Systems and methods for producing documentary credit and conforming shipping documents

• US 20040088245A1
• Filed: 11/04/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avolin LLC
• Original Assignee: TradeBeam Incorporated (CDC Corporation)
• Inventors: Narayan, Manoj, Viarengo, Steve M., Bornscheuer, Allen R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods to support import-export transactions. More particularly, it includes methods and systems for generation of bank-required documents that are consistent with a documentary credit instrument and collaborative application for or amendment of the documentary credit instrument. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.

Claims

1. A computer-aided method of generating documentary credit and related documents, including:

providing at least one template for documentary credit issuance, including at least one of a documentary credit instruction, a documentary credit application or a documentary credit instrument;

providing one or more templates for documentary credit-related documents, wherein the documentary credit-related documents are among a plurality of bank-required documents to draw on a corresponding documentary credit instrument;

mapping fields from the documentary credit issuance template to the documentary credit-related document templates;

accepting data for at least some of the fields of the documentary credit issuance template; and

populating fields in the plurality of documentary credit-related documents using the mapping.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the template for documentary credit issuance corresponds to the documentary credit instruction by a seller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the template for documentary credit issuance corresponds to the documentary credit application by a buyer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the template for documentary credit issuance corresponds to the documentary credit instrument issued by a bank.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein supplying data further includes:

conveying at least some terms of a draft of a documentary credit instruction or a documentary credit application from a first party to a second party, wherein the first and second parties represent trading partners;

approving or editing the draft by the second party; and

recording agreement by the first and second parties the terms of the draft, prior to issuance of a corresponding documentary credit instrument.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

providing at least one template for amendment of terms of a documentary credit instrument;

mapping fields from the documentary credit amendment template to the documentary credit-related document templates;

accepting data for at least some of the fields of the documentary credit amendment template; and

populating fields in the plurality of documentary credit-related documents using the mapping.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein supplying data for the documentary credit amendment template further includes:

conveying at least some terms of a draft of a documentary credit amendment from one to an other of the first or second party;

approving or editing the draft amendment by the other party; and

recording agreement by the first and second parties the terms of the draft amendment, prior to issuance of a corresponding amended documentary credit instrument.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplying data step is directed to a pre-issuance document, further including:

generating a machine readable documentary credit application, populating fields in the application using the mapping; and

electronically submitting the documentary credit application to an issuing bank.

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

receiving a confirmation of issuance of a documentary credit instrument; and

updating the data supplied for the documentary credit issuance template to conform to the issued documentary credit instrument.

10. A computer-aided system to generate documentary credit and related documents, including:

at least one template for documentary credit issuance, including at least one of a documentary credit instruction, a documentary credit application or a documentary credit instrument;

one or more templates for documentary credit-related documents, wherein the documentary credit-related documents are among a plurality of bank-required documents to draw on a corresponding documentary credit instrument;

a map that relates fields from the documentary credit issuance template to the documentary credit-related document templates;

logic to process input data for at least some of the fields of the documentary credit issuance template; and

logic to populate fields in the plurality of documentary credit-related documents using the map.

11. The computer-aided system of claim 10, wherein the template for documentary credit issuance corresponds to the documentary credit instruction by a seller.

12. The computer-aided system of claim 10, wherein the template for documentary credit issuance corresponds to the documentary credit application by a buyer.

13. The computer-aided system of claim 10, wherein the template for documentary credit issuance corresponds to the documentary credit instrument issued by a bank.

14. The computer-aided system of claim 10, wherein the logic to process input data is adapted to:

convey from a first party to a second party at least some terms of draft of a documentary credit instruction or a documentary credit application, wherein the first and second parties represent trading partners;

approving or editing the draft by the second party; and

recording agreement by the first and second parties on the terms of the draft, prior to issuance of a corresponding documentary credit instrument.

15. The computer-aided system of claim 10, further including:

at least one template for amendment of terms of a documentary credit instrument;

an additional map of fields from the documentary credit amendment template to the documentary credit-related document templates;

additional logic to accept input to at least some of the fields of the documentary credit amendment template; and

additional logic to populate fields in the plurality of documentary credit-related documents using the additional map.

16. The computer-aided system of claim 15, wherein the additional logic to process input data is adapted to:

convey from one to the other of the first and second parties at least some terms of a draft of a documentary credit amendment;

approving or editing the draft amendment by the other party; and

recording agreement by the first and second parties on the terms of the draft amendment, prior to issuance of a corresponding amended documentary credit instrument.

17. The computer-aided system of claim 10, wherein logic to process input data is directed to a pre-issuance document, further including:

further logic to populate fields in the documentary credit application using the map and to generate a machine readable documentary credit application; and

logic to electronically submitting the documentary credit application to an issuing bank.

18. The computer-aided system of claim 17, further including:

logic to receive a confirmation of issuance of a documentary credit instrument; and

logic to update the data supplied for the documentary credit issuance template to conform to the issued documentary credit instrument.