Document processing system using full image scanning

• US 8,041,098 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Mennie, Douglas U., Jones, John E., Jones, William J., Jones, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US12/544,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/135, 382/136, 382/137, 382/138, 382/139, 382/140, 705/45, 194/4, 209/534, 235/379, 250/200, 356/71, 902/7
• US Class Current: 382/137
• 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 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0043 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/121 Apparatus characterised by sensor details
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00

Abstract

A system for tracking currency bills comprises a currency scanning device. The scanning device includes a sensor that retrieves currency identification characteristic information of each bill processed. The currency identification characteristic information permits the unique identification of each bill processed. The system further comprises a customer identification means and means for associating each processed bill with the customer depositing the bill. Means for identifying the customer (or customer account) associated with a particular processed bill after the deposit transaction has been completed is also included in the system.

Claims

1. A system for processing documents, the system comprising:

at least one input receptacle configured to receive documents related to a transaction, the documents including non-suspect checks and at least one suspect check;

at least one output receptacle configured to receive the documents;

an image scanning system configured to obtain an image of at least a portion of at least one side of each document received for the transaction and to extract, from each image, an amount of information which uniquely identifies the document;

a transport mechanism configured to transport each document, one at a time, from the at least one input receptacle, past the image scanner, to the at least one output receptacle; and

a processor linked to the image scanning system and operable to create a searchable file for the transaction, the searchable file including the extracted amount of information which uniquely identifies each document related to the transaction, the file being stored in a memory and configured to be searchable by the extracted amount of information,

wherein the extracted amount of information uniquely identifying the documents that are non-suspect checks includes at least one of an ABA number, an account number, or a check number, and the extracted amount of information identifying the documents that are suspect check(s) is at least one of a flagged ABA number, a flagged account number, or a flagged check number.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the searchable file further comprises the image of each document related to the transaction.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an input device configured to receive customer identification information, the processor further operable to include in the created file the received customer identification information, the file further configured to be searchable by the received customer identification information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the amount of information which uniquely identifies the documents that are checks includes two or more of an ABA number, an account number, or a check number.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising receiving customer identification information, wherein the processor is further operable to create the file for each received check such that the searchable file includes the customer identification information and the extracted ABA number, the extracted account number, and/or the extracted check number.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a request for information and respond to the request.

7. A method for processing documents including checks, non-suspect currency bills, and at least one suspect currency bill, the method comprising the acts of:

obtaining an image of at least a portion of at least one side of each document;

extracting, from each document, an amount of information which uniquely identifies the document;

transporting each document, one at a time, from an input receptacle past a processing system performing the steps of obtaining and extracting; and

creating a file containing extracted document information, the file being searchable by the extracted document information,

wherein for the documents that are currency bills the extracted amount of information uniquely identifying each non-suspect currency bill is a currency bill serial number and the extracted amount of information which identifies at least one suspect currency bill is at least one suspect currency bill serial number.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the documents are related to a transaction and wherein creating comprises creating the searchable file for the transaction, the searchable file comprising the amount of information which uniquely identifies each document related to the transaction.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the searchable file further comprises the image of each document related to the transaction.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the documents that are checks include non-suspect checks and at least one suspect check such that:

the amount of information uniquely identifying each non-suspect check is at least one of an ABA number, an account number, or a check number; and

the amount of information which identifies at least one suspect check is at least one of a flagged ABA number, a flagged account number, or a flagged check number.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising obtaining customer identification information, wherein creating further includes the file containing the obtained customer identification information such that the file is further searchable by the customer identification information.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising obtaining customer identification information, wherein creating includes creating the searchable file for each imaged check, the searchable file comprising the customer identification information and the extracted ABA number, the extracted account number, and/or the extracted check number.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the obtained image for each check and the obtained customer identification information are related to a transaction;

and further comprising;

creating the searchable file for the transaction, the searchable file comprising the extracted ABA number, the extracted account number, and/or the extracted check number of each check related to the transaction and the customer identification information related to the transaction.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein the amount of information which uniquely identifies the documents that are checks includes one or more of an ABA number, an account number, or a check number.

