Electronic endorsement of check images

• US 7,818,245 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2006
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Prakash, Ravinder, Moon, Rodney G., Rector, Gerald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan; Thu Thao
• Application Number:
  US11/383,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 705 37- 38
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0425 the cheque being electronic only
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method for applying an endorsement to an electronic image of a bank check. A system is described that includes: an imaging system for generating an endorsement image representing an action taken relative to processing the bank check; a halftone system for converting the endorsement image into a digitally halftoned endorsement image; and a positioning system for placing the digitally halftoned endorsement image onto the electronic image of the bank check.

Claims

1. A method of applying an endorsement to an electronic image of a bank check, comprising:

generating an endorsement image representing an action taken relative to processing the bank check, wherein the endorsement image is separate from the electronic image of the bank check;

converting the endorsement image into a digitally halftoned endorsement image using a computing device; and

placing the digitally halftoned endorsement image onto the electronic image of the bank check.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the endorsement image is generated as a bitmap image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the endorsement image is generated by combining static data and dynamic data.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the static data comprises image data selected from the group consisting of:

text, logos, and processing notations; and

wherein the dynamic data comprises image data selected from the group consisting of;

a date, a time, an amount, and a reference number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitally halftoned endorsement image is generated at either a predetermined or dynamically determined grayscale level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitally halftoned endorsement image is placed onto the electronic image of the bank check at either a predetermined or dynamically generated skew angle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic image of the bank check comprises a format selected from the group consisting of:

black white, bitonal, color and grayscale.

8. A method for deploying a system for applying an endorsement to an electronic image of a bank check, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

generate an endorsement image representing an action taken relative to processing the bank check, wherein the endorsement image is separate from the electronic image of the bank check;

convert the endorsement image into a digitally halftoned endorsement image using a computing device; and

place the digitally halftoned endorsement image onto the electronic image of the bank check.