System and method for automated deposit item handling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11145169-B2
Application number	US-201816129060-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2018
Priority date	Sep 12, 2018
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

A computer system for automatically handling and releasing funds for deposit items has a memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the system to receive an image of a cheque received and scanned by an automated teller machine (ATM) for deposit into a first account of an institution associated with the ATM. The scanned image of the cheque is analyzed to identify an institution and account on which that cheque is drawn. If that account has sufficient available funds to cover the cheque, then the first account is credited in the amount of the cheque without placing a hold on any of the credited amount and funds of the account on which the cheque is drawn are encumbered in that same amount. After crediting the first account, an indication is provided that the funds are available (e.g., to withdraw). Related methods and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system comprising:
a processor;
a communications module coupled to the processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to:
receive, using the communications module, an image of a deposit item scanned by an automated teller machine, the deposit item having been received by the automated teller machine in an automated teller machine session for deposit into a first account of a financial institution associated with the automated teller machine;
analyze the scanned image of the deposit item to identify a drawee institution for the deposit item;
determine that the drawee institution is the financial institution associated with the automated teller machine;
analyze the scanned image of the deposit item to identify a drawer account on which the deposit item is drawn at the financial institution;
confirm that the drawer account has sufficient available funds to cover an amount of the deposit item;
upon confirming that the drawer account has sufficient funds to cover the amount of the deposit item, credit the first account in the amount of the deposit item without placing a hold on any of the credited amount and encumber funds of the drawer account in the amount of the deposit item, the encumbrance being performed after and in response to receiving the image of the deposit item, the deposit item having been received by the automated teller machine for deposit; and
after crediting the first account in the amount of the deposit item, send an indication to the automated teller machine in the automated teller machine session that the amount of the deposit item is now available in the first account.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the automated teller machine is configured to display a user interface indicating that the amount of the deposit item is now available in the first account responsive to the indication.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computer system to:
receive, using the communications module, an image of a second deposit item scanned by the automated teller machine, the second deposit item having been received by the automated teller machine for deposit into the first account;
analyze the scanned image of the second deposit item to identify a drawee institution for the second deposit item;
determine that the drawee institution for the second deposit item is the financial institution associated with the automated teller machine;
analyze the scanned image of the second deposit item to identify a drawer account on which the second deposit item is drawn at the financial institution;
confirm that the drawer account on which the second deposit item is drawn does not have sufficient available funds to cover an amount of the second deposit item;
upon confirming that the drawer account on which the second deposit item is drawn does not have sufficient funds to cover the amount of the second deposit item, credit the first account in the amount of the second deposit item and place a hold on funds in the first account in the amount of the second deposit item; and
send an indication to the automated teller machine that the amount of the second deposit item is not yet available in the first account.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the deposit item includes a line of magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) characters, and wherein analyzing the scanned image of the deposit item to identify the drawee institution includes:
using optical character recognition to recognize characters of at least a portion of the MICR line; and
identifying the drawee institution based on the recognized characters.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein analyzing the scanned image of the deposit item to identify the drawer account on which the deposit item is drawn at the financial institution includes:
identifying the drawer account based on the recognized characters.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computer system to, prior to confirming that the drawer account has sufficient available funds to cover an amount of the deposit item, determine that the amount of the deposit item is less than a limit.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computer system to determine the limit based on the first account.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving an image of a deposit item scanned by an automated teller machine, the deposit item having been received by the automated teller machine in an automated teller machine session for deposit into a first account of a financial institution associated with the automated teller machine;
analyzing the scanned image of the deposit item to identify a drawee institution for the deposit item;
determining that the drawee institution is the financial institution associated with the automated teller machine;
analyzing the scanned image of the deposit item to identify a drawer account on which the deposit item is drawn at the financial institution;
confirming that the drawer account has sufficient available funds to cover an amount of the deposit item; and
upon confirming that the drawer account has sufficient funds to cover the amount of the deposit item, crediting the first account in the amount of the deposit item without placing a hold on any of funds in the first account and encumbering funds of the drawer account in the amount of the deposit item, the encumbrance being performed after and in response to receiving the image of the deposit item, the deposit item having been received by the automated teller machine for deposit; and
after crediting the first account in the amount of the deposit item, sending an indication to the automated teller machine in the automated teller machine session that the amount of the deposit item is now available in the first account.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the automated teller machine is configured to display a user interface indicating that the amount of the deposit item is now available in the first account responsive to the indication.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving an image of a second deposit item scanned by the automated teller machine, the second deposit item having been received by the automated teller machine for deposit into the first account;
analyzing the scanned image of the second deposit item to identify a drawee institution for the second deposit item;
determining that the drawee institution for the second deposit item is the financial institution associated with the automated teller machine;
analyzing the scanned image of the second deposit item to identify a drawer account on which the second deposit item is drawn at the financial institution;
confirming that the drawer account on which the second deposit item is drawn does not have sufficient available funds to cover an amount of the second deposit item;
upon confirming that the drawer account on which the second deposit item is drawn does not have sufficient funds to cover the amount of the second deposit item, crediting the first account in the amount of the second deposit item and placing a hold on funds in the first account in the amount of the second deposit item; and
sending an indication to the automated teller machine that the amount of the second deposit item is not yet available in the first account.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the deposit item includes a line of magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) characters, and wherein analyzing the scanned image of the deposit ite

Assignees

• Toronto Dominion Bank

Inventors

• Pratten A Warren
• Martin Randall Walton
• Lozon Martin Albert
• Anderson Graham Allan
• Bhadra Ratnadeep
• Mccrae James Kenneth
• D'Agostino Dino Paul

Classifications

• G06Q20/4037

  Remote solvency checks · CPC title

• G06Q20/042

  characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque · CPC title

• G07F19/206

  Software aspects at ATMs · CPC title

• G06Q20/1085

  involving automatic teller machines [ATMs] · CPC title

• G07F19/202 Primary

  Depositing operations within ATMs (depositing in general G07D11/00) · CPC title