U.S. patent application number 12/616499 was filed with the patent office on 2010-03-04 for financial document processing system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Cummins-Allison Corp.. Invention is credited to Frank M. Csultis, John E. Jones, William J. Jones.
Application Number | 20100057617 12/616499 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32775760 |
Filed Date | 2010-03-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100057617 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jones; John E. ; et
al. |
March 4, 2010 |
FINANCIAL DOCUMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM
Abstract
A system for processing deposits and/or withdrawals in a
financial institution accepts a plurality of documents, including
currency bills, at an input receptacle of a document-processing
device, converts the image of at least some of the documents to
electronic data representing the image. The currency bills are
denominated by the document processing device, and the total value
of the bills included in each deposit is accumulated. Whenever the
total value of the bills in a deposit exceeds a prescribed value, a
report may be generated containing at least an identification of
the specified account, the total value of the bills in the deposit,
and the serial numbers of the bills. The serial numbers may be
extracted from images of the bills.
Inventors: |
Jones; John E.; (Winnetka,
IL) ; Jones; William J.; (Barrington, IL) ;
Csultis; Frank M.; (Gurnee, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CUMMINS-ALLISON CORP.;C/O NIXON PEABODY LLP
300 S. Riverside Plaza, 16th Floor
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
Cummins-Allison Corp.
Mt. Prospect
IL
|
Family ID: |
32775760 |
Appl. No.: |
12/616499 |
Filed: |
November 11, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10669787 |
Sep 24, 2003 |
|
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12616499 |
|
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|
60413387 |
Sep 25, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/44 ; 382/135;
705/39 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 40/02 20130101;
G06Q 20/108 20130101; G06Q 20/102 20130101; G06Q 20/105 20130101;
G06Q 20/1085 20130101; G06Q 20/042 20130101; G06Q 20/10 20130101;
G06Q 40/00 20130101; G06Q 20/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/44 ; 705/39;
382/135 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 40/00 20060101
G06Q040/00; G06K 9/00 20060101 G06K009/00 |
Claims
1-60. (canceled)
61. A system for processing withdrawals of currency bills from a
specified account in a financial institution, comprising: a
customer interface for accepting a withdrawal request identifying
the specified account and an amount of the requested withdrawal; a
computer and associated memory including a current balance of the
specified account and at least partial images of a multiplicity of
currency bills; an identification device for identifying a set of
currency bills to satisfy the withdrawal request, the currency
bills corresponding to stored images thereof; and a memory storing
an identification of the specified account, the amount of the
withdrawal, and identification of the stored images of the set of
currency bills.
62. The system of claim 61, further comprising: a processor for
determining whether the images of the currency bills included in
the set are already stored; and an image scanner adapted to scan
the images on at least a portion of any bills included in the set
that do not have stored images to produce electronic.
63. The system of claim 62, further comprising: an extraction
device for extracting the serial numbers of the currency bills in
the set from the stored images; and wherein the memory for storing
stores the serial numbers with the identification of the specified
account and the amount of the withdrawal.
64. The system of claim 63, further comprising a generating device
for generating a report whenever a withdrawal of currency bills is
requested from a designated account, the report including at least
an identification of the designated account, an amount of the
withdrawal, and the serial numbers of the bills dispensed to
satisfy the withdrawal request.
65. The system of claim 64, further comprising: an image scanner
adapted to scan at least a portion of the image on the withdrawal
request to produce electronic data representing the image, and
means for extracting an identity of a customer requesting the
withdrawal from the electronic data representing the image.
66. A method of processing withdrawals of currency bills from a
specified account in a financial institution, comprising: accepting
a withdrawal request identifying the specified account and an
amount of the requested withdrawal; determining whether the
specified account contains the amount; identifying a set of
currency bills to satisfy the withdrawal request and dispensing the
set of currency bills; and storing an identification of the
specified account, the amount of the withdrawal, and the
identification of the set of currency bills.
67. The method of claim 66, further comprising: determining whether
images of the bills included in the set are already stored;
scanning the images on at least a portion of any bills included in
the set that do not have stored images to produce electronic data
representing the images, the electronic data being capable of
generating a display of the scanned images, and storing the data
representing the images.
68. The method of claim 67, further comprising: extracting a serial
number of each of the currency bills in the set from the stored
data representing the images; and storing the serial numbers with
the identification of the specified account and the amount of the
withdrawal.
69. The method of claim 68, further comprising: generating a report
whenever a withdrawal of currency bills is requested from the
specified account, the report comprising at least an identification
of the specified account, the amount of the withdrawal, and a
serial number of each of the bills dispensed to satisfy the
withdrawal request.
70. The method of claim 69, which comprises: scanning at least a
portion of an image on the withdrawal request to produce electronic
data representing the image; and extracting an identity of a
customer requesting the withdrawal from the electronic data
representing the image.
Description
PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS REFERENCE
[0001] The present application claims priority from co-pending U.S.
Provisional application for Patent Ser. No. 60/413,387, filed Sep.
25, 2002, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to processing financial
documents. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the
present invention relates to an apparatus and method for monitoring
deposits and/or withdrawals as they are made, archiving information
derived from the deposit and withdrawal transactions, and
retrieving and using the archived information for various automated
operations.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] It is well known that information obtained from various
financial documents, including currency bills, as they enter and
leave a financial institution, may be useful in various automated
operations within the institution, if that information may be
retrieved. For example, the laws of various countries require banks
and other financial institutions to report to the governments of
such countries any cash deposits in excess of a prescribed value,
e.g., in excess of $10,000 in the U.S. Those laws typically specify
the type of information to be included in such reports, such as
identification of the account to which the deposit was made, the
amount of the deposit, the location of the facility where the
deposit was made, the serial numbers of the deposited currency, and
other useful information.
[0006] Based upon the foregoing there is a great need to have a
system that is capable of monitoring all deposits made at a
financial institution and automatically generating the required
report whenever the total value of a cash deposit exceeds the
threshold value prescribed by the laws of the country in which that
facility is located.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention satisfies this need by providing a
system for accepting deposits of financial documents, such as
currency bills, and using a document processing device for
crediting to a specified account. This system accepts a plurality
of documents, including currency bills, at an input receptacle of
the document processing device, converts the image of at least the
serial numbers on the currency bills to electronic data
representing the image, and extracts the serial numbers from the
electronic data representing the image. The currency bills are
denominated by the document processing device, and the total value
of the bills included in each deposit is accumulated. Whenever the
total value of the bills in a deposit exceeds a prescribed value, a
report is generated containing at least an identification of the
specified account, the total value of the bills in the deposit, and
the serial numbers of the bills.
[0008] An alternative embodiment according to the principles of the
present invention is also capable of processing withdrawals of
currency bills from a specified account in a financial institution
by accepting a withdrawal request and identifying a set of currency
bills to satisfy that request, and storing an identification of the
withdrawal in association with electronic data representing images
of that set of currency bills.
[0009] Yet another embodiment according to the principles of the
invention provides a scanning system that is capable of tracking
currency bills in a financial institution, by scanning at least a
portion of the images of the currency bills taken in by the
financial institution to produce electronic data representing the
images, storing the electronic data representing the images in
association with data representing the locations of the bills
within the financial institution at specified times, and updating
the stored data when the bills are moved to a different location,
to permit retrieval of the images of the bills at specified
locations at specified times.
[0010] In another embodiment, electronic images of checks deposited
in a financial institution are obtained at entry portals of the
institution.
[0011] The above summary of the present invention is not intended
to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present
invention. This is the purpose of the figures and the detailed
description which follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of
the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following
Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying Drawings wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the components of a document
and currency processing system for use in the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a customer
interface unit containing the processing system of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a compact document processor
having a single receptacle for receiving processed documents;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a compact document processor
having two receptacles for receiving processed documents;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the processor shown in FIG.
3;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an image scanner for use in the
present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a currency bill discrimination
and authentication unit for use in the present invention;
[0020] FIGS. 8-10 are plan views of representative control panels
for use on the customer interface unit used in the present
invention;
[0021] FIGS. 11a-11b are flowcharts of a method of conducting a
document transaction using the system of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a coin processing algorithm for
use in the system of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic illustration of a keypad for
entering the value of a no-call document; and
[0024] FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic illustration of a touch screen for
entering the value of a no-call document on a touch screen.
[0025] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications
and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way
of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein.
It should be understood, however, that the invention is not
intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather,
the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and
alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention
as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EXEMPLARY
EMBODIMENTS
[0026] The present invention will now be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention
may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be
construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,
these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be
thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the
invention to those skilled in the art.
[0027] When describing various embodiments of the present
invention, the term "currency bills" or "bills" refers to official
currency bills including both U.S. currency bills, such as a $1,
$2, $5, $10, $20, $50, or $100 bill, and foreign currency bills.
