Method and system to facilitate financial settlement of service access transactions between multiple parties

• US 20010034704A1
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Published: 10/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Channel IP BV
• Original Assignee: Ipass Incorporated (Pareteum Corp.)
• Inventors: Sunder, Singam, Farhat, Jay, Edgett, Jeff, Rozenfeld, Alla, Vu, Can
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/50 for cross-charging network operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/54 for revenue sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/52 Interconnection, inter-exchange, reseller billing, billing agreements between different operators, e.g. billing identifier added on the CDR in order to cross charge the other operator, inter-operator accounting, reconciliation, bill directly resellers customers

Abstract

A method to facilitate the financial settlement of service access transactions between multiple parties commences with the automatic collection of data concerning multiple transactions from respective service providers (e.g., ISPs). The multiple transactions are between the multiple service providers and multiple service customers. Respective transaction values are automatically determined for each of the multiple transactions. Account payable balances are automatically updated for the multiple service providers, and account receivable balances are automatically updated for the service customers based on the respective transaction values for each of the multiple transactions.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating financial settlement of service access transactions between multiple parties, the method including:

automatically collecting data concerning a plurality of transactions from respective service providers of a plurality of service providers, the plurality of transactions being between the plurality of service providers and a plurality of service customers to facilitate service access by the plurality of service customers;

automatically determining respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions; and

automatically updating account payable balances for the plurality of service providers and account receivable balances for the plurality of service customers based on the respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions.

2. The method of

claim 1

wherein each transaction value includes a transaction rate and a transaction price.

3. The method of

claim 1

wherein the plurality of service providers include at least one service provider providing a first service and a second service provider providing second service different from the first service.

4. The method of

claim 3

wherein the first service provided by the first service provider includes any one of a group of services including roaming Internet access, wireless communications, VPN services, content distribution and e-commerce services.

5. The method of

claim 1

wherein the plurality of service customers include any one of a group of customers including a business, an end-user, an Internet carrier, a Value-Added Reseller (VAR) and a channel.

6. The method of

claim 1

wherein the plurality of service providers include first and second service providers, each supporting roaming service access and the plurality of service customers include a first user that subscribes to a first access service of the first service provider and accesses the service utilizing an access point provided by the second service provider.

7. The method of

claim 1

wherein the automatic determining of the respective transaction values includes automatically normalizing the data collected from the plurality of service providers into a uniform format.

8. The method of

claim 1

wherein the automatic determining of the respective transaction values includes identifying a specific service provider and a specific service customer for a specific transaction of the plurality of transactions.

9. The method of

claim 8

wherein the automatic determining of the respective transaction values includes automatically determining a buy price owed by a service broker to the specific service provider for the specific transaction and a sell price owed by the specific service customer to the service broker for the specific transaction.

10. The method of

claim 9

wherein the automatic updating of the accounts payable balances includes automatically incrementing an accounts payable balance for the specific service provider with the determined buy price.

11. The method of

claim 9

wherein the automatic updating of the accounts receivable balances includes automatically incrementing an accounts receivable balance for the specific service customer with the determined sell price.

12. The method of

claim 1

including verifying a credit limit for the accounts receivable balance for the specific service customer by determining if the incremented accounts receivable balance exceeds a predetermined limit.

13. The method of

claim 1

wherein the automatic determining of respective transaction values includes identifying a multi-tiered grouping of customers for a specific transaction, and calculating a respective sell price for each of the customers of the multi-tiered grouping of customers for the specific transaction based on a respective pricing plan associated with each of the customers of the multi-tiered grouping of customers.

14. The method of

claim 13

wherein a pricing plan for a first customer of the multi-tiered grouping of customers specifies usage and/or transaction pricing to be applied in the calculation of a first sell price for the first customer.

15. The method of

claim 14

wherein the usage and/or transaction pricing applied in the calculation of the first sell price is based on accumulated usage and/or transaction amounts for the first customer.

16. The method of

claim 14

wherein the usage and/or transaction pricing applied in the calculation of the first sell price is based on an accumulated usage and/or transaction amounts for a second customer of the multi-tier grouping of customers.

17. The method of

claim 13

wherein the calculating of a first sell price for at least a first customer of the multi-tiered grouping of customers includes calculating the first sell price based on any one of a group of information types including an identity of a customer that requested the service access, an identity of a service provider that supplied the service access, a service access location, service or product type, access type, a service access time of day, and a service access day of week.

