Check Image Thumbnailing for Storage Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current check imaging systems in financial institutions face challenges in efficiently capturing, processing, and storing high-resolution images of financial documents, leading to significant storage space requirements and regulatory compliance issues, as they must maintain images at 200 DPI for 90 days and 7 years, without clear guidelines on the required resolution for archival purposes.
Innovation Solution
The system captures and processes images by creating thumbnail versions at lower resolutions, storing these thumbnails instead of high-resolution images, allowing for efficient storage and retrieval of check information, and recreating the original image as needed, while adhering to regulatory requirements by maintaining the high-resolution images for the initial 90-day period.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high-resolution images (200 DPI) are stored for 7-year archival period, then regulatory compliance is ensured, but storage space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage period into two distinct phases: a 90-day retention period where high-resolution images are stored, and a 7-year archival period where only low-resolution thumbnails are stored. This temporal segmentation allows compliance with the 7-year archival requirement while avoiding the excessive storage costs of maintaining high-resolution images for the entire period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the resolution parameter of stored images based on the time elapsed since capture. During the 90-day retention period, images are maintained at high resolution (200 DPI). After 90 days, the system converts and stores only low-resolution thumbnails for the remaining 6+ years of the archival period, thus reducing storage space while maintaining compliance.
2Manufacturing precision
If high-resolution images are stored for bulk retrieval, then image quality is maintained, but processing time and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary conversion of high-resolution images to low-resolution thumbnails immediately after the 90-day retention period expires. This preliminary action ensures that when bulk retrieval requests are made during the archival period, the system can quickly retrieve and transmit low-resolution thumbnails without requiring time-consuming processing of high-resolution images.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates thumbnail copies of the original high-resolution images for archival storage. These thumbnail copies serve as sufficient representations for bulk retrieval purposes, allowing the system to efficiently serve multiple retrieval requests without accessing or processing the original high-resolution images, thus reducing processing time significantly.
3Loss of information
If multiple high-resolution images are retrieved in bulk, then complete information is provided, but transmission data volume and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by determining whether low-resolution thumbnails are sufficient to meet the information needs of bulk retrieval requests. For many administrative and review purposes, thumbnails provide adequate information without requiring the full detail of high-resolution images. The system retrieves only the necessary level of detail (thumbnails) rather than excessively providing all high-resolution data, thus reducing data volume while maintaining functional adequacy.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods, and computer program products for capturing, processing, storing, and generating images of a check. In some embodiments, a system is configured to: receive, from a second apparatus, at least one request to retrieve an image of a first check and a second check; retrieve a first thumbnail version of the image of the first check; retrieve a second thumbnail version of the image of the second check; generate a document comprising the first thumbnail version and the second thumbnail version; transmit the document to the second apparatus.