# US 2014/0207631 A1 · Systems and Method for Analyzing and Validating Invoices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0207631 A1 - Document ID: US20140207631A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/747,846 - Filed: 2013-01-23 - Published: 2014-07-24 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-23 - Inventors: Jason M. Fisher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140207631A1 ## CPC - G06Q 40/10: Tax strategies - G06V 30/412: Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables - 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 - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A system and method for management and processing a plurality of types of invoices at a user's site involving importing the plurality of types of invoices to provide comparable invoices and auditing the comparable invoices by performing an automated reasonability test on the comparable invoices. The system and method also provide a means for approving, processing and reporting on the comparable invoices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, execution of which, by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations comprising: identifying a vendor associated with a machine-encoded text; identifying a knowledge base associated with the vendor; extracting one or more billing components from the machine-encoded text according to the knowledge base; arranging the billing components in a hierarchical data structure; and validating the billing components arranged in the hierarchical data structure according to the knowledge base. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-readable storage device of claim 1 further comprising receiving a scanned image of an invoice and converting the scanned image into the machine-encoded text. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-readable storage device of claim 1 wherein the knowledge base comprises a template and a plurality of rules. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer-readable storage device of claim 3 wherein the template is applied to the machine-encoded text in order to locate the billing components. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The computer-readable storage device of claim 3 wherein the plurality of rules is applied to the hierarchical data structure in order to validate the billing components. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer-readable storage device of claim 1 wherein the hierarchical data structure is a XML file. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-readable storage device of claim 1 wherein each of the billing components is either a parent billing component or a child billing component. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-readable storage device of claim 1 wherein the billing components are either a charge, usage, or quantity. ### Claim 9 A method of processing invoices comprising: identifying a vendor associated with a machine-encoded text; identifying a knowledge base associated with the vendor; extracting one or more billing components from the machine-encoded text according to the knowledge base; arranging the billing components in a hierarchical data structure; and validating the billing components arranged in the hierarchical data structure according to the knowledge base. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a scanned image of an invoice and converting the scanned image into the machine-encoded text. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the knowledge base comprises a template and a plurality of rules. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the template is applied to the machine-encoded text in order to locate the billing components. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the plurality of rules is applied to the hierarchical data structure in order to validate the billing components. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the hierarchical data structure is a XML file. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein each of the billing components is either a parent billing component or a child billing component. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the billing components are either a charge, usage, or quantity. ### Claim 17 An invoice management system comprising: an optical invoice recognition engine configured to: receive machine-encoded text; identify a vendor associated with the machine-encoded text; identify a knowledge base associated with the vendor; extract one or more billing components from the machine-encoded text according to the knowledge base; and arrange the billing components in a hierarchical data structure; and an analysis engine configured to: receive the hierarchical data structure; and validate the billing components arranged in the hierarchical data structure according to the knowledge base. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The invoice management system of claim 1 further comprising an optical character recognition engine configured to receive a scanned image of an invoice and convert the scanned image into the machine-encoded text. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The invoice management system of claim 1 wherein the knowledge base comprises a template and a plurality of rules. ### Claim 20 (depends on 3) The invoice management system of claim 3 wherein the template is applied to the machine-encoded text in order to locate the billing components. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The invoice management system of claim 1 wherein the hierarchical data structure is a XML file. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The invoice management system of claim 1 wherein each of the billing components is either a parent billing component or a child billing component. ### Claim 23 (depends on 3) The invoice management system of claim 3 wherein the plurality of rules is applied to the hierarchical data structure in order to validate the billing components. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The invoice management system of claim 1 wherein the billing components are either a charge, usage, or quantity.