U.S. patent application number 11/406646 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-24 for method of creating an image replacement document for use in a check truncation environment and an apparatus therefor.
Invention is credited to Wayne M. Doran, Judith I. Sandison.
Application Number | 20060188310 11/406646 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34652915 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060188310 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sandison; Judith I. ; et
al. |
August 24, 2006 |
Method of creating an image replacement document for use in a check
truncation environment and an apparatus therefor
Abstract
An image replacement document (IRD) is created in a single feed
of sheet of material through a feeder. A print file having a MICR
portion and a non-MICR portion is built based upon IRD data. The
IRD data used to build the print file may be from an external
application. At least some information is printed with magnetic ink
onto a first portion of the sheet of material based upon the MICR
portion of the print file. At least some information is printed
with non-magnetic ink onto a second portion of the sheet of
material based upon the non-MICR portion of the print file. The
first portion of the sheet of material and the second portion of
the sheet of material are on the front side of the IRD. Also, at
least some information may be printed with non-magnetic ink onto a
third portion of the sheet of material based upon the non-MICR
portion of the print file. The third portion of the sheet of
material is on the back side of the IRD.
Inventors: |
Sandison; Judith I.;
(Waterloo, CA) ; Doran; Wayne M.; (Kitchener,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICHAEL CHAN;NCR CORPORATION
1700 SOUTH PATTERSON BLVD
DAYTON
OH
45479-0001
US
|
Family ID: |
34652915 |
Appl. No.: |
11/406646 |
Filed: |
April 19, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10732651 |
Dec 10, 2003 |
7066668 |
|
|
11406646 |
Apr 19, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
400/578 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 9/186 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
400/578 |
International
Class: |
B41J 13/00 20060101
B41J013/00 |
Claims
1. A method of creating an image replacement document (IRD) for use
in a check truncation environment, the method comprising: building
a print file having a MICR portion and a non-MICR portion based
upon IRD data; printing with magnetic ink a first portion of the
IRD based upon the MICR portion of the print file; and printing
with non-magnetic ink a second portion of the IRD based upon the
non-MICR portion of the print file.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the
IRD and the second portion of the IRD are on the front side of the
IRD.
3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising printing with
non-magnetic ink a third portion of the IRD based upon the non-MICR
portion of the print file, and wherein the third portion of the IRD
is on the back side of the IRD.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the IRD data is received
from an external application.
5. An apparatus for printing an image replacement document (IRD)
onto a single sheet of material during a single pass of the single
sheet of material, the apparatus comprising: a feeder for feeding
the single sheet of material on which information is to be printed
to provide the IRD; means for building a print file having a MICR
portion and a non-MICR portion based upon IRD data; means for
printing with magnetic ink onto a first portion of the single sheet
of material at least some information based upon the MICR portion
of the print file during the single pass of the single sheet of
material; and means for printing with non-magnetic ink onto a
second portion of the single sheet of material at least some
information based upon the non-MICR portion of the print file
during the single pass of the single sheet of material.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first portion of
the single sheet of material and the second portion of the single
sheet of material are on the front side of the IRD.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for
printing with non-magnetic ink onto a third portion of the single
sheet of material at least some information based upon the non-MICR
portion of the print file during the single pass of the single
sheet of material, and wherein the third portion of the single
sheet of material is on the back side of the IRD.
8. An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for
receiving IRD data from an external application.
9. An integrated printer apparatus for printing an image
replacement document (IRD), the integrated printer apparatus
comprising: a feeder for feeding a sheet of material on which
information is to be printed to provide the IRD; means for building
a print file having a MICR portion and a non-MICR portion based
upon IRD data; and single means for (i) printing with magnetic ink
onto a first portion of the sheet of material at least some
information based upon the MICR portion of the print file, and (ii)
printing with non-magnetic ink onto a second portion of the sheet
of material at least some information based upon the non-MICR
portion of the print file during a single feed of the sheet of
material through the feeder.
10. An integrated printer apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
the first portion of the sheet of material and the second portion
of the sheet of material are on the front side of the IRD.
