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

• US 8,478,020 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Jones, William J., Csulits, Frank M., Hallowell, Curtis W., Mennie, Douglas U., Anderson, Matthew L., Klein, Robert J., Jaeger, Ralf H., Badalamenti, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Punnoose, Roy M
• Application Number:
  US12/758,934
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 356/71, 235/487, 235/494, 382/137
• US Class Current: 382/137
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/418 Document matching, e.g. of document images
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/009 Depositing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/30 Tracking or tracing valuable papers or cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/207 Surveillance aspects at ATMs

Abstract

A customer account number is received via an interface of a document processing device. A plurality of documents associated with the deposit transaction is received in an input receptacle of the document processing device. The plurality of documents is transported, one at a time, along a transport path from the input receptacle past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles. Each document is imaged with the image scanner to produce image data associated with the deposit transaction. The image data is reproducible as a visually readable image of at least a portion of each document. Deposit information is generated from the image data associated with the deposit transaction. The customer account number is associated with the generated deposit information. The deposit information is transmitted from the document processing device to a teller system.

Claims

1. A method of processing a deposit transaction involving a plurality of documents including currency bills and checks, the method comprising:

receiving a customer account number via an interface of a document processing device;

receiving a plurality of documents including currency bills and checks associated with the deposit transaction in an input receptacle of the document processing device;

transporting the plurality of documents, one at a time, along a transport path from the input receptacle past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles;

imaging each document with the image scanner to produce image data associated with the deposit transaction, the image data being reproducible as a visually readable image of at least a portion of each document;

generating deposit information from the image data associated with the deposit transaction;

associating the customer account number with the generated deposit information; and

transmitting the deposit information from the document processing device to a teller system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of documents further include a deposit slip.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the deposit slip includes a total declared deposit amount, a total declared check deposit amount, a total declared cash deposit amount, a total declared cash withdrawal amount, the customer account number, or any combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating comprises extracting the total declared deposit amount from the deposit slip.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating comprises extracting the total declared deposit amount, the total declared check deposit amount, the total declared cash deposit amount, the total declared cash withdrawal amount, or any combinations thereof from the deposit slip.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the deposit information includes the total declared deposit amount, the total declared check deposit amount, the total declared cash deposit amount, and the total declared cash withdrawal amount extracted from the deposit slip.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the deposit information includes the total declared deposit amount, the total declared check deposit amount, the total declared cash deposit amount, and the total declared cash withdrawal amount extracted from the deposit slip and the deposit information further includes a determined total cash-in amount, a determined total cash-out amount, a determined total check amount, and a determined total deposit amount.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a transaction identifier with the generated deposit information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transaction identifier is a unique transaction identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a teller identifier with the generated deposit information.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the teller identifier via the interface of the document processing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is a user input interface physically attached to the document processing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is a communications interface and the customer account number is entered via a user input interface located remotely from the document processing device, the user input interface being communicatively connected with the interface of the document processing device and operable to transmit the customer account number to the document processing device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user input interface is physically attached to the teller system.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the associated customer account number along with the deposit information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting at least a portion of the image data along with the deposit information and the associated customer account number.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least a portion of the image data associated with the deposit transaction to a proof of deposit system, the at least a portion of the image data being associated with checks and a deposit slip included in the plurality of documents.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises:

denominating, counting, and totaling the currency bills to determine a total cash deposit amount;

extracting a check amount from each of the checks and totaling the check amounts to determine a total check deposit amount; and

totaling the total cash deposit amount and the total check deposit amount to determine a total deposit amount.

19. A method of processing a deposit transaction involving a plurality of documents including currency bills and checks, the method comprising:

receiving a customer account number via an interface of a teller system;

transmitting the received customer account number from the teller system to a document processing device;

receiving a plurality of documents including currency bills and checks associated with the deposit transaction and the received customer account number in an input receptacle of the document processing device;

transporting the plurality of documents, in a serial fashion, along a transport path from the input receptacle past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles;

imaging each document with the image scanner to produce image data associated with the deposit transaction, the image data being reproducible as a visually readable image of at least a portion of each document;

generating deposit information from the image data associated with the deposit transaction, the deposit information at least including a total deposit amount; and

associating the customer account number with the generated deposit information; and

transmitting the generated deposit information from the document processing device to the teller system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of documents further include a deposit slip.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the document processing device is configured to image and generate deposit information from the deposit slip, the currency bills, and the checks.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the generating comprises:

denominating, counting, and totaling the currency bills to determine a total cash deposit amount; and

extracting a check amount from each of the checks and totaling the check amounts to determine a total check deposit amount.

23. A method of processing a deposit transaction involving a plurality of documents, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of documents associated with the deposit transaction in an input receptacle of a document processing device, the plurality of documents including a deposit slip, currency bills, and checks, the deposit slip including a total declared deposit amount, a total declared check deposit amount, a total declared cash deposit amount, a total declared cash withdrawal amount, and a customer account number;

transporting the plurality of documents, one at a time, along a transport path from the input receptacle past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles;

imaging each document with the image scanner to produce image data associated with the deposit transaction, the image data being reproducible as a visually readable image of at least a portion of each document;

extracting the customer account number from the image data associated with the deposit slip;

extracting the total declared deposit amount, the total declared check deposit amount, the total declared cash deposit amount, and the total declared cash withdrawal amount from the image data associated with the deposit slip to determine declared information; and

transmitting the declared information and the customer account number from the document processing device to a teller system.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising generating deposit information from the image data associated with the currency bills and the checks, the deposit information at least including a total deposit amount, a total check deposit amount, and a total cash deposit amount.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the generating comprises:

denominating, counting, and totaling the currency bills to determine the total cash deposit amount;

extracting a check amount from each of the checks and totaling the check amounts to determine the total check deposit amount; and

totaling the total cash deposit amount and the total check deposit amount to determine the total deposit amount.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising comparing the deposit information with the declared information to determine if the deposit transaction is balanced.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising tagging the customer account number and the declared information to at least a portion of the image data.

