction host provides transaction identifying data to the ATM. The ATM sends the transaction identifying data and check images to an image and transaction data server for processing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) moving a check across a magnetic sensor in a cash dispensing automated banking machine, wherein the check has a width, wherein the check has a length in a first direction, wherein the magnetic sensor comprises a plurality of sensor elements arranged along at least one column extending generally transverse of the first direction, wherein the automated banking machine includes at least one processor;

b) acquiring magnetic signals from each sensor element as the check moves across the magnetic sensor, wherein the magnetic signals are acquired from a plurality of locations generally spanning the width and the length of the check;

c) through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine, generating at least one first matrix, wherein the first matrix comprises a plurality of sensor values included in a plurality of rows and columns, wherein the plurality of sensor values correspond to a plurality of portions of the magnetic signals acquired in (b);

d) carrying out through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation with the first matrix, to produce at least one modified matrix that includes a plurality of modified matrix values, wherein the at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation includes calculating a modified matrix value for the at least one modified matrix that corresponds to a value in the first matrix, wherein the modified matrix value is calculated with the at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation responsive to the value in the first matrix and at least one other value in the first matrix adjacent to the value in the first matrix;

e) through operation of the at least one processor, identifying a plurality of sets of modified matrix values in the modified matrix, wherein each set respectively corresponds to a different zone on the check;

f) through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine, determining that the check is acceptable to be deposited into the automated banking machine responsive to the plurality of sets of modified matrix values identified in (e) for the respective different zones on the check.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in (c) the values in each row in the first matrix correspond to a plurality of sensor values acquired from a respective one of the sensor elements of the magnetic sensor.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in (d) the at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation is operative to modify values in the first matrix to offset relative differences in signal output characteristics of the sensor elements.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein in (d) the at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation includes:

i) calculating for each row in the first matrix an offset value generated responsive to values in each respective row; and

ii) subtracting each respective offset value from values in each respective row from which the respective offset value was calculated in (i).

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein each respective offset value for each respective row substantially corresponds to the mean of the values in the respective row.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein in (d) the at least one modified matrix is produced with a lower total number of columns than the first matrix.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first matrix includes a plurality of consecutive sets of columns, wherein each set of columns in the first matrix is comprised of a plurality of consecutive columns, wherein the at least one matrix modifying calculation includes generating values in each sequential column in the at least one modified matrix responsive to the values in each respective sequential set of columns in the first matrix, wherein each value in each row in each respective column in the modified matrix substantially corresponds to the average of values in the first matrix for the respective row in the plurality of consecutive columns in the respective set of columns from which each value in the modified matrix is generated.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one matrix modifying calculation includes modifying at least a portion of the values of the first matrix to minimize the effects of common mode noise on the values in the first matrix caused from mechanical vibration of the magnetic sensor.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one matrix modifying calculation includes:

i) calculating for each column a calculated value generated responsive to values in each respective column in the first matrix;

ii) for respective values in respective columns in the first matrix, determining at least one respective relationship between at least one threshold value and the difference between each respective calculated value and the respective value in the respective column from which the respective calculated value was calculated in (i);

iii) producing respective values for the at least one modified matrix responsive to the respective relationship determined in (ii) for the respective value.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein in (i) each calculated value for each respective column substantially corresponds to the mean of values in the respective column.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein in (ii) when the respective relationship corresponds to the difference between a respective calculated value and a respective value in the respective column from which the respective calculated value was calculated in (i) being less than the at least one threshold value, then the respective value produced in (iii) is produced responsive to a first predetermined value.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one matrix modifying calculation includes modifying at least a portion of the values in the first matrix responsive to a zero-phase low pass filter.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one matrix modifying calculation includes:

i) for respective values in each respective row of the first matrix, generating a new respective value in the at least one modified matrix corresponding to an average of a set of values in the respective row of the first matrix, wherein each set includes the respective value of the first matrix, and values in the respective row within a predetermined number of consecutive columns adjacent at least one side of the column that includes the respective value in the first matrix.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one zone on the check includes a border with at least one other zone, wherein (f) includes reducing at least one value in the modified matrix corresponding to a location on the check adjacent the border responsive to at least one weighing factor, wherein the determination in (f) is made responsive to the reduced at least one value.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein in (d) the first matrix is modified to correspond to the at least one modified matrix.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automated banking machine includes at least one transport and a storage area, further comprising through operation of the at least one processor responsive to (f), causing the at least one transport in the automated banking machine to move the check to the storage area in the automated banking machine.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of modified matrix values identified in (d) correspond to respective different identified zones on the check corresponding to a magnetic ink character recognition (“

