Image analysis – Applications – Reading bank checks
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-26
2004-02-24
Do, Anh Hong (Department: 2624)
Image analysis
Applications
Reading bank checks
C382S137000, C705S045000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06697512
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to imprinting complete negotiable instruments and more particularly pertains to a method of encoding and printing complete authorized checks/drafts on blank paper sheets from facsimile transmitted checks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past as in the present the exchange of funds both personal and business has been by negotiable instruments such as drafts and checks. Physical transmission and exchange of such instruments has been by mail or messenger. Such instruments for example, checks, must on their face, include at the least all the necessary information pertaining to the issuing bank and the drawer or payor of the check. In addition, the check also bears a series of magnetic ink characters identifying the issuing bank and the drawer and other information for later processing of the check by banks and the Federal Reserve System. The magnetic ink characters must be located within a specific area on the check and conform to specific standards. The payor fills in the check number, the dollar amount of the check, the name of the payee and the date as well as signing the check.
In order to shorten the transit time and thereby hasten the exchange of funds it has been a common practice send the necessary instruments by overnight mail or some other costly delivery services.
Although all businesses and most homes have ready access to facsimile machines, the use of such devices can not be employed for the transmission of checks and drafts. The banking industry system requires that certain codes be present at the bottom of the instrument in order to be accepted and processed by the banking system. These codes must be printed in a magnetic ink or toner, be very precisely positioned on the face of the check instrument and be printed in a font which demands greater resolution and reliability then can be currently produced with any presently available facsimile equipment.
Specifically, in accordance with present standards, checks and other similar commercial documents are required to meet and conform to certain standards. One such standard is Standard X9.27 entitled “Print Specifications for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition” and referred to as “MICR”. This standard is issued by the Accredited Standards Committee on Financial Services under the procedures of the American National Standards Institute and Published by the X9 Secretariat of the American Bankers Association. The specification sets forth the specific type fonts and special toners that must be used in the printing of these documents. Specification X9.13 entitled “American National Specifications for Placement and Location of MICR Printing” imposes stringent requirements for the placement of the MICR characters on checks. This specification delineates the very precise positioning of the MICR print characters relative to the edges of the check form. The specification also prohibits magnetic printing other than MICR characters within the character recognition reading area. The reading area is defined as a “Clear Band (MICR) A Band 0.625 inch high, measured from the aligning edge of the document, parallel to that edge and extending the length of the document. It is reserved for imprinting of MICR characters.”
There are presently available computer software programs and published material for converting facsimile images received on a telephone line directly into a computer memory. The received data facsimile signals are converted into digital representations of rasterized images through selected available electronic devices. In addition, currently available computer software programs and methodology enable a computer to analyze digital image representations and through the use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) techniques to convert these images in ASCII or other computer code character representations. This technique is generally used to bring facsimile transmissions into word processing and other software without requiring separately keying of the information into the system.
Laser printer technology has advanced to the point at which special toners and fonts can be used to laser print checks that meet MICR standards directly as outputted from a computer. Presently available computer software programs are capable of printing MICR encoded checks.
In those situations where even overnight delivery is not sufficiently fast, there are speedier services. One such service includes a service provider acting on behalf of a client company. A sender wishing to convey funds to the client company telephones the client company and verbally conveys the necessary bank information including processing codes, all the information found on the face of a check and authorization to draw a draft on the sender's bank. The service provider will then generate a bank draft based on the telephoned information against the sender's account and deposit the draft in the client company's bank account.
The forgoing situation readily lends itself to the generation of an incorrect draft document occasioned by the verbal transmission of the check data. For example, the operation can generate a draft in the wrong amount or against an incorrect account both of which errors can create severe problems for the parties involved. For these reasons it would be desirable generate to the draft document without any verbal communication or additional input keying.
Recent technology has made available computer driven laser printers which are capable of printing special type font characters in magnetic ink using special toners. Such printing meets the MICR standard. Presently marketed laser printers produce high quality graphics without any noticeable distortion because they print using dots with extremely close spatial relationships to other dots on the same sheet. Therefore, laser printers are capable of extreme accuracy in the placement of images with respect to other images printed on the same sheet during the same operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a method of accurately and properly printing a check on a blank paper sheet based on a graphic image representation of an original check. The laserprinted check includes the proper and accurate positioning of specific magnetic ink characters on its face.
The method of the present invention can be embodied in a single computer program or in a series of inter-related programs. In its broadest aspect, the method includes (at least) the following steps 1) inputting into a computer a graphic image of a negotiable instrument (i.e. a check) including MICR codes; 2) storing said image in a formatted image file in said computer; 3) scanning said image and identifying MICR character codes and their respective locations; 4) laser printing said MICR codes with magnetic ink, in MICR fonts in a designated “clear band” area; 5) reformatting said graphic image without the MICR character codes and 6) printing said reformatted image above said “clear band” in a position defined check zone to provide a negotiable instrument based on the originally inputted graphic image.
Although it is believed that the foregoing steps are adequate to properly practice the instant invention, additional steps can also be included to insure greater accuracy and prevent errors. Such method would include the following steps: 1) inputting into a computer a graphic image of a negotiable instrument (i.e. a check) including MICR codes; 2) storing said image in a formatted image file in said computer; 3) scanning said image and identifying MICR character codes and their respective locations; 4) identifying the MICR “routing marks” and their respective locations; 5) verifying the validity of the MICR numerical character codes associated with the “routing marks” 6) laser printing said MICR codes with magnetic ink, in MICR fonts in a designated “clear band” area; 7) reformatting said graphic image without the MICR character codes; 8) printing said reformatted image above said “clear band” in a position defined check zone to
Do Anh Hong
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Williams Gary S.
LandOfFree
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