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US 5,616,902 AGranted
Bill pay system and method
AssigneeLottery Enterprises Inc.
InventorsRobert B. Cooley, Robert L. Burr
Life of this patent
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AssigneeLottery Enterprises Inc.
InventorsRobert B. Cooley, Robert L. Burr
Estimating the term…
A system of remotely distributed machines is provided for paying bills issued by each of several different remote issuers, such as telephone, electricity, gas, and electric utilities. Each machine preferably has its own computer, a bar-code scanner, and means for accepting payments, preferably in cash. A bill is inserted by the user into the bar-code scanner, which reads the identity of the issuer, the amount owed, and the due date for payment, etc. The user deposits payment into the machine, preferably in cash, and the computer in each machine gives credit for payments made, computes the amount of any late penalties, and computes the balance due. The credits are stored in the machine and the information is conveyed to the proper one of the different issuers. The funds are collected regularly from the machines and credited to the accounts of the different issuers in accordance with the issuer identification data and credits stored in the machine.
A bill paying machine for the payment of bills bearing bar-coded information regarding the bill owed and the person or entity owing it, said machine comprising, in combination, a support structure, a bar-code scanner secured to said structure, a payment accepting device secured to said structure for accepting payment against amounts due on said bill, and a computer for applying payments against said amounts due and computing the payment status of said bill.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Payment architectures: specially adapted for billing systems
Complete banking systems; Coded card-freed arrangements adapted for dispensing or receiving monies or the like and posting such transactions to…:…
Automatic teller machines [ATMs]: dispensing operations within ATMs
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial
Term ended 12 Sep 2014 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates to automated bill payment and accounting, and particularly to such activities at a location remote from the facilities of the issuer of a bill.
In some parts of the world, bills are paid by mailing checks, by credit card payments, electronic fund transfers or similar means.
In other parts of the world, however, such payment means are not normally used. In some countries, payments in cash, either in currency or coins, is the predominant method of payment.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bill-paying machine constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the bill-paying machine of FIG. 1, taken along lines 2--2;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a typical bill which is to be paid by use of the machine;
FIG. 1 shows a bill-paying machine 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The machine 10 includes a secure metal housing 12 with individually lockable hinged access doors 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22. Each of the doors has a threaded key-operated lock 15, 17, 19, 21, and 23, respectively. The locks are of the type which provide the holding strength of a threaded fastener, together with a key-operated lock.
Mounted on the upper left hand panel 18 is a display 24. The display has two lines, forty-characters each, and is of the fluorescent lamp type commonly known as a "FLIP" display. It is used to deliver messages to the user.
A row 26 of programmable keys also is provided.