Integrated invoice solution

• US 20030233321A1
• Filed: 10/30/2002
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Scolini, Anthony J., Gingrich, John C., Tibbetts, Steven P., Barber, Robert T.
• Application Number:
  US10/285,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20030233321A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/102 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: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/44 Charging/billing arrangements for connection made over different networks, e.g. wireless and PSTN, ISDN, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 : Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 : per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7268 : per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 : Type of notification

Abstract

A system and method for a web-based, convergent communications billing solution for large-scale customers/users is disclosed. The environment in which the present invention is used encompasses the general Internet environment, with connections to Banks and other similar payment mechanisms, connections to multiple carriers/users to obtain legacy files and to provide results and analysis capabilities to these same carriers/users, and encompasses modem computing and server technology to process the data, create the integrated bills, process payments and adjustments and provide the required reports to the customers and multiple carriers participating.

Claims

1. A method of integrating an invoice solution, comprising:

accepting billing data from multiple sources;

establishing a user defined hierarchy;

creating an integrated invoice for the user based on the billing data;

displaying the integrated invoice via a network; and

processing a payment from a customer.

2. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 1, wherein the billing data from at least one of the multiple sources is in a different format than the billing data from another one of the multiple sources.

3. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 2, wherein the network is Internet based.

4. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 3, further comprising applying an administrative fee to the integrated invoice.

5. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 4, wherein the administrative fee is tracked.

6. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 3, further comprising calculating a tax for the integrated invoice and applying the tax to the integrated invoice.

7. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 3, further comprising generating a report for the integrated invoice.

8. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 3, further comprising generating a paper output and CD-ROM of the integrated invoice.

9. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 3, further comprising processing an adjustment for the integrated invoice.

10. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 3, wherein the payment processing includes accepting a single payment from the customer and remitting appropriate amounts of the payment to the multiple sources.

11. The method of integrating an invoice solution according to claim 10, wherein the single payment is less than a total invoice amount.

12. A system for integrating an invoice solution, comprising:

a data input module connected to multiple sources for receiving billing data;

an invoice module for creating an integrated invoice based on the received billing data;

a hierarchy module for establishing a hierarchy for the billing data;

an application module for apply a fee to the integrated invoice;

an output module for outputting the integrated invoice; and

a process module for processing a payment.

13. The system for integrating an invoice solution according to claim 12, wherein the data input module receives billing data in different formats.

14. The system for integrating an invoice solution according to claim 13, wherein the fee is one of an administrative fee, a tax, and a surcharge.

15. The system for integrating an invoice solution according to claim 13, wherein the output module outputs the integrated invoice as one of a data file displayable on a network, a paper output, and a CD-ROM.

16. The system for integrating an invoice solution according to claim 13, wherein the process module receives the payment and remits appropriate amounts of the payment to the multiple sources.

17. The system for integrating an invoice solution according to claim 16, wherein the payment is less than an invoice amount.

18. The system for integrating an invoice solution according to claim 13, wherein the invoice module creates a report for the integrated invoice.