11. An integrated printer apparatus according to claim 10, further
comprising means for printing with non-magnetic ink onto a third
portion of the sheet of material at least some information based
upon the non-MICR portion of the print file, and wherein the third
portion of the sheet of material is on the back side of the
IRD.
12. An integrated printer apparatus according to claim 9, further
comprising means for receiving IRD data from an external
application.
Description
[0001] This application is a divisional of co-pending application
Ser. No. 10/732,651, filed Dec. 10, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to image replacement
documents, and is particularly directed to a method of creating an
image replacement document for use in a check truncation
environment and an apparatus therefor.
[0003] In a check truncation environment, an original check is not
transferred between banks during the check clearing process.
Instead, electronic image data which is representative of an image
of an original check is transferred between the banks. When a paper
version of the original check is needed, it may be printed on
demand using the electronic image and related data which is
representative of the original check. This paper version is called
an image replacement document (IRD).
[0004] The creation of an IRD for use in a check truncation
environment is defined by American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) X9.90 standard. This standard defines the content of an IRD
using the front and back images of an original check and data
associated with the check. Currently, institutions having a need to
print IRDs usually use some type of laser printer which uses ink
with magnetic properties (i.e., magnetic ink). Magnetic ink is
needed for printing the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)
codeline of the original check onto the IRD. In these known IRD
printing applications, the entire IRD is printed with magnetic ink.
Magnetic ink costs more than non-magnetic ink. Accordingly, a
disadvantage in using magnetic ink to print the entire IRD is that
there is a relatively higher material cost since more magnetic ink
is used as compared to if only the MICR codeline of the IRD was
printed with magnetic ink.
[0005] One way to reduce the amount of magnetic ink used to print
an IRD is to perform two printing passes. During one printing pass,
magnetic ink is used to print the MICR codeline on the IRD. During
the other printing pass, non-magnetic ink is used to print all
information other than the MICR codeline on the IRD. However, when
a two-pass printing process is used to print an IRD, problems may
result from mis-assignment of print data. Mis-assignment of print
data occurs when print data corresponding to information to be
printed with magnetic ink and print data corresponding to
information to be printed with non-magnetic ink are not associated
with the same IRD to be created. Also, there is a relatively higher
labor cost when a two-pass printing process is used since
additional labor is needed to accommodate the two-pass printing
process. It would be desirable to be able to print an IRD with
reduced labor cost as well as reduced material cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a
method of creating an image replacement document (IRD) during a
single pass of sheet material through a printing apparatus
comprises building a first print file portion based upon IRD data,
building a second print file portion based upon IRD data, printing
with magnetic ink onto the sheet material at least some information
based upon the first portion of the print file to create a first
portion of the IRD during the single pass of the sheet material
through the printing apparatus, and printing with non-magnetic ink
onto the sheet material at least some information based upon the
second portion of the print file to create a second portion of the
IRD during the single pass of the sheet material through the
printing apparatus. The IRD data may be received from an
application external to the printing apparatus.
[0007] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
a method of creating an image replacement document (IRD) for use in
a check truncation environment comprises building a print file
having a MICR portion and a non-MICR portion based upon IRD data,
printing with magnetic ink a first portion of the IRD based upon
the MICR portion of the print file, and printing with non-magnetic
ink a second portion of the IRD based upon the non-MICR portion of
the print file. The first portion of the IRD and the second portion
of the IRD are on the front side of the IRD. The method may further
comprise printing with non-magnetic ink a third portion of the IRD
based upon the non-MICR portion of the print file. The third
portion of the IRD is on the back side of the IRD. The IRD data may
be received from an external application.
