Apparatus and system for imaging currency bills and financial documents and method for using the same

• US 8,437,529 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Mennie, Douglas U., Susai, Antony D., Jones, William J., Csulits, Frank M., Anderson, Matthew L., Klein, Robert J., Jaeger, Ralf H., Badalamenti, David R., Beutel, Dale E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US12/758,961
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/135, 382/136, 382/137, 382/138, 382/139, 382/140, 705/45, 209/534, 235/379, 356/71, 902/7
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/95 Pattern authentication; Markers therefor; Forgery detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/127 with the intervention of an operator
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/30 Tracking or tracing valuable papers or cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination
• 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: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

A stack of currency bills is received, transported, and imaged via an image scanner to produce image data that is reproducible as a visually readable image for each currency bill. Each of the currency bills has an associated serial number and additional identifying character information. The associated currency bill serial number and the additional identifying character information are extracted from the image data of each currency bill. Each currency bill is denominated. A suspect determination is made for each currency bill and upon a determination that a currency bill is a suspect bill, A suspect note report is automatically generated. Fields in the report are populated with information associated with the suspect bill including the extracted serial number, the extracted additional identifying character information, and the denomination of the suspect bill.

Claims

1. A method of processing a stack of currency bills in a document processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a stack of currency bills in an input receptacle of the document processing system, each of the currency bills having an associated serial number and additional identifying character information;

transporting the currency bills from the input receptacle, past an image scanner, and to an output receptacle;

imaging the stack of currency bills via the image scanner to produce image data that is reproducible as a visually readable image for each currency bill;

extracting an associated currency bill serial number and the additional identifying character information from the image data of each currency bill;

denominating each currency bill;

determining whether each currency bill is a suspect bill; and

upon a determination that the currency bill is a suspect bill, automatically generating a suspect note report, the act of automatically generating the report comprising populating fields in the report with information associated with the suspect bill including the extracted serial number, the extracted additional identifying character information, and the denomination of the suspect bill.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining whether each currency bill is a suspect bill is based on the serial number extracted from the currency bill.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of determining whether each currency bill is a suspect bill is further based on the additional identifying character information extracted from the currency bill image data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of determining whether each currency bill is a suspect bill comprises comparing the extracted serial number and the extracted additional identifying character information with serial numbers and corresponding additional identifying character information associated with serial numbers of genuine currency bills.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a currency bill is determined to be a suspect bill if the extracted serial number does not have extracted additional identifying character information that matches a serial number and corresponding additional identifying character information associated with a genuine currency bill.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining whether each currency bill is a suspect bill comprises scanning each currency bill with one or more of a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of generating the suspect note report further comprises populating a field in the report with at least a portion of the image data associated with the suspect bill.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the portion of the image data includes the serial number of the suspect bill.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracted additional identifying information includes one or more of a Federal Reserve Bank designation, a check letter, quadrant number, a series, a face plate number, a back plate number, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of generating the suspect note report further comprises including an identification of a customer associated with the suspect bill.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically generated report is configured for transmittal over a network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically generated report is configured for transmittal to a printing device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising following the generation of the suspect note report, receiving an input via an input device, the input triggering the transmittal of the automatically generated report to the printing device.

14. The method of claim 1, further including a storage device for storing the image data associated with a currency bill, the stored image data being tagged with corresponding extracted serial number and the extracted additional identifying character information.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each currency bill has a wide edge, and wherein the act of transporting comprises transporting each currency bill in a wide-edge leading manner.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the document processing device is configured to process U.S. currency bills, and wherein the act of receiving comprises receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and the act of denominating comprises denominating each U.S. currency bill.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the document processing device is configured to process currency bills associated with multiple countries including two or more of the following currencies:

U.S. dollar, euro, Australian dollar, Canadian dollar, Japanese yen, and pound sterling.

18. A system for processing currency bills, the system comprising:

an input receptacle configured to receive a stack of currency bills, each currency bill having an associated serial number and additional identifying character information;

an image scanner configured to produce image data that is reproducible as a visually readable image of one or more portions of at least one side of each currency bill;

one or more processors configured to extract an associated currency bill serial number and the additional identifying character information from the image data of each currency bill, the one or more processors further configured to determine denomination information for each currency bill;

a transport mechanism for transporting the currency bills from the input receptacle, past the image scanner, and to an output receptacle;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill; and

