Patent Issued for Systems and methods of check processing with background removal (USPTO 11721117): United Services Automobile Association

2023 AUG 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent by the inventors Voutour, Teddy Joseph Edmund (Helotes, TX, US), filed on February 19, 2021, was published online on August 8, 2023, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents.

Patent number 11721117 is assigned to United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Checks typically provide a safe and convenient method for an individual such as a payor to transfer funds to a payee. To use a check, the individual usually opens a checking account, or other similar account, at a financial institution and deposits funds, which are then available for later withdrawal. To transfer funds with a check, the payor usually designates a payee and an amount payable on the check. In addition, the payor often signs the check. Once the check has been signed, it is usually deemed negotiable, meaning the check may be validly transferred to the payee upon delivery. By signing and transferring the check to the payee, the payor authorizes funds to be withdrawn from the payor’s account on behalf of the payee.

“While a check may provide a payor with a convenient and secure form of payment, receiving a check may put certain burdens on the payee, such as the time and effort required to deposit the check. For example, depositing a check typically involves going to a local bank branch and physically presenting the check to a bank teller. To reduce such burdens for the payee, systems and methods have been developed to enable the remote deposit of checks. For example, the payee may scan a check in a digital image using a scanner or other imaging device and a computing device. The financial institution may then receive from the payee the digital image of the check. The financial institution may then use the digital image to credit funds to the payee.

“However, such a technique requires the efficient and accurate detection of a check in the digital image. Detecting the check image and distinguishing it from the background image in the digital image is difficult.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “An image of a check is captured by an imaging device and a digital image of the check on a replacement background may be created. The check may be placed on any background while the image of the check is being captured. The replacement background replaces, in the digital image, the background that the check is placed on while its image is being captured. The image of the check and the replacement background may be provided into a digital image file that may be transmitted to an institution system for deposit of the check into an account.

“In an implementation, a replacement background may be determined based on features of the background on which a check is placed for imaging and/or features of the check.

“In an implementation, the difference may be determined between an image of a check on a replacement background and the replacement background. The difference may be used to generate a digital image comprising only the check image or a digital image comprising the check image with a reduced amount of replacement background present in the digital image.

“In an implementation, the difference may be determined between an image of a check on a background on which the check was placed while its image was captured and the background itself. The difference may be used to generate a digital image comprising the check image without the background or with a reduced amount of background present in the digital image. In such an implementation, a replacement background may not be used.

“This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. An apparatus for replacing a background image portion of a digital image, the apparatus comprising: a memory storing executable instructions; and a processor configured to be in communication with the memory, and configured to execute the instructions to: receive the digital image, the digital image including a financial document image portion and the background image portion; detect the background image portion; select a replacement background image portion, from a plurality of predetermined background images, that provides for improved processing for retrieval of information from the financial document image portion over the background image portion; replace at least a portion of the background image portion from the digital image with at least a portion of the selected replacement background image to generate an updated digital image; and store the updated digital image in a memory in communication with the processor.

“2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to select the replacement background the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select the replacement background image portion, from the plurality of background images, that provides an increased contrast between a color of the financial document image portion and the replacement background image portion for a subsequent edge detection operation.

“3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile computing device; and further comprising a transmitter to transmit the updated digital image.

“4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to detect the background image portion by: accessing a stored background image; and detecting the background image portion by determining a difference between the stored background image and the received digital image.

“5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to replace the at least a portion of the background image portion by removing at least a portion of the background image portion by subtracting the determined difference between the stored background image and the received digital image.

“6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to replace at least a portion of the background image portion based on at least one feature of background image portion.

“7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to replace at least a portion of the background image portion based on at least one feature of the financial document image portion.

“8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to replace at least a portion of the background image portion by: analyzing at least one of the background image portion or the financial document image portion; and dynamically generating the replacement background image based on the analysis.

“9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to replace at least a portion of initial background image portion by selecting the replacement background image based on at least one difference between the background image portion and the financial document image portion.

“10. A method for replacing a background image portion of a digital image that includes a financial document image portion and the background image portion, the method comprising: in a processor: receiving the digital image, the digital image including the financial document image portion and the background image portion; detecting the background image portion; selecting a first replacement background image portion, from a plurality of background images, the first replacement background image comprising a patterned image, and determining whether the first replacement background image provides for improved processing for retrieval of information from the financial document image portion over the background image portion; when the first replacement background image provides for improved processing for retrieval of information, replacing at least a portion of the background image portion from the digital image with at least a portion of the first replacement background image to generate an updated digital image; when the first replacement background image does not provide for improved processing for retrieval of information, replacing at least a portion of the background image portion from the digital image with a second replacement background image to generate the updated digital image; and storing the updated digital image in a memory in communication with the processor.

“11. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the background image portion is based on at least one feature of the background image.

“12. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the background image portion comprises: accessing a stored background image; and detecting the background image portion by determining a difference between the stored background image and the received digital image.

“13. The method of claim 10, wherein replacing at least a portion of the background image portion comprises dynamically generating the replacement background image based on analysis of at least one of the background image portion or the financial document image portion.

“14. The method of claim 10, wherein replacing at least a portion of the background image portion comprises analyzing multiple replacement backgrounds in order to select one of the multiple replacement backgrounds as the replacement background image.

“15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second background image is a consistently colored image.

“16. The method of claim 10, wherein: the financial document image portion comprises an image of a check; and removing or replacing at least a portion of the background image portion is performed prior to transmitting the updated digital image.

“17. The method of claim 10, further comprising removing, from the updated digital image, at least a part of the first replacement background image.

“18. The method of claim 17, wherein removing, from the updated digital image, at least a part of the replacement background image comprises determining a difference between the updated digital image and the first replacement background image.

“19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining a difference between the updated digital image and the replacement background image comprises subtracting the replacement background image from the updated digital image in order to generate a final digital image comprising the financial document image portion without at least a portion of the replacement background image.

“20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions for replacing a background image portion of a digital image that includes a financial document image portion and the background image portion that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: receive the digital image, the digital image including the financial document image portion and the background image portion; detect the background image portion; select a first replacement background image portion, from a plurality of background images, the first replacement background image comprising a patterned image, and determine whether the first replacement background image provides for improved processing for retrieval of information from the financial document image portion over the background image portion; when the first replacement background image provides the improved processing, replace at least a portion of the background image portion from the digital image with at least a portion of the selected first replacement background image to generate an updated digital image; when the first replacement background image does not provide improved processing for retrieval of information, replace at least a portion of the background image portion from the digital image with a second replacement background image to generate the updated digital image; and store the updated digital image in a memory in communication with the processor.”

URL and more information on this patent, see: Voutour, Teddy Joseph Edmund. Systems and methods of check processing with background removal. U.S. Patent Number 11721117, filed February 19, 2021, and published online on August 8, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11721117)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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