Notification of the availability of electronic bills

• US 20050209965A1
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ganesan, Ravi
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/00 Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
• 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 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

To notify a person of the availability of electronic billing information, billing information associated with bills of a biller for its customers is stored in a first data store, and identify information identifying unregistered persons having billing information stored in the first data store, is stored in a second data store. Registration information identifying a person who is currently unregistered is received via a wide area network. The received registration information is compared with the identity information stored in the second data store. Based on the comparison, it is determined if the received registration information identifies a customer of the biller. If so, a notice of the availability of the stored billing information of the biller is transmitted to the person via the wide area network.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a person of the availability of billing information, comprising:

storing, in a first data store, billing information associated with bills of a biller for its customers;

storing, in a second data store, identity information identifying unregistered persons having billing information stored in the first data store;

receiving, via a wide area network from a person who is currently unregistered, registration information identifying the person;

comparing the received registration information with the identity information stored in the second data store;

determining, based on the comparison, if the received registration information identifies a customer of the biller; and

transmitting, to the person via the wide area network, a notice of the availability of the stored billing information, if the received registration information is determined to identify the customer of the biller;

wherein the comparing and determining are performed by a computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the person via the wide area network responsive to the transmitted notice, a request for the stored billing information; and

transmitting, to the person via the wide area network responsive to the received request, the stored billing information associated with the bill of the biller for the person.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the biller is a first biller, and further comprising:

also storing, in the first data store, billing information associated with bills of a second biller for its customers;

determining, based on the comparison, if the received registration information identifies a customer of the second biller; and

transmitting, to the person via the wide area network, a notice of the availability of the stored billing information of the second biller, if the received registration information is determined to identify the customer of the second biller.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

it is determined that the received registration information identifies the customer of the first biller and the customer of the second biller; and

the notices of the availability of the stored billing information of the first and the second billers are transmitted in a single consolidated message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the biller is a first biller, and further comprising:

also storing, in the first data store, other billing information associated with bills of a second biller for its customers;

receiving, via a wide area network from another person who is currently unregistered, other registration information identifying the other person;

comparing the received other registration information with the identity information stored in the second data store;

determining, based on the comparison, if the other received registration information identifies a customer of the second biller; and

transmitting, to the other person via the wide area network, a notice of the availability of the stored other billing information, if the received other registration information is determined to identify the customer of the second biller;

6. A system for notifying a person of the availability of billing information, comprising:

a first data store having billing information associated with bills of a biller for its customers;

a second data store having identity information identifying unregistered persons having billing information stored in the first data store; and

a processor having the logic (i) to receive registration information identifying a person who is currently unregistered, (ii) to determine if the person identified in the received registration information is a customer of the biller based on the stored identity information, and (iii) to direct that the person be notified of the availability of the stored billing information, if the person is determined to be the customer of the biller.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the processor also has the logic (i) to receive a request from the person for the stored billing information responsive to the directed notification, and (ii) to direct, responsive to the received request, delivery of the stored billing information associated with the bill of the biller for the person.

8. The system, of claim 6, wherein:

the processor (i) receives the registration information via a wide area communications network, and (ii) directs that the person be notified by transmission of the notice of availability of the stored billing information to the person via the wide area communications network.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the biller is a first biller;

the first data store also has billing information associated with bills of a second biller for its customers;

the processor has the logic to also determine, based on the stored identity information, if the person identified in the received registration information is a customer of the second biller, and to direct that the person be notified of the availability of the stored billing information associated with the bills of the second biller, if the person is determined to be the customer of the second biller.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

if the person is determined to be the customer of both the first and the second billers, the processor directs that the person be notified of the availability of the stored billing information associated with the bills of the first and the second billers by a single consolidated notice.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the biller is a first biller;

the first data store also has other billing information associated with bills of a second biller for its customers;

the processor also has the logic (i) to receive other registration information identifying another person who is currently unregistered, (ii) to determine if the other person identified in the received other registration information is a customer of the second biller based on the stored identity information, and (iii) to direct that the other person be notified of the availability of the stored other billing information, if the other person is determined to be the customer of the second biller.

12. A networked system, including multiple network stations interconnected by a wide area communications network, for notifying a person of the availability of billing information, comprising:

a first data store including billing information associated with bills of a biller for its customers;

a second data store including identity information identifying unregistered persons having billing information stored in the first data store;

a first network station representing a bill payment service provider; and

a second network station representing a person currently unregistered with the bill payment service provider, for transmitting registration information identifying the person;

wherein the first network station (i) receives the transmitted registration information, (ii) determines, based the stored identity information, if the person identified in the received registration information is a customer of the biller, and (iii) if the person identified in the received registration information is determined to be the customer of the biller, transmits a notice of the availability of the stored billing information to the second network station.

13. The networked system of claim 12, wherein:

the first data store and the second data store are located at the first network station.

14. The networked system of claim 12, wherein:

the second network station receives the transmitted notice of availability and transmits a request for the available billing information to the first network station, responsive to the received notice.

15. The networked system of claim 14, wherein:

the first network station receives the transmitted request for the available billing information and, responsive to the received request, (i) retrieves the billing information associated with the bill of the biller for the person from the first data store and (ii) transmits the retrieved billing information to the second network station; and

the second network station receives the transmitted billing information and presents the received billing information to the person.

16. The networked system of claim 12, wherein:

the biller is a first biller;

the first data store also stores billing information associated with bills of a second biller for its customers;

the notice of the availability of the stored billing information is a notice of the availability of the stored billing information associated with bills of the first biller; and

the first network station (i) also determines, based the stored identity information, if the person identified in the received registration information is a customer of the second biller and (ii), if the person identified in the received registration information is determined to be the customer of the second biller, transmits a notice of the availability of the stored billing information associated with bills of the second biller to the second network station.

17. The networked system of claim 16, wherein:

the first network station determines that the person identified in the received registration information is the customer of both the first and the second billers and transmits a single message having the notices of the availability of the stored billing information associated with bills of both the first and the second billers to the second network station.

18. The networked system of claim 17, wherein:

the second network station receives the transmitted message and transmits a request for the available billing information, responsive to the received message; and

the first network station receives the transmitted request and, responsive to the received request, (i) retrieves the stored billing information associated with the bills of the first biller and the second biller for the person from the first data store and (ii) transmits the retrieved billing information to the second network station.

19. The networked system of claim 12, further comprising:

a third network station representing another person currently unregistered with the bill payment service provider, for transmitting other registration information identifying the other person;

wherein the biller is a first biller;

wherein the first data store also stores other billing information associated with bills of a second biller for its customers;

wherein the first network station also (i) receives the transmitted other registration information, (ii) determines, based the stored identity information, if the other person identified in the received other registration information is a customer of the second biller, and (iii) if the other person identified in the received other registration information is determined to be the customer of the second biller, transmits another notice of the availability of the stored billing information to the third network station.

20. The networked system of claim 19, wherein:

the person identified in the received registration information is determined to be the customer of the first biller and the other person identified in the received other registration information is determined to be the customer of the second biller;

the notice of the availability of the stored billing information transmitted to the second network station is a notice of the availability of the stored billing information associated with bills of the first biller; and

the other notice of the availability of the stored billing information transmitted to the third network station is a notice of the availability of the stored billing information associated with bills of the second biller.