Method and apparatus for check stack visualization

• US 7,896,231 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Dcosta, Ashvil Savio, Wang, Jimmy, Schrag, Elizabeth Ann, Velline, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Seung H
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, SONJI N
• Application Number:
  US11/608,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20080135609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 235379-380, 342/442, 345/419
• 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: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00

Abstract

A Check Stack Visualization technique is provided and allows an automated teller machine (ATM) user to see a stack of checks on one screen for check amount confirmation. Customers see all the checks on one screen and indicate that the amounts are correct and click to deposit the checks. In one preferred embodiment, a three dimensional (3D) list is used to display the checks on a Bezier curve along with the amounts highlighted. If the optical character recognition (OCR) process failed on a check amount, the technique highlights the check amount in red. If the customer does not think the check amount is correct, the customer can click on the small check image which brings up a larger check image and they can edit the amount. Once the customer is satisfied that the numbers are correct, the customer can click on a deposit all check button to complete the transaction.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for visualizing, verifying, and editing content of a document from a stack of documents used in a transaction using one display screen of a receptacle, comprising:

receiving a stack of three or more documents in a receptacle;

scanning each of the documents to obtain electronic images representing each of the documents, each of the electronic images including text;

concurrently displaying each of the electronic images representing the three or more scanned documents onto a single screen of said receptacle, the electronic images being arranged in an overlapping manner to provide a three-dimensional effect;

receiving a selection of one of said displayed electronic images for content verification, the selection having been made by a user based on the concurrently displayed electronic images representing the scanned documents;

receiving at the receptacle any edits to be made to content of the scanned document represented by the selected electronic image;

receiving an indication that said user unselected said selected electronic image, wherein a font size of the text of the unselected electronic images varies based on a location of the unselected electronic image on the screen of said receptacle; and

receiving an indication from said user to complete said transaction when no more electronic images are to be verified.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the document is a check and said receptacle is an automated banking machine.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said scanning step is performed by an optical character recognition (OCR) scanner.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein concurrently displaying the electronic image representing each scanned document comprises concurrently displaying the electronic image representing each of the scanned documents in a Bezier curve.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the scanned documents is displayed with a predetermined part of the displayed content highlighted.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined part of the displayed content is a check amount.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of one of said displayed electronic images further comprises enlarging said selected electronic image on said screen.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication that said user unselected said selected electronic image comprises receiving an indication that said user accessed an area of said display screen outside the selected electronic image and said unselected electronic image returning to an original position and size.

9. A system on a computer network for visualizing, verifying, and editing content of a check from a stack of checks used in a transaction, the system comprising:

a computer receptacle configured to receive a stack of three or more checks, each check having a check amount;

a scanner coupled to the computer receptacle and configured to scan each of the checks to obtain scanned images of each of the checks, the scanner also being configured to read a check amount; and

a display screen coupled to the computer receptacle, the display screen configured for concurrently displaying each of the scanned images of the three or more checks, wherein a check amount is visible in each of at least three scanned images being concurrently displayed, and wherein the check amount is highlighted if the scanner failed to read the check amount;

the computer receptacle being configured to receive a user selection of one of the displayed images having the check amount highlighted;

the computer receptacle being configured to receive from said user edits to the highlighted check amount of said selected image;

the computer receptacle being configured to receive from said user an indication unselecting said selected image;

the computer receptacle being configured to provide an indicator enabling said user to complete said transaction if no more checks are to be verified.

10. The system on a computer network of claim 9, wherein said receptacle is an automated banking machine.

11. The system on a computer network of claim 9, wherein said scanner includes an optical character recognition (OCR) scanner to read the check amount.

12. The system on a computer network of claim 9, wherein each scanned image is displayed in a Bezier curve.

13. The system on a computer network of claim 9, wherein the check amount is highlighted in red.

14. The system on a computer network of claim 9, wherein the computer receptacle is configured for enlarging said selected scanned image on said display screen.

15. The system on a computer network of claim 9, wherein said computer receptacle comprises means for clicking outside the image on the screen and means for said image returning to an original position and size.

16. A computer implemented method for visualizing, verifying, and editing content of a check from a stack of checks used in a transaction using one display screen of an automated banking machine, the method comprising:

receiving a stack of at least three checks in an automated banking machine, each check being associated with a check amount;

scanning each of the at least three checks using an optical character recognition (OCR) scanner to obtain electronic images representing each of the checks including the associated check amount;

concurrently displaying, in a Bezier curve, each of the electronic images representing the at least three scanned checks onto a single screen of said automated banking machine, wherein the check amounts of at least three of the electronic images are concurrently visible, and wherein at least one of the electronic images is displayed with the check amount highlighted;

receiving a selection of one of said displayed electronic images for content verification, the selection having been made by a user based on the concurrently displayed electronic images representing the scanned checks;

enlarging the selected electronic image on said screen;

receiving at the automated banking machine any edits to be made to content of the scanned check represented by the selected electronic image;

receiving an indication that said user accessed an area of said display screen outside the selected electronic image to unselect the electronic image, wherein a font size of text of the unselected electronic image varies based on a location of the unselected electronic image on the screen of said receptacle;

returning the selected electronic image to an original position and size on said display screen; and

completing said transaction when no more electronic images are to be verified.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein the electronic image of a first of the at least three scanned checks is positioned centrally in the Bezier curve, and wherein concurrently displaying each of the electronic images comprises displaying text of the first scanned check as larger than text of another of the at least three scanned checks.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein completing said transaction comprises receiving an indication that said user selected a Deposit Check option on the screen of said automated banking machine.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein the check amounts of all of the electronic images are concurrently visible on the screen of said automated banking machine.