System and method for identifying invoices that may be duplicate prior to payment

• US 20020194174A1
• Filed: 04/11/2001
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Calkins, W. Dwight, Murphy, Julie M., Vanlone, Joseph W., Donnelly, Ruth A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,963,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method for identifying duplicate invoices among multiple systems, the method including the steps of loading first invoices having an index number into a database during a first predetermined time period; for each invoice having said index number, searching the database for another invoice, loaded during a second earlier time period, having the same index number and replacing the another invoice, if found, with said first invoice; comparing each first invoice for which no matching index number invoice was found with all other first invoices for which no matching index number invoice was found; comparing each of the first invoices for which no matching index number invoice was found with all the other invoices including the replaced invoices in the database; generating reports of the comparing steps, the reports listing invoices which compared; and eliminating from the database the first invoices deemed to have compared.

Claims

1. A method for identifying duplicate records among multiple systems, comprising the steps of:

loading first records having an index number into a database during a first predetermined time period;

for each record having said index number, searching said database for another record, loaded during a second earlier time period, having the same index number and replacing said another record, if found, with said first record;

comparing each first record for which no matching index number record was found with all other first records for which no matching index number record was found;

comparing each of said first records for which no matching index number record was found with all the other records including the replaced records in said database;

generating reports of the comparing steps, the reports listing records which compared; and

eliminating from said database said first records deemed to have compared.

2. The method of claim 1, said records being invoice records.

3. A method for providing a report that can be used to evaluate two or more invoiced documents for further investigation of possible duplicate invoicing, comprising the steps of:

maintaining a compact database by removing canceled invoice documents and invoice documents older than a predetermined period;

extracting data from said compact database by matching on suppliers invoice indicia, name, date and amount; and

producing said report from said data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

entering invoice data to said compact database from a plurality of accounts payable systems.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

first entering said invoices into said compact database for payment at a later date; and

checking said compact database for duplicate invoices before said later date.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step responsive to submission of an invoice with a null invoice indicia field of entering date indicia in said null invoice indicia field.

7. Method for capturing packets of possible duplicate invoices for duplicate invoice analysis, comprising the steps of:

maintaining a collection of current invoices that have not yet been paid;

maintaining a collection of history invoices that have been paid; and

generating from said current invoices and said history invoices a packet of invoices exhibiting a same behavior, said packet including at least one invoice from said collection of current invoices.

8. The method of claim 7, each invoice comprising a record including vendor identifier indicia, vendor record indicia, date indicia, and amount indicia.

9. The method of claim 8, each said record including a vendor record indicia field, a data indicia field, and an amount indicia field.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

flagging said invoices in said packet against each other with respect to expert criteria;

dropping from said packet unflagged invoices; and

discarding remaining packets having no current invoices.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of flagging record pairs having transposed digits in said vendor record indicia fields.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step responsive to receiving an invoice with null vendor record indicia field of entering date indicia as date-like indicia to said vendor record indicia field.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of flagging invoice pairs having a same vendor identifier indicia and date-like indicia in said vendor indicia field.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of flagging invoice pairs having matching vendor record indicia.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of flagging invoice pairs having, for matching vendor identification indicia, matching vendor record indicia except for a prefix or suffix character.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of flagging invoice pairs, for matching vendor identification indicia, having vendor record indicia of different lengths.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of flagging invoice pairs matching on said vendor record indicia while ignoring embedded blanks.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

flagging invoice pairs having transposed digits in said vendor record indicia fields;

flagging invoice pairs having a same vendor identifier indicia and date-like indicia in said vendor indicia field;

flagging invoice pairs having matching vendor record indicia;

flagging invoice pairs having, for matching vendor identification indicia, matching vendor record indicia except for a prefix or suffix character;

flagging invoice pairs, for matching vendor identification indicia, having vendor record indicia of different lengths; and

flagging invoice pairs matching on said vendor record indicia while ignoring embedded blanks.

19. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of forcing all said invoices to be current.

20. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of capturing packets having same vendor and invoice numbers.

21. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of capturing packets having similar vendor names and same invoice amount.

22. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of capturing packets having similar invoice dates and amounts, differing only on flagged conditions.

23. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of capturing packets having same invoice amount and numbers but not same date and vendor name.

24. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of capturing packets having same invoice number and vendor name but not same vendor number and invoice amount.

25. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of capturing packets having the same vendor number and same invoice number and amount, irrespective of invoice date.

30. The system of claim 29, said packet containing invoices having same vendor and invoice numbers.

31. The system of claim 29, said packet containing invoices having similar vendor names and same invoice amount.

32. The system of claim 29, said packet containing invoices having similar invoice dates and amounts, differing only on flagged conditions.

33. The system of claim 29, said packet containing invoices having same invoice amount and numbers but not same date and vendor name.

34. The system of claim 29, said packet containing invoices having same invoice number and vendor name but not same vendor number and invoice amount.

35. The system of claim 29, said packet containing invoices having the same vendor number and same invoice number and amount, irrespective of invoice date.

26. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for identifying duplicate records among multiple systems, said method steps comprising:

loading first records having an index number into a database during a first predetermined time period;

for each record having said index number, searching said database for another record, loaded during a second earlier time period, having the same index number and replacing said another record, if found, with said first record;

comparing each first record for which no matching index number record was found with all other first records for which no matching index number invoice was found;

comparing each of said first invoices for which no matching index number record was found with all the other records including the replaced records in said database;

generating reports of the comparing steps, the reports listing records which compared; and

eliminating from said database said first records deemed to have compared.

27. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for providing a report that can be used to evaluate two or more invoiced documents for further investigation of possible duplicate invoicing, said method steps comprising:

maintaining a compact database by removing canceled invoice documents and invoice documents older than a predetermined period;

extracting data from said compact database by matching on suppliers invoice indicia, name, date and amount; and

producing said report from said data.

28. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for capturing packets of possible duplicate invoices for duplicate invoice analysis, said method steps comprising:

maintaining a collection of current invoices that have not yet been paid;

maintaining a collection of history invoices that have been paid; and

generating from said current invoices and said history invoices a packet of invoices exhibiting a same behavior, said packet including at least one invoice from said collection of current invoices.

29. A system for capturing packets of possible duplicate invoices for duplicate invoice analysis, comprising:

a current file of invoices that have not yet been paid;

a history file of invoices that have been paid; and

a packet of invoices generated from said current file and said history files for storing invoices exhibiting a same behavior, said packet including at least one invoice from said of current file.

36. A computer program product or computer program element for identifying duplicate records among multiple systems according to method steps comprising:

loading first records having an index number into a database during a first predetermined time period;

for each record having said index number, searching said database for another record, loaded during a second earlier time period, having the same index number and replacing said another record, if found, with said first record;

comparing each first record for which no matching index number record was found with all other first records for which no matching index number invoice was found;

comparing each of said first invoices for which no matching index number record was found with all the other records including the replaced records in said database;

generating reports of the comparing steps, the reports listing records which compared; and

eliminating from said database said first records deemed to have compared.

37. A computer program product or computer program element for capturing packets of possible duplicate invoices for duplicate invoice analysis according to method steps comprising:

maintaining a collection of current invoices that have not yet been paid;

maintaining a collection of history invoices that have been paid; and

generating from said current invoices and said history invoices a packet of invoices exhibiting a same behavior, said packet including at least one invoice from said collection of current invoices.