Cash Letter Print Streams

• US 20100176192A1
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Federal Reserve System), Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (Federal Reserve System), Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (Federal Reserve System), Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (Federal Reserve System)
• Original Assignee: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Federal Reserve System), Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (Federal Reserve System), Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (Federal Reserve System), Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (Federal Reserve System)
• Inventors: Baggett, Diane Marie, Mueller, Randall Lee, Nori, V. Srinivas, Schaadt, Thomas Edwin, Purser, Steven Q.
• Granted Patent: US 8,196,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42

Abstract

Producing print streams for efficiently generating properly formatted and ordered paper cash letters comprises print stream file that includes electronic form definitions for each cash letter document. The cash letter documents can include a cover page, one or more bundles of substitute checks, a bundle summary for each substitute check bundle, and/or a cash letter bundle summary. Information from an electronic image cash letter file can be input in data fields of the electronic form definitions. Printing the information in the print stream file results in a properly formatted and ordered paper cash letter including substitute checks and audit data. Each substitute check can include all of the MICR data provided on a corresponding, original paper check. The audit data includes the cover page, bundle summary(ies), and/or cash letter bundle summary, which can each detail the documents printed concurrently therewith.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a paper cash letter, comprising the steps of:

creating, by a check presentment module, a plurality of substitute check records by

identifying a plurality of checks to be included in a substitute check bundle, and,

for each identified check,

inputting an electronic image of a front side of the check in a first data field of a substitute check form definition, and

inputting an electronic image of a back side of the check in a second data field of the substitute check form definition;

creating, by the check presentment module, a bundle summary control record by inputting summary information regarding the substitute check bundle into at least one data field of a bundle summary form definition;

storing, by the check presentment module, the substitute check records and the bundle summary control record in a print stream file; and

generating, by the check presentment module, an instruction that causes a printer to print at least one document based on the print stream file, the at least one document comprising at least one substitute check, each substitute check being associated with one of the substitute check records and comprising each of the electronic images in the associated substitute check record,

wherein each substitute check comprises a legal negotiable instrument according to the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, and

wherein the check presentment module is implemented in a computer system that comprises instructions stored in a machine-readable medium and a processor that executes the instructions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the summary information comprises at least one of a total number of checks in the substitute check bundle, a value of each check in the substitute check bundle, and a total value of the checks in the substitute check bundle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of inputting the summary information comprises the steps of:

identifying the summary information in an image cash letter file; and

inputting the identified summary information into the at least one data field of the bundle summary form definition.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of inputting the summary information comprises the steps of:

identifying the summary information in a control record of an image cash letter file; and

inputting the identified summary information into the at least one data field of the bundle summary form definition.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating a cover page control record by inputting cover page information regarding the substitute check bundle in at least one data field of a cover page form definition; and

storing the cover page control record in the print stream file.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the cover page information comprises at least one of a total number of substitute checks in the substitute check bundle, information identifying a bank transmitting the substitute check bundle, and information identifying a bank receiving the substitute check bundle.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of inputting the cover page information comprises the steps of:

identifying the cover page information in a control record of an image cash letter file; and

inputting the identified cover page information in the at least one data field of the cover page form definition.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating a cash letter bundle summary control record by inputting cash letter bundle summary information related to the substitute check bundle in at least one data field of a cash letter bundle summary form definition; and

storing the cash letter bundle summary control record in the print stream file.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the cash letter bundle summary information comprises a total value of the substitute check bundle.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of inputting the cash letter bundle summary information comprises the steps of:

identifying the cash letter bundle summary information in a control record of an image cash letter file; and

inputting the identified cash letter bundle summary information in the at least one data field of the cash letter bundle summary form definition.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating a cover page control record by inputting cover page information related to the substitute check bundle in at least one data field of a cover page form definition;

creating a cash letter bundle summary control record by inputting cash letter bundle summary information related to the substitute check bundle in at least one data field of a cash letter bundle summary form definition; and

storing the cover page control record and the cash letter bundle summary control record in the print stream file.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of printing the print stream file on perforated paper such that each substitute check is printed on a separate page of the perforated paper, at least one perforation being disposed between neighboring ones of the substitute checks.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substitute check form definition comprises a color designation designating a color of paper on which to print each substitute check.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bundle summary form definition comprises a color designation designating a color of paper on which to print the summary information.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substitute check form definition comprises a first color designation designating a first color of paper on which to print each substitute check, and the bundle summary form definition comprises a second color designation designating a second color of paper on which to print the summary information.

16. A system for generating a paper cash letter, comprising:

a print stream form database operable to;

store a substitute check form definition defining at least a first data field and a second data field, and

store a bundle summary form definition defining at least a third data field; and

a check presentment module operable to;

create a plurality of substitute check records by

identifying a plurality of checks to be included in a substitute check bundle, and, for each identified check,

inputting an electronic image of a front side of the check in the first data field, and

inputting an electronic image of a back side of the check in the second data field;

create a bundle summary control record by inputting summary information regarding the substitute check bundle into at least the third data field,

store the substitute check records and the bundle summary control record in a print stream file, and

generate an instruction that causes a printer to print at least one document based on the print stream file, the at least one document comprising at least one substitute check, each substitute check being associated with one of the substitute check records and comprising each of the electronic images in the associated substitute check record,

wherein each substitute check comprises a legal negotiable instrument according to the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the summary information comprises at least one of a total number of checks in the substitute check bundle, a value of each check in the substitute check bundle, and a total value of the checks in the substitute check bundle.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the print stream form database is further operable to store a cover page form definition defining at least a fourth data field;

and

wherein the check presentment module is further operable to;

create a cover page control record by inputting cover page information regarding the substitute check bundle into at least the fourth data field, and

store the cover page control record in the print stream file.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the cover page information comprises at least one of a total number of checks in the substitute check bundle, information identifying a bank transmitting the substitute check bundle, and information identifying a bank receiving the substitute check bundle.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the print stream form database is further operable to store a cash letter bundle summary form definition defining at least a fourth data field;

and

wherein the check presentment module is further operable to;

create a cash letter bundle summary control record by inputting cash letter bundle summary information regarding the substitute check bundle into at least the fourth data field.

store the cash letter bundle summary control record in the print stream file.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the cash letter bundle summary information comprises a total value of the substitute check bundle.

22. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a printer operable to print the print stream file on perforated paper such that each substitute check is printed on a separate page of the perforated paper, at least one perforation being disposed between neighboring ones of the substitute checks.

23. The system according to claim 16, wherein the substitute check form definition comprises a color designation designating a color of paper on which to print each substitute check.

24. The system according to claim 16, wherein the bundle summary form definition comprises a color designation designating a color of paper on which to print the summary information.

25. The system according to claim 16, wherein the substitute check form definition comprises a first color designation designating a first color of paper on which to print each substitute check, and the bundle summary form definition comprises a second color designation designating a second color of paper on which to print the summary information.