Method of obtaining an electronically-stored financial document

• US 20060041493A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mirror Imaging L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Mirror Imaging L.L.C.
• Inventors: Gagnon, Richard J., Schulze, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A method for a bank to obtain an electronically-stored financial document is disclosed. The financial document includes a specific document parameter, such as a record date. The bank maintains the financial document in an off-site storage system when the record date is later than a pre-selected date and in an on-site storage system when the record date is earlier than or equal to the pre-selected date. The off-site storage system is remotely-located from the on-site storage system. The bank receives a request for the financial document from a client and compares the record date to the pre-selected date to determine if the record date is later than, earlier than, or equal to the pre-selected date. In processing the request, the bank utilizes a computer terminal connected to the off-site and on-site storage systems to access one of the storage systems in response to the comparison of the record date to the pre-selected date. After accessing the appropriate storage system, the bank inputs data into the computer terminal to identify the requested financial document and then retrieves the requested financial document. The bank then reproduces the requested financial document and distributes the requested financial document to the requesting client, or some other end user of the bank.

Claims

23. A method of obtaining an electronically-stored financial document from a first storage system geographically located at a first location, which is remotely-located from a second storage system geographically located at a second location, wherein the first and second storage systems each include a plurality of financial documents stored therein and wherein each of the financial documents include at least one specific document parameter with the specific document parameter being defined as a particular numerical sequence, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of financial documents in the first storage system at the first geographical location when the particular numerical sequence of the financial document is associated with a first geographical area;

storing a plurality of financial documents in the second storage system at the second geographical location when the particular numerical sequence of the financial document is associated with a second geographical area;

utilizing a computer terminal connected to the first and second storage systems through a processing unit;

receiving a request for at least one of the stored financial documents;

inputting the request into the computer terminal;

determining the particular numerical sequence of the requested financial document to determine the storage system in which the requested financial document is stored;

automatically accessing the first storage system at the first geographical location through the processing unit when the determined numerical sequence of the requested financial document is associated with the first geographical area and automatically accessing the second storage system at the second geographical location through the processing unit when the determined numerical sequence of the requested financial document is associated with the second geographical area; and

retrieving the requested financial document, as defined by the inputted request, from the first storage system if the requested financial document is located at the first geographical location and from the second storage system if the requested financial document is located at the second geographical location.

24. A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the first and second geographical locations are different from each other.

25. A method as set forth in claim 24 wherein the first and second geographical areas are different from each other.

26. A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the particular numerical sequence is further defined as a series number.

27. A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the step of automatically accessing the first and second storage systems is further defined as accessing only one of the storage systems at any one time to locate the requested financial document.

28. A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the steps of storing a plurality of financial documents in the first and second storage systems are further defined as storing the financial documents in a fixed medium at one of the first and second storage systems based on the particular numerical sequence of the financial document.

29. A method as set forth in claim 28 wherein the step of storing the plurality of financial documents in a fixed medium is further defined as storing a plurality of financial documents on microfilm.

30. A method as set forth in claim 28 wherein the step of storing the plurality of financial documents in a fixed medium is further defined as storing a plurality of financial documents on microfiche.

31. A method as set forth in claim 28 wherein the step of storing the plurality of financial documents in a fixed medium is further defined as electronically storing the plurality of financial documents in a fixed electronic medium.

32. A method as set forth in claim 23 further including the step of reproducing the requested financial document after the requested financial document has been retrieved from the associated storage system.

33. A method as set forth in claim 32 further including the step of distributing the reproduced financial document to a financial institution based on routing codes.

34. A method of obtaining electronically-stored financial document information from a first storage system geographically located at a first location, which is remotely-located from a second storage system geographically located at a second location, wherein the first and second storage systems each include a plurality of financial document information stored therein and wherein the financial document information include at least one specific document parameter with the specific document parameter being defined as a particular numerical sequence, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of financial document information in the first storage system at the first geographical location when the particular numerical sequence of the financial document information is associated with a first geographical area;

storing a plurality of financial documents in the second storage system at the second geographical location when the particular numerical sequence of the financial document information is associated with a second geographical area;

utilizing a computer terminal connected to the first and second storage systems through a processing unit;

receiving a request for at least one of the stored financial document information;

inputting the request into the computer terminal;

determining the particular numerical sequence of the requested financial document information to determine the storage system in which the requested financial document information is stored;

automatically accessing the first storage system at the first geographical location through the processing unit when the determined numerical sequence of the requested financial document information is associated with the first geographical area and automatically accessing the second storage system at the second geographical location through the processing unit when the determined numerical sequence of the requested financial document information is associated with the second geographical area; and

retrieving the requested financial document information, as defined by the inputted request, from the first storage system if the requested financial document information is located at the first geographical location and from the second storage system if the requested financial document information is located at the second geographical location.