Abstract: A method of operating a distributed image capture proof-of-deposit system having a central processing site and a number of branches connected via a network with the central processing site comprises the steps of (a) capturing images of items at a branch without use of physical tracer items at the branch, and (b) transferring the images captured at the branch via the network to the central processing site. At least some images at the central processing site are processed using logical tracer items which have been inserted at the central processing site.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing documents comprising a unit for reading machine-readable data and for generating image data from the documents as the documents are moved along a track in operative relationship therewith. The unit also includes recognition circuitry receiving the image data and a portion of the machine-readable data to produce recognition data along with confidence level data relative to the recognition data for each document. A control processor is used for storing the machine-readable data, image data, recognition data, and confidence level data by an identification number which is assigned thereto by the control processor for each corresponding document.

Abstract: A document sorting process utilizes existing or natural incoming sequences of documents each of which includes a sort key code thereon and which are sequentially arranged in accordance with a trace, locate and retrieve number (TLR). The documents are machine-sorted by the sort key code in numerical sequence and the corresponding trace, locate and retrieve number is checked for ascending or descending order. Whenever the trace, locate and retrieve number is seen in ascending order, the created sort number remains the same, whereas on a descending record the sort number is incremented by one digit. A reduction in the number of sort numbers reduces the passes required for physically sorting the documents.