MICR”

) zone that includes MICR characters therein and at least one zone on the check that does not include MICR characters therein, wherein (f) includes determining that the check is acceptable to be deposited into the automated banking machine responsive to predetermined rules regarding data representative of a level of magnetic signals in the respective identified zones.

17. Computer readable media bearing computer executable instructions operative to cause at least one processor in a cash dispensing automated banking machine to cause the automated banking machine to carry out a method comprising:

a) moving a check across a magnetic sensor in the cash dispensing automated banking machine, wherein the check has a width, wherein the check has a length in a first direction, wherein the magnetic sensor comprises a plurality of sensor elements arranged along at least one column extending generally transverse of the first direction;

b) acquiring magnetic signals from each sensor element as the check moves across the magnetic sensor, wherein the magnetic signals are acquired from a plurality of locations generally spanning the width and the length of the check;

c) through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine, generating at least one first matrix, wherein the first matrix comprises a plurality of sensor values included in a plurality of rows and columns, wherein the plurality of sensor values correspond to a plurality of portions of the magnetic signals acquired in (b);

d) carrying out through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation with the first matrix, to produce at least one modified matrix that includes a plurality of modified matrix values, wherein the at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation includes calculating a modified matrix value for in the at least one modified matrix that corresponds to a value in the first matrix, wherein the modified matrix value is calculated with the at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation responsive to the value in the first matrix and at least one other value in the first matrix adjacent to the value in the first matrix;

e) through operation of the at least one processor, identifying a plurality of sets of modified matrix values in the modified matrix, wherein each set respectively corresponds to a different zone on the check;

f) through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine, determining that the check is acceptable to be deposited into the automated banking machine responsive to the plurality of sets of modified matrix values identified in (e) for the respective different zones on the check.

19. A method comprising:

a) moving a check across a magnetic sensor in an automated banking machine, wherein the check has a width, wherein the check has a length in a first direction, wherein the magnetic sensor comprises a plurality of sensor elements arranged along at least one column extending generally transverse of the first direction, wherein the automated banking machine includes at least one processor;

b) acquiring magnetic signals from each sensor element as the check moves across the magnetic sensor, wherein the magnetic signals are acquired from a plurality of locations generally spanning the width and the length of the check;

c) through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine, generating data corresponding to at least one first matrix, wherein the first matrix comprises data corresponding to a plurality of sensor values included in a plurality of rows and columns, wherein the plurality of sensor values correspond to a plurality of portions of the magnetic signals acquired in (b);

d) carrying out through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation with the first matrix, to produce data corresponding to at least one modified matrix that includes a plurality of modified matrix values, wherein the at least one predetermined matrix modifying calculation includes calculating a modified matrix value for the at least one modified matrix that corresponds to a value in the first matrix, responsive at least in part to the value in the first matrix and at least one other value in the first matrix adjacent to the value in the first matrix,

e) through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine, identifying a plurality of sets of modified matrix values in the modified matrix, wherein each set respectively corresponds to one of a plurality of different zones on the check, wherein the different zones on the check include a magnetic ink character recognition (“

MICR”

) zone that includes MICR characters therein, and at least one zone on the check that does not include MICR characters therein;

f) through operation of the at least one processor in the automated banking machine, determining that the check is acceptable to be deposited into the automated banking machine responsive at least in part to the plurality of sets of modified matrix values identified in (e) for the plurality of different zones on the check and data corresponding to predetermined rules regarding data representative of a level of magnetic signals in the respective different zones on the check.