Foreign currency bills are bills issued by a non-U.S. governmental
agency as legal tender, such as a Euro, Japanese Yen, or British
Pound bill.
[0028] The term "currency documents" includes both currency bills
and "substitute currency media." Examples of substitute currency
media include, but are not limited to casino tickets (also
variously called cashout vouchers or coupons) such as "EZ Pay"
tickets issued by International Gaming Technology or "Quicket"
tickets issued by Casino Data Systems; casino script; promotional
media such as Disney Dollars or Toys `R Us "Geoffrey Dollars"; or
retailer coupons, gift certificates, gift cards, or food stamps.
Substitute currency media may include a barcode, which are referred
to herein as "barcoded tickets." Examples of barcoded tickets
include casino tickets such as "EZ Pay" tickets and "Quicket"
cashout tickets, barcoded retailer coupons, barcoded gift
certificates, or any other promotional media that includes a
barcode.
[0029] Although the following descriptions of certain embodiments
of the invention will refer to the "denomination" of currency bills
as a criterion used in evaluating the currency bills, other
predetermined criteria may be used to evaluate the currency bills,
such as, for example, color, size, and orientation.
[0030] The term "non-currency documents" includes any type of
document, except currency documents, that may be evaluated
according to a predetermined criterion. For example, such as color,
size, shape, orientation, or that can simply be imaged. Examples of
such documents include checks, deposit slips, withdrawal slips,
coupon and loan payment documents, food stamps, cash tickets, and
all other documents utilized for transactions at financial
institutions, including not only deposits and withdrawals but also
loan applications, credit card applications, student loan
applications, accounting invoices, debit forms, account transfer
forms, and all other types of forms with predetermined fields.
[0031] The term "financial documents" includes both currency
documents and non-currency documents.
[0032] According to one embodiment, the present invention is
directed to an improved system for processing deposits to, and/or
withdrawals from, specified accounts in banks and other financial
institutions, as well as casinos and other businesses in which
funds are deposited and withdrawn. This system may use automated
equipment for all or most of the processing steps. The core of the
automated equipment is illustrated by the block diagram in FIG. 1,
and one embodiment of a customer interface containing a major
portion of the automated equipment is illustrated in FIG. 2. A user
makes a deposit by using a communications panel 10 to input the
identification of the account to which the deposit is to be
credited, the amount of the deposit, and any other required
information, such as a password or PIN.
[0033] In the particular customer interface unit shown in FIG. 2,
the communications panel includes a keyboard 11 that interacts with
a display screen 12, and also includes a card reading slot for
receiving a user's identification card. The user may log onto the
machine by inserting the card into the slot 13 to access the
machine. A card reader may obtain the user's account information
from the card. The user is then prompted to enter a PIN number and,
if the PIN number matches the account information read from the
card, the user is prompted to deposit one or more documents into an
input receptacle 14. A microphone 15 and a speaker 16 are also
provided to allow two-way communication between the user and a bank
office, such as a teller at a bank's central office. Thus, during
the operating hours of a financial institution, bank personnel are
connected to the system by the microphone 15 and speaker 16. Other
modules that may be added to the system include a smart card
acceptance module 25 for accepting smart cards, a smart card
dispensing module for dispensing smart cards, and/or an optical
reader module for accepting and dispensing optical media.
[0034] After the user places the currency to be deposited into the
input receptacle 14, a transport mechanism 17, as shown in FIG. 1,
transports the currency bills in seriatim from the input receptacle
14 past an image scanner 18, where the bills are illuminated and
scanned. The scanner 18, described in greater detail below, scans
the image of at least serial numbers on the bills and generates
electronic data representing that image. The scanner typically
contains built-in light sources, such as LEDs, and either CCD
sensors or CMOS sensors that detect the light reflected off the
document and convert that light to a corresponding electrical
signal. Multiple sensors are typically arranged in a line or an x-y
array that extends across the full width of the document being
scanned, with each sensing element producing an electrical signal
representing one pixel of the scanned image. The signal for each
pixel may be processed as a single bit that simply represents black
or white, or it may be processed as multiple bits representing a
gray level or a color. Sensor modules having all the light sources
and sensing elements required to scan the image on a document are
commercially available, and are often referred to as Contact Image
Sensors ("CIS"). These modules produce standard video output
signals, either digital or analog, that may be used to display the
scanned images and/or stored for subsequent retrieval and display
of the scanned images. These electrical signals or electronic data
are often referred to as "electronic images." Digital signals may
be used for storage of large numbers of images over extended
periods of time, such as the seven-year period for which banks are
legally required to store checks after they have been cashed.
Compression techniques may be used to reduce the amount of data
that is stored, while still permitting the images to be displayed
when that data is retrieved from storage.
[0035] The image data may be processed to extract the serial
numbers of the bills. If the full image of each bill is scanned,
the resulting image data is analyzed to recognize the serial number
field within each bill, and then the serial numbers contained
within those fields are extracted and stored for later use by the
system. As described below, other types of information may also be
extracted from the image data. The processing of the image data to
recognize specified fields and to extract serial numbers or other
information from those fields may be performed by commercially
available Optical Character Recognition ("OCR") engines or
Intelligent Character Recognition ("ICR") engines. These engines
automatically convert pre-defined characters or data fields into
editable text and map it directly into a database that may be
displayed, stored and retrieved. For example, electronic images of
handwritten numeric amounts, such as amounts written on checks, may
be electronically converted into computer-usable data.
[0036] The system may also be used to capture any document image
for electronic document display, electronic document storage,
electronic document transfer, electronic document recognition (such
as denomination recognition or check amount recognition) or any
other processing function that may be performed using an electronic
image. For example, the customer might place a deposit slip in the
input receptacle 14 along with the currency, and the deposit might
include endorsed checks as well as currency. The images of all
these documents may be scanned, processed and stored for future
retrieval.
[0037] In FIG. 1, the transport mechanism 17 also transports the
bills past a discrimination and authentication unit 19 that is also
described in greater detail below. The discrimination and
authentication unit 19 authenticates each bill and/or determines
the denomination of the bill. On other documents, such as deposit
slips and checks, the system may capture information such as the
account number, bank number, check number and signatures. The
discrimination and authentication unit 19 also directs the
transport mechanism 17 to place the document in a selected
receiving receptacle 20 as described below.
[0038] The receiving receptacle 20 may be a single receptacle into
which all documents transported by the transport mechanism 17 are
delivered. Alternatively, dual receptacles may be provided for
receiving identifiable documents in the first receptacle and
unidentifiable documents in the second receptacle. Additionally,
any number of receptacles may be used to receive the documents,
such as separate receptacles for $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100
bills.
[0039] The illustrative system also includes a dispensing unit 21
that can return or dispense funds to a user. For example, when the
user is depositing currency in an account, the system has the
capability to return all or part of a deposit back to the user in
the form of bills, coins, or other media via the dispensing unit
21. For example in the unit shown in FIG. 2, loose currency is
dispensed from a slot 22, strapped currency from a receptacle 23,
and loose or rolled coin at a receptacle 24. The amount of payback
to the user may be supplemented by funds from other accounts as
well, as described below. The dispensing unit 21 is capable of
responding to a variety of media including money orders, smart
cards, and checks and may include separate units for different
types of media.
[0040] A controller 30 manages the operation of the system. The
controller 30 directs the flow of documents from the input
receptacle 14 through the transport mechanism 17, past the full
image scanner 18 and the discrimination and authentication unit 19,
and into the receiving receptacle 20. The transport mechanism
carries the documents through the system such that the scanhead
extends across their wide dimension, e.g., bills are transported
with their narrow edges parallel to the direction of movement.
Alternatively, the documents may be passed through the system in
the direction of the long dimension of the documents so that the
scanhead extends across their narrow dimension. The controller 30
also directs the dispensing unit 21 to return or dispense funds to
the user and routes information from the image scanner 18 and the
discrimination and authentication unit 19 to an interface 31 that
communicates with an accounting system or central office computer
32. The controller 30 is also capable of directing information from
an outside office through the interface 31 and to the
communications panel 10. Finally, the controller 30 selectively
processes information from the image scanner 18 and the
discrimination and authentication unit 19 for use by the
system.
[0041] The system, via the link with a central office computer 32,
is capable of processing transactions substantially immediately.
That is, deposits may be processed in real time, while the customer
is logged onto the machine, or within a short time after the
customer logs off, rather than waiting for the end of the day.
Also, full or partial images of all documents are fed into and/or
dispensed by the machine may be stored on mass storage devices 33
at the central office. Partial images may include, for example,
only the serial-number fields of currency bills, only the front
side of a deposit slip, or any pre-selected fields on checks. In
any event, the electronic data representing the full or partial
image may be capable of being retrieved and displaying that image
at a future time. The images can also be stored at the unit itself,
or at another remote system, or may be temporarily stored and
forwarded at a later time.
