Background ocr during card data entry

Abstract

Financial transaction card data can be entered by providing a picture of the card to a server programmed with a text recognition algorithm. The server can perform text recognition on the image at the same time that a consumer enters additional required data, such as a zip code. The server can perform as much text recognition processing as possible in the time the consumer is entering the additional data. Once the additional data is received, a signal can be provided to the server indicating that the user is now waiting for results of the text recognition process, meaning the server should provide them as quickly as possible. Once text recognition results are received, a consumer can make a selection to identify a character which the text recognition algorithm did not sufficiently identify. Based on known account number constraints, the user selection can cause multiple characters to be identified.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for either linking a financial transaction card to a service provided by a payment service system or for entering account data from the financial transaction card to perform a transaction, where the method includes parallel A) entry of account information performed on a mobile device of a user and B) optical text recognition processing, by a server, on an image of the financial transaction card, the method comprising:
 receiving the image of the financial transaction card with a camera of the mobile device,
 wherein receiving the image of the financial transaction card comprises providing an overlay on a screen of the mobile device showing input from the camera such that the overlay directs one or more of: card alignment, camera distance, or lighting conditions, and 
 wherein the overlay is configured to optimize image quality for recognizing account data associated with a payment account imprinted on the financial transaction card; 
   sending the image of the financial transaction card from the mobile device to a server configured to perform text recognition on images of financial transaction cards;   performing, by the server, text recognition on the image of the financial transaction card;   after receiving the image of the financial transaction card but prior to receiving, by the mobile device, a response from the server including results of the text recognition, providing a prompt to the user for account information associated with the payment account, the account information comprising: a card verification value (cvv), an expiration date, and a zip code;   receiving the cvv, expiration date, and zip code account information from the user via an on-screen keyboard of the mobile device;   upon receiving the cvv, expiration date, and zip code from the user, sending from the mobile device to the server, an indication that the user is waiting for results of the text recognition;   providing, by the server to the mobile device, multiple versions of text recognition results, wherein each version of the text recognition results is associated with a confidence score;   iterating through the received versions of the text recognition results in order of the associated confidence scores to determine which one, if any, can be used to verify account data for the payment account;   verifying the account data for the payment account, and   sending the account data for the payment account to a second server that either:
 links the financial transaction card to the service provided by the payment service system by storing the account data, in a database, with an association to the user and the service provided by the payment service system; or 
 performs the transaction using the account data. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the confidence scores assigned to each of the versions of text recognition results are assigned as part of the server performing text recognition on the image of the financial transaction; and   each confidence score is based on an estimation of the accuracy of the text recognition procedure that created the version that confidence score is assigned to.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein: verifying the account data for the payment account comprises transmitting the account data, cvv, expiration date, and zip code to a financial institution and receiving a response from the financial institution that the account data is valid. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the server continues to perform text recognition on the image of the financial transaction card until either:
 the server computes that further text recognition processing will not likely, beyond a threshold, yield an improvement to the current text recognition results; or   the server computes that a request has been received from the mobile device indicating that text recognition results are needed.   
     
     
         5 . A method for parallel entry of account information and text recognition processing on an image of a financial transaction card, the method comprising:
 receiving the image of the financial transaction card that shows printed account data associated with a payment account on the financial transaction card;   beginning to send the image of the financial transaction card to a server configured to perform text recognition on images of financial transaction cards;   providing a prompt for account information associated with the payment account;   after beginning to send the image of the financial transaction card but prior to receiving a response from the server including results of the text recognition, receiving the account information associated with the payment account;   upon receiving the account information associated with the payment account, sending to the server an indication that results of the text recognition are needed;   receiving from the sever one or more versions of text recognition results; and   determining which one, if any, of the versions of text recognition results can be used to verify account data for the payment account.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the method is performed by a mobile device. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein receiving the image of the financial transaction card comprises taking a picture using a camera integrated into the mobile device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising providing an overlay on a screen of the mobile device showing input from the camera such that the overlay directs one or more of: card alignment, camera distance, or lighting conditions. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the account information associated with the payment account comprises one or more of:
 a card verification value,   an expiration date,   a zip code,   an address,   an email address, or   a card holder name.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein determining which one, if any, of the versions of text recognition results can be used to verify account data for the payment account comprises transmitting the account data to a financial institution and receiving a response from the financial institution that the account data is valid. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the server continues to perform text recognition on the image of the financial transaction card until either:
 the server computes that further text recognition processing will not likely, beyond a threshold, yield an improvement to the current text recognition results; or   the server computes that a request has been received from the mobile device indicating that text recognition results are needed.   
     