18. The method of

claim 13

wherein the calculating of a first sell price for at least a first customer of the multi-tiered grouping of customers includes applying any one of a group of pricing mechanisms in the calculation of the first sell price including a usage rate, a transaction rate, subscription rate, a flat rate, a discount, a promotion, a fee and a commitment.

19. A financial settlement system to settle service access transactions between multiple parties, the system including:

a loader application automatically to collect data concerning a plurality of transactions from respective service providers of a plurality of service providers, the plurality of transactions being between the plurality of service providers and a plurality of service customers to facilitate service access by the plurality of service customers;

a settlement application automatically to determine respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions and automatically to update account payable balances for the plurality of service providers and account receivable balances for the plurality of service customers based on the respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions.

20. The system of

claim 19

wherein each transaction value includes a transaction rate and a transaction price.

21. The system of

claim 19

wherein the plurality of service providers include at least one service provider providing a first service and a second service provider providing second service different from the first service.

22. The system of

claim 21

wherein the first service provided by the first service provider includes any one of a group of services including roaming Internet access, wireless communications, VPN services, content distribution and e-commerce services.

23. The system of

claim 19

wherein the plurality of service customers include any one of a group of customers including a business, an end-user, an Internet carrier, a Value-Added Reseller (VAR) and a channel.

24. The system of

claim 19

wherein the plurality of service providers include first and second service providers, each supporting roaming service access and the plurality of service customers include a first user that subscribes to a first access service of the first service provider and accesses the service utilizing an access point provided by the second service provider.

25. The system of

claim 19

wherein the settlement application is automatically to normalize the data collected by the loader application from the plurality of service providers into a uniform format.

26. The system of

claim 19

wherein the settlement application is to identify a specific service provider and a specific service customer for a specific transaction of the plurality of transactions.

27. The system of

claim 26

wherein the settlement application is automatically to determine a buy price owed by a service broker to the specific service provider for the specific transaction and a sell price owed by the specific service customer to the service broker for the specific transaction.

28. The system of

claim 27

wherein the settlement application is automatically to increment an accounts payable balance for the specific service provider with the determined buy price.

29. The system of

claim 27

wherein the settlement application is automatically to increment an accounts receivable balances for the specific service customer with the determined sell price.

30. The system of

claim 19

wherein the settlement application is to verify a credit limit for the accounts receivable balance for the specific service customer by determining if the incremented accounts receivable balance exceeds a predetermined limit.

31. The system of

claim 19

wherein the settlement application is to identify a multi-tiered grouping of customers for a specific transaction, and to calculate a respective sell price for each of the customers of the multi-tiered grouping of customers for the specific transaction based on a respective pricing plan associated with each of the customers of the multi-tiered grouping of customers.

32. The system of

claim 31

wherein a pricing plan for a first customer of the multi-tiered grouping of customers specifies usage and/or transaction pricing to be applied in the calculation of a first sell price for the first customer.

33. The system of

claim 32

wherein the usage and/or transaction pricing applied in the calculation of the first sell price is based on accumulated usage and/or transaction amounts for the first customer.

34. The system of

claim 31

wherein the settlement application is to calculate a first sell price for at least a first customer of the multi-tiered grouping of customers including calculating the first sell price based on any one of a group of information types including an identity of a customer that requested the service access, an identity of a service provider that supplied the service access, a service access location, service or product type, access type, a service access time of day, and a service access day of week.

35. The system of

claim 19

wherein the settlement application is to calculate a first sell price for at least a first customer of the multi-tiered grouping of customers by applying any one of a group of pricing mechanisms in the calculation of the first sell price including a usage rate, a transaction rate, a subscription rate, a flat rate, a discount, a promotion, a fee and a commitment.

36. A machine-readable medium embodying a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

automatically collect data concerning a plurality of transactions from respective service providers of a plurality of service providers, the plurality of transactions being between the plurality of service providers and a plurality of service customers to facilitate service access by the plurality of service customers;

automatically determine respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions; and

automatically update account payable balances for the plurality of service providers and account receivable balances for the plurality of service customers based on the respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions.

37. A system to settle service access transactions between multiple parties, the system including:

means for collecting data concerning a plurality of transactions from respective service providers of a plurality of service providers, the plurality of transactions being between the plurality of service providers and a plurality of service customers to facilitate service access by the plurality of service customers;

means for automatically determining respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions and for automatically updating account payable balances for the plurality of service providers and account receivable balances for the plurality of service customers based on the respective transaction values for each of the plurality of transactions.