Abstract:
A system for collating cheques (or other sheets bearing an account number), feeds cheques in a batch of cheques. The system reads the account number of each cheque in the batch and counts the number in the batch. This is compared with corresponding information on an associated account statement. On a mis-match, action is taken (e.g., an alarm is raised).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a system and method for collating sheets, each bearing an account number.  
           [0002]    Business cheques, after clearing, are typically returned to the business with a copy of an account statement providing a summary of the cheques. This summary includes the account number on which the cheques were written and the number of cheques included with the statement.  
           [0003]    Currently, used cheques are typically pre-sorted by company then manually associated with the proper account statement and inserted in an envelope.  
           [0004]    In U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,359 to Luperti, bank cheques belonging to a cheque batch are fed, counted and stacked while the associated statement is fed to an imaging station. At the imaging station, a number representing the number of cheques summarised on the statement is imaged and displayed. An operator makes a visual comparison of the displayed imaged number and the number of cheques actually counted. If these numbers match, the operator initiates a cycle whereby the statement and cheques are collated.  
           [0005]    There remains a need for an automated system for accurately collating cheques and other negotiable instruments with statements.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0006]    A system for collating cheques (or other sheets bearing an account number), feeds cheques in a batch of cheques so that the batch is synchronised with a conveyed associated document (e.g., account statement). The system reads the account number of each cheque in the batch and counts the number in the batch. This is compared with corresponding information on the associated document. On a mis-match, action is taken (e.g., an alarm is raised, for example a signal is given to a parent machine).  
           [0007]    According to the invention, there is provided a system for collating sheets each bearing an account number, comprising: a feeder for singly feeding sheets; a detector for detecting fed sheets; a reader for reading an account number on said fed sheets; an accumulator downstream of said feeder for accumulating sheets into a stack and for conveying each accumulated stack downstream; a processor for: receiving an account number and batch size read from each of a plurality of documents on a document conveyor; obtaining a batch count for a given batch of sheets based on indications from said detector; receiving from said reader said account number read from each sheet of said given batch; comparing said received indication of a batch quantity read from one of said documents with said batch count obtained for said given batch; comparing said received account number read from said one of said documents with said account number read from each sheet in said given batch; and acting based on each said comparing.  
           [0008]    According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for collating sheets each bearing an account number, comprising: a feeder for singly feeding sheets; a detector and reader for detecting fed sheets and for reading an account number on said fed sheets; an accumulator downstream of said feeder for accumulating sheets into a stack and for conveying each accumulated stack downstream; a processor for: receiving an account number and batch size read from each of a plurality of documents on a document conveyor; obtaining a batch count for a given batch of sheets based on indications from said detector and reader; receiving from said detector and reader said account number read from each sheet of said given batch; comparing said received indication of a batch quantity read from one of said documents with said batch count obtained for said given batch; comparing said received account number read from said one of said documents with said account number read from each sheet in said given batch; and acting based on each said comparing.  
           [0009]    According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for collating sheets each bearing an account number, comprising: singly feeding sheets from a stack; detecting sheets fed from said stack; reading an account number on said sheets fed from said stack; receiving an account number and batch size read from each of a plurality of documents on a document conveyor; obtaining a batch count for a given batch of sheets based on said detecting; comparing said received indication of a batch quantity read from one of said documents with said batch count obtained for said given batch; comparing said received account number read from said one of said documents with said account number read from each sheet in said given batch; and acting based on each said comparing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    In the figures which illustrate an example embodiment of the invention,  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system made in accordance with this invention,  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the system of FIG. 1, and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of the processor of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    Turning to FIG. 1, a system  10  for collating sheets bearing account information comprises, in downstream order, feeder  12 , reader  14 , detector  16 , diverter  18 , and accumulator  20 .  
         [0015]    The feeder  12  may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,983 to Long, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, and have a pulsed feed wheel  24  which forms a nip with a lower conveyor  26 . A stepper motor  28  selectively rotates the pulsed feed wheel through consecutive arcs. The stepper motor receives a control input from a processor  30 . A stack  31  of sheets  32  rests on lower conveyor  26  of the feeder.  
