US 2004/0064407 A1 · Integrated electronic bill presentment and universal payment

Abstract

A method of integrating presentment and payment of bills is provided. Bill information, representing a first bill of a first payee, but not a second bill of a second payee, for a payor is transmitted from the service provider to the payor via the communications network. A first payment instruction to pay the first bill based on the transmitted bill information, and a second payment instruction to pay the second bill which was not transmitted to the payor by the service provuder, are received at the service provider via the communications network. Payment of the first bill to the first payee is initiated by the service provider based on the received first payment instruction. Payment of the second bill to the second payee is initiated by the service provider based upon the second payment instruction.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for presentment and payment of bills by a service provider via a communications network, comprising:

transmitting, from the service provider to a payor via the communications network, bill information representing a first bill of a first payee, but not a second bill of a second payee, for the payor;
receiving, at the service provider via the communications network, a first payment instruction to pay the first bill based on the transmitted bill information;
receiving, at the service provider via the communications network, a second payment instruction to pay the second bill;
initiating, at the service provider, payment of the first bill to the first payee based on the received first payment instruction;
and
initiating, at the service provider, payment of the second bill to the second payee based upon the second payment instruction.

3 more elements

An integrated bill presentment and payment system, comprising:

a memory configured to store bill information representing a first bill of a first payee for a payor and not a second bill of a second payee for the payor;
and
a processor configured to direct transmission of the stored bill information to the payor, to receive a first payment instruction from the payor to pay the first bill based on the transmitted bill information and a second payment instruction to pay the second bill, and to initiate payment of the first bill to the first payee based on the received first payment instruction and payment of the second bill to the second payee based upon the received second payment instruction.

An integrated billing and payment network, comprising:

a communications network;
a service provider station configured to transmit bill information representing a first bill of a first payee for a payor, but not a second bill of a second payee for the payor, via the communications network;
a first payor station configured to receive the transmitted bill information via the communications network, to present the represented first bill to the payor based on the received bill information and to transmit a first payment instruction to pay the first bill based on the presented first bill and a second payment instruction to pay the second bill, via the communications network;
wherein the service provider station is further configured to receive the first payment instruction and the second payment instruction via the communications network, and to initiate payment of the first bill to the first payee based on the received first payment instruction and the second bill to the second payee based upon the second payment instruction.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/608,413Filed 24 Nov 2003

Priority

25 Jul 1991

Published

1 Apr 2004

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

G06Q 30/04
Commerce: billing or invoicing
G06Q 20/04
Payment architectures, schemes or protocols: payment circuits
G06Q 20/0855
Involving remote charge determination or related payment systems: involving a third party
G06Q 20/10
Payment architectures: specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems

Family

Application07/736,071Continuation · filed 25 Jul 1991

Application08/372,620Continuation · filed 13 Jan 1995

Application09/034,561Division · filed 3 Mar 1998

Application09/250,711Continuation · filed 16 Feb 1999

Application09/795,314Continuation · filed 1 Mar 2001

Application09/795,314Division · filed 1 Mar 2001

Application10/608,413Continuation · filed 24 Nov 2003

US 2002/0010677 A1Published application

US 5,383,113 ARelated patent

US 5,873,072 ARelated patent

US 6,289,322 B1Related patent

US 2004/0064407 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Integrated electronic bill presentment and universal payment

Life of this patent

Integrated electronic bill presentment and universal payment

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20