US 7,725,385 B2Granted

System and method for facilitating the handling of a dispute using disparate architectures

AssigneeAmerican Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

InventorsCoby Royer, Judith Continelli, Sandra Hazeltine

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Abstract

A system is disclosed for handling post transactional credit disputes in real-time via a variety of transactional environments and architectures. The system includes one or more workstations linked to a communication channel and one or more servers with at least one having capability of displaying a plurality of pre-existing dispute handling forms. A party in dispute may access the forms, choose an appropriate dispute handling form, provide data in the pre-defined requested fields on the form, and transmit the form over the communication channel to a server for processing. A server accepts a User ID and password from a user, retrieves and displays a set of dispute handling forms, receives input entered on the forms, routes the forms to a second user in dispute, and makes the forms available for viewing to the second user. The program may further index the data entered on the forms using a code-based method.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A system for facilitating handling of a post-transactional credit account dispute comprising:

a log-in for accepting and authenticating log-in information from a user;
an inbox for providing an electronic inbox to each user of the system, wherein the inbox allows a user to view and access all forms relating to credit account disputes to which the user has access;
a storage device having a plurality of pre-existing dispute handling forms stored thereon, the forms having pre-defined content capable of being viewed and field-populated by the workstations, wherein the forms include initiator forms arranged in an initiator form selection and responder forms arranged in a responder form selection;
and
a first server in communication with the log-in, inbox, and storage device of the system as well as with a first workstation capable of receiving commands from a dispute-resolution initiator and a second workstation capable of receiving commands from a dispute-resolution responder, the initiator and the responder being users of the system,
wherein each form that is field-populated by one of the workstations is accepted for processing only if it identifies the post-transactional credit account dispute, the initiator, and the responder, and
wherein a field-populated initiator form is made available to the responder via an inbox corresponding to the responder and a field-populated responder form is made available to the initiator via an inbox corresponding to the initiator.

4 more elements

A method executed in a network computer system for facilitating handling of a post-transactional credit account dispute, the network computer system having a central server, a first client system related to a dispute-resolution initiator, and a second client system related to a dispute-resolution responder, the method comprising:

providing, via the central server, the first client system access to a plurality of pre-existing dispute handling forms that have pre-defined content and are capable of being field-populated by the first client system;
accepting a first field-populated dispute handling form from the first client system, wherein the form identifies a post-transactional credit account dispute, the initiator, and the responder;
transmitting the first form to an electronic inbox corresponding to the responder and stored on the central server, thereby initiating resolution of the post-transactional credit account dispute;
providing, via the central server, the second client system access to the first form via the electronic inbox corresponding to the responder;
providing, via the central server, the second client system access to a second plurality of pre-existing dispute handling forms that have pre-defined content and are capable of being field-populated by the second client system;
and
accepting a second field-populated dispute handling form from the second client system, wherein the form relates to the credit account dispute and constitutes a response to the first form;
transmitting the second form to an electronic inbox corresponding to the initiator and stored on the central server;
and
providing, via the central server, the first client system access to the second form via the electronic inbox corresponding to the initiator.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/391,492Filed 18 Mar 2003 · continuation in part
Priority: 29 Mar 2000
Published: US 2004/0006539 A18 Jan 2004
Granted: 25 May 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G06Q 10/10
Administration; Management: office automation; Time management
G06Q 20/02
Payment architectures, schemes or protocols: involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
G06Q 20/10
Payment architectures: specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
G06Q 20/102
Specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems: bill distribution or payments

Family

Application09/537,506Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Mar 2000
Application60/420,186Us provisional application · filed 22 Oct 2002
US 2004/0006539 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Jan 2004
US 7,249,113 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,725,385 B2This patent

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