28. A method of processing a deposit transaction involving a plurality of documents on a document processing device, the document processing device performing the acts comprising:

receiving a plurality of documents associated with the deposit transaction in an input receptacle of the document processing device, the plurality of documents including a deposit slip, currency bills, and checks, the deposit slip including a total declared deposit amount, a total declared check deposit amount, a total declared cash deposit amount, and a customer account number;

transporting the plurality of documents, in a serial fashion, along a transport path from the input receptacle past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles;

imaging each document with the image scanner to produce image data associated with the deposit transaction, the image data being reproducible as a visually readable image of at least a portion of each document;

extracting the customer account number from the image data associated with the deposit slip;

extracting the total declared deposit amount, the total declared check deposit amount, and the total declared cash deposit amount from the image data associated with the deposit slip to determine declared information;

generating deposit information from the image data associated with the currency bills and the checks, the deposit information at least including a total deposit amount, a total check deposit amount, and a total cash deposit amount; and

comparing the deposit information with the declared information to determine if the deposit transaction is balanced.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the deposit slip further includes a total declared cash withdrawal amount, the method further comprising extracting the total declared cash withdrawal amount from the deposit slip to produce the declared information.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the documents are transported along the transport path and imaged via the image scanner at a rate of at least about 100 documents per minute.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the documents are transported along the transport path and imaged via the image scanner at a rate of at least about 300 documents per minute.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the documents are transported along the transport path and imaged via the image scanner at a rate of at least about 600 documents per minute.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the documents are transported along the transport path and imaged via the image scanner at a rate of at least about 800 documents per minute.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the documents are transported along the transport path and imaged via the image scanner at a rate of at least about 1000 documents per minute.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the documents are transported along the transport path and imaged via the image scanner at a rate of at least about 1200 documents per minute.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein each document received in the input receptacle of the document processing device has a wide edge, and wherein the documents are transported in a wide-edge leading manner.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the currency bills are U.S. currency bills.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein the currency bills include 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.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein the document processing device has a footprint of less than about 2 square feet.

40. The method of claim 28, wherein the document processing device has a weight of less than about 30 pounds.

41. A method of processing a deposit transaction involving a plurality of documents on a document processing device, the document processing device performing the acts comprising:

receiving a plurality of documents associated with the deposit transaction in an input receptacle of the document processing device, the plurality of documents including a deposit slip and currency bills, the deposit slip including a total declared deposit amount and a customer account number;

transporting the plurality of documents, one at a time, along a transport path from the input receptacle past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles;

imaging each document with the image scanner to produce image data associated with the deposit transaction, the image data being reproducible as a visually readable image of at least a portion of each document;

extracting the customer account number from the image data associated with the deposit slip;

extracting the total declared deposit amount from the image data associated with the deposit slip to produce declared information;

generating deposit information from the image data that is not associated with the deposit slip, the deposit information at least including a total deposit amount; and

comparing the deposit information with the declared information to determine if the deposit transaction balances.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the generating comprises:

denominating, counting, and totaling the currency bills to determine the total deposit amount.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the deposit slip further includes a total declared cash-in amount and a total declared cash withdrawal amount, the method further comprising extracting the total declared cash-in amount and the total declared cash withdrawal amount from the image data associated with the deposit slip to determine the declared information.

44. A method of processing a deposit transaction involving a plurality of documents, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of documents associated with a deposit transaction in an input receptacle of a document processing device, the plurality of documents including currency bills and checks, the deposit transaction associated with a customer account number;

transporting the plurality of documents, in a serial fashion, along a transport path from the input receptacle past an image scanner;

imaging each document with the image scanner to produce image data associated with the deposit transaction, the image data being reproducible as a visually readable image of at least a portion of each document;

transmitting the image data reproducible as visually readable images of at least a portion of each check to a proof of deposit system; and

storing the image data reproducible as visually readable images of at least a portion of each currency bill in a storage database.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising generating deposit information from the image data associated with the deposit transaction, the deposit information at least including a total deposit amount, a total check deposit amount, and a total cash deposit amount.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the generating comprises:

denominating, counting, and totaling the currency bills to determine the total cash deposit amount;

extracting a check amount from each of the checks and totaling the check amounts to determine the total check deposit amount; and

totaling the total cash deposit amount and the total check deposit amount to determine the total deposit amount.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising comparing the deposit information with the declared information to determine if the deposit transaction balances.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising in response to determining that the deposit transaction does not balance, displaying the visually readable images associated with the deposit transaction on a display of the proof of deposit system.

49. The method of claim 44, further comprising tagging a customer account number to at least a portion of the image data.

50. The method of claim 44, further comprising transmitting at least a portion of the image data reproducible as visually readable images of at least a portion of each check that is a transit check to a check clearing house.