     
         12 . A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations for parallel entry of account information and text recognition processing on an image of a financial transaction card, the operations comprising:
 receiving the image of the financial transaction card;   sending the image of the financial transaction card to a server configured to perform text recognition processing;   prior to receiving a response from the server including results of the text recognition, providing a prompt for account information for the financial transaction card, wherein the prompt is provided during one or more of: A) the sending of the image of the financial transaction card to the server, or B) a process for the text recognition, by the server, on the image of the financial transaction card;   receiving the account information for the financial transaction card;   upon receiving the account information for the financial transaction card, sending to the server an indication that results of the text recognition are needed; and   receiving from the sever, one or more versions of text recognition results.   
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12  wherein the operations further comprise iterating through the received versions of the text recognition results, and eliminating those that do not satisfy the Luhn algorithm. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12  wherein the operations further comprise receiving a user selection for a character position with a confidence score below a specified threshold in one of the one or more versions of text recognition results. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein each of the received one or more versions of text recognition results is associated with a confidence score. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the operations are performed by a mobile device. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein receiving the image of the financial transaction card comprises taking a picture using a camera integrated into the mobile device. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 17 , further comprising providing an overlay on a screen of the mobile device showing input from the camera such that the overlay directs one or more of: card alignment, camera distance, or lighting conditions. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the account information associated with the payment account comprises one or more of:
 a card verification value,   an expiration date,   a zip code,   an address,   an email address, or   a card holder name.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein determining which one, if any, of the versions of text recognition results can be used to verify account data for the payment account comprises transmitting the account data to a financial institution and receiving a response from the financial institution that the account data is valid. 
     
     
         21 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the server continues to perform text recognition on the image of the financial transaction card until either:
 the server computes that further text recognition processing will not likely, beyond a threshold, yield an improvement to the current text recognition results; or   the server computes that a request has been received from the mobile device indicating that text recognition results are needed.   
     
     
         22 . A system for parallel entry of account information and optical text recognition processing on an image of a financial transaction card comprising:
 a memory;   one or more processors;   a transceiver that receives the image of the financial transaction card from a device performing parallel entry of the account information; and   a text recognition module that performs multiple iterations of text recognition on the received image of the financial transaction card;   wherein the text recognition module continues to perform iterations of text recognition on the received image until either an indication that results of the text recognition is received by the transceiver from the device or a process executed by the processor determines that further iterations of text recognition on the received image will not further improve one or more versions of text recognition results beyond a specified threshold; and   wherein, once the text recognition module stops performing the iterations of text recognition on the received image, the transceiver sends the one or more versions of text recognition results to the device.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the iterations of text recognition on the received image of the financial transaction card identify characters corresponding to one or more of: an account number, a card holder name, an expiration date, or a cvv. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the text recognition module is further configured to eliminate, from the one or more versions of text recognition results, versions of text recognition results that do not satisfy the Luhn algorithm. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the text recognition module is further configured to eliminate, from the one or more versions of text recognition results, versions of text recognition results that do not match any known issuer identification number. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein:
 the confidence scores assigned to each of the versions of text recognition results are assigned as part of the server performing text recognition on the image of the financial transaction; and   each confidence score is based on an estimation of the accuracy of the text recognition procedure that created the version that confidence score is assigned to.