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

• US 8,639,015 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• 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, William J., Csulits, Frank M., Anderson, Matthew L., Klein, Robert J., Jaeger, Ralf H., Badalamenti, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US13/786,077
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/135, 382/136, 382/137, 382/138, 382/139, 382/140, 348/92, 348/135, 209/534, 235/379, 356/71, 902/7
• US Class Current: 382/135
• 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 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• 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 stack of a stack of currency bills is received, transported, and imaged. Image data reproducible as a visually readable image of one or more portions of at least one side of each currency bill in the stack is obtained. A serial number and at least one or more additional characters are extracted from the image data for each currency bill. A processor compares the extracted serial number and corresponding extracted one or more additional characters with stored serial number information and corresponding stored additional character information associated with the serial number information of genuine currency bills. The stored serial number information and corresponding stored additional character information uniquely identify a genuine currency bill. Any currency bill that does not have one or more extracted additional characters matching the stored serial number information and corresponding stored additional character information is flagged.

Claims

1. A currency bill processing device comprising:

an input receptacle configured to receive a stack of currency bills;

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;

a transport mechanism that transports each of the currency bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle, past the image scanner, to at least one output receptacle;

one or more processors configured to extract a serial number and one or more additional characters from the image data for each currency bill;

a memory configured to store serial number information and corresponding additional character information uniquely identifying genuine currency bills;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to compare extracted serial number and extracted corresponding one or more additional characters with the stored serial number information and corresponding additional character information;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to identify as a suspect currency bill any currency bill from the stack that does not have the extracted serial number and extracted corresponding one or more additional characters matching the stored serial number information and corresponding additional character information; and

a display configured to display an image associated with at least a portion of the image data for a currency bill identified as a suspect currency bill.

2. The currency bill processing device of claim 1, wherein the additional characters and the serial numbers extracted from the image data include alphanumeric characters.

3. The currency bill processing device of claim 1, wherein the additional characters extracted from the image data include characters having different font sizes.

4. The currency bill processing device of claim 1, wherein the extracted additional characters represent at least two of the following:

a back plate number, check letter and quadrant number, a check letter and face plate number, a Federal Reserve Bank designation, a signature of the Treasurer of the United States, a signature of the Secretary of the Treasury, or a currency bill series.

5. The currency bill processing device of claim 1, wherein the serial number information and corresponding additional character information associated with an uniquely identifying genuine currency bills are received over a connection to a network associated with the currency bill processing device.

6. The document processing device of claim 1, wherein the memory is located remote from the image scanner.

7. The currency bill processing device of claim 1, wherein the image scanner obtains image data from the currency bills at a resolution of at least 200 dots per inch by 400 dots per inch with the transport mechanism transporting the currency bills at a rate of at least 400 currency bills per minute.

8. The currency bill processing device of claim 1, wherein the image scanner obtains image data from the currency bills at a resolution of at least 200 dots per inch by 400 dots per inch, and the obtaining of image data, extracting of serial numbers and additional characters, and comparing of extracted serial numbers and additional characters with stored information occurs at a rate of at least 200 currency bills per minute.

9. The currency bill processing device of claim 1, wherein the currency bill processing device is embodied within a housing, the housing having a footprint of less than about two square feet, the currency bill processing device having a weight of less than about thirty-five pounds.

10. A currency bill processing device comprising:

an input receptacle configured to receive a stack of currency bills;

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

one or more processors configured to extract a serial number and one or more first additional characters from a first predetermined field of the generated image data for each of the currency bills;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to compare the extracted serial number and corresponding one or more first additional characters from the first predetermined field with master serial number information for genuine currency bills and master corresponding additional character information associated with the master serial number information, the master serial number information and master corresponding additional character information uniquely identifying a genuine currency bill;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to flag any currency bill that does not have an extracted serial number and extracted one or more first additional characters matching the master serial number information and master corresponding additional character information; and

a display configured to display an image associated with at least a portion of the image data for a flagged currency bill.

11. The currency bill processing device of claim 10, wherein the document processing device is embodied within a housing, the housing having a footprint of less than about two square feet, the document processing device having a weight of less than about thirty-five pounds.

12. The currency bill processing device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more processors are further configured to:

extract second additional characters from a second predetermined field of the generated image data for a currency bill;

compare the extracted serial number and corresponding second additional characters with the master serial number information and master corresponding additional character information; and

flag any currency bill that has an extracted serial number and corresponding second additional characters from the second predetermined field matching the master serial number information and the master corresponding additional character information.

13. The currency bill processing device of claim 12, wherein the extracted one or more first additional characters and the extracted second additional characters from the generated image data include characters having different font sizes.

14. The currency bill processing device of claim 12, wherein the extracted one or more first additional characters and the extracted second additional characters represent at least two of the following:

a back plate number, check letter and quadrant number, a check letter and face plate number, a Federal Reserve Bank designation, a signature of the Treasurer of the United States, a signature of the Secretary of the Treasury, or a currency bill series.

15. The currency bill processing device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more processors are further configured to:

extract second additional characters and third additional characters from respective second and third predetermined fields of the generated image data for a currency bill;

compare the extracted serial number and corresponding second and third additional characters with the master serial number information and master corresponding additional character information; and

flag any currency bill that has an extracted serial number and extracted corresponding second and third additional characters from the respective second and third predetermined fields matching the master serial number information and master corresponding additional character information.

16. The currency bill processing device of claim 10, wherein comparing includes first comparing the extracted serial number with the master serial number information identifying a genuine currency bill, and if the extracted serial number and master serial number information match, comparing the extracted corresponding one or more first additional characters with the master corresponding additional character information associated with the master serial number information for genuine currency bills.

17. A currency bill processing device comprising:

an input receptacle configured to receive a stack of currency bills, the stack of currency bills having an associated depositor identifier;

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

one or more processors configured to extract a serial number and additional characters from respective predetermined fields from the image data for each currency bill;

one or more memories configured to receive and store serial number information and corresponding additional character information of currency bills of interest, the stored serial number information and corresponding stored additional character information uniquely identifying a currency bill of interest;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to compare the extracted serial number and corresponding additional characters from the predetermined fields with the serial number information and corresponding additional character information received into the one or more memories;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to flag any currency bill that has an extracted serial number and extracted additional characters from the respective predetermined fields matching the serial number information and corresponding additional character information; and

a display configured to display an image associated with at least a portion of the image data for a flagged currency bill.

18. The currency bill processing device of claim 17, wherein the additional characters extracted from the image data include characters having different font sizes.

19. The currency bill processing device of claim 17, wherein the extracted additional characters represent at least two of the following:

a back plate number, check letter and quadrant number, a check letter and face plate number, a Federal Reserve Bank designation, a signature of the Treasurer of the United States, a signature of the Secretary of the Treasury, or a currency bill series.

20. The currency bill processing device of claim 17, wherein the document processing device is embodied within a housing, the housing having a footprint of less than about two square feet, the document processing device having a weight of less than about thirty-five pounds.