         [0016]    Where sheets  32  of the stack comprise bank cheques, traveller&#39;s cheques, or other negotiable instruments bearing account information, the account information is typically printed with magnetic ink in a character set suitable for magnetic ink character recognition (MICR). In such case, reader  14  may be any suitable MICR reader.  
         [0017]    Detector  16  may comprise a light source  34  below a sheet conveyor  38  for providing a light beam to a photocell  36  above sheet conveyor  38 . Processor  30  receives an output from photocell  36 . Each time a sheet  32  interrupts the light beam from light source  34  to photocell  36 , the photocell provides an indication to processor  30 . As described more fully hereinafter, photocell  36  will also send indications to processor  30  when detecting pre-defined characteristics on special marker sheets  76  (FIG. 2) which are provided between batches.  
         [0018]    Diverter  18  may have a cantilevered trap door  42  which opens upwardly when the diverter is prompted by processor  30 . When open, the trap door deflects a sheet  76  downwardly onto diversion conveyor  44  and into bin  46 .  
         [0019]    Accumulator  20  may comprise an actuator  48  and a reciprocating table  50 . The actuator receives a control input from processor  30  to actuate the reciprocating table  50 . A stripper finger  52  extends to the table in order to strip any accumulated stack of sheets  32  off the table  50  when the table is retracted.  
         [0020]    A motor  58  driving lower conveyor  26  and sheet conveyor  38  receives a control input from processor  30 . A conveyor speed indicator  57 , which may be a rotary encoder, outputs a conveyor speed signal to processor  30 . Processor has a control input to an alarm  59 , which may be an audible alarm.  
         [0021]    A document conveyor  60  extends below collating system  10  and under table  50 . Document conveyor  60  has flights  62  defining zones, each of which may carry a document  66  in downstream direction D. A reader  68  is positioned over the document conveyor and outputs to the processor  30 . A document conveyor sensor  70 , which may be a photocell, sends a “document present” signal to processor  30  indicating a document is at an insertion station  80 . A controller  84  controls the document conveyor  60  and is connected for communication with processor  30 .  
         [0022]    The program control for processor  30  may be loaded from computer software medium  74  which may be, for example, a diskette, CD-ROM, or a file downloaded from a remote source.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 illustrates a section of sheet conveyor  38  in plan view. Conveyor  38  carries sheets  32  and marker sheets  76 . Each sheet  32  has an account number field  33  whereat an account number is printed. Each marker sheet  76  has a pre-defined characteristic in the nature of a hole  78  punched through it proximate its leading edge.  
         [0024]    To prepare for operation, the processor is loaded with an indication of the distance between detector  16  and insertion station  80  as well as with the distance between detector  16  and diverter  18 . Batches of sheets  32  are stacked one on top of the next so as to mirror the intended order for documents  66 , with a marker sheet  76  on each batch. The resulting stack  31  of sheets is loaded into feeder  12 .  
         [0025]    With reference to FIG. 3, along with FIGS. 1 and 2, in operation, when a document  66   a  passes under reader  68 , processor  30  receives an indication of an account number on the document and an indication of a number representing the number of sheets  32  in a batch which is associated with the document: the batch size (S 312 ).  
         [0026]    When not inhibited by processor  30 , the feeder motor  28  and sheet conveyor motor  58  operate at a fairly constant rate to feed sheets onto and along conveyor  38 . As sheets  32  pass under reader  14 , the reader reads an indication of the account number on these sheets and passes this to processor  30  (S 320 ). An indication is received by the processor each time a sheet  32  or  76  passes detector  16 . When a marker sheet  76  passes detector  16 , processor  30  receives two pulses in quick succession: one when the leading edge of sheet  76  interrupts the light beam to photocell  36  and a second when the beam is again interrupted after passing through hole  78  in the sheet. The processor interprets this series of two pulses as an “end of batch” signal. Thus, the processor increments a batch count each time it receives a pulse from detector  16  (S 324 ) until it receives an “end of batch” signal (S 326 ). The “end of batch” signal apprises the processor that a marker sheet  76  is under detector  16 . It also indicates that the entire batch has now passed the detector  16  so that the processor has the final batch size (S 328 ).  
