Patent Publication Number: US-2009226072-A1

Title: Operator methods for a centralized keying and balancing site and a number of remote image-based check processing sites

Description:
BACKGROUND  
     The present invention relates to check processing, and is particularly directed to operator methods for a centralized keying and balancing site and a number of remote image-based check processing sites. 
     A typical image-based check processing site includes a check processing transport which has a document track and a number of check processing modules positioned along the document track for performing specific document processing operations on document items including checks moving downstream along the document track. A transport processor executes a transport application program which is stored in memory to control operation of devices contained within the check processing modules positioned along the document track and thereby to control operation of the check processing transport. 
     A typical check processing transport includes a hopper into which a stack of document items is placed. An operator initially prepares the document items (e.g., orienting document items properly (forwards and right-side up), removing staples, removing paper clips, straightening bent corners, and the like) before they are placed into the hopper. A document feeder adjacent the hopper selectively feeds or drives each document item from the stack of document items in the hopper to transport the document item from the upstream end to the downstream end along the document track past an image capture device and a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) reader. The image capture device captures an image of the front of the document item and an image of the back of the document item. The MICR reader reads a codeline from each document item. The document items are eventually transported to sorting pockets of a pocket device located at the downstream end of the document track. The pockets receive document items which have been sorted based upon the particular transport application program. 
     At known image-based check processing sites, operators working at a keying and balancing workstation perform the functions of amount keying, codeline completion, balancing, and expert balancing. The three functions of amount keying, codeline completion, and balancing do not require an operator to have access to the physical checks which have been processed through the check processing transport. These operators perform these three functions using images of the document items. However, the function of expert balancing requires an operator to have access to the physical checks which have been processed through the check processing transport. 
     The keying and balancing workstation at known image-based check processing sites is located at the same location as the check processing transport. However, at some known image-based check processing sites, the three functions of amount keying, codeline completion, and balancing are located at a site remote from location of the check processing transport. Since the function of expert balancing requires operator-access to physical checks at the check processing transport, this function remains at the location of the check processing transport. 
     There has been a trend in financial institutions, such as large banks, moving their operations staff to a centralized site. The operations staff at the centralized site handles the three functions of amount keying, codeline completion, and balancing for a multiple number of check processing transports at different locations. It would be desirable for these financial institutions to also be able to move the expert balancing function, or at least a portion of it, to the centralized site. 
     SUMMARY  
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided of an operator at one of a plurality of remote image capture sites. The one remote image capture site provides units of work to be processed by an operator at a centralized keying and balancing site which is remote from the one remote image capture site. The method of the operator at the one remote image capture site comprises receiving a unit of work which has been flagged by the operator processing the unit of work at the centralized keying and balancing site, retrieving at least one physical check based upon the unit of work which has been flagged by the operator processing the unit of work at the centralized keying and balancing site, and making a correction to the unit of work based upon the retrieved physical check. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       In the accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic block representation of a centralized keying and balancing site and a number of remote image-based check processing sites in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed schematic block representation of a check processing transport located at one of the remote image-based check processing sites shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed view of different types of pockets of a pocket device shown in the check processing transport shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart depicting steps taken by an operator located at the centralized keying and balancing site shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart depicting steps taken by an operator located at one of the plurality of remote image-based check processing sites shown in  FIG. 1  after steps shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 4  have been taken; and 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart depicting further steps taken by an operator located at the centralized keying and balancing site shown in  FIG. 1  after the steps shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 5  have been taken. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     The present invention is directed to operator methods for a centralized keying and balancing site and a number of remote image-based check processing sites. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , each of a plurality of remote image capture sites  10   a ,  10   b  is located remotely from a data center site  4  and a centralized keying and balancing site  6 . Although only two remote image capture sites (i.e.,  10   a  and  10   b ) are shown in  FIG. 1 , it is conceivable that there could be any number more than two sites. The remote image capture sites  10   a ,  10   b  are similar. For simplicity, only the remote image capture site  10   a  will be described. An image-based check processing transport  12  is located at the site  10   a.  Also, a “physical repair/completion (PRC)” terminal  90  is located at the site  10   a.  Functionality and operation of the PRC terminal  90  will be described in detail later. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a detailed schematic block representation of the check processing transport  12  located at the site  10   a  is illustrated. The specific construction and use of check processing transport  12  may vary. The check processing transport  12  may be, for example, a sorting machine or a proof machine wherein financial document items are processed in a bank. The financial document items may be in any number of forms. For example, a financial document item may be in the form of a check, a deposit slip, a cash-in slip, or a cash-out slip. 
     The check processing transport  12  has a document track  14  along which financial document items, such as checks, can be transported from an upstream end to a downstream end. The transport  12  includes a number of different check processing modules positioned along the document track  14 . Each check processing module includes a number of devices associated with the particular check processing module for performing specific document processing operations on document items moving along the document track. The transport  12  includes a hopper  16  into which a stack of financial document items including checks are placed. A document feeder  18  adjacent the hopper  16  selectively feeds or drives each document item from the stack of document items in the hopper to transport the document item from the upstream end to the downstream end along the document track  14 . 
