Request tracking system and method

• US 10,096,010 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Jawharkar, Harsh
• Primary Examiner(s): Masud, Rokib
• Application Number:
  US15/005,445
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 705 34, 705 16, 705 22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for granting a user access to an on-line banking area of a website belonging financial institution responsive to receiving the valid user name and password. The method providing the user with account information regarding checking, savings, mortgage, home equity and/or loan accounts held by the user at the financial institution. The method grants the user access to a request tracking area of the web site of the financial institution, receive request related data from the user, the request related data including data relating to at least one expense or goal, calculate portions of each expense respectively owed by each of a plurality of participants in the request and track whether a participant has paid. The method includes sending a message to at least one participant, the message requesting payment for the portion owed by the participant and receiving the payment from the participant in various payment forms.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

granting, by one or more processors of a computer system, a user access to a request expense tracking area of a website associated with a financial institution;

receiving, using a request tracking system running on the one or more processors of the computer system, request related data for a request from the user, the related data including data relating to at least one expense incurred by the user by spending funds on behalf of a plurality of participants in a transaction for purchasing at least one good or service;

calculating, by the one or more processors, portions of the at least one incurred expense respectively owed by each of the plurality of participants in the request to facilitate reimbursement of the at least one incurred expense back to the user;

determining, by the one or more processors, at least one participant of the plurality of participants has an account associated with the computer system;

responsive to determining that at least one participant has the account, generating, by the one or more processors, a custom payment option for the at least one participant based on information regarding the account and the portion of the at least one expense that the at least one participant owes;

tracking, by the one or more processors, whether each of the plurality of participants who are responsible for reimbursing the user for a portion of the at least one expense incurred by the user has paid their portions; and

sending a message, using a notification system running on the one or more processors of the computer system, to each participant requesting payment for the portion of the expense that is owed by the participant based on the tracking.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating further comprises allocating the portions based on multiple expenses, where one user has paid for one expense, and a second user has paid for a second expense, and the allocation of the portions is based on a netting out of the amounts already paid by the users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is sent as one of an e-mail, text message, or voice message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing, by the one or more processors, each participant of the plurality of participants to pay using at least one of or a combination of a debit card, credit card, a stored value card, a bank account, a banking bill pay service, or an account to account electronic transfer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the one or more processors, a Wiki mode that allows each participant of the plurality of participants to add expenses to the request related data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of participants is obligated to pay at least part of the at least one expense.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction for receiving the at least one good or service is between a third party and a plurality of individuals.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking includes sending a reminder message to a payer that has not paid or has underpaid.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the request related data is received via a browser extension that extracts the request related data from a third party web site.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking includes displaying to the user which participants of the plurality of participants have paid their portion in full, which participants of the plurality of participants who have not paid, which participants of the plurality of participants who have paid cash directly, and which participants of the plurality of participants have paid offline.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors of a computer system, a valid username and password from a user;

receiving, using a request tracking system running on the one or more processors of the computer system, request related data for a request from the user, the request related data including data relating to at least one expense incurred by the user by spending funds on behalf of a plurality of participants in a transaction for purchasing at least one good or service;

calculating, by the one or more processors, portions of the at least one incurred expense respectively owed by each of the plurality of participants to facilitate reimbursement of the at least one incurred expense back to the user;

allowing, by the one or more processors, a user to adjust the calculation based on a user preference;

determining, by the one or more processors, at least one participant of the plurality of participants has an account associated with the computer system;

responsive to determining that at least one participant has the account, generating, by the one or more processors, a custom payment option for the at least one participant based on information regarding the account and the portion of the at least one expense that the at least one participant owes;

determining, by the one or more processors, banking institution account balances of the participants; and

sending a message, using a notification system running on the one or more processors, requesting payment for the portion of the expense that is owed by the participant and presenting each participant with options for payment based on their banking institution account balance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the calculating further includes allocating the portions based are multiple expenses, where one user has paid for one expense, and a second user has paid for a second expense, and the allocation of the portions is based on a netting out of the amounts already paid by the users.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the message is sent as one of an e-mail, text message, or voice message.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising allowing, by the one or more processors, each participant of the plurality of participants to pay using at least one of or a combination of a debit card, credit card, a stored value card, a bank account, a banking bill pay service, or an account to account electronic transfer.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing, by the one or more processors, a Wiki mode that allows participants to add expenses to the request related data.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the request related data is extracted from a web page displayed on a user computer by using a browser extension.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the tracking includes sending a reminder message to a payer that has not paid or has underpaid.

18. A computer-implemented data processing system, the system comprising a processor and program system stored in memory and executable by the processor, the program system comprising:

request expense tracking system configured to track at least one expense incurred by a user spending funds on behalf of at least one participant having an account associated with an account management system who are responsible for reimbursing the user for a portion of the at least one expense incurred by the user, the request expense tracking system includes;

a request expense system configured to;

receive request related information regarding each expense of the at least one expense;

calculate a portion of each expense owed by each of a plurality of participants; and

generate a custom payment option for each participant based on information regarding the account and the portion of the expense owed for each participant;

a notification system configured to send a message to at least one of the participants requesting payment for the portion owed by the participant; and

a payment processing system configured to receive payments from at least one participant based on the custom payment option.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the custom payment option includes using at least one of a debit card, a credit card, a bank account, or a stored value card.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of individuals are each obligated to pay the third party for the at least one good or service provided by the third party.