Banknote serial number processing method and its device

• US 7,419,088 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2004
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rui Zhao, Yanzai Gu
• Original Assignee: Rui Zhao, Yanzai Gu
• Inventors: Zhao, Rui, Gu, Yanzai
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Seung H
• Application Number:
  US10/554,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20070040014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/462.01, 235/462.24, 235/462.41, 235/454, 705/42, 705/45
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/30 Tracking or tracing valuable papers or cassettes

Abstract

Banknote serial number processing method and apparatus having a serial number recording step where images of serial numbers associated with to-be-newly recorded banknotes are subjected to image recognition. Image recognition is followed by a conversion step involving a conversion of the image recognized serial numbers to digital data inclusive of digital serial number data and bundle codes. There is also a comparison step which includes a comparing of digital data produced in the conversion step with read-in or provided serial number data, with the provided serial number data being derived from a database containing serial number data of non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party. Comparison hits trigger an alarm and/or forwarding of information, while non-comparison hit banknotes are forwarded to memory with associated bundle coding.

Claims

1. A banknote serial number processing method comprising:

a banknote serial number recording step which comprises converting a banknote serial number into an image signal by using an image capture device;

a banknote serial number recording decoding which comprises processing the banknote serial number image signal by filtration, analogue-digital conversion and synchronizing separation and storing the processed image signal in an image memory unit;

banknote serial number digital signal processing step, which involves stored image recognition processing, identifying a bundle code and storing the banknote serial number and the bundle code in digital memory;

a reading step for a banknote serial number to be compared, involving sorting out a corresponding banknote serial number from a bundle code to be compared, then storing the sorted out serial number in a reading-in memory unit;

a comparison step involving a comparison of the banknote serial number to be compared and a newly recorded banknote serial number comprising comparing the newly recorded banknote serial number with banknote serial numbers in memory in the reading-in memory until a same serial number coincides and activating an alarm relative to a same serial number coinciding, and wherein the banknote serial numbers in memory are for non-counterfeit banknotes obtained unlawfully.

2. The banknote serial number processing method according to the claim 1, further comprising obtaining newly recorded banknote serial numbers by repeating the above steps of recording, decoding, and digital signal processing.

3. The banknote serial number processing method according to the claim 1, further comprising printing out a bundle code and associating the printed out bundle code with a corresponding banknote bundle.

4. A banknote serial number processing device comprising:

a banknote counting device;

an image capture unit mounted for image capture of a banknote serial number;

a banknote serial number recording and comparison unit which comprises a video decoder, an image memory unit, a digital signal processing unit and a digital memory unit, the video decoder collects image signals from said image capture unit and sends output signals to said image memory unit and wherein output signals from the image memory unit are recognized by the digital processing unit; and

banknote serial numbers and respective bundle codes associated with said banknote serial numbers are output from the digital processing unit into said digital memory unit and said recording and comparison unit including a comparison device which is designed to compare presently processed banknotes serial numbers relative to legal banknote serial numbers earlier recorded and stored in memory.

5. The device of claim 4, characterized in that the digital signal processing unit sends banknote serial numbers to said comparison device and said digital memory unit includes a read in memory unit that feeds the earlier recorded and stored serial numbers to the comparison device for comparison purposes and triggers a signal if a serial number match occurs.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the recording and comparison unit has a logic flow procedure which is as follows:

starting, formatting, setting a cash note number as zero;

reading image from the image memory unit;

judging if it is valid image, if not, ending the program;

if it is valid image, Gauss filtration, modified projection location and digital mode mask processing are used, the serial numbers are rectified and converted to binary data, and then their structures are identified and output;

add one to number of cash note;

judging if the cash note reaches a predetermined number, if so, bundle up the banknote and assign a bundle code to the bundle, output the bundle code, reset the cash note number to zero and go back the above steps from the step of reading image from the image memory unit;

if the cash note number is not the predetermined number, the system goes directly back to the step of reading image from the image memory unit.