[0042] A personal computer 34 can also be connected to the system
to process data from the scanner. Processing of scanned data can
occur at the personal computer 34, within the image scanner 18 or
the discrimination and authentication unit 19, or at the central
office computer 32. The system also may be connected to a teller
station 35 (which includes a monitor).
[0043] The central office computer 32 (which includes a monitor)
also receives and displays images of the documents from the system.
If the documents are not recognizable, the bank employee can
discuss the document with the customer. In this case, the bank
employee can decide whether to accept the document immediately for
credit after reviewing the image on the terminal. Enough
information may have been scanned on an unrecognizable document
that review by the bank employee on the display will enable the
bank employee to accurately call the value of the document.
[0044] Additionally, displaying the image of a document may enable
a teller to enter missing data via the keyboard, if the relevant
portion of the image is recognizable. If the teller is near the
machine and an image on the monitor is unclear, the teller may
remove the document from the scanner, inspect the document, and
enter the missing data. The value can also be entered via the
denomination keys and other information may be entered via an
alphanumeric keypad, as described below, or with a touch screen or
mouse and application software. In some situations, the customer
may enter the value or other information concerning the
unidentified documents. This entry is made via the keyboard, and
credit is given to the customer's account only after the document
is verified by bank personnel. In other situations, the document
may be returned to the customer.
[0045] An entry portal may take a variety of different forms.
Self-service portals may be provided by ATMs or other large
multi-function machines capable of imaging and/or otherwise
processing incoming documents and then transferring the images
and/or other information obtained by processing the documents
electronically rather than by transferring the physical documents.
These self-service machines are also capable of dispensing the
received documents, or storing them until there is a need to
physically transfer them. Sometimes that transfer will be simply to
a document destruction site or to an archive. Attended portals,
such as teller stations in banks, may be equipped with the smaller
machines that image and/or otherwise process primarily incoming
documents. These smaller machines can also be used for selective
processing of outgoing documents, such as imaging the currency
bills in cash withdrawals and automatically generating reports when
the cash withdrawals exceed prescribed thresholds.
[0046] The check images obtained by scanning checks at the entry
portals may be used in an electronic check collection system in
which check payment information is exchanged electronically. The
electronic images of the checks can also be electronically
endorsed, e.g., by tagging the electronic image of the check with
electronic endorsement information. The payee named on a check
normally deposits the check with the payee's bank (the "bank of
first deposit," or "BOFD"), which credits the amount on the check
to the payee's account. The BOFD then sends the check to the
drawer's bank (the "paying bank"). If the drawer and the payee use
the same bank, the check is an "on-us" check and may be processed
within that one bank. If the drawer and the payee use different
banks, the check is an "interbank" or "transit" check which must be
cleared through an interbank collection system. When the check
reaches the paying bank, that bank settles with the presenting
bank, and the amount of the check is deducted from the drawer's
account. The check is normally endorsed by the presenting bank as
well as the BOFD and any intermediaries involved in the check
collection process, and any or all of these endorsements may be
effected by electronically tagging the check image with the
required endorsement information. Thus, physical transfer of the
paper checks may be avoided, saving both time and expense.
[0047] After the images and/or the serial numbers of currency bills
entering a bank or other financial institution have been stored in
electronic form, that information may be used to track the movement
of the bills within that institution. That is, the image or serial
number data for each bill may be associated with data representing
the location of that bill and the time and date when the bill was
delivered to that location, and then such data may be updated each
time the currency bill is moved to a different location. For
example, when currency bills are delivered to a given teller
station, the location data for those bills may be updated to
identify that teller station and the time and date when the
currency is delivered to that station. Then if a robbery occurs at
that teller station, the computer records will show which serial
numbers were delivered to that station and which serial numbers
were dispensed to customers, and it may be determined which serial
numbers, if any, remain at that station. By subtracting the latter
two sets of numbers from the first set, it may be determined
exactly which serial numbers were taken in the robbery, which may
be useful information for law enforcement agencies. Also, other
financial institutions that scan incoming currency bills may be
notified of the serial numbers of the stolen bills so that they can
detect the deposit of any such bills, and identify the
depositor.
[0048] The system of FIG. 1 may also be used to process
withdrawals. As mentioned previously in FIG. 2, the system has a
slot 13 for the insertion of a customer identification card, and
the customer will typically be required to enter a PIN
identification number through the keyboard 11. After identification
of the customer account is determined, and the customer
identification has been confirmed from the PIN number, the customer
may request a withdrawal via the keyboard or by inserting a
document such as a check or withdrawal slip into the input
receptacle 14 so that the document may be scanned to produce a
storable electronic image. Immediate payment to the customer may be
made after scanning the inserted document and determining that the
identified account contains sufficient funds to permit a withdrawal
of the amount requested.
[0049] Prior to dispensing a set of currency bills that satisfies
the withdrawal request, those bills are scanned and/or a
determination is made that electronic images of those bills are in
the archive. The latter determination may be made by identifying
the serial numbers of the bills to be dispensed, and conducting a
search of previously stored images by serial number. This
determination may be made after scanning all the bills to be
dispensed, to determine which images need to be stored, or the
determination may be made before scanning so that only those bills
without previously stored images may be scanned. The scanning may
be initiated automatically in machines that can automatically
dispense currency bills, or may be initiated manually by feeding
the currency bills into a scanner for processing before they are
delivered to the customer.
[0050] For each withdrawal transaction, the amount and date of the
withdrawal, the account identification, and the serial numbers of
the bills dispensed for that withdrawal are stored. Then if any
questions arise in the future, the stored information for any given
withdrawal transaction may be retrieved, and the serial numbers of
the bills may be used to also retrieve the images of the bills
dispensed for that transaction. If required, reports containing
this same information may be generated automatically for any cash
withdrawal that exceeds a specified threshold, or for specified
accounts. Alternatively or additionally, the system may be
programmed to automatically generate a report in response to the
dispensing of currency bills having specified serial numbers, or of
specified denominations (such as $100 bills).
[0051] By "central accounting system," it is meant to include the
hardware and software associated with accessing, maintaining,
tracking, and updating savings accounts, checking accounts, credit
card accounts, business and commercial loans, consumer payments, or
other similar accounts at locations remote from the full image
scanners. The term includes any of three broad types of systems:
systems where deposits are made; systems where withdrawals are
made; and systems where both deposits and withdrawals are made.
Although the central accounting system described herein is
described as being employed at a financial institution such as a
bank, it will be understood that any business, public or private
institution, or individual can employ a central accounting system
to process transactions. By "financial institution" it is meant to
include banks, savings and loans, investment houses, and all other
types of financial institutions whether private, public, or
government. The following description is in terms of banks but it
will be understood that it is applicable to other financial
institutions as well.
[0052] The central accounting system processes information
associated with checking accounts which may be held by individual
consumers, businesses, trade associations, trusts, non-profit
organizations, or any other organization. Documents utilized in the
checking account function include checks, check account deposit
slips, debit or credit slips which may be issued by the bank
against the checking account, new account application forms, and
forms for customers to reorder checks and deposit slips. The image
scanner is capable of processing all of these documents to obtain
the requisite information from the different documents, as will be
described in more detail below for various documents. The documents
may be received at an image scanner located at a teller line, a
drive-up window, an ATM, or, alternatively, the documents may be
received by mail. If received by mail, the bank employee may
immediately run the documents through the image scanner without
having to forward the documents to a central location for
processing. The central accounting system maintains a record of all
transactions regarding the checking account, balances, and tracks
information associated with a particular check.
[0053] Savings accounts are another type of account for which the
central accounting system processes information. Savings accounts
typically receive some rate of interest on the balances held.
Individuals may maintain interest-bearing savings accounts at a
bank. Depending upon the terms, the time for which funds are
committed to a savings account can vary in duration from immediate
demand for withdrawal to as long as five years. When a customer
agrees to leave the funds for a longer period of time, this usually
provides the account with a higher interest rate. Documents used in
a savings account transaction include, but are not limited to,
deposit slips, withdrawal slips, new account application slips and
debit or credit slips which may be applied against the account by
the given banking institution. The image scanner is capable of
imaging all of these documents. Again, the documents may be
received at a teller line, drive-up window, ATM, or by mail, and
may be immediately scanned at any point of entry without
transporting the documents to a central location. The electronic
data representing the images may be sent to a central accounting
system where the data may be stored, analyzed and retrieved. The
accounting system, in different embodiments, may compile statistics
on customers and their accounts, maintain current balances,
interest earnings, and available funds and advances, and record
information concerning deposits and withdrawals.
