Easy establishment of biller or payees of a payor

• US 20040088251A1
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brothers, John, Moenickheim, Peter, Ward, Cheryl, D. Dreyer, Hans, McCoy, Randal, Stratton, Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/285,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088251A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A technique for identifying payees to be paid by an electronic commerce service provider on behalf of each of a plurality of consumers is provided. A first consumer transmits information identifying himself or herself. A second consumer also transmits information identifying himself or herself. The information identifying the first consumer and the information identifying the second consumer each lack any information identifying any payee. The first consumer receives information identifying a first potential payee from the electronic commerce service provider. The second consumer receives information identifying a second potential payee from the electronic commerce service provider. The second consumer does not receive information identifying the first potential payee. The first consumer has never before identified the first potential payee to the electronic commerce service provider, and the second consumer has never before identified the second potential payee to the electronic commerce service provider. Thus, the first consumer and the second consumer each receive information identifying candidate payees, the candidate payees being tailored based upon each consumer'"'"'s identity.

Claims

1. A method for identifying payees to be paid by an electronic commerce service provider on behalf of each of a plurality of consumers, comprising:

transmitting, from a first of a plurality of consumers, information identifying the first consumer and excluding information identifying any payee of the first consumer;

transmitting, from a second of the plurality of consumers, information identifying the second consumer and excluding information identifying any payee of the second consumer;

receiving, by the first consumer and responsive to the transmitted first consumer identifying information, information identifying a first candidate payee from the electronic commerce service provider, the first consumer having not previously identified the first candidate payee to the electronic commerce service provider; and

receiving, by the second consumer and responsive to the transmitted second consumer identifying information, information identifying a second candidate payee but not the first candidate payee from the electronic commerce service provider, the second consumer having not previously identified the second candidate payee to the electronic commerce service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the information identifying the first consumer and the information identifying the second consumer is transmitted during an enrollment session for services of the electronic commerce provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information identifying the first consumer is transmitted during a first communication session;

the information identifying the first candidate payee is received during the first communication session;

the information identifying the second consumer is transmitted during a second communication session different than the first communication session; and

the information identifying the second candidate payee is received during one of the second communication session and a third communication session different than the second communication session and the first communication session.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first consumer, subsequent to the transmission of the first consumer identifying information, and prior to receipt of the information identifying the first candidate payee, a request for the first consumer to identify types of businesses the first consumer pays; and

transmitting, by the first consumer and responsive to receipt of the request, information identifying at least a first business type, the transmitted business type information excluding information identifying any payee;

wherein the first candidate payee is a payee of the identified first business type; and

wherein the information identifying the first candidate payee is received responsive to transmission of the requested information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the received information identifying the first candidate payee is received as a part of a payee set-up presentation; and

the received payee set-up presentation is at least partially completed by the electronic commerce service provider.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, from the first consumer during a first network session, less than all information necessary to set up the first candidate payee as a definite payee of the first consumer; and

transmitting, from the first consumer during a second network session different than the first network station, the remainder of the information necessary to set up the first candidate payee as a definite payee of the first consumer;

wherein the first candidate payee is set up as a definite payee of the first consumer based upon the information transmitted in the first network session and the information transmitted in the second network session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the received information identifying the first candidate payee identifies a plurality of candidate payees;

the information identifying the plurality of candidate payees is displayed;

each of the plurality of candidate payees is associated with a business type; and

candidate payees of the same business type are displayed together.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the first consumer and responsive to receipt of the information identifying the first candidate payee, a selection of the first candidate payee as a definite payee.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the received information identifying the first candidate payee includes an electronic commerce service provider offer to set up recurring payments to the first candidate payee on behalf of the first consumer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the transmitted information identifying the first consumer includes information identifying a residency location of the first consumer;

the received information identifying the first candidate payee includes information identifying a plurality of candidate payees; and

at least one of the plurality of candidate payees is a candidate payee known by the electronic commerce service provider to have customers having the same residency location as the first consumer.

11. A system for identifying payees to be paid by an electronic commerce service provider on behalf of each of a plurality of consumers, comprising:

a first network station associated with a first of the plurality of consumers configured to transmit, to the electronic commerce service provider, information identifying the first consumer and excluding information identifying any payee of the first consumer, and to receive, from the electronic commerce service provider, information identifying a first candidate payee, the first consumer having not previously identified the first candidate payee to the electronic commerce service provider; and

a second network station associated with a second of the plurality of consumers configured to transmit, to the electronic commerce service provider, information identifying the second consumer and excluding information identifying any payee of the second consumer, and to receive, from the electronic commerce service provider, information identifying a second candidate payee but not the first candidate payee, the second consumer having not previously identified the second candidate payee to the electronic commerce service provider.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the information identifying the first consumer and the information identifying the second consumer is transmitted during an enrollment session for services of the electronic commerce service provider.

13. The claim 11, wherein:

the information identifying the first consumer is transmitted during a first communication session;

the information identifying the first candidate payee is received during the first communication session;

the information identifying the second consumer is transmitted during a second communication session different than the first communication session; and

the information identifying the second candidate payee is received during one of the second communication session and a third communication session different than the second communication session and the first communication session.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the first network station is further configured to receive, subsequent to the transmission of the first consumer identifying information, and prior to receipt of the information identifying the first candidate payee, a request for the first consumer to identify types of businesses the first consumer pays, and to transmit, responsive to receipt of the request, information identifying at least a first business type, the transmitted business type information excluding information identifying any payee;

the first candidate payee is a payee of the identified first business type; and

the information identifying the first candidate payee is received responsive to transmission of the requested information.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the received information identifying the first candidate payee is received as a part of a payee set-up presentation; and

the received payee set-up presentation is at least partially completed by the electronic commerce service provider.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the first network station is further configured to transmit, during a first network session, less than all information necessary to set up the first candidate payee as a definite payee of the first consumer, and to transmit, during a second network session different than the first network station, the remainder of the information necessary to set up the first candidate payee as a definite payee of the first consumer; and

the first candidate payee is set up as a definite payee of the first consumer based upon the information transmitted in the first network session and the information transmitted in the second network session.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the received information identifying the first candidate payee identifies a plurality of candidate payees;

the information identifying the plurality of candidate payees is displayed at the first network station;

each of the plurality of candidate payees is associated with a business type; and

candidate payees of the same business type are displayed together.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first network station is further configured to transmit, responsive to receipt of the information identifying the first candidate payee, a first consumer selection of the first candidate payee as a definite payee.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the received information identifying the first candidate payee includes an electronic commerce service provider offer to set up recurring payments to the first candidate payee on behalf of the first consumer.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the transmitted information identifying the first consumer includes information identifying a residency location of the first consumer;

the received information identifying the first candidate payee includes information identifying a plurality of candidate payees; and

at least one of the plurality of candidate payees is a candidate payee known by the electronic commerce service provider to have customers having the same residency location as the first consumer.