Apparatus and system for imaging currency bills and financial documents and method for using the same

US8958626B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Cummins-Allison Corp. · US

Inventors

• Douglas U. Mennie · Barrington, US
• Antony D. Susai · McLeansboro, US
• William J. Jones · Kenilworth, US
• Frank M. Csulits · Gurnee, US
• Matthew L. Anderson · Salem, US
• Robert J. Klein · Chicago, US
• Ralf H. Jaeger · Kildeer, US
• David R. Badalamenti · Arlington Heights, US
• Dale E. Beutel · Grayslake, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 11, 2013
• Grant date: Feb 17, 2015
• Expiry date: Mar 11, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G07F19/202
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Currency bills are transported past an image scanner to one or more output receptacles. Each of the bills is imaged to produce image data from which a visually readable image of each bill can be reproduced. The serial number, denomination, and/or secondary identifiers of a bill is attempted to be extracted and/or determined from the image data associated with the bill. The serial number of the bill has an integer number, X, of characters. One or more of the X characters of the serial number of the currency bill is not extracted with a predetermined confidence. In response to failing to extract all of the X characters of the serial number of the bill with the predetermined confidence, a serial number field in an electronic record associated with the bill is populated with a serial number snippet image. The electronic record is stored in a non-transitory memory.