Automatic remote deposit image preparation apparatuses, methods and systems

• US 10,706,466 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Ethington, Seth E., Kay, Aaron, Newman, Adam S., Lu, Lawrence Z., Patterson, Dylan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/195,482
• Time in Patent Office: 2,318 Days
• Field of Search: 705 42, 705 45
• 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 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20132 Image cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/40 using histogram techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/10 Image acquisition document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/20 Image preprocessing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/443 by matching or filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/50 by performing operations within image blocks; by using histograms, e.g. histogram of oriented gradients [HoG]; by summing image-intensity values; Projection analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/16 Image preprocessing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/18019 by matching or filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/416 Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40012 : Conversion of colour to monochrome
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof

Abstract

The AUTOMATIC REMOTE DEPOSIT IMAGE PREPARATION APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (hereinafter “MultiCrop”) transforms uploaded check images and check deposit information inputs via MultiCrop components image into deposit confirmation outputs. For example, in one embodiment, a user may employ a personal computer connected to a web camera, and/or a smartphone with a built-in camera to initiate the remote deposit by holding a check in front of the camera, and the MultiCrop may capture images of the check and send them to a financial institution for deposit processing.

Claims

1. A financial instrument deposit method, implemented in a server having a processor and a memory in communication with the processor, the method comprising:

in the processor;

receiving a request to remotely process a financial instrument captured by an image source of a user device;

receiving image data captured by the image source of the user device, wherein the image data comprises an image of the financial instrument;

analyzing the image of the financial instrument to determine an image source type, wherein analyzing the image of the financial instrument to determine the image source type comprises determining one or more of a resolution, a size, an aspect ratio, or a contrast of the image of the financial instrument;

selecting one of a plurality of hierarchical image quality assessment procedures stored in the memory based on the determined image source type;

performing the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure on the image, wherein performing the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure comprises;

analyzing the image of the financial instrument to calculate a plurality of image quality scores corresponding to a plurality of image quality factors;

comparing the plurality of image quality scores to a plurality of corresponding threshold values; and

wherein the plurality of image quality scores are calculated in a sequential fashion and the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure is terminated when a particular image quality score fails to meet a particular corresponding threshold value; and

when the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure is

successfully completed, processing the financial instrument image for deposit.

2. The financial instrument deposit method of claim 1, wherein the image source type is one of a scanner, a digital camera, a cellular phone camera, a video camera, or a webcam.

3. The financial instrument deposit method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the image of the financial instrument to determine the image source type comprises obtaining metadata associated with the image of the financial instrument.

4. The financial instrument deposit method of claim 1, wherein a default hierarchical image quality assessment is selected when the image source type cannot be determined.

5. The financial instrument deposit method of claim 1, wherein a first threshold value corresponding to a first image quality score is conditional on a second image quality score corresponding to a second image quality factor.

6. The financial instrument deposit method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of corresponding threshold values is determined based on threshold values obtained from previously processed financial instrument images.

7. The financial instrument deposit method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of image quality factors comprise two or more of an aspect ratio, a contrast ratio, a MICR readability, an endorsement detection, a skew, or a blur.

8. A financial instrument deposit device, comprising:

a memory;

a processor, in communication with the memory, configured to execute a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory to;

receive a request to remotely process a financial instrument captured by an image source of a user device;

receive image data captured by the image source of the user device, wherein the image data comprises an Image of the financial instrument;

analyze the image of the financial instrument to determine an image source types wherein analyzing the image of the financial instrument to determine the image source type comprises determining one or more of a resolution a sizes an aspect ratio, or a contrast of the image of the financial instrument;

select one of a plurality of hierarchical image quality assessment procedures stored in the memory based on the determined image source type;

perform the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure on the image, wherein the processor is further configured to;

analyze the image of the financial instrument to calculate a plurality of image quality scores corresponding to a plurality of Image quality factors;

compare the plurality of image quality scores to a plurality of corresponding threshold values; and

wherein the plurality of image quality scores are calculated in a sequential fashion and the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure is terminated when a particular image quality score fails to meet a particular corresponding threshold value; and

when the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure is successfully completed, process the financial instrument image for deposit.

9. The financial instrument deposit device of claim 8, wherein the image source type is one of a scanner, a digital camera, a cellular phone camera, a video camera, or a webcam.

10. The financial instrument deposit device of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to analyze the image of the financial instrument to obtain metadata associated with the image of the financial instrument.

11. The financial instrument deposit device of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to select a default hierarchical image quality assessment when the image source type cannot be determined.

12. The financial instrument deposit device of claim 8, wherein a first threshold value corresponding to a first image quality score is conditional on a second image quality score corresponding to a second image quality factor.

13. The financial instrument deposit device of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions to determine one or more of the plurality of corresponding threshold values based on threshold values obtained from previously processed financial instrument images.

14. The financial instrument deposit method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of image quality factors comprise two or more of an aspect ratio, a contrast ratio, a MICR readability, an endorsement detection, a skew, or a blur.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of processing instructions, the processing instructions configured to cause a processor to:

receive a request to remotely process a financial instrument captured by an image source of a user device;

receive image data captured by the image source of the user device, wherein the image data comprises an image of the financial instrument;

analyze the image of the financial Instrument to determine an image source type, wherein analyzing the image of the financial instrument to determine the image source type comprises determining one or more of a resolution, a size, an aspect ratio, or a contrast of the image of the financial instrument;

select one of a plurality of hierarchical image quality assessment procedures stored in the memory based on the determined image source type;

perform the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure on the image, wherein the processor is further configured to;

analyze the image of the financial instrument to calculate a plurality of image quality scores corresponding to a plurality of image quality factors;

compare the plurality of image quality scores to a plurality of corresponding threshold values; and

wherein the plurality of image quality scores are calculated in a sequential fashion and the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure is terminated when a particular image quality score fails to meet a particular corresponding threshold value; and

when the selected hierarchical image quality assessment procedure is successfully completed, process the financial instrument image for deposit.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the image source type is one of a scanner, a digital camera, a cellular phone camera, a video camera, or a webcam.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 comprising processing instructions configured to analyze the image of the financial instrument to obtain metadata associated with the image of the financial instrument.