Technique for identifying probable billers of a consumer

• US 20040139009A1
• Filed: 03/27/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: McMichael, William R., Kozee, Casey W., Bemis, Teri W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,773 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 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus

Abstract

A technique for identifying a candidate electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment to a consumer is provided. An electronic commerce service provider receives location information of a first consumer. The service provider accesses information associated with providing a payment service to a second consumer located near the first consumer. This accessing is based on the received location information. At least one potential biller of the first consumer is identified in the accessed information.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a candidate electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment to a consumer, comprising:

receiving, at an electronic commerce service provider, information identifying a location of a first consumer;

accessing information, based upon the received location information, associated with the service provider providing a payment service to a second consumer located proximate to the first consumer; and

identifying at least one candidate electronic biller of the first consumer based upon the accessed information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessed information includes at least one of (i) information identifying at least one payee paid by the service provider on behalf of the second consumer, and (ii) information identifying at least one payee designated by the second consumer as an intended payee.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining if the at least one payee identified in the accessed information is an electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment;

wherein any payee identified in the accessed information determined to be an electronic biller is identified as a candidate electronic biller of the first consumer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second consumer is one of a plurality of consumers, each having a location proximate to the location of the first consumer; and

the accessed information is associated with the service provider providing the payment service to each of the plurality of consumers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the accessed information includes at least one of (i) information identifying at least one payee paid by the service provider on behalf of one or more of the plurality of consumers, and (ii) information identifying at least one payee designated by one or more of the plurality of consumers as an intended payee, and further comprising:

determining if the at least one payee identified in the accessed information is an electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment; and

determining, for any payee determined to be an electronic biller, a number of the plurality of consumers that have at least one of (i) directed the service provider to pay the payee, and (ii) designated the payee as an intended payee;

wherein only those determined electronic billers having been at least one of (i) paid by the service provider on behalf of a number of the plurality of consumers greater than a predetermined number of consumers, and (ii) designated by a number of the plurality of consumers greater than a predetermined number of consumers, are identified as candidate electronic billers of the first consumer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information identifying the location of the first consumer is a zip code in which the first consumer is located; and

the second consumer is located in the zip code in which the first consumer is located.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, from the service provider and via a network, candidate electronic biller information;

wherein the transmitted candidate electronic biller information identifies the at least one candidate electronic biller

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the candidate electronic biller information is transmitted to the first consumer, and further comprising:

receiving at the service provider, via the network and subsequent to the transmission of the candidate electronic biller information, a first consumer selection of at least one candidate electronic biller as a definite electronic biller of the first consumer.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the candidate electronic biller information is transmitted to the first consumer, and further comprising:

identifying, at the service provider, at least one definite electronic biller of the first consumer; and

transmitting, with the candidate electronic biller information, definite electronic biller information;

wherein the transmitted definite electronic biller information identifies the at least one definite electronic biller.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

presenting the transmitted candidate electronic biller information and the transmitted definite electronic biller information to the first consumer;

wherein the candidate electronic biller information is presented in a first form;

wherein the definite electronic biller information is presented in a second form different than the first form; and

wherein the second form does not identify the at least one definite electronic biller as a definite electronic biller.

11. A database for storing information associated with payees and payors, comprising:

a location identifier identifying a common location of one or more payors; and

payee information, stored in association with the location identifier, identifying one or more payees of each of the one or more payors;

wherein storage of payee information identifying any respective payee is not dependent upon a location of that respective payee.

12. The database of claim 11, wherein the payee information is first payee information, and further comprising:

second payee information, stored in association with the first payee information, identifying at least one of the identified one or more payees as an electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment.

13. The database of claim 11, further comprising:

first payor information, stored in association with the location identifier, identifying a total number of the one or more payors in the identified location; and

second payor information, stored in association with the payee information, identifying a number of the one or more payors having at least one of (i) paid a respective one of the one or more payees identified by the payee information, and (ii) designated a respective one of the one or more payees identified by the payee information as an intended payee.

14. The database of claim 11, wherein:

the location identifier is a first zip code in which each of the one or more payors is located; and

at least a first one of the one or more payees is located in a second zip code different than the first zip code.

15. The database of claim 11, wherein the payee information is first payee information, and further comprising:

second payee information, stored in association with the first payee information, identifying an industry classification of at least one of the identified one or more payees.

16. A method for identifying an electronic commerce participant, comprising:

receiving a zip code in which a first electronic commerce participant is located;

accessing information associated with providing an electronic commerce service to a second electronic commerce participant located in the zip code; and

identifying a third electronic commerce participant as being potentially associated with the first electronic commerce participant based upon the accessed information.

17. A system for identifying a candidate electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment to a consumer, comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive, via a network, information identifying a location of a first consumer;

a memory configured to store information associated with providing a payment service to a second consumer located proximate to the first consumer; and

a processor configured to access the stored information based upon the received location information and to identify at least one candidate electronic biller of the first consumer based upon the accessed information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the accessed information includes at least one of (i) information identifying at least one payee paid by a service provider on behalf of the second consumer, and

(ii) information identifying at least one payee designated by the second consumer as an intended payee;

the processor is further configured to determine if the at least one payee identified in the accessed information is an electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment; and

any payee identified in the accessed information determined to be an electronic biller is identified as a candidate electronic biller of the first consumer.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the second consumer is one of a plurality of consumers, each having a location proximate to the location of the first consumer;

the stored information is associated with providing the payment service to the plurality of consumers;

the accessed information includes at least one of (i) information identifying at least one payee paid by the service provider on behalf of one or more of the plurality of consumers, and (ii) information identifying at least one payee designated by one or more of the plurality of consumers as an intended payee;

the processor is further configured to determine if the at least one payee identified in the accessed information is an electronic biller having bills available for electronic presentment, and to determine, for any payee determined to be an electronic biller, a number of the plurality of consumers that have designated the electronic biller as at least one of a payee and an intended payee; and

only those determined electronic billers having been designated by a number of the plurality of consumers greater than a predetermined number of consumers are identified as a candidate electronic biller of the first consumer.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the communications interface is further configured to transmit, via the network and to the first consumer, candidate electronic biller information including information identifying the at least one candidate electronic biller, and to receive, subsequent to the transmission of the candidate electronic biller information, a first consumer selection of at least one candidate electronic biller as a definite electronic biller of the first consumer; and

the processor is further configured to cause the communications interface to transmit the candidate electronic biller information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

the communications interface is further configured to transmit, with the candidate electronic biller information, definite electronic biller information;

the processor is further configured to identify at least one definite electronic biller of the first consumer and to cause the communications interface to transmit the definite electronic biller information; and

the transmitted definite electronic biller information identifies the at least one definite electronic biller.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the transmitted candidate electronic biller information and the transmitted definite electronic biller information are presented to the first consumer;

the candidate electronic biller information is presented in a first form;

the definite electronic biller information is presented in a second form different than the first form; and

the second form does not identify the at least one definite electronic biller as a definite electronic biller.