# US 2008/0189208 A1 · Optical character reading machine having bill payment capability > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0189208 A1 - Document ID: US20080189208A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 11/702,843 - Filed: 2007-02-06 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-06 - Assignees: Xerox Corporation - Inventors: Robert Benjamin Wilkie - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080189208A1 ## CPC - G06Q 20/14: specially adapted for billing systems - G06Q 20/102: {Bill distribution or payments} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract An optical character reading machine includes at least one processor and a bill payment system. The bill payment system includes a bill scanning and bill information parsing module for: scanning a bill to obtain bill paying information; parsing the bill paying information; and verifying the bill paying information, and a bill payment module effecting a payment to a payee identified from the bill paying information. Verification is for completeness and accuracy. If the bill paying information is not complete or accurate, the user is prompted to make corrections. Either a pre-established payment method or an alternative payment method may be used to effect payment of the bill. The bill may include first and second data encoded marking codes encoding fixed and variable billing information for the bill scanning and parsing module to read and decode for effecting payment of the bill. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A machine comprising: at least one processor; and a bill payment system comprising: a bill scanning and bill information parsing module having a set of programmable instructions configured for execution by the at least one processor for: scanning a first and a second data encoded marking code of a bill to obtain bill paying information, said first and second data encoded marking codes are two dimensional codes each storing alphanumeric data; parsing the bill paying information; and verifying the bill paying information; and a bill payment module having a set of programmable instructions configured for execution by the at least one processor for: effecting a payment to a payee identified from the bill paying information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1, wherein the bill further comprises a first data encoded marking code that includes in an encoded format bill paying information that is fixed in nature, and wherein the bill scanning and parsing module has a set of programmable instructions configured for execution by the at least one processor for reading and decoding the first data encoded marking code to read the billing information that is fixed in nature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The machine according to claim 2, wherein the bill further comprises a second data encoded marking code that includes in an encoded format bill paying information that is variable in nature, and wherein the bill scanning and parsing module has a set of programmable instructions configured for execution by the at least one processor for reading and decoding the second data encoded marking code to read the billing information that is variable in nature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission module having a set of programmable instructions configured for execution by the at least one processor for transmitting a payment authorization signal for effecting payment to the payee. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1, wherein the verifying of the bill paying information includes at least one of verifying whether the bill paying information is complete and whether the bill paying information is accurate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The machine according to claim 5, wherein execution by the at least one processor of the set of programmable instructions corresponding to the bill scanning and bill information parsing module includes, wherein if the bill paying information is not complete, prompting a payer to provide missing information. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The machine according to claim 6, wherein execution by the at least one processor of the set of programmable instructions corresponding to the bill scanning and bill information parsing module includes, wherein if the bill paying information is complete, prompting a payer to confirm the accuracy of the bill paying information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The machine according to claim 7, wherein execution by the at least one processor of the set of programmable instructions corresponding to the bill payment module includes, wherein if the bill paying information is complete and accurate, identifying whether a pre-established payment method is in effect with respect to the payee identified from the bill paying information; prompting a payer to confirm whether, if a payment method has been pre-established, the pre-established payment method is to be used for issuing the payment; and prompting a payer, wherein one of a payment method has not been pre-established and a user does not confirm using the pre-established payment method for issuing the payment, for effecting payment via an alternative payment method. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1, wherein execution by the at least one processor of the set of programmable instructions corresponding to the bill scanning and bill information parsing module and of the set of programmable instructions corresponding to the bill payment module includes adding the payee to a list of authorized payees. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The machine according to claim 8, wherein execution by the at least one processor of the set of programmable instructions corresponding to the bill scanning and bill information parsing module and of the set of programmable instructions corresponding to the bill payment module includes adding at least one of the payment method and the payee to a list of authorized payment methods and payees, respectively. ### Claim 11 A method of scanning a bill and processing payment of the bill, the method comprising the steps of: scanning a first and a second data encoded marking code of a bill to obtain bill paying information, said first and second data encoded marking codes are two dimensional codes each storing alphanumeric data; parsing the bill paying information; verifying the bill paying information; and effecting a payment to a payee with respect to the bill paying information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the bill further comprises a first data encoded marking code that includes in an encoded format bill paying information that is fixed in nature, the method further comprising the step of reading and decoding the first data encoded marking code to read the billing information that is fixed in nature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the bill further comprises a second data encoded marking code that includes in an encoded format bill paying information that is variable in nature, further comprising the step of reading and decoding the second data encoded marking code to read the billing information that is variable in nature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the verifying of the bill paying information includes at least one of verifying whether the bill paying information is complete and whether the bill paying information is accurate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of, wherein if the bill paying information is not complete, prompting a payer to provide missing information. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of, wherein if the bill paying information is complete, prompting a payer to confirm the accuracy of the bill paying information. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of, wherein if the bill paying information is complete and accurate, identifying whether a pre-established payment method is in effect with respect to a payee identified from the bill paying information; prompting a user to confirm whether, if a payment method has been pre-established, the pre-established payment method is to be used for effecting the payment; and prompting a payer, wherein one of a payment method has not been pre-established and a user does not confirm using the pre-established payment method for effecting the payment, for payment via an alternative payment method. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of adding the payee to a list of authorized payees. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of adding at least one of the payment method and the payee to a list of authorized payment methods and payees, respectively. ### Claim 20 A computer-readable medium storing a set of programmable instructions configured for being executed by at least one processor for performing a method of scanning a bill and processing payment of the bill, the method comprising the steps of: scanning a first and a second data encoded marking code of a bill to obtain bill paying information, said first and second data encoded marking codes are two dimensional codes each storing alphanumeric data; parsing bill paying information from the bill; verifying the bill paying information; and effecting a payment to a payee with respect to the bill paying information. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the bill further comprises a first data encoded marking code that includes in an encoded format bill paying information that is fixed in nature, the method further comprising the step of reading and decoding the first data encoded marking code to read the billing information that is fixed in nature. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the bill further comprises a second data encoded marking code that includes in an encoded format bill paying information that is variable in nature, the method further comprising the step of reading and decoding the second data encoded marking code to read the billing information that is variable in nature. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the method is implemented such that the verifying of the bill paying information includes at least one of verifying whether the bill paying information is complete and whether the bill paying information is accurate. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The computer-readable medium according to claim 23, wherein the method further comprises the step of, wherein if the bill paying information is not complete, prompting a payer to provide missing information. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The computer-readable medium according to claim 23, wherein the method further comprises the step of, wherein if the bill paying information is complete, prompting a payer to confirm the accuracy of the bill paying information. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The computer-readable medium according to claim 25, wherein, if the bill paying information is complete and accurate, the method includes: identifying whether a pre-established payment method is in effect with respect to a payee identified from the bill paying information; prompting a payer to confirm whether, if a payment method has been pre-established, the pre-established payment method is to be used for effecting the payment; and prompting a payer, wherein one of a payment method has not been pre-established and a payer does not confirm using the pre-established payment method for effecting the payment, for payment via an alternative payment method. ### Claim 27 (depends on 20) The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the step of adding the payee to a list of authorized payees.