System and method for remote deposit system

• US 8,296,230 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EFT Network, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EFT Network, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Steven, Schutze, Stephen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dass, Harish T
• Application Number:
  US11/504,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,262 Days
• Field of Search: 705/45, 705/1, 705/40, 209/587, 209/3.3, 283/72, 358/1.13, 358/3.27, 235/379, 399/66, 206/371
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Described is a method and system for a remote deposit system. The method comprises receiving facsimile data corresponding to facsimile of a plurality of checks, constructing digitized images of the checks as a function of the facsimile data, gathering check data from each of the digitized images, and processing the check data according to a check processing procedure to settle transactions referenced by each of the checks.

Claims

1. A remote deposit method in which is used a system that comprises a front-end and a back-end, comprising the steps of:

providing a transparent carrier that comprises pockets sized large enough to receive either a personal check or a business check;

receiving, by the transparent carrier, a check that is physically inserted into a first pocket of the transparent carrier, wherein the check is a consumer check or a non-consumer check;

receiving on the transparent carrier indicia that uniquely identifies a depositor of the check;

receiving, into the fax machine into which the transparent carrier is fed, the transparent carrier comprising the inserted check, wherein the fax machine;

(A) is a conventional fax machine and type of non- check scanner,

(B) is connected to a telephone network, and

(C) is included in the front-end of the system, wherein the front-end of the system is implemented at the depositor;

followed by,

at the back-end where a host system is implemented, receiving facsimile data that arrives via the telephone network and that corresponds to a facsimile of the check and a facsimile of the transparent carrier, wherein the facsimile data

A) comprises data corresponding to the indicia on the transparent carrier that uniquely identifies the depositor; and

B) includes at least one of (i) check order indicators, (ii) front and back indicators for the checks and (iii) the depositor indicator indicative of a depositor referenced by each of the checks;

based on the facsimile data, generating digitized images of the check wherein the digitized images include front and back images of the check;

obtaining check data from each of the digitized images;

sorting the check into one of a consumer check category and a non-consumer check category by processing information in an electronic record associated with the check wherein the sorting comprises;

sorting based on reading format of an MICR line of the check; and

/or

sorting based on reading special characters that surround a routing number and a check number of the check;

processing the check data according to a check processing procedure to settle transactions referenced by the check;

wherein the generating, obtaining, sorting, processing and comparing steps are performed by a computing device at the back-end.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating step includes the following substeps:

identifying image data corresponding to the front and back images as a function of the front and back indicators; and

combining corresponding front and back images of a same check to generate a full check image for each of the checks.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining step includes the following substeps:

executing an imaging processing technique on each of the checks to collect the check data.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the image processing technique is at least one of optical character recognition, magnetic ink character recognition, courtesy amount recognition and legal amount recognition.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the check data includes at least one of (i) courtesy amount, (ii) a legal amount, (iii) a routing number, (iv) a payee account number, (v) a payor account number and (vi) a check number.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing at least one of the digitized images and the check data in a database.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a. return facsimile to a sender of the facsimile after the check data has been processed.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the checks are at least one of personal checks, corporate checks, business checks, traveler'"'"'s checks, money orders, Federal Reserve checks, government checks, third party checks, convenience checks, cashier checks, official checks, non-U.S. checks, gift checks and payment coupons.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sorting includes performing at least two of a plurality of sorting algorithms.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of sorting algorithms includes at least sorting by MICR line format, by special characters surrounding an MICR line, by account use history, and by an amount of the check.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile data corresponds to a facsimile of a totals slip that has been inserted into the carrier and that indicates a total amount of funds intended to correspond with a total of amount of money obtained from the check data corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of checks.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising comparing the total amount in the totals slip with the total amount of money obtained from the check data.

13. A remote deposit system having a front-end implemented at a depositor and a back-end implemented at a host system, comprising:

a fax machine wherein the fax machine is a conventional fax machine and type of non-check scanner, and wherein the fax machine is included in the front-end implemented at the depositor;

a transparent carrier that is feedable into the fax machine, and into which a check is physically insertible, wherein the transparent carrier uniquely identifies the depositor;

wherein the transparent carrier comprises pockets sized large enough to receive either a personal check or a business check;

a check that has been endorsed by the depositor and is inserted in a first pocket of the transparent carrier;

facsimile data that includes at least one of (i) check order indicators, (ii) front and back indicators for the checks and (iii) the depositor indicator indicative of a depositor referenced by each of the checks;

a telephone network; and

a computing device that is in the back-end in a host system and performs steps comprising receiving the facsimile data via the telephone network from the fax machine followed by generating digitized images as a function of the facsimile data, obtaining check data from each of the digitized images and processing the check data according to a check processing procedure to settle transactions referenced by each of the checks, wherein the computing device sorts each of the checks into one of consumer category and a non-consumer category by processing information in an electronic record associated with the checks, the information in the electronic record including the indicia identifying the depositor.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the sorting includes performing at least two of a plurality of sorting algorithms.