[0008] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present
invention, an apparatus is provided for printing an image
replacement document (IRD) onto a single sheet of material during a
single pass of the single sheet of material. The apparatus
comprises a feeder for feeding the single sheet of material on
which information is to be printed to provide the IRD. The
apparatus further comprises means for building a print file having
a MICR portion and a non-MICR portion based upon IRD data. The
apparatus also comprises means for printing with magnetic ink onto
a first portion of the single sheet of material at least some
information based upon the MICR portion of the print file during
the single pass of the single sheet of material, and means for
printing with non-magnetic ink onto a second portion of the single
sheet of material at least some information based upon the non-MICR
portion of the print file during the single pass of the single
sheet of material. The first portion of the single sheet of
material and the second portion of the single sheet of material are
on the front side of the IRD. The apparatus may further comprise
means for printing with non-magnetic ink onto a third portion of
the single sheet of material at least some information based upon
the non-MICR portion of the print file during the single pass of
the single sheet of material. The third portion of the single sheet
of material is on the back side of the IRD. The apparatus may
further comprise means for receiving IRD data from an external
application.
[0009] In accordance with still another aspect of the present
invention, an integrated printer apparatus is provided for printing
an image replacement document (IRD). The integrated printer
apparatus comprises a feeder for feeding a sheet of material on
which information is to be printed to provide the IRD. The
integrated printer apparatus further comprises means for building a
print file having a MICR portion and a non-MICR portion based upon
IRD data. The integrated printer apparatus also comprises single
means for (i) printing with magnetic ink onto a first portion of
the sheet of material at least some information based upon the MICR
portion of the print file, and (ii) printing with non-magnetic ink
onto a second portion of the sheet of material at least some
information based upon the non-MICR portion of the print file
during a single feed of the sheet of material through the feeder.
The first portion of the sheet of material and the second portion
of the sheet of material are on the front side of the IRD. The
integrated printer apparatus may further comprise means for
printing with non-magnetic ink onto a third portion of the sheet of
material at least some information based upon the non-MICR portion
of the print file. The third portion of the sheet of material is on
the back side of the IRD. The integrated printer apparatus may
further comprise means for receiving IRD data from an external
application.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The foregoing and other features of the present invention
will become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the present
invention relates upon consideration of the following description
of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is an illustration of the front side of a typical
original check;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an illustration of the front side of an original
image replacement document (IRD) for the original check of FIG.
1;
[0013] FIG. 3 is an illustration of the back side of the original
IRD of FIG. 2;
[0014] FIG. 4 is an illustration of the front side of another
original IRD for another original check;
[0015] FIG. 5 is an illustration of the back side of the original
IRD of FIG. 4;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic block representation of an apparatus
constructed in accordance with the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting a program for creating an
original IRD in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILS OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention is directed to method of creating an
image replacement document (IRD) for use in a check truncation
environment and an apparatus therefor. The specific environment in
which the IRD is used may vary. In the present application, the IRD
is used in a check truncation environment. In a check truncation
environment, an IRD is sometimes referred to as a substitute check.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X9.90 standard
defines the content of IRDs in a check truncation environment.
[0019] Different types of checks are processed in a check
truncation environment. A physical personal check 10, as shown in
FIG. 1, is one type of check which is processed. The check features
shown in FIG. 1 include a payer field 12, a date field 14, a check
number field 16 located in the upper-right corner of the check 10,
a payee field 18, a courtesy amount field 20, a legal amount field
22, a paying bank name field 24, a memo field 26, a payer signature
field 28, and a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) codeline
field 29.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the front side (FIG. 2) of an
original IRD 30 of the check 10 and the backside (FIG. 3) of the
original IRD are illustrated. The front side of the original IRD 30
includes an original scanned front image 31 of the check 10. The
front side of the original IRD 30 also includes an endorsement 32
of the bank which captured the image of the check 10 to provide the
front image 31. The bank which captured the front image 31 of the
check 10 may or may not be the bank of first deposit.
[0021] The front side of the original IRD 30 further includes an
endorsement 33 of the bank which created the original IRD. This
endorsement 33 includes three elements which are (i) the routing
transit number "011500120" associated with the original IRD 30,
(ii) the date of creation of the original IRD (i.e., "Jan. 4,
2002"), and (iii) the sequence number "8587408979" associated with
the original IRD. The two asterisks enclosing the routing transit
number are used to indicate that this is the bank which created the
original IRD 30, as defined by the ANSI X9.90 standard. The front
side of the original IRD 30 also includes a text overlay 34 which
identifies the original IRD as being a legal copy of the check 10.