         [0027]    On receiving the “end of batch” signal, the processor  30  monitors the speed of sheet conveyor  38  based on signals from speed indicator  57  (S 332 ). The processor has been loaded with the length of conveyor  38  between the detector  16  and the diverter  18 . Thus, the processor can appropriately time the diverter to divert the marker sheet (which resulted in the “end-of-batch” signal) to bin  46  (S 334 ). Further, the processor has been loaded with the length of conveyor  38  between the detector  16  and the accumulator  50 . Thus, the processor will also know that the last sheet of the batch has reached accumulator  50  once the portion of the conveyor  38  on which the marker sheet rested has moved to the end of the conveyor. Once this occurs, the processor  30  sends a “batch present” signal to a controller for document conveyor  60  (S 336 ). The processor may also stop feeder motor  28  and sheet conveyor motor  58  in order to stop feeder  12  and conveyor  38  (S 340 ).  
         [0028]    The processor knows that the first batch of sheets is intended to be associated with the first document  66  on conveyor  60 . Thus, after stopping the feeder and conveyor, it awaits the first “document present” signal from sensor  70  indicating the presence of the first document  66   a  at the insertion station  80  (S 342 ). Upon receipt of this signal, the processor controls actuator  48  to retract table  50  (S 344 ). Stripper finger  52  then strips the batch from the table and it falls onto document conveyor  60  between the pair of flights  62  forming the zone in which the associated document  66  is located.  
         [0029]    Because the processor knows the first batch is associated with the first document reaching the insertion station, it similarly knows the intended association for subsequent batches and documents.  
         [0030]    If the processor  30  receives a “document present” signal from sensor  70  before it stops the feeder and sheet conveyor, it causes the table to reciprocate as soon as the batch has been accumulated on the table and allows the feeder and conveyor to continue to run in order to begin accumulation of the next batch (S 338 ,  346 ). In a situation where the processor  30  has not sent a “batch present” signal to the controller  84  by the time a document is at the insertion station, the controller  84  temporarily stops document conveyor  60 . With this operation, the system can accommodate variations from batch to batch in batch sizes.  
         [0031]    If the account number read from any sheet  32  in a batch does not match that read from the associated document  66 , the processor may stop the feeder  12  and conveyor  38  and activate alarm  59  (S 322 ). Also, if the number of sheets counted for a batch is not the same as the batch size read from the associated document  60 , again the processor may stop the feeder  12  and conveyor  38  and activate audible alarm  59  (S 330 ).  
         [0032]    Optionally, the processor could be loaded with the distance between the reader  68  of document conveyor  60  and the insertion station  80  and receive a document conveyor speed signal in order to track the progress of documents  66  from the reader to the insertion station. In this case, the collator  10  could be modified so that the processor  30  controlled the speed of the feeder  12  and sheet conveyor  38  in order that the entire first batch was stacked on table  50  by the time the associated document reaches insertion station  80 . Given this optional operation, it is noted that as soon as the processor receives a batch size from document reader  68 , the processor will know how many sheets it should have to feed from stack  31 . This would assist the processor in determining an appropriate speed of feeding and conveying of the sheets to table  50 . With this operation, it will be apparent that the speed of feeding and conveying of sheets varies, as necessary, so that an entire batch which is associated with a document  66  is stacked on table  50  when the document reaches the insertion station  80 .  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 2, sheets  32  are oriented lengthwise on conveyor  38 . If reader  14  can read an account number oriented transversely to the downstream direction D, then sheets  32  may, instead, be oriented so that their length dimension is transverse to the downstream direction D. This allows a greater number of sheets  32  on any given length of sheet conveyor  38 .  
         [0034]    Optionally, the detector  16  may be a counter which counts each sheet until encountering a marker sheet, which re-initialises the count. Optionally, the detector  16  may comprise a vision system rather than a photocell. Optionally, the reader  14  could comprise a vision system rather than a MICR reader in which case the detector and reader could be combined in one vision system.  
         [0035]    Other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and, therefore, the invention is defined in the claims.