[0054] Credit card accounts are another type of account handled by
the central accounting system. When a credit card is used in a
transaction, the bank typically receives a commission. The central
accounting system maintains a record of the customer's credit
limit, available credit, current balance, and payment. Preferably,
the central accounting system does not settle the credit card
balance until the end of the month, when the customer typically
pays the balance due on the account. The debit card is similar to a
credit card, but the customer's account is immediately debited when
the transaction takes place.
[0055] Smart cards are a method of payment issued by banks, phone
companies, and transit authorities for use by customers. The smart
cards have a pre-stored value in place that a customer draws
against. Consumers might deposit cash or write a check or submit a
savings withdrawal document through the image scanner to purchase a
smart card.
[0056] In certain embodiments, the central accounting system may
also maintain records and manage information concerning mortgages,
consumer loans, and student loans, such as the loan balance, last
payment, interest rate, and amount paid.
[0057] The central accounting system may also distribute funds
among the various accounts described above. For example, an
individual, with checking and savings accounts at a bank, may also
hold a mortgage with the bank. The central accounting system may
make monthly withdrawals from the checking account or savings
account to pay the monthly mortgage amount due the bank. To
accomplish this, the customer may issue a check for payment and
submit this against a coupon provided to the customer by the bank
with the required monthly mortgage payment. The coupon and the
check (or savings withdrawal and coupon) are run through the image
scanner (at the teller line or automated teller). Both the images
obtained by the image scanner and information derived from those
images may be transmitted to the central accounting system that
conducts the required transfers.
[0058] A customer may mail a check payment and loan coupon to the
bank. Upon receipt, the bank employee immediately runs the check
and coupon through the image scanner at any bank location-branch,
central office, payment center, etc. The document does not have to
be forwarded to a centralized proof department for handling.
[0059] In a like manner, businesses can borrow funds from banks for
mortgages on commercial property. Again, monthly payments are
required, and the business must withdraw funds from its checking
account to make these monthly payments. A central accounting system
may be utilized to make an electronic payment without the use of
checks by using wire transfer or other methods, or the check for
payment and the coupon may be scanned by the image scanner to
obtain the payment amount, date and account number to be entered in
the system. Alternatively, a bank customer may mail the check
payment and loan coupon to the bank. Upon receipt, the bank
employee immediately runs the check and coupon though the scanner
at any bank location-branch, central office, payment center, etc.
Thus, the document does not have to be forwarded to a centralized
proof department for handling.
[0060] Consumer loan transactions, for example, involving auto
loans, home improvement loans, and education loans, is another type
of transaction that may be processed by the central accounting
system in certain embodiments. Payments are typically made on a
monthly repayment schedule by issuing monthly checks payable to the
bank. Image scanning of the check and loan coupon may be utilized
for this transaction. The payment may be processed as described
above. Alternatively, the customer can mail a payment that the bank
processes through its image scanners.
[0061] Various types of business loan transactions may also be
processed by the central accounting system including a "bank line
of credit" or "revolving loan." This type of loan is typically one
year in maturity. A given business draws up to an authorized amount
in a given year. For example, a business may have a line of credit
with a bank for up to $2 million, and, on a daily basis, draw on
this line of credit. The typical collateral provided for this type
of loan includes accounts receivables, inventory, etc. As long as
the business has receivables to support the loan, it can draw up to
as much as the authorized amount. Then, when the financial position
of the business improves, the business pays down this revolving
loan either by issuing a check payable to the bank or through wire
electronic transfer from the business's cash account to the loan
payment. The image scanner may be used to accept such check
payments, and the central accounting system at the bank processes
these payments as described above.
[0062] Banks sometimes underwrite bonds or other issues of
securities by corporations. For example, a business may hold an
industrial revenue bond issued by a city in the amount of $1.5
million. However, in support of the business's credit, the bank
guarantees payment if the business cannot perform. The business
pays a small interest rate (for example, 1/4 or 1% per year) for
the bank's guarantee. Checks are one method used by banks for such
payments. Therefore, the image scanner and central accounting
system may be utilized to process this type of transaction, as
described above.
[0063] Another service sometimes provided by the central accounting
system for business accounts is cash management. This may be
provided by lock box services or sweep accounts. For example, a
business needs a minimum operating cash balance in its checking
account each day to meet requirements for payments to vendors or
employees, for example. Each day, hundreds of payments from various
customers of the business are received, typically by check, and all
these payments may be imaged both for storage and to permit the
necessary information to be extracted and used in the accounting
system. The checks are deposited into the general account of the
business. When the business's account balances exceed its operating
requirements, the central accounting system at the bank
automatically "sweeps" extra funds from the non-interest-bearing
account to an interest-bearing account such as commercial
paper.
[0064] In a similar manner, many companies have customer payments
directed to a bank lock box. This lock box address is at a bank
location, and all customer payments to the company are diverted to
this lock box address. This ensures that the payments are deposited
as quickly as possible so that the bank's commercial customers have
immediate use of the funds at the bank. The next day the central
accounting system at the bank advises the business which payments
were received into the account, and the business adjusts its
accounts receivables balance one day later, creating a timing
problem due to the delay.
[0065] The image scanner enables a business to scan the documents
through the scanner at the business's location (thus, eliminating
the need to first send payments to a bank lock box location) and
receive immediate credit electronically through the central
accounting system located at the bank. The images and/or
information extracted from the images may be transmitted
electronically to the bank as the scanning occurs. The check images
and other images are immediately available via the central
accounting system at the bank for settlement purposes. Therefore,
lock box services by banks are handled on a de-centralized basis at
bank customer locations.
[0066] Businesses often maintain cash balances invested in bank
commercial paper. The bank, via the accounting system, pays
interest daily on the cash balances. Deposits and withdrawals are
typically handled by a pre-authorized officer of the company, such
as the controller. Movement of funds typically requires written
authorization, including a signature of the company officer. The
image scanner and central accounting system may be utilized for
withdrawals from commercial paper to a checking account, or for
purchase of commercial paper. This may be initiated by inserting a
pre-designed form with an area to add the amount field and
authorized signature. The image scanner captures the amount and
seeks a match for the signature.
[0067] A compact scanner 40 for use in automatically accepting
documents, but without the capability of storing or automatically
dispensing currency or other documents, is shown in FIG. 3. This
particular scanner 40 has a single document output and may be
located on a countertop or desktop at individual teller stations in
banks, for example, where incoming documents may be manually
removed from the machine after they have been processed by passing
them through the machine. Currency may be dispensed manually, after
passing it through the scanner 40 and inputting information such as
the customer's identification, to make a record of the transaction.
A preferred embodiment of the scanner 40 includes all the modules
illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 1 except the dispensing
unit 21, the computers 32, 34 and 35, and the mass storage 33, and
has a height H, width W and depth D of less than about 12 inches
each. Another compact scanner 50, with two document outputs, is
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No.
6,311,819, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety. The transport system in the scanner 50 is one example of
the transport mechanism 17 in the system of FIG. 1. A preferred
embodiment of the scanner 50 has a height H of less than about 20
inches and a width W and depth D of less than about 15 inches each.
As in the case of the scanner 40, a preferred embodiment of the
scanner 50 includes all the modules illustrated in the block
diagram of FIG. 1 except the dispensing unit 21, the computers 32,
34 and 35, and the mass storage 33.
[0068] The transport and processing system in the scanner 50 may be
part of a large multi-function machine of the type illustrated in
FIG. 2, for both accepting and dispensing currency bills and other
documents, or it may be used in a small countertop or desktop
machine, as shown in FIG. 3, that may be used at teller stations to
immediately process incoming currency bills, checks and other
documents, as well as outgoing currency.
[0069] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a stack of incoming documents
(or even a single document) is placed in an input receptacle 51
from which the documents are automatically fed one at a time into a
transport mechanism that includes a transport plate or guide plate
52 for guiding documents to one of a pair of receiving receptacles
53 and 54. The transport mechanism preferably transports the
documents at a rate of at least 800 documents per minute, and most
preferably at least 1000 documents per minute. If desired, a faster
rate may be used when only the denominating/authenticating unit is
activated, and a slower rate when the image scanner, or both the
image scanner and the denominating/authenticating unit, are
activated. Before reaching the receiving receptacles 53, 54, a
document may be imaged, evaluated, analyzed, authenticated,
discriminated, counted and/or otherwise processed, and the results
of such processing may be used to determine to which receptacle 53
or 54 a document is directed.
[0070] The input receptacle 51 for receiving a stack of documents
to be processed is formed by downwardly sloping and converging
walls 55 and 56 (see FIG. 4) formed by a pair of removable covers
(not shown) which snap onto a frame. The wall 56 supports a
removable hopper (not shown) that includes vertically disposed side
walls (not shown). One embodiment of such an input receptacle is
described and illustrated in more detail in U.S. Pat. No.