     A codeline reader  20 , such as a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) reader, is located along the document track  14 . The MICR reader  20  reads a MICR codeline from each check being processed in a known manner. Alternatively, the codeline reader may be an OCR reader instead of a MICR reader depending upon the particular application. An image capture device  22  is located along the document track  14 . The image capture device  22  captures images of the front and rear of each document item for a number of different purposes well known in the financial industry. More specifically, the image capture device  22  includes a front imaging camera and a rear imaging camera (both not shown) which are controlled to capture images of document items moving along the document track  14 . The structure and operation of MICR readers, OCR readers, and imaging cameras are well known and, therefore, will not be described. 
     The check processing transport  12  may optionally include an encoder  24 , an endorser  26 , or a bank stamper  28 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The encoder  24  encodes missing fields on each check. The endorser  26  applies an endorsement in a known manner to each check. The bank stamper  28  stamps each check to identify the bank institution processing the check. The structure and operation of encoders, endorsers, and bank stampers are well known and, therefore, will not be described. Processed checks are then directed along the document track  14  to a pocket device  30 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pocket device  30  includes a number of different types of pockets into which document items are pocketed. As an example, three types of pockets are shown in  FIG. 3 . The three types of pockets include on-us pockets  31 , transit pockets  32 , and a reject pocket  33 . By way of example, there are “M” number of on-us pockets, and “N” number of transit pockets shown in  FIG. 3 . The structure and operation of the pockets  31 ,  32 ,  33  in the pocket device  30  are well known and, therefore, will not be described. Also, the functionality of the on-us pockets  31 , the transit pockets  32 , and the reject pocket  33  is well known and, therefore, will not be described. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , a transport operator interface  43  communicates via signals on line  44  with a transport processor  42 . An operator interface  43  may include a keyboard, a mouse, and a display, all of which communicate via signals with the transport processor  42 . The transport processor  42  controls operation of the transport  12  via signals on line  45 . Suitable processors and memories are readily available in the marketplace. Their structure and operation are well known and, therefore, will not be described. 
     A transport memory  46  communicates via signals on line  47  with the transport processor  42 . The memory  46  may comprise a single memory unit or a plurality of different memory units. An executable transport application program is stored in the memory  46 . The transport application program is associated with a particular type of document processing work. For example, one type of work is proof of deposit. Another type of work is remittance processing. Still another type of work may be sorting of document items. 
     When the transport application program is executed, the devices contained within the check processing modules lying along the document track  14  are controlled to process document items moving downstream along the document track in accordance with the transport application program, as is known. The memory  46  may store sequence numbers, MICR codelines, and image data associated with document items which have been processed in accordance with the transport application program. If applicable, the memory  46  may also store encoder status, endorsement status, or bank stamp status. 
     Data stored in the memory  46  is also transmitted to and stored on a number of servers  5  located at the data center site  4 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Operators working on image display terminals (IDTs)  7  located at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  can access the data stored on the servers  5  located at the data center site  4 . The operators working at the IDTs  7  perform known keying and balancing functions. These known functions include (i) amount keying in which an operator manually completes the amount of debit items and credit items, (ii) codeline completion in which an operator manually completes a MICR codeline which identifies a particular transaction item, and (iii) balancing in which an operator balances out-of-proof transactions. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an operator working at one of the IDTs  7  located at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  also performs another function which comprises at least a portion of the function of expert balancing. In known systems, the function of expert balancing is performed entirely at the remote image capture site  10   a.  In this embodiment of the present invention, the operator working at the one of the IDTs  7  located at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  performs at least a portion of the function of expert balancing, and another operator working at the PRC terminal  90  located at the data center site  4  performs other portions of the function of expert balancing. Accordingly, both operators co-operate to perform the function of expert balancing. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a flowchart  100  depicts steps taken by an operator working at the centralized keying and balancing site  6 . The operator retrieves units of work to be processed from servers  5  at the data center site  4  (step  102 ). These units of work have been previously transmitted from the remote image capture site  10   a  to the servers  5  as previously described hereinabove. The operator performs at least some expert balancing steps on the retrieved units of work (step  104 ). 
     The operator then makes a determination as to whether access to a physical check is required to complete the expert balancing function (step  106 ). If the determination in step  106  is negative (i.e., no access to a physical check is required), then the process proceeds to step  108 . A determination is made in step  108  as to whether there is more expert balancing work for the operator at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  to be performed. If the determination in step  108  is affirmative (i.e., there is more work to perform), then the process returns back to step  102  for the operator to retrieve more expert balancing work to do. Otherwise, the process terminates. 
