Systems and methods for remote deposit of negotiable instrument using brightness correction

• US 8,542,921 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Medina, Reynaldo
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, JOSE L
• Application Number:
  US12/509,613
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382137-139, 382/162, 382167-172, 705/1.1, 705 16- 18, 705/26.1, 705/35, 705 39- 45, 455/406, 283 57- 59, 283/72, 235/375, 235379-381
• US Class Current: 382/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/28 Quantising the image, e.g. histogram thresholding for discrimination between background and foreground patterns

Abstract

An image of a negotiable instrument may be taken by an imaging device and provided from a user to a financial institution. The image may be processed using operations such as deskewing the image, dewarping the image, and detecting corners or edges of the check in the image. Brightness correction may then be performed on the image. The brightness correction may be performed on the image using a histogram of the image with an overlaid reference mark. The negotiable instrument may be deposited in a user'"'"'s account using the brightness corrected image.

Claims

1. A system for processing a financial document, comprising:

an interface configured to receive an image of the financial document from a computing device of a user having an account at a financial institution;

an image processor configured to receive the image and overlay a reference mark on a copy of the image;

a histogram generator configured to generate a histogram of the copy of the image having the reference mark;

a brightness corrector configured to determine an amount of brightness to add to each pixel of the image based on the histogram of the copy of the image, and add the amount of brightness to each pixel of the image in order to generate a brightness corrected image; and

wherein the image processor is further configured to obtain financial information pertaining to the financial document from the brightness corrected image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to dewarp and deskew the image prior to overlaying the reference mark on the copy of the image, wherein the copy of the image is a copy of the dewarped and deskewed image.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the histogram generator is further configured to determine a threshold point on the histogram and use the threshold point in determining the amount of brightness to add to each pixel of the image.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a processor configured to deposit funds identified in the financial document into the account at the financial institution based on the financial information pertaining to the financial document.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the reference mark comprises a black cross that covers a portion of the financial document and a portion of a background in the copy of the image.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial document comprises a negotiable instrument.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device of the user comprises a mobile device.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for processing a financial document, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for causing a processor to:

receive an image of the financial document at an image processor of a financial institution from a computing device of a user;

receive brightness correction information for the image at the image processor of the financial institution from the computing device of the user;

generate a brightness corrected image by adding an amount of brightness to each pixel of the image of the financial document based on the brightness correction information at the image processor of the financial institution; and

store the brightness corrected image in a storage of a computer of the financial institution.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the brightness correction information comprises a threshold point of a histogram, generated at the computing device of the user, of a copy of the image.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the copy of the image comprises a reference mark that divides the image into quadrants.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to determine the amount of brightness to add to each pixel of the image using the threshold point.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to obtain financial information pertaining to the financial document from the brightness corrected image.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to clear the financial document by using the brightness corrected image.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the image of the financial document received at the image processor of a financial institution from the computing device of the user is dewarped and deskewed by the computing device of the user.

15. A system for processing a financial document, comprising:

an interface configured to receive a request from a mobile device for access to a deposit system of a financial institution system, and recieve an image of a financial document related to the deposit system;

an image processor configured to correct a brightness of the image of the financial document by using a histogram of the image;

obtaining information from the image of the financial document, and

a processor configured to generate command signals for controlling an acceptance of the financial document by the related deposit system based on information obtained from the image of the financial document.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the image processor is configured to generate the histogram on a copy of the image comprising an overlaid reference mark.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the histogram is generated at the mobile device on a copy of the image comprising an overlaid reference mark.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the image processor is further configured to deskew or dewarp the image prior to generating the histogram used in the brightness correcting.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile device deskews or dewarps the image prior to the image being received at the interface.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the image processor is configured to deskew or dewarp the image after the image is received at the interface.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the image processor is further configured to determine a threshold point of the histogram and use the threshold point in determining an amount of brightness to add to each pixel of the image.