5,687,963, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
[0071] From the input receptacle 51, the documents are moved in
seriatim from the bottom of the stack along a curved guideway 57
(shown in FIG. 5), which receives documents moving downwardly and
rearwardly and changes the direction of travel to a forward
direction. The documents are fed from the bottom of the stack to
the curved guideway 57 by a stripping wheel mounted on a shaft 58.
The curvature of the guideway 57 corresponds substantially to the
curved periphery of a drive roll 59 so as to form a narrow
passageway for the bills along the rear side of the drive roll. An
exit end of the curved guideway 57 directs the documents onto the
transport plate 52 which guides the documents through an evaluation
section 71 and to one of the receptacles 53, 54.
[0072] In another embodiment, both the image scanner 18 and the
discriminating and authenticating unit 19, each of which is
described in more detail below, are mounted in the evaluation
section 60. In an alternative embodiment, the image scanner 18 is
mounted in the evaluation section 60 and the discriminating and
authenticating unit 19 is mounted downstream of the image scanner,
between the guide rolls 70a and 70b. In yet another alternative
embodiment, the image scanner 18 also functions as the
discriminating and authenticating unit, by using the electronic
data representing the image to determine the denomination and
authenticity of the documents. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,680,472 and
5,729,623 describe systems for using image data to determine the
denomination and authenticity of currency bills.
[0073] Stacking of the documents is accomplished by a pair of
driven stacking wheels 60 and 61 for the first or upper output
receptacle 53, and by a similar pair of stacking wheels 62 and 63
for the second or lower output receptacle 54. The stacking wheels
60-63 are supported for rotational movement about respective shafts
64 and 65 journaled on a rigid frame and driven by a motor (not
shown). Flexible blades of the stacker wheels 60, 61 deliver the
documents onto a forward end of a stacker plate 66. Similarly, the
flexible blades of the stacker wheels 62, 63 deliver the bills onto
a forward end of a stacker plate 67.
[0074] A diverter 68 directs the documents to either the first or
second receptacle 53 or 54. When the diverter 68 is in a lower
position, documents are directed to the first receptacle 53. When
the diverter 68 is in an upper position, documents are directed to
the second receptacle 54.
[0075] The documents may be diverted to different output
receptacles based upon a variety of criteria. For example, the
documents may be diverted to different output receptacles based
upon the type of document, such as, bills to one output receptacle,
checks or other non-currency documents to the other. In other
embodiments, bills may be diverted to different output receptacles
based upon denomination. In some embodiments, on-us checks may be
diverted to one output receptacle, while transit checks are
diverted to the other. Alternatively, in other embodiments, bills
and/or other documents may be diverted based upon the country of
origin, such as, U.S. bills and checks go into one output
receptacle, and Canadian bills and checks go into another.
[0076] Currency bills are automatically denominated and
authenticated as well as being imaged, and checks and other
non-currency documents are simply imaged, all under the control of
the controller 30. The controller 30 may be programmed to discard
the images of documents recognized as genuine currency bills, or to
extract prescribed information from such images and then discard
them, or to transmit all the images to an archive. Alternatively,
the controller 30 may transmit all the images to a central computer
for further processing there.
[0077] Another embodiment of the image scanner 18 will be described
in more detail with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 6,
although it will be understood that a variety of different image
scanners may be used in the systems provided by this invention. The
image scanner may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
4,888,812, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety. As shown in FIG. 6, the front and back surfaces of
documents 81 are scanned by a pair of scanheads 80 and 82, which
convert the images into electronic data representing those images.
The scanheads 80 and 82 include electronic circuitry that generates
a sequence of analog signals representing light and dark images
defining the image on the document. The scanheads 80 and 82 are
arranged for simultaneously scanning both the front and back
surfaces of the documents and are connected respectively to
analog-to-digital converters 84 and 86 which convert the analog
values into discrete binary gray scale values of, for example, 256
gray scale levels. The scanheads 80 and 82 are capable of obtaining
images of varying resolutions. The particular resolution chosen,
which may be varied by the user, is selected based upon the type of
document being scanned, as is known in the art. A preferred
scanhead is the PI228MC-A4 Contact Image Sensor (CIS) Module made
by Peripheral Imaging Corporation in San Jose, Calif., which
contains the required light source, focusing optics, detector array
and electronics for producing an analog video output containing
1728 pixels/line with a density of 200 pixels/inch.
[0078] The high resolution gray scale image data from the
analog-to-digital converters 84 and 86 is directed to an image data
preprocessor 88 in which the data may be enhanced and smoothed and
which serves to locate the edges of successive documents and
discard irrelevant data between documents. If the documents are
slightly skewed, the image preprocessor 88 can also perform
rotation of the image data to facilitate subsequent processing.
[0079] The image data output of the preprocessor 88 is monitored
for unacceptable image quality by an image quality unit 90. For
example, the image quality unit 90 monitors the distribution of
gray scale values in the image data and creates a histogram. As is
well known in the art, acceptable quality images have a
distribution of gray scale values within certain prescribed limits.
If the gray scale distribution of the histogram falls outside these
limits, this is indicative of poor image quality and an error
condition is generated.
[0080] The image data is transmitted from the quality unit 90 to a
processor 91 that outputs the processed image data to a buffer 94
at the data input channel 96 to the controller 30. As mentioned
above, OCR and/or ICR can use the image data to extract or capture
specified information from specified fields of the image. For
example, when processing checks, OCR can detect the "$" symbol as a
coordinate to the left of the numeric check amount field box, and
then extract the amount from that box. As is known in the art, a
straight coordinate system or dimension system is used where known
dimensions of the box are used to locate the field. Also, when
scanning currency, OCR can detect the field where the serial
numbers are printed and extract those numbers.
[0081] When scanning bar-coded documents, the scanhead may obtain
an image of the bar-coded portion of the document and use the image
to decipher the information from the bar code. For example, if a
bar code is used to represent the value of the document (e.g., on a
casino redemption ticket or a "Disney Dollar"), the scanhead may
obtain an image of the bar code and then use that image to read the
bar code and determine the value of the document, rather than
reading the bar code directly from the document. Computer software
for decoding bar-coded information from an image of the bar code is
commercially available, such as, from VisionShape, Inc. of
Placentia, Calif., or Kofax Image Products of Irvine, Calif.
[0082] The controller 30 may be programmed to locate fields for
various types of currency and perform processing as follows. Based
on scanning certain areas on the currency or document, the
controller 30 first identifies the type of currency, for example,
U.S. bills. Then, based on that identification, certain fields of
interest are located, and the information in those fields is
extracted and stored for use by the system. The controller 30 may
also compress the image data, as is known in the art, for storage
or in preparation for transmission to an outside location. Programs
for extracting and storing information from prescribed fields in a
document image are commercially available. For example, OCR and ICR
engines for converting pre-defined characters or data fields into
editable text and mapping it directly into a database are available
from Mitek Systems, Inc. in San Diego, Calif. Check readers and OCR
line readers are commercially available from a variety of sources.
Programs for converting bitmap images of handwritten numeric
amounts (such as, written on checks or other documents) into
computer-usable character data are available from Orbograph
Corporation in Billerica, Mass.
[0083] The amount of image data per document may vary depending
upon the size and nature of the document, and the efficiency of any
compression of the image data obtained by scanning that particular
document. To ensure that no data is lost in the event that the
volume of image data temporarily exceeds the transfer capacity of
the high speed data channel, a pre-channel buffer 94 is interposed
prior to the data channel 96, which is connected to the controller
30. The capacity of the pre-channel buffer 94 is continually
monitored by the controller 30 so that appropriate action may be
taken if the buffer becomes overloaded. The compressed video image
data is received by the controller 30 over the high-speed data
channel 96 and is initially routed to temporary storage. The image
buffer is preferably of a size capable of storing the image data
from at least several batches or runs of checks or similar
documents. The controller 30 performs the functions of analyzing
the data. Alternatively, as discussed above, analysis of the data
can occur at the central office computer 32 or at a personal
computer 34 attached to the system.
[0084] Other scanning modules and methods may be used in place of,
or in addition to, the particular one described above. These
include CCD array systems, multi-cell arrays and other well-known
scanning techniques. Examples of these techniques and devices are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,782; U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,158; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,187,750; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,780, all of which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The scanning
module can also be a color image scanner such as the type described
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,292, which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety.
[0085] Another embodiment of the discrimination and authentication
unit 18 will be described in connection with FIG. 7. This
particular embodiment is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No.
6,337,921, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a currency discriminating
unit 110 having a single scanhead 111. The unit 110 includes a
bill-accepting station 112 where stacks of bills 113 that need to
be identified and counted are picked up. A bill separating
mechanism 114 separates one bill at a time by a transport mechanism
116 along a precisely predetermined transport path, across a
scanhead 111 where the currency denomination of the bill is
identified. A suitable transport mechanism has been described
above. The scanhead 111 is an optical scanhead that scans for
characteristic information from a scanned bill 113 that is used to
identify the denomination of the bill. The scanned bill 113 is then
transported to a bill stacking station 120.
