In a process similar to banks accepting check deposits through ATM machines, the Mitek technology allows users to deposit personal or business checks into their bank or credit union accounts from anywhere at any time simply by snapping pictures of the checks with their smartphone cameras. The now-patented mobile banking application relies on Mitek's expertise in image-analysis and processing software for camera-equipped smartphones, including iPhone, BlackBerry and devices on the Android and Windows Mobile platforms.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Mitek patent No. 7,778,457 on Aug. 17.

"We're pleased to receive the U.S. Patent Office's formal notice that our Mobile Deposit application is now a patented capability," said Mitek President and CEO James DeBello. "We purposely made it user-friendly, accurate and secure, and we invested a lot of thought leadership, time and dollars into making Mobile Deposit a distinctive way to deposit checks for the millions of people who have embraced smartphones and the apps that make them so useful."

Mobile Deposit is a highly secure, accurate and easy-to-use application that allows users to initiate mobile-deposit sessions, key in deposit amounts and simply snap photos of both sides of the checks with their smartphone cameras. The Mitek software captures the check images and prepares them for transmission to the financial institution's receiving RDC solution.

The patent covers the process of capturing a color image of a financial document using a mobile device and then transmitting the image to a server where the image can be manipulated such that information in the financial document can be interpreted and retrieved by the financial institution's remote deposit capture capabilities. The patent also covers the steps of detecting the financial document in the image, converting the image and correcting the orientation and size of the image.

Before transmitting, Mitek's IMagePROVE™ technology formats the s the check images, automatically corrects any image distortions or skewing, and confirms that the images meet accepted image-quality standards. After the checks are submitted successfully, users receive instant communications back from their banks, resulting in rapid access to funds or timely payments.

Customer submissions of check images via Mobile Deposit are typically accepted successfully about 95 percent of the time on the first try. The success rate of Mobile Deposit, along with the application's ease of use and security, are among the chief reasons why it has been adopted by all major technology solutions and applications services providers to the financial services industry.