Also included is an optional information area 35, as defined by the
ANSI X9.90 standard, for placing optional information.
[0022] The front side of the original IRD 30 also includes a MICR
codeline 36 from the check 10 which has been encoded. This MICR
codeline 36 is printed with ink which contains magnetic properties
(referred to herein as "magnetic ink") and is the same as the MICR
codeline contained in the front image 31 of the check 10. Also
included is an IRD identification 37 adjacent to the MICR codeline
36, in the position as shown in FIG. 2. The IRD identification 37
is referred to as an "electronic processing code (EPC) digit" as
defined by the ANSI X9.90 standard. The IRD identification 37 is
also printed with magnetic ink.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the back side of the original IRD 30
includes an original scanned back image 41 of the check 10. The
back side of the original IRD 30 also includes an initial bank of
first deposit (BOFD) endorsement overlay 42. An overlay 43 of any
subsequent endorsements, and a line/text overlay 44 which requests
that no writings be made below the line are also included.
[0024] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the front side (FIG. 4) of
another original IRD 50 and the back side (FIG. 5) of this original
IRD are illustrated. The original IRD 50 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is
similar to the original IRD 30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. For
simplicity, only certain major differences between the original IRD
50 of FIGS. 4 and 5 the original IRD 30 of FIGS. 2 and 3 will be
described.
[0025] The original IRD 50 of FIGS. 4 and 5 is a check of the
business-type. The front side of the original IRD 50 includes an
original scanned front image 57 of the check, and a MICR codeline
58 from the original encoded check, similar to those described
hereinabove with reference to FIG. 2. The original IRD 50 of FIGS.
4 and 5 shows, by way of example, a returned check for the reason
of not having sufficient funds in the associated checking account
to cover the amount of the check. As such, the front side (FIG. 4)
of the original IRD 50 of this check includes a return overlay 51
which is printed on top of the front image 57 of the check. The
front side of the original IRD 50 also includes a text overlay 52
which identifies the check as being a returned check for having
non-sufficient funds in the associated checking account to cover
the amount of the check.
[0026] The front side of the original IRD 50 also includes a
perforated strip 54 along the bottom portion of the original IRD as
shown in FIG. 4. The construction of this perforated strip 54 is
defined according to the ANSI X9.90 standard. The perforated strip
54 includes a MICR codeline 55 which is provided by the bank which
is returning the check to the bank which sent the check. It should
be noted that the MICR codeline 55 is different from the MICR
codeline 58 which is from the original encoded check. For a
returned check, the MICR codeline 55 in the perforated strip 54 is
referred to as a "conditional qualified MICR codeline", as defined
by the ANSI X9.90 standard. The conditional qualified MICR codeline
55 is printed with magnetic ink.
[0027] The front side of the original IRD 50 also includes an IRD
identification 56 adjacent to the conditional qualified MICR
codeline 55, in the position as shown in FIG. 4. The IRD
identification 56 is similar to the EPC digit 37 which was
described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 2, except the IRD
identification 56 (in this case, the numeral "5") is used for
identifying an IRD which relates to a returned check.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the back side of the original IRD 50 is
similar to the back side of the original IRD 30 shown in FIG. 3.
The main difference is that the back side of the original IRD 50
(FIG. 5) shows a back image of a business check, and the back side
of the original IRD 30 (FIG. 3) shows a back image of a personal
check.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 6, a schematic block representation of an
apparatus 80 constructed in accordance with the present invention
is illustrated. The apparatus 80 includes a document hopper 81 in
which sheet material suitable for printing IRDs is stacked. The
apparatus 80 also includes a document track 82 along which the
sheet material in the document hopper 81 is transported from the
document hopper to a number of pockets 87 located at the downstream
end of the document track 82.
[0030] A front full height printer 83 is disposed along one side of
the document track 82. The printer 83 may comprise a conventional
type of ink jet printer which has been modified to print a multiple
number of lines of alphanumeric text including graphics onto a
front side of sheet material which is being transported along the
document track 82 past the printer 83. The printer 83 uses an ink
without any magnetic properties (referred to herein as
"non-magnetic ink") to print the alphanumeric text including
graphics onto the front side of the sheet material which is being
transported along the document track 82.