[0086] The optical scanhead 111 of FIG. 7 comprises a pair of light
sources 122 directing light onto the bill transport path so as to
illuminate a substantially rectangular strip 124 on a bill 113
positioned adjacent the scanhead 111. Light reflected off the
illuminated strip 124 is sensed by a photodetector 126 positioned
directly adjacent the strip. The analog output of the photodetector
126 is converted into a digital signal by means of an
analog-to-digital (ADC) converter 128 whose output is fed as a
digital input to the controller 30.
[0087] While the scanhead 111 of FIG. 7 is an optical scanhead, it
should be understood that it may be designed to detect a variety of
different types of characteristic information from bills.
Additionally, the scanhead may employ a variety of additional
detection means such as magnetic, electrical conductivity, and
capacitive sensors, as discussed in more detail below.
[0088] Referring again to FIG. 7, the bill transport path in this
exemplary embodiment is defined in such a way that the transport
mechanism 116 moves bills with the narrow dimension of the bills
parallel to the transport path and the scan direction. As a bill
113 traverses the scanhead 111, the light strip 124 traverses the
bill across the narrow dimension of the bill. As depicted in FIG.
7, the transport path is so arranged that a bill 113 is scanned by
the scanhead 111 approximately along the central section of the
bill along its narrow dimension, as shown in FIG. 7. The scanhead
111 functions to detect light reflected from the bill as it moves
across the illuminated light strip 124 and to provide an analog
representation of the variation in light so reflected which, in
turn, represents the variation in the dark and light content of the
printed pattern or indicia on the surface of the bill. This
variation in light reflected from the narrow dimension scanning of
the bills serves as a measure for distinguishing, with a high
degree of confidence, among multiple currency denominations that
the discrimination unit is programmed to handle.
[0089] A series of such detected reflectance signals are obtained
across the narrow dimension of the bill, or across a selected
segment thereof, and the resulting analog signals are digitized
under control of the controller 30 to yield a fixed number of
digital reflectance data samples. The data samples are then
subjected to a normalizing routine that processes the sampled data
for improved correlation and for smoothing out variations due to
contrast fluctuations in the printed pattern on the bill surface.
The normalized reflectance data represents a characteristic pattern
that is unique for a given bill denomination and provides
sufficient distinguishing features among characteristic patterns
for different currency denominations. This process is more fully
explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,196 for a "Method and Apparatus
for Currency Discrimination and Counting," which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
[0090] In order to ensure strict correspondence between reflectance
samples obtained by narrow-dimension scanning of successive bills,
the initiation of the reflectance sampling process is preferably
controlled through the controller 30 by means of an optical encoder
132 which is linked to the bill transport mechanism 116 and
precisely tracks the physical movement of the bill 113 across the
scanhead 111. More specifically, the optical encoder 132 is linked
to the rotary motion of the drive motor which generates the
movement imparted to the bill as it is relayed along the transport
path. In addition, the mechanics of the feed and transport
mechanism (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,196 referred to above) ensure
that contact is maintained between the bill and the transport path,
particularly when the bill is being scanned by the scanhead 111.
Under these conditions, the optical encoder 132 is capable of
precisely tracking the movement of the bill 113 relative to the
light strip 124 generated by the scanhead 111, by monitoring the
rotary motion of the drive motor.
[0091] The output of the photodetector 126 is monitored by the
controller 30 to initially detect the presence of the bill
underneath the scanhead 111 and, subsequently, to detect the
starting point of the printed pattern on the bill, as represented
by the thin borderline 113A which typically encloses the printed
indicia on bills. Once the borderline 113A has been detected, the
optical encoder 132 is used to control the timing and number of
reflectance samples that are obtained from the output of the
photodetector 126 as the bill 113 moves across the scanhead 111 and
is scanned along its narrow dimension.
[0092] The use of the encoder 132 for controlling the sampling
process relative to the physical movement of a bill 113 across the
scanhead 111 is also advantageous in that the encoder 132 may be
used to provide a predetermined delay following detection of the
borderline prior to initiation of sampling. The encoder delay may
be adjusted in such a way that the bill 113 is scanned only across
those segments along its narrow dimension which contain the most
distinguishable printed indicia relative to the different currency
denominations.
[0093] In the case of U.S. currency, for instance, it has been
determined that the central, approximately two-inch (5 cm) portion
of bills, as scanned across the central section of the narrow
dimension of the bill, provides sufficient data for distinguishing
among the various U.S. currency denominations on the basis of the
correlation technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,196 referred
to above. Accordingly, the encoder 132 may be used to control the
scanning process so that reflectance samples are taken for a set
period of time and only after a certain period of time has elapsed
after detection of the borderline 113A, thereby restricting the
scanning to the desired central portion of the narrow dimension of
the bill.
[0094] The controller 30 is programmed to count the number of bills
belonging to each currency denomination as part of a given batch of
bills that have been scanned, and to determine the aggregate total
of the currency amount represented by the scanned bills in that
batch. The controller 30 is also linked to an EPROM 134 and an
output unit 136 (FIG. 7) which provides a display of the number of
bills counted, the breakdown of the bills in terms of denomination,
and the aggregate total of the currency value represented by the
counted bills. The output unit 136 can also be adapted to provide a
print-out of the displayed information in a desired format.
[0095] The scanhead 111 may comprise multiple scanheads positioned
next to each other, or a single stationary scanhead extending
across the entire width of the documents being scanned. In this
case, the same scanhead may be used to generate the data needed to
denominate bills and to display and store the images that appear on
bills and other types of documents. For example, the electronic
data from a single scanhead may be used to denominate bills, and to
store images of bills, checks and other documents. Alternatively,
the same data may be used to also store images of only the serial
numbers of bills. One example of such a full-width scanhead is the
aforementioned PI228MC-A4 Contact Image Sensor (CIS) Module made by
Peripheral Imaging Corporation in San Jose, Calif.
[0096] Two-sided scanning may be used to permit bills to be fed
into a currency discrimination unit with either side face up, and
also to permit high-speed scanning of images on both sides of the
documents being scanned. An example of a two-sided scanhead
arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,406, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Master patterns
generated by scanning genuine bills may be stored for segments on
one or both sides of bills of all denominations. In the case where
master patterns are stored from the scanning of only one side of a
genuine bill, the patterns retrieved by scanning both sides of a
bill under test may be compared to a master set of single-sided
master patterns. In such a case, a pattern retrieved from one side
of a bill under test should match one of the stored master
patterns, while a pattern retrieved from the other side of the bill
under test should not match any of the master patterns.
Alternatively, master patterns may be stored for both sides of
genuine bills. In such a two-sided system, a pattern retrieved by
scanning one side of a bill under test should match one of the
master patterns for one side (Match 1) of a genuine bill, and a
pattern retrieved from scanning the opposite side of the bill under
test should match one of the master patterns of the opposite side
of a genuine bill (Match 2).
[0097] A counterfeit detection function may also be included in the
discrimination and authentication unit 19. A variety of different
counterfeit detection techniques are well known and have been
incorporated in currency discriminators. These known counterfeit
detectors detect a variety of different types of characteristic
information from currency bills, and employ a variety of different
detection means such as magnetic, optical of capacitive sensors.
These include detection of patterns of changes in magnetic flux,
patterns of vertical grid lines in the portrait area of bills, the
presence of a security thread, total amount of magnetizable
material of a bill, patterns from sensing the strength of magnetic
fields along a bill, and other patterns and counts from scanning
different portions of the bill such as the area in which the
denomination is written out.
[0098] With regard to optical sensing, a variety of currency
characteristics may be measured such as density, color, length and
thickness, the presence of a security thread and holes, and other
patterns of reflectance and transmission. Color detection
techniques may employ color filters, colored lamps, and/or
dichromic beam splitters. An optical sensing system using
ultraviolet light is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,463,
incorporated herein by reference.
[0099] In addition to magnetic and optical sensing, other
techniques of detecting characteristic information of currency
include electrical conductivity sensing, capacitive sensing (U.S.
Pat. No. 5,122,754 (watermark, security thread); U.S. Pat. No.
3,764,899 (thickness); U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,021 (dielectric
properties); U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,607 (security thread)), and
mechanical sensing (U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,447 (limpness); U.S. Pat.
No. 4,255,651 (thickness)).
