Electronic bill presentment and payment system

• US 20020002536A1
• Filed: 05/09/2001
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fidelity Information Services, LLC (Fidelity National Information Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spectrum EBP, LLC (Fidelity National Information Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Braco, Ronald A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A switching system for the electronic presentment and payment of bills between a Consumer and a Biller. The system includes an open, interoperable switching network for routing bill summary information between a Biller and a Consumer. Bill summary files are generated by a Bill Service Provider. Consumer Service Providers poll the Bill Service Providers through the switching network for newly generated bill summary files. The bill summary files are routed through the switching network to the appropriate Consumer Service Provider. Customers of the Consumer Service Provider log on to the web site of the Consumer Service Provider to access bill summary data. In addition to viewing the bill summary files electronically, the Consumer can initiate electronic payment of previously presented bills or bills that have not been presented electronically. Accounts of the Billers and Consumers are settled periodically by the switching network and reports are generated of the historical transactional activity of the exchanges over the network. Detailed information concerning a bill is accessible by the consumer only via a direct communication with the Biller, e.g., a hyperlink to the web site of the Biller, not via the switching network.

Claims

1. A system for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

a consumer terminal;

a biller terminal in communication with said consumer terminal; and

a switching network for routing presentment and payment information between said consumer terminal and biller terminal, said switching network being a multi-standard switch capable of receiving messages using more than one format.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said switching network routes the information without reformatting.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a consumer service provider device in electronic communication between said consumer terminal and said switching network.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a consumer payment provider device in electronic communication between said consumer service provider and said switching network.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a biller service provider device in electronic communication between said consumer terminal and said switching network.

6. The system in accordance with claim 5, further comprising a biller payment provider device in electronic communication between said consumer service provider and said switching network.

7. The system in accordance with claim 6, further comprising a payee terminal in electronic communication with said biller payment provider.

8. The system in accordance with claim 4, further comprising a biller service provider device in electronic communication between said consumer terminal and said switching network.

9. A system for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

a consumer terminal;

a biller terminal in communication with said consumer terminal; and

a switching network exchanging billing information between said consumer and biller terminals, said switching network routing bill summary data generated by a biller terminal for presentment at said consumer terminal, complete bill data being accessible only by communicating directly between the consumer terminal and biller terminal.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said switching network routes the information without reformatting.

11. The system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a consumer service provider device in electronic communication between said consumer terminal and said switching network.

12. The system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a consumer payment provider device in electronic communication between said consumer service provider and said switching network.

13. The system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a biller service provider device in electronic communication between said consumer terminal and said switching network.

14. The system in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a biller payment provider device in electronic communication between said consumer service provider and said switching network.

15. The system in accordance with claim 14, further comprising a payee terminal in electronic communication with said biller payment provider.

16. The system in accordance with claim 12, further comprising a biller service provider device in electronic communication between said consumer terminal and said switching network.

17. A method for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

generating a bill summary file;

storing the bill summary file at a biller service provider device;

polling by a consumer service provider device through a switching network newly generated bill summary files stored at the biller service provider device; and

routing via the switching network the stored newly generated bill summary files from the biller service provider device to the consumer service provider device.

18. The method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising presenting the bill summary file to a consumer via the consumer service provider device.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said routed bill summary file data is not reformatted by the switching network.

20. The method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising accessing complete bill data only by communicating directly between a consumer terminal and a biller terminal.

21. The method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

receiving payment instructions form the consumer terminal;

transmitting payment instructions to the switching network;

verifying consumer service provider and biller service provider are participants of the system; and

forwarding remittance information to appropriate biller payment provider.

24. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said switching network is a multi-standard switch routing messages of different formats.

30. The method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

receiving payment instructions form the consumer terminal;

transmitting payment instructions to the switching network;

verifying that consumer service provider and biller service provider are participants of the system; and

settling all credits and debits over a predetermined period.

22. The method in accordance with claim 22, wherein prior to said transmit step further comprising verifying that sufficient balance exists in consumer'"'"'s account to cover bill.

23. The method in accordance with claim 22, further comprising the step of settling all credit and debit transactions over a predetermined cut-off period.

25. A system for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

a consumer terminal;

a biller terminal in communication with said consumer terminal; and

a switching network for routing presentment and payment information between said consumer terminal and biller terminal, said switching network adopting an Interactive Financial Exchange message standard protocol.

26. A system for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

a consumer terminal;

a biller terminal in communication with said consumer terminal; and

a switching network for routing a payment message for a particular bill between said consumer terminal and biller terminal, irrespective of whether the particular bill has been previously presented to said consumer terminal.

27. A method for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

routing a payment message for a particular bill between a consumer terminal and a biller terminal via a switching network, irrespective of whether the particular bill has been previously presented to said consumer terminal.

28. A system for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

a consumer terminal;

a biller terminal in communication with said consumer terminal; and

an open, interoperable switching network for routing presentment and payment information between said consumer terminal and biller terminal.

29. A system for electronic presentment and payment of bills over a network, comprising:

a consumer terminal;

a biller terminal in communication with said consumer terminal; and

an open, interoperable switching network for routing presentment and payment information between said consumer terminal and biller terminal, said switching network settling all credits and debits over a predetermined period.