[0031] A back full height printer 84 is disposed along an opposite
side of the document track 82. The printer 84 may also comprise a
conventional type of ink jet printer which has been modified to
print a multiple number of lines of alphanumeric text including
graphics onto the back side of the sheet material which is being
transported along the document track 82 past the printer 84. The
printer 84 also uses non-magnetic ink to print the alphanumeric
text including graphics onto the back side of the sheet material
which is being transported along the document track 82.
[0032] A first MICR encoder 85 is disposed along the same side of
the document track 82 as the front full height printer 83. The
first MICR encoder 85 is preferably of the type which prints a
single MICR codeline onto the front side of the sheet material
being transported along the document track 82. The first MICR
encoder 85 uses magnetic ink to print a MICR codeline onto the
front side of the sheet material which is being transported along
the document track 82. The first MICR encoder 85 prints the MICR
codeline at a location which is just above the bottom edge of the
front side of the sheet material.
[0033] Similarly, a second MICR encoder 86 is disposed along the
same side of the document track 82 as the front full height printer
83 and downstream from the first MICR encoder 85. The second MICR
encoder 86 is also preferably of the type which prints a single
MICR codeline onto the front side of the sheet material being
transported along the document track 82. The second MICR encoder 85
also uses magnetic ink to print a MICR codeline onto the front side
of the sheet material which is being transported along the document
track 82. The second MICR encoder 86 prints the MICR codeline at a
location which is above the location at which the first MICR
encoder 85 prints its MICR codeline on the front side of the sheet
material. Thus, the first MICR encoder 85 prints its MICR codeline
at a location which is just above the bottom edge of the front side
of the sheet material, and the second MICR encoder 86 prints its
MICR codeline at a location which is further above the bottom edge
of the front side of the sheet material. In this regard, the first
MICR encoder 85 may be referred to as the low MICR encoder, and the
second MICR encoder 86 may be referred to as the high MICR
encoder.
[0034] The apparatus 80 further comprises a processor 88 for
processing IRD data retrieved from a memory 89 which, in turn,
receives the IRD data from an external application 90. The external
application 90 may be any type of application in which an IRD is
desired. The processor 88 processes the retrieved IRD data based
upon an IRD print application program which is stored in memory 91.
The IRD data is processed to provide non-MICR print files which are
stored in memory 92 and MICR print files which are stored in memory
93. The generation of these print files is further described
hereinbelow.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 7, a flowchart 100 depicts the IRD
printing application program for creating an original IRD in
accordance with the present invention. After program initialization
in step 102, a determination is made in step 106 as to whether an
IRD data file from the memory 89 is encrypted. If the determination
in step 106 is negative, the program proceeds directly to step 110.
However if the determination in step 106 is negative, the IRD data
file is decrypted in step 108 before proceeding to step 110.
[0036] In step 110, a print file which is representative of the
non-MICR portion of the front of the IRD to be printed (such as the
non-MICR areas shown in FIGS. 2 and 4) is built. Similarly, in step
112 a print file which is representative of the non-MICR portion of
the back of the IRD to be printed (such as the non-MICR areas shown
in FIGS. 3 and 5) is built. In step 114, a print file which is
representative of the MICR codeline portion of the front of the IRD
to be printed (such as the MICR codeline 36 shown in FIG. 2 and the
MICR codeline 58 shown in FIG. 4) is built.
[0037] The program proceeds to step 116 in which a determination is
made as to whether there is a return strip (such as the return
strip 54 shown in FIG. 4) associated with the IRD to be printed. If
the determination in step 116 is affirmative, the program proceeds
directly to step 120. However, if the determination in step 116 is
negative, the program proceeds to step 118 to build a print file
which is representative of a conditional qualified MICR codeline
portion (such as the conditional qualified MICR codeline 55 shown
in FIG. 4) of the front of the IRD to be printed. The program then
proceeds to step 120.
