Apparatus and method for processing of check batches in banking operations

A system for processing work items, said work items having information printed in a MICR format thereon, said work items being accumulated in batches at remote sites according to work item information categories, said work items being transferred to a processing facility, said system comprising:

• a batch slip associated with each batch, said batch slip having information preprinted thereon in a first readable format and in a MICR format, said information including at least a sequence number identifying said remote site at which said batch work items are accumulated and a work item category for the associated work item batch;
• a central processing unit;
• at least one reader responsive to said first readable format for extracting and transferring information from said batch slip to said central processing system, said batch slip being read by said at least one reader at a plurality of preselected junctures in said processing work items, an identification of a reading juncture being stored with a batch slip identification each time said batch slip is read;
• and
• at least one MICR reader responsive to MICR fields for extracting and transferring information from said work items and said batch slip to said central processing unit, wherein identifying information extracted from said batch slip is stored together with information from work items associated with said batch slip.

The method of processing work items from remote sites, said work items having information in a high-speed image character recognition format printed thereon;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• dividing sad work items into batches at said remote site, each batch having work items having one of a plurality of selected informational characteristics;
• coupling a batch slip to each batch, said each batch slip including at least a sequence number printed thereon, said sequence number printed in a first machine readable format and in said image character recognition format, said sequence number identifying a remote location and a selected informational characteristic;
• reading said sequence number having said first machine readable format from a batch slip at a predetermined juncture in said processing work items associated with said batch slip;
• reading said printed information having said image character recognition format on work items of said batch coupled to said batch slip from which said sequence number was read;
• and
• transferring information from said reading steps to a central processing unit, wherein identifying parameters of said processing work items and parameters of said work items are stored in a together with said batch slip sequence number.