Customizable software agents in an electronic bill presentment and payment system

• US 20040002919A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Tosswill, Andrew R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A customizable electronic bill payment and presentment system whereby the base logic for software agents need not be changed in order to provide customization to different billers. Rather, customization features are stored in data repositories, preferably in XML format. An administrator can select which agents to activate based upon a customized list of available agents. Then the customized parameters for activating and running the jobs with the agent is further loaded from customized repository files at the appropriate time. Accordingly, customization for a particular biller is achieved by changing data stored in a repository, rather than reprogramming core logic.

Claims

1. An electronic bill presentment computer system for providing bill information from a biller to a remote customer over a network, the electronic bill presentment computer system performing automated tasks during operation, the automated tasks being customized to meet preferences of the biller, the electronic bill presentment computer system configured and programmed to include:

an agent descriptor repository storing customized information for activating one or more software agents to perform automated tasks in accordance with biller preferences;

an agent logic module activating the one or more software agents based on corresponding the customized information stored in the agent descriptor repository; and

wherein the agent descriptor repository is discrete from the agent logic module, thereby providing said repository independently reflects the biller'"'"'s particular preferences, the information in said repository being customizable for the biller.

2. The electronic bill presentment computer system of claim 1

wherein the agent descriptor repository comprises an available agent descriptor repository having a list of the one or more software agents available to perform automated system tasks pertinent to the system preferences of the biller, and an agent action descriptor repository including operating parameters for the one or more software agents listed in the available agent descriptor repository, the operating parameters customized for the system preferences of the biller;

and

wherein the agent logic module retrieves and displays the list of software agents from the available agent descriptor repository, the agent logic module receiving instructions to select one or more of the software agents;

the agent logic module activating the one or more selected software agents based on corresponding operating parameters stored in the agent action descriptor repository.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the available agent descriptor repository and the agent action descriptor repository are stored using descriptors in XML format.

4. A method for performing automated system tasks in an electronic bill presentment computer system for providing bill information from a biller to a remote customer over a network, the automated system tasks being customized to meet preferences of the biller, the method including:

storing customized instructions for activating one or more software agents to perform automated tasks in accordance with biller preferences;

storing a plurality of uninstantiated classes of software agent objects;

operating one or more software agents by instantiating one or more of the classes of software agent objects using the stored customized instructions; and

wherein the customized instructions and the plurality of uninstantiated classes of software agent objects are stored discretely from each other, thereby providing that the customized instructions independently reflect the biller'"'"'s particular preferences, the instructions being customizable for the biller.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step of storing customized instructions stores the instructions in XML format.

6. A method for performing automated system tasks in an electronic bill presentment computer system for providing bill information from a biller to a remote customer over a network, the automated system tasks being customized to meet preferences of the biller, the method including:

storing a customized list of software agents available to perform automated system tasks pertinent to the system preferences of the biller;

storing customized operating parameters for software agents listed in the available agent descriptor repository, the operating parameters being customized for the system preferences of the biller;

retrieving the list of software agents;

presenting the list of software agents to an electronic billing system administrator;

receiving a selection of one or more of the software agents from the administrator;

activating the one or more selected software agents based on the corresponding stored customized operating parameters; and

wherein the available agent descriptor repository and the agent action descriptor repository are discrete from the agent logic module, thereby providing that said repositories independently reflect the biller'"'"'s particular preferences, the information in said repositories being customizable for the biller.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein step of storing the available agent descriptor repository and the step of storing the agent action descriptor repository stores the descriptors in XML format.