A system for processing handwritten bank checks automatically

In the US and many other countries, bank checks are preprinted with the account number and the check number in MICR ink and format; as such, these two numeric fields can be easily read and processed using automated techniques. However, the amount field on a filled-in check is usually read by human eyes, and involves significant time and cost, especially when one considers that about 68 billion checks are processed per annum in the US alone. The system described in this paper uses the scanned image of a bank check to "read" the check. There are four main stages in the system that focus on: the detection of courtesy amount block within the image; the segmentation of string into characters; the recognition of isolated characters; and the postprocessing process that ensures correct recognition. The detection of courtesy amounts is performed using heuristic rules. These rules are applied after processing the image to translate the set of gray pixels into groups of pixels, which a...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: IVC
• Authors: Rafael Palacios, Amar Gupta
• Keywords: Bank Check, Check Number, Isolated Characters, IVC 2008