System and method for trusted self-billing and payment for utilities including audit, verification, reconciliation and dispute resolution

• US 20030036918A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leon A. Pintsov
• Original Assignee: Leon A. Pintsov
• Inventors: Pintsov, Leon A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,415,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges

Abstract

A system for validating service bills includes a first monitoring subsystem associated with and under the control of a service user for determining user generated fee values associated with the amount due a service entity for service usage over a predetermined billing period. A second monitoring subsystem communicating with the first monitoring subsystem is associated with and under the control of the service entity for determining service generated fee values associated with the amount due the service entity for the service usage over the predetermined billing period. One of the monitoring subsystems compares the user and service generated fee values and thereupon validates the amount due determined by one of the user and service generated fee values if such fee values are within a predetermined threshold amount.

Claims

1. A method of validating service bills, comprising the steps of:

monitoring service usage of a service user with a service entity by a first monitoring subsystem associated with the user;

determining by means of the first monitoring subsystem at least one user generated fee value representing the amount due the service entity for service usage of the user over a predetermined billing period;

monitoring service usage of the user by a second monitoring subsystem associated with the service entity, the first and second monitoring subsystems being distinct from one another;

determining by means of the second monitoring subsystem at least one service generated fee value representing the amount due the service entity for the service usage of the user over the predetermined billing period; and

comparing the user and service generated fee values and thereupon validating the amount due determined from a predetermined one of the user and service generated fee values if the user and service generated fee values are within a predetermined threshold amount.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein upon validating the amount due, further including the step of authorizing the payment of the amount due to the service entity.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the service usage is a credit/debit transaction including the payment of the amount due by the service entity to a merchant on behalf of the user, and the first monitoring subsystem includes an electronic card reader/writer associated with and under control of the user for facilitating the credit/debit transaction.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the second monitoring subsystem includes an additional electronic card reader/writer associated with and under control of a merchant.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, further including the step of providing usage control restrictions by a primary user to limit usage of other secondary users in a debit/credit transaction including at least one of:

maximum purchase price, type/class of goods/services, predetermined merchants/facilities, validity period, and wherein the step of monitoring service usage includes refusing service usage if such usage does not satisfy a control restriction.

6. A method as defined in claim 3, further including the step of downloading discounts from a merchant Web site into an electronic card via the electronic card reader/writer, the discounts being available for purchases in a debit/credit transaction with predetermined merchants/facilities for predetermined goods/services.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further including the step of providing access control to authorized users prior to the step of downloading discounts.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the steps of monitoring service usage is telephone usage.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further including the step of employing at least one of hash values and digital signatures to confirm the integrity of information used to calculate the user generated fee value.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first monitoring subsystem includes an electronic card reader/writer associated with and under control of the user for facilitating service usage, the electronic card reader/writer employing a plurality of purpose attributes for identifying types of expenses.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of purpose attributes is at least one number.

12. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of purpose attributes is separate from and in addition to a personal identification number (PIN).

13. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of purpose attributes is a personal identification number (PIN).

14. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the types of expenses include personal expenses, business expenses, healthcare expenses and tax deductible expenses.

15. A system for validating service bills, the system comprising:

a first monitoring subsystem associated with and under the control of a service user for determining at least one user generated fee value associated with the amount due a service entity for service usage of the user over a predetermined billing period; and

a second monitoring subsystem communicating with the first monitoring subsystem, the second monitoring subsystem being associated with and under the control of the service entity for determining at least one service generated fee value associated with the amount due the service entity for the service usage of the user over the predetermined billing period, one of the first and second monitoring subsystems comparing the user and service generated fee values and thereupon validating the amount due determined by a predetermined one of the user and service generated fee values if the user and service generated fee values are within a predetermined threshold amount.

16. A system as defined in claim 15, wherein one of the first and second monitoring subsystems authorizes payment of the amount due upon validating the amount due.

17. A system as defined in claim 15, wherein the first monitoring subsystem includes an electronic card reader/writer associated with and under control of the user for monitoring a debit/credit transaction involving payment of the amount due by the service entity on behalf of the user.

18. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein an electronic card used with the electronic card reader/writer is one of a smart card and a PCMCIA card.

19. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein the second monitoring subsystem includes a second electronic card reader/writer associated with and under control of the merchant.