upon determining that a currency bill is a suspect bill, at least one of the one or more processors configured to automatically generate a suspect note report by populating fields in the report with information associated with the suspect bill including the extracted serial number, the extracted additional identifying character information, and the determined denomination of the suspect bill.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill based on the serial number extracted from the currency bill.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill by processing scanning data for each currency bill obtained from one or more of a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, or any combination thereof.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to automatically generate the suspect note report by further populating a field in the report with at least a portion of the image data associated with the suspect bill.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the portion of the image data includes the serial number of the suspect bill.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the extracted additional identifying character information includes one or more of a Federal Reserve Bank designation, a check letter, quadrant number, a series, a face plate number, a back plate number, or any combination thereof.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to automatically generate the suspect note report by further populating a field in the report with depositor information associated with the suspect bill.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill by processing the additional identifying character information extracted from the currency bill image data.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill by comparing the extracted serial number and the extracted additional identifying character information with serial numbers and corresponding additional identifying character information associated with serial numbers of genuine currency bills.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein a currency bill is determined to be a suspect bill if the extracted serial number does not have extracted additional identifying character information that matches a serial number and corresponding additional identifying character information associated with a genuine currency bill.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the automatically generated suspect note report is configured for transmittal over a network.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the automatically generated suspect note report is configured for transmittal to a printing device.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising an input device configured to receive an input triggering the transmittal of the automatically generated suspect note report to the printing device.

31. The system of claim 18, further including a storage device for storing the image data associated with a currency bill, the stored image data being tagged with corresponding extracted serial number and the extracted additional identifying character information.

32. The system of claim 18, wherein each currency bill has a wide edge, and wherein the transport mechanism is configured to transport the currency bills in a wide-edge leading manner.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the input receptacle, image scanner, one or more processors, and transport mechanism are configured to process U.S. currency bills, and wherein input receptacle is configured to receive a stack of a stack of U.S. currency bills and the one or more processors are configured to determine denominations of each U.S. currency bill.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the input receptacle, image scanner, one or more processors, and transport mechanism are configured to process currency bills associated with multiple countries including two or more of the following currencies:

U.S. dollar, euro, Australian dollar, Canadian dollar, Japanese yen, and pound sterling.

35. The system of claim 18, wherein the system is embodied within a housing, the housing having a footprint of less than about two square feet, the system having a weight of less than about thirty-five pounds.

36. An apparatus for processing currency bills, the apparatus comprising:

an input receptacle configured to receive a stack of currency bills, each currency bill having a serial number and additional identifying characters;

an image scanner configured to obtain image data that is reproducible as a visually readable image of one or more portions of at least one side of each currency bill;

one or more processors configured to extract the serial number and at least one of the additional identifying characters from the image data for each currency bill, at least one of the one or more processors further configured to determine denomination information for each currency bill;

a transport mechanism for transporting the currency bills from the input receptacle, past the image scanner, and to an output receptacle;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to determine for each currency bill whether the currency bill is a suspect bill; and

upon determining that a currency bill is a suspect bill, at least one of the one or more processors configured to automatically generate a suspect note report by populating fields in the report with information associated with the suspect bill including the extracted serial number, the extracted at least one of the additional identifying characters, and the determined denomination of the suspect bill.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill based on the serial number extracted from the currency bill.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill by processing scanning data for each currency bill obtained from one or more of a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, or any combination thereof.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to automatically generate the suspect note report by further populating a field in the report with at least a portion of the image data associated with the suspect bill.

40. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the extracted at least one of the additional identifying characters includes one or more of a Federal Reserve Bank designation, a check letter, quadrant number, a series, a face plate number, a back plate number, or any combination thereof.

41. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the at least one of the one or more processors are configured to determine whether each currency bill is a suspect bill by processing the at least one of the additional identifying characters extracted from the currency bill image data and by comparing the extracted serial number and the extracted at least one of the additional identifying characters with serial numbers and corresponding additional identifying characters associated with serial numbers of genuine currency bills.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein a currency bill is determined to be a suspect bill if the extracted serial number does not have extracted additional identifying characters that match a serial number and corresponding additional identifying characters associated with a genuine currency bill.

43. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the automatically generated suspect note report is configured for transmittal over a network.

44. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising an input device configured to receive an input triggering a transmittal of the automatically generated suspect note report to a printing device.

45. The apparatus of claim 36, further including a storage device for storing the image data associated with a currency bill, the stored image data being tagged with corresponding extracted serial number and the extracted at least one of the additional identifying characters.

46. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the input receptacle, image scanner, one or more processors, and transport mechanism are configured to process U.S. currency bills, and wherein input receptacle is configured to receive a stack of a stack of U.S. currency bills and the one or more processors are configured to determine denominations of each U.S. currency bill.

47. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the apparatus is embodied within a housing, the housing having a footprint of less than about two square feet, the apparatus and housing having a weight of less than about thirty-five pounds.