[0100] A UV authenticating technique may be employed along with one
or more other authenticating and/or discrimination techniques in
alternative embodiments of the imaging system. For example, the
imaging system may include both a UV authenticating system and a
magnetic authenticating system. It is known that genuine U.S. bills
reflect a high level of UV light and do not fluoresce in response
to UV illumination, except in certain special cases described
below. An embodiment of the imaging system employing both UV and
magnetic authentication would be able to detect a counterfeit U.S.
bill that passes the UV authentication test (for example, it
reflects a sufficient level of UV light and does not fluoresce in
response to UV illumination), but fails the magnetic authentication
test. In other words, an exemplary embodiment of the imaging system
that implements a plurality of authentication tests is able to
detect counterfeit bills that would otherwise go undetected where
only one authenticating test is employed. Further details of a
currency processing system employing UV, fluorescence and magnetic
authentication tests are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No.
6,363,164, which has been incorporated by reference.
[0101] Security features added to U.S. currency beginning with the
1996 series $100 bills include the incorporation into the bills of
security threads that fluoresce under ultraviolet light. For
example, the security threads in the 1996 series $100 bills emit a
red glow when illuminated by ultraviolet light. The color of light
emitted by security threads under ultraviolet light will vary by
denomination. For example, with the $100 bills emitting red light
and the $50 bills emitting, blue or purple light. Thus, the red
light emitted from the security thread of a $100 bill, in response
to UV illumination may be used to both authenticate and denominate
that bill.
[0102] Additionally, the location of the thread within the bill may
be used as a security feature. For example, the security threads in
all $100 bills are located in the same position. Furthermore, the
location of the security threads in other denominations will be the
same by denomination and will vary among different denominations.
For example, the location of security threads in $10, $20, $50 and
$100 bills may each be distinct. In such a situation, the presence
of a security thread in a specific location may be used to identify
the denomination of the bills. Alternatively, the location may be
the same in the $20s and the $100s but different from the location
of the security threads in the $50s. According to alternative
embodiments, the imaging processing system includes sensors to
evaluate the features of security threads, including location, in
currency bills. A currency processing system for evaluating the
authenticity of currency bills based on the fluorescence of
security threads under UV illumination and the location of the
security threads within the bills is described in U.S. Pat. No.
6,363,164 B1, which has been incorporated herein by reference.
[0103] Additionally, sensors may be employed to detect bills or
security threads printed or coated with thermochromic materials
(materials that change color with a change in temperature).
Examples of threads incorporating thermochromic materials are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,301, incorporated herein by
reference.
[0104] The issuance of an error code such as a no-call code or a
suspect code may be used to suspend processing of a stack of bills
such that the bill triggering one of these codes is the last bill
delivered to a receiving receptacle before the operation of the
system is suspended. Accordingly, the triggering bill may be
examined by the operator of the system so that appropriate action
may be taken based on the operator's evaluation of the triggering
bill. Alternatively, in a system having two or more receiving
receptacles, the issuance of one of these error codes may cause the
triggering bills to be diverted to a different receptacle such as a
reject receptacle, or bills that result in a no-call code may be
diverted to one receptacle and those that result in a suspect code
may be diverted to a different receptacle. Accepted bills may be
routed to one or more other receptacles. When the currency bill
that triggers a suspect code has been imaged, the electronic data
representing that image may be retained in association with an
identification of the customer who deposited that bill, so that the
account of that customer may be debited in the event the bill is
confirmed to be a counterfeit.
[0105] The operation of a communications panel 10 will now be
described in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 8 which
illustrates a front view of one example of a control panel 201. The
control panel 201 comprises a keypad 202 and a display 203. The
keypad 202 comprises a plurality of keys including seven
denomination-selection elements 204a-204g, each associated with one
of seven U.S. currency denominations--$1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and
$100 bills. Alternatively, the keys may be for .English Pound.2,
.English Pound.5, .English Pound.10, .English Pound.20 and .English
Pound.50 bills or any other combination of foreign currency. For
document processing systems, the denomination selection elements
may be labeled according to the currency system which a system is
designed to handle, and there may be more or less than seven
denomination-selection elements.
[0106] The $1-denomination selection key 204a may also serve as a
mode-selection key. It should be noted that the
denomination-selection elements may be used to enter not only the
value of currency, but all types of documents including checks. The
keypad 202 also includes a continuation selection element 205.
Various information such as instructions, mode-selection
information, authentication and discrimination information,
individual denomination counter values, and total batch counter
value are communicated to the operator via an LCD 206 in the
display 203. The image processing unit and the discrimination and
authentication unit may have a number of different operating modes,
including a mixed mode, a stranger mode, a sort mode, a face mode,
and a forward/reverse orientation mode.
[0107] FIG. 9 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the control
panel 201. A set of numeric keys with a decimal point collectively
labeled 204h is engaged by the user to enter numeric data from all
types of documents. FIG. 10 illustrates a control panel 201 with
both numeric keys and decimal point 204h and denomination keys
204a-204f. The user has the choice of entering the data by the
denomination keys 204a-204f or the numeric keys. The remaining
elements of the control panels in FIGS. 8 and 9 function as
described above.
[0108] The operation of a document processing system having the
denomination selection elements 204a-204g and the continuation
element 205, in connection with several operating modes is
described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,795 which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
[0109] The control panels discussed above may be modified to
facilitate the processing of documents in various alternative
embodiments, including different embodiments for reconciling bills
triggering error conditions such as a no-call error signal. When
reconciling no-call bills, the operator inputs the value of the
bill that triggered the no-call error signal, causing that bill to
be included in the various totals maintained by the imaging system.
According to one alternative embodiment, the control panel 1061
includes backlit denomination keys 204a-f, or light elements
corresponding to each denomination key 204a-g, that are
individually selectively illuminated for suggesting a denomination
of a bill to an operator in response to a no-call error signal.
Alternatively, the control panel 1061 can include a "YES" key and a
"NO" key for inputting an operator's response to a displayed
denomination suggestion. In yet another alternative embodiment, the
control panel includes a scroll key that allows an operator to
scroll though a plurality of displayed denominations and does not
include individual denomination keys. In still another alternative
embodiment, the control panel includes a touch screen interface. A
plurality of alternative embodiments of the control panel 1061,
including a touch screen, are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No.
6,363,164, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety. The structure and operation of the screens are described
and illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,317,140;
5,297,030; 5,231,381; 5,198,976; 5,184,115; 5,105,186; 4,931,782;
4,928,094; 4,851,616; 4,811,004; 4,806,709 and 4,782,328, which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
[0110] The details of conducting a document transaction are
illustrated in FIG. 11a and FIG. 11b. The functionality described
below may reside at a single location or may be distributed among
several locations throughout the document processing system, for
example, in the full image scanner, at the central office computer,
and at a personal computer attached to the document processing
system. The user loads mixed documents into the machine at step
228. This may be accomplished, as discussed above, by placing the
documents in receptacle 16 on the machine and initiating the
processing of the documents. For example, the user may press a
start key on a touch screen on the communications panel 26, as
discussed above, to initiate a transaction. By "document
transaction," it is meant to include not only all documents as
described above, but also all forms of storage media, such as,
smart cards, debit cards, CD disks. Stored on the media is an
amount indicating an amount of funds.
[0111] The machine attempts to identify the document at step 229.
If step 229 fails to identify the document, several alternatives
are possible depending upon the exact implementation chosen for the
machine. For example, as described previously, if it fails to
identify the document, the system can use two canisters and place
an unidentified document in a "no read" canister. Alternatively, at
step 231, the machine may be stopped so that the user can remove
the "no read" document immediately. In this alternative embodiment,
if the document can not be recognized by the machine, the
unidentified document is diverted, for example, to a return slot so
that it may be removed from the machine by the user. Also, the
image may be displayed on the teller's video terminal so that the
teller can analyze the image without removing the document.
Alternatively, the teller may physically remove the document from
the output receptacle, inspect the document and then enter the
missing data so that the document may be processed. For example, if
the amount of a check or the denomination of a bill could not be
determined by the machine, the teller may enter the amount via a
control panel, as discussed above. After completing these steps,
the system returns to step 229 to identify the other loaded
documents.
[0112] In the event that the user wishes to deposit "no read"
documents that are returned to the user, the user may key in the
value and number of such document and deposit them in an envelope
for later verification. A message on the display screen may advise
the user of this option. For example, if four $10 bills are
returned, then re-deposited by the user in an envelope, the user
may press a "$10" key on the keyboard four times. The user then
receives immediate credit for all the documents denominated and
authenticated by the scanner. Credit for re-deposited "no read"
documents is given only after a bank picks up the envelope and
manually verifies the amount. Alternatively, at least preferred
users may be given full credit immediately, subject to later
verification, or immediate credit may be given up to a certain
dollar limit. In the case of counterfeit documents that are not
returned to the user, the user may be notified of the detection of
a suspected counterfeit document at the machine or later by a
written notice or personal call, depending upon the preferences of
the financial institution.
