Automated document processing system using full image scanning

• US 20070076939A1
• Filed: 12/04/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Jones, William, Mennie, Douglas, Jones, Paul, Jones, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network 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: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/127 with the intervention of an operator
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/274 Syntactic or semantic context, e.g. balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers
• 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 7/06 using wave or particle radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/1205 Testing spectral properties
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/20 : Testing patterns thereon G07D7/004, G07D7/005 take precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/207 : Surveillance aspects at ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/04 : by paper currency

Abstract

A document processing system comprises an input receptacle for receiving documents. A transport mechanism receives the documents from the input receptacle and transports the documents past a full image scanner and a discrimination unit. An output receptacle receives the documents from the transport mechanism after being transported past the full image scanner and the discrimination unit. The full image scanner includes means for obtaining a full video image of said documents, means for obtaining a image of a selected area of said documents, and means for obtaining information contained in said selected area of said document. The discrimination unit includes means for determining the authenticity of said document. A system controller directs the flows of documents over the transport mechanism.

Claims

1. A document processing system, comprising:

an input receptacle for receiving documents;

an image scanner;

a transport mechanism coupled to the input receptacle for receiving the documents from the input receptacle and transporting the documents past the image scanner, the image scanner capturing a video record of the passing documents;

an output receptacle for receiving the documents from the transport mechanism after being transported past the image scanner;

an image preprocessor which processes the video record to locate edges of successive documents and discard irrelevant portions of the video record from between successive documents to generate individual document image data; and

an image processor operable to extract document information from fields within the imaged documents.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the image preprocessor further operates to rotate individual document images in the event that the imaged document is skewed.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the documents comprise currency bills, and the extracted document information comprises currency bill serial number.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the documents comprise checks, and the extracted document information comprises a numeric check amount.

5. The system of claim 1 further including a memory for storing the individual document image data.

6. The system of claim 1 further including means for tagging document information to the individual document image data.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the documents comprise checks and the tagged information comprises check endorsement data.

8. The system of claim 1 further including an interface for outputting the individual document image data over a communications channel.

9. The system of claim 8 further including a pre-channel buffer for temporarily storing the individual document image data prior to communication over the communications channel.

10. The system of claim 1 further including an image quality unit that monitors gray scale value distribution in the individual document image data to detect poor quality document images.

11. A document processing method, comprising:

receiving documents in an input receptacle;

transporting the documents from the input receptacle to an output receptacle;

capturing a video record of the transported documents;

processing the video record to locate edges of successive documents and discard irrelevant portions of the video record from between successive documents to generate individual document image data; and

extracting document information from fields within the imaged documents.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the processing further comprises rotating individual document image data in the event that the imaged document is skewed.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the documents comprise currency bills, and the extracted document information comprises currency bill serial number.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the documents comprise checks, and the extracted document information comprises a numeric check amount.

15. The method of claim 11 further including storing the individual document image data.

16. The method of claim 11 further including tagging information to individual document image data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the documents comprise checks and the tagged information comprises check endorsement data.

18. The system of claim 11 further including outputting the individual document image data over a communications channel.

19. The system of claim 18 further including pre-channel buffering of the individual document image data prior to communication over the communications channel.

20. The system of claim 11 further including monitoring gray scale value distribution in the individual document image data to detect poor quality document images.