[0038] In step 120, a determination is made as to whether any of
the print files built in the previous steps need to be scaled.
Scaling may be needed so that an assigned printing area, as defined
by the ANSI X9.90 standard, can accommodate all of the print files
built in the previous steps. For example, the front image 31 of the
original IRD 30 shown is FIG. 2 is of a size which is different
from the size of the front image 51 of the original IRD 50 shown in
FIG. 4. If the determination in step 120 is negative, the program
proceeds directly to step 124. However, if the determination in
step 120 is affirmative, the program proceeds to step 122 to scale
the print files built in previous steps to fit the size of the
assigned printing area before proceeding to step 124.
[0039] In step 124, a determination is made as to whether the IRD
to be printed is an original IRD. If the determination in step 124
is affirmative, the program proceeds directly to step 128. However,
if the determination in step 124 is negative (i.e., the IRD to be
printed is not an original IRD but is a substitute IRD), the
program proceeds to step 126 to crop the print files built in the
previous steps before proceeding to step 128. Print files are
cropped to avoid further scaling of the print files. In step 128,
the print file corresponding to the non-MICR portion of the front
side of the IRD to be printed is sent to the front full height
printer 83 shown in FIG. 6. Similarly, in step 130, the print file
corresponding to the non-MICR portion of the back side of the IRD
to be printed is sent to the back full height printer 84.
[0040] A determination then is made in step 132 as to whether there
is a return strip associated with the IRD to be printed. If the
determination in step 132 is negative, the program proceeds to step
134 to send to the first MICR encoder 85 the print file
corresponding to the MICR codeline portion of the front side of the
IRD to be printed before proceeding to step 140 to print the IRD.
However, if the determination in step 132 is negative, the program
proceeds to step 136 to send to the first MICR encoder 85 the print
file corresponding to the conditional qualified MICR codeline
portion of the front side of the IRD to be printed and to step 138
to send to the second MICR encoder 86 the print file corresponding
to the MICR codeline portion of the front side of the IRD to be
printed before proceeding to step 140 to print the IRD.
[0041] Although the above description describes using print files
to create an IRD, it is conceivable that other data formats may be
used to create an IRD. Also, although the above description
describes IRD data as being received from the external application
90, it is contemplated that IRD data may be generated within the
apparatus 80. It is also contemplated that some IRD data may be
received from an external application and some IRD data be
generated within the apparatus 80.
[0042] Further, although the above description describes a document
hopper 81 (FIG. 6) for feeding sheet material on which information
is printed to provide an IRD, it is contemplated that a manual,
hand-drop type of feeder may be used instead. It is also
contemplated that the manual, hand-drop type of feeder may be used
in conjunction with the document hopper 81 so that each of the two
feeders merges onto the document track 82.
[0043] Also, although the above description describes that the
first MICR encoder 85 and the second MICR encoder 86 are separate
from each other, it is conceivable that both of these encoders be
integrated as a single unit which is capable of printing multiple
MICR codelines.
[0044] Also, although the above description describes using the
apparatus 80 to create an IRD having a return strip, as shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5, it is conceivable that the return strip could
instead be added later using a separate device. If this is the
case, the apparatus 80 would be used to create only an IRD without
a return strip.
[0045] A number of advantages result by printing an IRD in
accordance with the present invention. One advantage is that
mis-assignment of print data is avoided. Another advantage is that
the IRD is printed (both the front and back sides and both the
non-MICR and MICR portions) in a single pass of sheet material.
This results in reduced labor cost because a human operator is not
needed to ensure that the sheet material be run through another
pass to complete creating the IRD. This also results in reduced
material cost since non-MICR portions of the IRD are not printed
using magnetic ink which is more expensive than non-magnetic
ink.
[0046] From the above description of the invention, those skilled
in the art to which the present invention relates will perceive
improvements, changes and modifications. Numerous substitutions and
modifications can be undertaken without departing from the true
spirit and scope of the invention. Such improvements, changes and
modifications within the skill of the art to which the present
invention relates are intended to be covered by the appended
claims.
* * * * *