Document collating and inserting system having displays for document count verification

A check count verification system wherein checks associated with a statement form a check set, one or more check sets being located within a check hopper, means for imaging pre-determined count indicia provided on the statement for viewing by an operator wherein the operator initiates a cycle for count verification of individual ones of the check sets and is able to remove a mismatched document set whose actual count is unequal to the pre-determined count, comprising:

• means for displaying said imaged predetermined count indicia, said means suitable for viewing by the operator;
• first means for feeding the statement to an imaging station, said station being disposed relative to said imaging means such that said indicia may be imaged for display by said means for displaying;
• second means for feeding one or more checks as contained in said check set from said hopper to a stacking station, said second feeding means having counting means for individual ones of said checks in said check set as they are fed to determine said actual count;
• count display means responsive to said counting means for displaying said actual count for viewing by the operator;
• transport means for conveying said statement to said check set to collate said statement with said check set at said stacking station to form a final collation, said transport means further being operable for conveying said final collation to a holding station;
• first control means adapted for activation by the operator for controlling the initiation of said cycle for count verification of individual check sets, said first control means upon activation causing said transport means to convey any said final collation in said stacking station from said stacking station to said holding station, and initiating said first means for feeding said statement and said second means for feeding one or more checks pertaining to another check set for display and counting;
• and
• second control means for inhibiting said first control means adapted for activation by the operator when the mismatched document set is detected, said second control means inhibiting said first control means after said mismatched set is conveyed to said holding station and until said mismatched document set is removed therefrom by the operator.

A method for verifying a document set count in which the actual count of documents in said document set can be compared against the predetermined count of documents in the document set by a system operator, the predetermined count residing on a summary document, comprising the steps of:

• initiating a verification cycle;
• feeding the summary document to a predetermined count imaging station;
• displaying the predetermined count;
• feeding each document in the document set to a stacking station;
• counting the documents to generate the actual document set count as they are being fed;
• displaying the actual count;
• transporting at the end of a verification cycle the summary document from the imaging station to the stacking station;
• collating the summary document with an associated document set;
• and
• indicating a mismatched set prior to initiating a subsequent verification cycle in response to the operator determining that the actual count does not match the predetermined count, said mismatch switch inhibiting the further transporting of final collations from said stacking station to said holding station until the operator removes the mismatched set from said holding station.