[0113] If step 229 identifies the documents at step 232, the
machine attempts to authenticate the documents to determine if the
documents are genuine. If the documents are not genuine, then the
system proceeds to one of three steps depending upon which option a
user chooses. At step 233, the system may continue operation and
identify the suspect documents in the stack. In this alternative, a
single canister is used for all documents, regardless of whether
they are verified bills, no reads, or counterfeit suspects. On the
other hand, at step 234 the machine may outsort the currency, for
example, to a reject receptacle. The machine may also return
suspect currency at step 235 directly to the user. This is
accomplished by diverting the currency to the return slot. Also,
the machine maintains a count of the total number of counterfeit
documents. If this total reaches a certain threshold value, an
alarm condition will be generated. The alarm condition may be
handled, for example, by turning on a light on the machine or by
alerting the central office.
[0114] As mentioned above, the system may use a single canister to
hold the documents. If a single canister system is used, then the
various documents may be identified within the single canister by
placing different colored markers at the top of different
documents. These markers are inserted into the bill transport path
so they follow the respective bills to be inserted into the
canister. Specifically, a first marker, such as a marker of a first
color, is inserted to indicate the document is a counterfeit
suspect that is not to be returned to the user. A second type of
marker, such as, a marker of a second color, is inserted to
indicate that the document is a no-call. A third type of marker,
such as, a third color, is inserted to indicate that a marked batch
of documents represents a deposit whose verified amount did not
agree with the user's declared balance. Because this third type of
marker identifies a batch of documents instead of a single
document, it is necessary to insert a marker at both the beginning
and end of a marked batch. The marker can vary in size, contain
bar-codes, or vary in color to easily identify different types of
documents such as checks and currency.
[0115] If the document is authenticated, the total count
B.sub.total and receptacle or "bin" count B.sub.counti (where "i"
is the "ith" receptacle) are incremented at step 236. The total
count B.sub.total is used by the machine to establish the amount
deposited by the user, and the receptacle counts are used to
determine the amount in a particular receptacle.
[0116] The machine then determines whether sorting is required at
step 237. If the answer is affirmative, then the document is sorted
by denomination at step 238. Rather than using single or double
receptacles, as described above, this option includes a receptacle
for each denomination and a receptacle for each type of document
such as checks and loan coupons. A receptacle may also be
designated to receive a combination of documents. For example, one
receptacle may be designated for proof-of-deposit documents such as
checks, loan coupons, and savings deposit slips. Sorting is
accomplished by a sorting and counting module which sorts the
documents placing each denomination in a specific receptacle. The
sorting algorithm used may be any of those well known in the
art.
[0117] After sorting at step 238 or if the answer to step 237 is
negative, the machine proceeds to step 240. At step 240, the
machine tests if the document receptacle in use is full. That is,
the machine compares B.sub.counti to the maximum allowed for that
receptacle. If it is full, at step 241, the machine determines if
there is an empty document receptacle available. If there is no
empty document receptacle available, at step 241, the machine
stops. The full receptacle is emptied at step 242. If an empty
document receptacle exists, the machine switches to the empty
receptacle and places the document into that receptacle at step
244. At step 243, the system determines when the last document in
the deposited stack of documents has been counted. If counting is
complete, the machine is stopped at step 245.
[0118] The transport mechanism may also include an escrow holding
area where the document being processed in a pending deposit
transaction is held until the transaction is complete. Thus, from
step 245, the system proceeds to step 247, to determine if escrow
has been enabled. If escrow has not been enabled, the count of the
machine is accepted at step 249, and the total amount B.sub.total
is posted to the user at step 250. If escrow has been enabled, at
step 244, the user is given the choice of accepting the count. If
the user decides not to accept the count, at step 248, the document
is returned to the user. From step 248, the machine proceeds to
step 228 where the user is given another chance of counting the
document. If the user decides to accept the count at step 246, the
machine proceeds to step 249 where the count is accepted and step
250 where the total count is displayed to the user. At this point,
the document counting transaction is complete.
[0119] At step 251, the system determines whether the total amount
of currency counted in the completed transaction is greater than a
prescribed threshold amount, above which a government report is
required. If the answer at step 251 is affirmative, the system
generates the required report at step 252, storing and printing a
report identifying the customer, the account, the amount of the
deposit, the number of bills of each denomination included in the
deposit, the responsible teller and any other information required
by the particular law or government regulation requiring the
report. If the answer at step 251 is negative, the system is reset
at step 253 to await the next transaction.
[0120] A coin transaction is described in greater detail in FIG.
12. As shown, a customer loads mixed coins into the system at step
260. The coins are sorted, authenticated, and bagged one at a time.
At step 261, the machine sorts the coin. The sorting process is
described in greater detail below. At step 262, the machine
determines if the coin is authentic. This process is also described
in greater detail below. If the coin is not authentic, the machine
outsorts the coin to a reject receptacle at step 263 and then
proceeds to step 268 and determines if counting and sorting is
complete.
[0121] If the coin is authentic, the coin count C.sub.total and bag
count C.sub.bagi (where "i" represents the "ith" bag) is
incremented by one at step 264. The system count C.sub.total
represents the total value of the coins deposited, while the bag
count represents the number of coins in a bag. After sorting and
authenticating the coin, the system attempts to place the coin in a
bag at step 267. All coins may be placed in one bag, or one bag per
denomination may be used. Alternatively, any number of
denominations, for example, two, may be placed in a bag. At step
267, the system checks to see if the limit of the bag has been
reached. That is, the system compares C.sub.bagi to the
predetermined limit for that bag. If the limit has been reached for
the bag in current use (bag A), the machine next checks to see if
another bag (bag B) is full at step 265. If bag B is full, the
machine is stopped and an operator empties the bag at step 266. If
the other bag (bag B) is not full, then at step 268 the machine
switches to this bag and the coin is placed there. The machine then
proceeds to step 269 where a test is performed to determine if
counting is complete.
[0122] At step 269, the machine determines if sorting is complete.
This is accomplished by sensing whether there are additional coins
to sort in the coin receptacle. If sorting is not complete, the
system continues at step 261 by counting and sorting the next coin.
If sorting has been completed, at step 270 the machine checks
whether the escrow option has been enabled. If it has, at step 271,
the machine asks whether the customer wishes to accept the count.
If the customer replies in the affirmative, at step 272 the machine
accepts the count C.sub.total and posts the total to the customer.
If the customer replies with a negative answer at step 271, then
the machine returns the coins to the customer at step 273, and the
counting is complete.
[0123] If escrow has not been enabled, the machine checks at step
274 to see if stop has been pressed. If it has, the machine stops.
If stop has not been pressed, then the machine waits for a certain
period to time out at step 275 and stops when this time period has
been elapsed.
[0124] As described above, the processing system utilizing image
scanning and a discriminator has the advantage of being able to
process mixed currency or documents. The deposits in the system are
processed substantially immediately. In addition, the images of the
scanned documents may be communicated to a central office from
which two-way communication is allowed. Finally, the processing
system provides all the benefits of an automated teller
machine.
[0125] An alternate embodiment of a control panel 280 is shown in
FIG. 13. A set of keys 281 is used to enter numeric data which is
shown on the screen, to supply data which appears to be missing
from the bill image 282 on the screen. Alternatively, the user may
enter denomination information using keys 283 which relate to
denominations which appear on the screen. In yet another control
panel embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 14, a touch screen 290 is
used to enter no-call information concerning the bill image 291 on
the screen. The user can enter the missing information using a
keypad 293 or denomination keys 292 which appear on the touch
screen. Additionally, the user could use a standard alphanumeric
keyboard to complete the document image as required. Alternatively,
if a personal computer terminal is used, a mouse could be used to
identify and select appropriate fields. For example, if the
document were a check, the unidentified field may be the signature
field or the amount field. The user would "click" this field, and a
second screen would appear on the terminal where the missing data
would be entered. These routines could be customer-specific based
upon the customer's needs. Although FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate a
bill, in other embodiments the processing system could be used with
both currency and non-currency documents, such as checks.
[0126] The decentralized processing of financial instruments
directly at the portals where they first enter a bank's system, may
offer the following advantages: First, the information from the
incoming currency bills, checks, or other documents may be entered
into the banks accounting system at the earliest possible moment.
Second, the handling of the physical documents may be limited to
the absolute minimum legal requirements because the document images
and/or information derived from those images may be transferred to
the requisite locations. Finally, the risk of lost documents and
errors caused by mis-handeling of physical documents is minimized
because the requisite images and information from the incoming
documents are captured as soon as those documents reach one of the
bank's entry portals.
[0127] The previous description is of preferred embodiments for
implementing the invention, and the scope of the invention should
not necessarily be limited by this description. The scope of the
present invention is instead defined by the following claims.
* * * * *