Document Processing System

• US 20080285838A1
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Jones, John E., Jones, William J., Jones, Paul A., Gafron, Ronald M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,573 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 an image scanner and a discrimination unit. An output receptacle receives the documents from the transport mechanism after being transported past the image scanner and the discrimination unit. The image scanner obtains an image of the documents, obtains an image of a selected area of the documents, and obtains information contained in the selected area of the document. The discrimination unit determines the authenticity of the document. A system controller directs the flows of documents over the transport mechanism.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A document processing method, comprising the acts of:

receiving one or more documents in a document receiving device;

scanning the documents to obtain at least a partial image from at least one side of the received documents;

using a processor, extracting a unique identifier from the images obtained from the documents;

using the processor or another processor, combining into a data file a transaction identifier and the unique identifiers for the documents; and

storing the data file in a location accessible by an accounting system.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the act of monitoring the documents by comparing the data file with master information accessible by the accounting system.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the documents include checks.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the documents include currency.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number of a currency bill.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein the data file is stored in a storage device.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the accounting system is located remotely from the storage device.

48. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for processing documents, the instructions comprising:

scanning a stack of documents to obtain an image of at least one side of each document;

extracting a unique identifier from the image of the documents;

combining into a data file the unique identifiers and a transaction identifier for the documents; and

storing the data file in a location accessible by an accounting system.

49. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, the instructions further comprising comparing the data file with master information accessible by the accounting system.

50. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the documents include checks.

51. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the documents include currency bills and the unique identifier is a serial number.

52. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the data file is stored in a storage device.

53. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 52, wherein the accounting system is located remotely from the storage device.

54. A method of processing documents, comprising the acts of:

scanning a plurality of documents to obtain a video image of a unique identifier from at least one side of each document;

using a processor, extracting the unique identifier from the video image;

generating a transaction identifier associated with the plurality of documents;

storing the unique identifier and the transaction identifier in a data file on a storage device; and

analyzing the unique identifier to authenticate the plurality of documents.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the act of analyzing includes comparing the unique identifier to stored master data.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the document is a check and the unique identifier includes a signature, an account number, a check number, or a combination thereof.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein the data file is accessible to a remotely located accounting system.

58. A method of authenticating a document, comprising the acts of:

scanning a plurality of documents to obtain video images of the documents;

using a processor, extracting unique identifiers from the video images of the documents;

generating a transaction identifier associated with the documents;

combining the unique identifiers and the transaction identifier into a data file;

storing the data file on a storage device;

establishing a communications link between the storage device and a remote computer; and

using the processor or another processor associated with the remote computer, comparing the data file to stored master data to authenticate the document.

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising updating an accounting system associated with the remote computer with information in the data file.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the stored master data includes at least one of a signature, an account number, a routing number, a check number, or a combination thereof.