20. A system as defined in claim 15, wherein the first monitoring subsystem includes a line monitoring device associated with and under control of the user for monitoring telephone usage.

21. A system as defined in claim 15, wherein the first monitoring subsystem includes an electronic card reader/writer associated with and under control of the user for facilitating the service usage, the electronic card reader/writer employing a plurality of purpose attributes for identifying types of expenses.

22. A method as defined in claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of purpose attributes is at least one number.

23. A method as defined in claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of purpose attributes is separate from and in addition to a personal identification number (PIN).

24. A method as defined in claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of purpose attributes is a personal identification number (PIN).

25. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the types of expenses include personal expenses, business expenses, healthcare expenses and tax deductible expenses.

26. A method of paying utility bills, comprising the steps of:

monitoring utility usage of a utility user by a first monitoring subsystem associated with and under control of the user;

calculating by means of the first monitoring subsystem at least one user generated fee value representing the amount due a utility entity for utility usage of the user over a predetermined billing period;

monitoring utility usage of the user by a second monitoring subsystem associated with and under control of the utility entity, the first and second monitoring subsystems being distinct from one another;

calculating by means of the second monitoring subsystem at least one utility generated fee value representing the amount due the utility entity for the utility usage of the user over the predetermined billing period; and

comparing the user and utility generated fee values and thereupon authorizing the payment of the amount due determined from a predetermined one of the user and utility generated fee values if the user and utility generated fee values are within a predetermined threshold amount.

27. A method of paying as defined in claim 26, wherein the utility usage to be monitored is telephone usage.

28. A method of paying as defined in claim 26, wherein the step of monitoring utility usage by the first monitoring subsystem includes employing a line monitoring device.

29. A method of paying as defined in claim 27, wherein the step of monitoring telephone usage includes employing a line monitoring device (LMD) by the first monitoring system, the LMD monitoring information including:

the identity information of the utility entity, the telephone call recipient telephone number, and the times of day when connection has been established and terminated between the telephones of the user and call recipient.

30. A method of paying as defined in claim 26, wherein the step of calculating by means of the first monitoring subsystem includes executing a software algorithm on a computer associated with and under the control of the user.

31. A method of paying as defined in claim 26, wherein the step of comparing includes transferring the utility generated fee value from the second monitoring subsystem to the first monitoring subsystem, and performing the comparison by means of the first subsystem.

32. A method of paying as defined in claim 31, wherein the step of paying the amount due includes automatically authorizing by means of the first monitoring subsystem the electronic transfer of money associated with the amount due from a money withdrawal source of the user to a money deposit source of the utility entity, the amount due determined from a predetermined one of the user and utility generated fee values.

33. A method of paying as defined in claim 26, wherein the step of comparing includes transferring the user generated fee value from the first monitoring subsystem to the second monitoring subsystem, and performing the comparison by means of the second subsystem.

34. A method of paying as defined in claim 33, wherein the step of paying the amount due includes automatically authorizing by means of the second monitoring subsystem the electronic transfer of money associated with the amount due from a money withdrawal source of the user to a money deposit source of the utility entity.

35. A method as defined in claim 26, further including the step of employing at least one of a hash value and a digital signature to confirm the integrity of information used to calculate the user generated fee value.

36. A system for paying utility bills, the system comprising:

a first monitoring subsystem associated with and under the control of a utility user for calculating at least one user generated fee value associated with the amount due a utility entity for utility usage of the user over a predetermined billing period; and

a second monitoring subsystem communicating with the first monitoring subsystem, the second monitoring subsystem being associated with and under the control of the utility entity for calculating at least one utility generated fee value associated with the amount due the utility entity for the utility usage of the user over the predetermined billing period, one of the first and second monitoring subsystems comparing the user and utility generated fee values and thereupon authorizing the payment of the amount due determined from a predetermined one of the user and utility generated fee values if the user and utility generated fee values are within a predetermined threshold amount.

37. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the utility usage to be monitored is telephone usage.

38. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the first monitoring subsystem includes:

a line monitoring device (LMD) communicating with the utility to be monitored for measuring utility usage; and

a computer communicating with the LMD and including means for calculating the user generated fee value associated with the amount due the utility company.

39. A system as defined in claim 38, wherein the LMD monitors information including:

the identity information of the utility entity, the telephone call recipient telephone number, and the times of day when connection has been established and terminated between the telephones of the user and call recipient.