     However, if the determination back in step  106  is affirmative (i.e., access to at least one physical check is required), then the process proceeds to step  110  to flag the unit of work as needing access to a physical check to complete expert balancing. After the unit of work has been flagged, the process proceeds to step  112  in which the flagged unit of work is transmitted to the data center site  4  to store the flagged unit of work at the servers  5 . These flagged units of work stored at the servers can be accessed by an operator working at the remote image capture site  10   a  for the purpose of resolving expert balancing issues associated with these flagged units of work, as will be described hereinbelow in the flowchart of  FIG. 5 . 
     After the flagged units of work have been transmitted to the servers  5  at the data center site  4 , the process then proceeds to step  108  to make a determination as to whether there are more expert balancing work for the operator at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  to be performed. If the determination in step  108  is affirmative (i.e., there is more work to perform), then the process returns back to step  102  to retrieve more expert balancing work to do. Otherwise, the process terminates. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a flowchart  200  depicts steps taken by the operator working at the remote image capture site  10   a.  The operator retrieves from the servers  5  of the data center site  4  units of work which have been previously flagged by the operator at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  (step  202 ). The operator then retrieves any physical checks or checks as needed to resolve expert balancing related issues in connection with each flagged unit of work (step  204 ). 
     The operator working at the remote image capture site  10   a  may make corrections to resolve expert balancing related issues. As an example, the operator may need to rescan a physical check to reimage the check to resolve an issue. As another example, the operator may need to inspect physical checks for a piggyback condition. Still as another example, the operator may need to look at a physical check because certain colors (usually light colors) which are unable to be image lifted. 
     The operator at the remote image capture site  10   a  marks each unit of work which has been resolved back in step  204  to identify these units of work as having been resolved (step  206 ). The operator then transmits these marked units of work back to the servers  5  of the data center site  4  (step  210 ). These marked units of work stored at the servers  5  can be accessed by the operator working at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  for the purpose of performing further expert balancing steps to complete the expert balancing function on these marked units of work, as will be described hereinbelow in the flowchart of  FIG. 6 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a flowchart  300  depicts further steps taken by the operator working at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  after the operator working at the remote image capture site  10   a  has performed the steps shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 5 . The operator retrieves from the servers  5  at the data center site  4  units of work which have been previously resolved and marked by the operator at the remote image capture site  10   a  (step  302 ). The operator then performs other expert balancing steps as required for these marked units of work to complete the expert balancing function on the marked units of work (step  304 ). 
     After the expert balancing function has been completed, a determination is made in step  306  as to whether there are any more units of work to be processed. If the determination in step is affirmative (i.e., there are more units of work to be processed), then the process returns back to  302  to allow the operator at the remote image capture site  10   a  to retrieve other units of work. However, if the determination in step  306  is negative (i.e., there are no more units of work to be processed), then the process terminates. 
     It should be apparent that the expert balancing function has been divided between an operator working at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  and another operator working at the remote capture site  10   a.  Both operators co-operate to perform and complete the expert balancing function which was previously performed by only operators located at the remote capture site  10   a.  Examples of expert balancing situations which require the operator at the remote capture site  10   a  to have access to the physical checks include the following: (i) a need to see information which is not available on a check image (e.g., a check written in light colored ink), (ii) a need to moved check items from one physical tray to another physical tray, (iii) a need to resolve piggybacked items, (iv) a need to physically rescan a check, and (v) a need to obtain additional information which may not be available at the centralized site  6  (e.g., full page listings or adding machine tapes not scanned with checks). 
     Although the above description describes the remote image capture site  10   a  as comprising the image-based check processing transport  12 , it is conceivable the site may comprise a device other than a check processing transport. The device may comprise any type of device with check image lift capability. As an example, the device may comprise a check image lift device located at an automated teller machine (ATM). As another example, the device may comprise a check image lift device located at a branch of a bank. Still as another example, the device may comprise an electronic device which captures check images and provides electronic image files in a predefined format such as an X9.37 standards file. 
     Also, although the above description describes the operator at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  manually flagging units of work, it is conceivable that units of work may be automatically flagged instead of manually flagged. As an example, a reimage request could be automatically generated for a particular item which is being processed. As a result of the reimage request being generated, the particular item would be flagged and subsequently transmitted to the data center site  4 . Moreover, it is conceivable that all steps performed by the operator at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  and all steps performed at the remote image capture site  10   a  (except for the manual steps of the operator retrieving a number of physical checks and making subsequent corrections) may be performed automatically without human intervention. 
     Further, although the above description describes one of the operators working at the IDTs  7  located at the centralized keying and balancing site  6  performing a portion of the expert balancing function, it is conceivable that more than one of the operators perform this function. It is also conceivable that the one or more operators working at the IDTs  7  may be dedicated to only performing only at least some portion of the expert balancing function and not any other function. 
     It should also be noted that the data center site  4  and the centralized keying and balancing site  6  are usually located remote from each other. However, it is conceivable that the sites  4 ,  6  are at the same location. 
     The particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention. From the above description, those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates will perceive improvements, changes and modifications. Numerous substitutions and modifications can be undertaken without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such improvements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art to which the present invention relates are intended to be covered by the appended claims.