Technique for self-enrollment in an electronic commerce service

• US 20040019559A1
• Filed: 07/26/2002
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Moenickheim, Peter, Baulch, Howard, Koltnow, Adam, Keown, Blake
• Application Number:
  US10/205,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20040019559A1
• 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 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• 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

Abstract

A technique for making a payment to a payee for a payor is provided. The technique includes receiving a request from the payor to make a payment to the payee. A determination is made that the payee is not capable of receiving electronic payments. A paper payment is made to the payee instead of an electronic payment. An invitation for the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor is generated and delivered to the payee.

Claims

1. A method for making a payment to a payee on behalf of a payor, comprising:

receiving from a payor, via a network, a payment request to make a payment to a payee on behalf of the payor;

determining that the payee is not capable of receiving electronic payments;

generating a paper payment to pay the payee on behalf of the payor;

delivering the paper payment to the payee;

generating an invitation for the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor; and

delivering the invitation to the payee.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the paper payment is one of a check and a draft;

the invitation includes information identifying an on-line presentation through which to request receipt of electronic payments from the payor;

the invitation is delivered with the paper payment; and

the invitation is one of an invitation printed on the paper payment and an invitation printed on an insert delivered with the paper payment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor;

assigning a unique payee identifier to the payee;

storing the unique payee identifier in association with information identifying a demand deposit account associated with the payee received from the payee; and

storing the unique payee identifier in association with information associated with the payor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the payment request is a first payment request and the information identifying the demand deposit account is stored in a database of electronic payees, and further comprising:

receiving from the payor, via the network and subsequent to storing the unique payee identifier, a second payment request to make a payment to the payee on behalf of the payor;

retrieving the unique payee identifier stored in association with the information associated with the payor;

retrieving information necessary to make an electronic payment to the payee from the database based upon the retrieved unique payee identifier; and

directing an electronic payment to the payee based upon the retrieved information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the invitation includes a unique access code and the payee request includes the unique access code, and further comprising:

validating the received unique access code prior to assigning the unique payee identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing information associated with the paper payment;

receiving a request from the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor;

retrieving the stored information; and

presenting an image of the paper payment to the payee based upon the retrieved information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the presented image includes at least one blank field, and further comprising:

receiving information necessary to complete the blank field from the payee, the necessary information being included in one of the invitation and the paper payment;

validating that the received information necessary to complete the blank field is the same as at least a portion of the stored information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, during an on-line session, a request from the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor; and

displaying to the payee during the on-line session an enrollment form to receive electronic payments from the payor.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing information associated with the payment request; and

retrieving the stored information upon receipt of the payee request;

wherein the displayed enrollment form includes the retrieved information; and

wherein the retrieved information is information received from the payor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the retrieved information includes at least one of a payee name, a payee address, a payee telephone number, a payee e-mail address, and a payor account number with the payee.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the received payment request to determine if information associated with the payee is contained in a database of payees capable of receiving electronic payments; and

determining that information associated with the payee is not contained in the database;

wherein the determination that the payee is not capable of receiving electronic payments is only made if it is determined that information associated with the payee is not contained in the database.

12. A system for making a payment to a payee on behalf of a payor, comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive a payment request to make a payment to a payee on behalf of a payor; and

a processor configured to process the received payment request to determine that the payee is not capable of receiving electronic payments, cause a paper payment to be generated, cause the paper payment to be delivered to the payee, cause an invitation for the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor to be generated, and cause the invitation to be delivered to the payee.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the paper payment is one of a check and a draft;

the invitation includes information identifying an on-line presentation through which to request receipt of electronic payments from the payor;

the invitation is delivered with the paper payment; and

the invitation is one of an invitation printed on the paper payment and an invitation printed on an insert delivered with the paper payment.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory configured to store data associated with the payor and a database of payees capable of receiving electronic payments;

wherein the communications interface is further configured to receive a request from the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor;

wherein the processor is further configured to assign a unique payee identifier to the payee, cause the unique payee identifier to be stored in the database in association with information identifying a demand deposit account associated with the payee, and cause the unique payee identifier to be stored in the memory in association with information associated with the payor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the payment request is a first payment request;

the communications interface is further configured to receive a second payment request to make a payment to the payee on behalf of the payor, the second payment request received subsequent to the storing of the unique payee identifier; and

the processor is further configured to retrieve the unique payee identifier stored in association with the information associated with the payor, retrieve information necessary to make an electronic payment to the payee from the database based upon the retrieved unique payee identifier; and

cause an electronic payment to be directed to the payee based upon the retrieved information.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the invitation includes a unique access code and the payee request includes the unique access code; and

the processor is further configured to validate the received unique access code prior to assigning the unique payee identifier.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory configured to store information associated with the paper payment;

wherein the communications interface is further configured to receive a request from the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor; and

the processor is further configured to cause information associated with the paper payment to be stored in the memory to retrieve the stored information; and

cause an image of the paper payment to be displayed to the payee based upon the retrieved information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the presented image includes at least one blank field;

the communications interface is further configured to receive information necessary to complete the blank field from the payee, the necessary information being included in one of the invitation and the paper payment; and

the processor is further configured to validate that the received information necessary to complete the blank field is the same as at least a portion of the stored information.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the communications interface is further configured to receive, during an on-line session, a request from the payee to receive electronic payments from the payor; and

the processor is further configured to cause an enrollment form to receive electronic payments from the payor to be displayed to the payee during the on-line session.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a memory configured to store information associated with the payment request;

wherein the processor is further configured to cause information associated with the payment request to be stored in the memory and to retrieve the stored information associated with the payment request based upon the received payee request;

wherein the displayed enrollment form includes the retrieved information; and

wherein the retrieved information is information received from the payor.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the retrieved information includes at least one of a payee name, a payee address, a payee telephone number, a payee e-mail address, and a payor account number with the payee.

22. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a database configured to store information identifying payees capable of receiving electronic payments;

wherein the processor is further configured to process the received payment request to determine if information associated with the payee is contained in the database and determine that information associated with the payee is not contained in the database;

wherein the determination that the payee is not capable of receiving electronic payments is made only if it is determined that information associated with the payee is not contained in the database.