7. The device of claim 5, characterized in that the comparison device includes a logic flow as follows:

starting, formatting, setting a cash note number to zero;

reading the image from the image memory unit;

judging if the image is valid, if not, ending the program;

if the image is valid, Gauss filtration, modified projection location and digital mode mask processing are used, the serial numbers are rectified and converted to binary data, and then their structures are identified and sent out and compared with the stored unlawfully obtained banknote serial numbers when same serial number is found, signaling an alarm and ending the program;

if there is no same serial number, adding one to cash note number;

judging if the cash note number is at a predetermined number, if so, bundling up the banknote and assigning a code to the bundle and output the bundle code;

resetting cash note number as zero and going back the above steps from the step of reading image from the image memory unit;

if the cash note number is not at the predetermined number, returning directly to the step of reading image from the image memory unit.

8. The device of the claim 4, wherein the only image capture device associated with said banknote serial number processing device is one limited to serial number capture.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein a number of image capture devices are utilized comprising four units, with two set at an entry side of the banknote counting device and the other two at an outgoing side of the banknote counting device.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein there are four image capture devices, two above the banknote counting device between entry side and outgoing side and the other two beneath the banknote counting device between entry side and outgoing side.

11. The device of claim 4, wherein the video decoder has a video pre-processor equipped with a second crystal oscillator, and an input terminal of said video decoder is connected with said image capture unit so as to receive output image signals from said image capture device and the output digital image signals are transmitted to said image memory unit;

and wherein a monolithic computer is connected with the video pre-processor for formatting output signals from said video pre-processor, and;

the monolithic computer being equipped with a first resetting circuit and a first crystal oscillation circuit.

12. The device of claim 4, the digital signal processing unit comprises a DSP digital signal processor, in which there is an image pre-processing unit, a binary processing unit, and digital recognition unit, and recording and comparison programs together with a clock second resetting circuit, a power source and a simulation interface connected with the digital memory unit via data bus and an address bus.

13. The device of claim 4, wherein the digital memory unit comprises a data memory unit and a program memory unit, which are connected respectively with a DSP digital signal processor.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the DSP digital signal processor also has an alarm output device and a digital comparison unit.

15. The device of claim 4, further comprising an output device wherein the output device is a display or a computer.

16. The device of claim 4 wherein said comparison unit is a digital comparison unit forming a part of the digital processing unit, and which is arranged such that the digital signal processing unit sends banknote serial number data to said digital memory unit only after comparison of that banknote serial number data by the comparison unit.

17. A banknote serial number processing method, comprising:

a banknote serial number recording step wherein a stack of to-be-newly recorded banknotes, which have images of serial numbers associated with said to-be-newly recorded banknotes, are subjected to image recognition, wherein the image recognition includes image recognition of serial numbers of the to-be-newly recorded banknotes;

a conversion step comprising a conversion of image recognition serial numbers to digital data inclusive of digital serial number data and bundle codes respectively assigned to each of a plurality of sub-groups of converted image recognized serial numbers;

a comparison step which includes a comparing of digital data from said conversion step to provided serial number data, with said provided serial number data being derived from a database containing serial number data of non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising an alarm step which involves triggering an alarm when the comparison step locates serial number data in said database that matches serial number data of one of the to-be-newly recorded banknotes.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising a memory storage step involving recording of digital serial number data and respective bundle codes for each sub-group of converted image recognized serial numbers that is not found to have a corresponding serial number in the comparison step.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the provided serial number data is input to a read in memory unit in digital data form with the digital data comprising digital serial number data and bundle codes relative to an earlier recordation of the digital serial number data and bundle codes of the banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising a memory storage step involving recording of digital serial number data and respective bundle codes for each sub-group of converted image recognized serial numbers that is not found to have a corresponding serial number in the comparison step, and wherein said recorded data is stored in a different memory unit as that in which there is stored the provided serial number data derived from the database containing serial number data of the non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein the memory unit in which there is stored serial number data of the non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party is a read-in memory unit and the stored serial number data of the non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party are stored in sequence based on previously obtained bundle code sub-groupings for comparison with individual serial number being derived during the conversion step associated with the to-be-newly recorded banknotes.

23. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising outputting the stored digital data stored in said memory storage step for use as the serial number data of non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party in a subsequently conducted processing of a new set of to-be-newly recorded banknotes.

24. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the serial number data of non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party is derived from banknotes obtained in a robbery.

25. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the serial number data of non-counterfeit banknotes which represent banknotes unlawfully obtained by a third party is derived from banknotes obtained in an extortion or kidnapping demand.

26. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein upon the comparison step determining that a matching serial number exists information is sent to an authority responsible for investigating the unlawfully obtained banknotes.