15. The method according to claim 7, further

comprising:

receiving a request; and

responding to the request.

16. A method for processing documents including checks and currency bills, the method comprising the acts of:

obtaining an image of at least a portion of at least one side of each document;

extracting, from each document, an amount of information which uniquely identifies the document, wherein if the documents are checks, the extracted amount of information which uniquely identifies each check is at least one of an ABA number, an account number, or a check number, and if the documents are currency bills, the extracted amount of information which uniquely identifies each currency bill is a currency bill serial number;

transporting each document, one at a time, from an input receptacle, past a processing system performing the steps of obtaining and extracting, and to an output receptacle; and

creating a file containing extracted document information, the file being searchable by the extracted document information,

wherein creating includes creating the searchable file for each imaged check to include the extracted ABA number, the extracted account number, and/or the extracted check number, and creating the searchable file for each imaged currency bill to include the extracted currency bill serial number.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising receiving customer identification information, wherein creating further includes the file being created to include the received customer identification information such that the file is further searchable by the customer identification information.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein:

the obtained images of currency bills, the obtained images of checks, and the customer identification information are related to a transaction; and

the creating include creating the searchable file for the transaction, the searchable file comprising the extracted currency bill serial numbers of each currency bill related to the transaction and the extracted ABA number, the extracted account number and/or the extracted check number of each check related to the transaction and the customer identification information related to the transaction.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request; and

responding to the request.

20. A system for processing documents including checks, non-suspect currency bills, and at least one suspect currency bill, the system comprising:

at least one input receptacle configured to receive the documents;

at least one output receptacle configured to receive the documents;

an image scanning system configured to obtain an image of at least a portion of at least one side of each document and to extract, from each image, an amount of information which uniquely identifies the document;

a transport mechanism configured to transport each document, one at a time, from the at least one input receptacle past the image scanner to the at least one output receptacle; and

a processor linked to the image scanning system and operable to create a file containing the extracted document information, the file being stored in a memory and configured to be searchable by the extracted document information,

wherein for the documents that are non-suspect currency bills, the extracted amount of information uniquely identifying each non-suspect currency bill is a non-suspect currency bill serial number, and for the documents that are suspect currency bills the extracted amount of information which identifies at least one suspect currency bill is at least one suspect currency bill serial number.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the documents are related to a transaction, and wherein the processor is further operable to create the searchable file for the transaction, the searchable file comprising the amount of information which uniquely identifies each document related to the transaction.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising an input device configured to receive customer identification information, the processor further operable to include in the file the received customer identification information for each received check, non-suspect currency bill, and suspect currency bill, the file further configured to be searchable by the received customer identification information.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to receive a request and respond to the request.

24. A system for processing documents including checks and currency bills, the system comprising:

at least one input receptacle configured to receive the documents;

at least one output receptacle configured to receive the documents;

an image scanning system configured to obtain an image of at least a portion of at least one side of each document and to extract, from each image, an amount of information which uniquely identifies the document;

a transport mechanism configured to transport each document, one at a time, from the at least one input receptacle past the image scanner to the at least one output receptacle; and

a processor linked to the image scanning system and operable to create one or more files containing the extracted document information for each received check and each received currency bill, the one or more files being stored in a memory and configured to be searchable by the extracted document information,

wherein

for the documents that are checks, the extracted amount of information which uniquely identifies each check is at least one of an ABA number, an account number, or a check number, and

for the documents are currency bills, the extracted amount of information which uniquely identifies each currency bill is a currency bill serial number.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising an input device configured to receive customer identification information, the processor further operable to include in the file(s) the received customer identification information for each received currency bill and check, the file(s) further configured to be searchable by the received customer identification information.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to receive a request and respond to the request.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the documents are related to a transaction, and wherein the processor is further operable to create the searchable file(s) for the transaction, the searchable file(s) comprising the amount of information which uniquely identifies each document related to the transaction.