Enhanced trade compliance system: audit processing, payment balancing process and amendment processing

• US 20060015418A1
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Potts, Tom, Peach, Laurie, Holmes, Frederic, Halterman, Matt, Swirt, Mark, Uy, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Methods and systems for auditing invoice and payment records are disclosed. A computer system may receive a plurality of invoices and payment records, compare one of the invoices to a matching one of the payment records to identify a discrepancy between the invoice and the payment record, calculate an error value as a function of the identified discrepancy, determine that the calculated error value exceeds a tolerance value, and generate an reporting the identified discrepancy. Methods and systems for balancing invoices and payment records are also disclosed. A computer system may compare dates and payment amounts of the invoices to dates and payment amounts of the payment records, and identify matches between the two. The computer system may then display lists of unmatched invoices and payment records for a user to manually examine.

Claims

1. A method of auditing invoice and shipping records, comprising:

receiving a plurality of invoices in a computer system, each invoice referring to a shipment;

receiving a plurality of payment records in the computer system, each payment record referring to a shipment;

matching one of the invoices to one of the payment records, wherein the matched invoice and payment record refer to the same shipment;

comparing the matched invoice and payment record to identify a discrepancy between them;

calculating an error value as a function of the identified discrepancy;

determining that the calculated error value exceeds a predetermined tolerance value; and

generating an output from the computer system in response to determining that the calculated error value exceeds the predetermined tolerance value, the output reporting the identified discrepancy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined tolerance value is based upon an external requirement.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising changing the value of the predetermined tolerance value over time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the discrepancy comprises a difference between a first price included in the invoice and a second price included in the payment record.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the error value comprises a dollar amount representing the difference.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a record of the output associated with the predetermined tolerance value.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising associating a date of the comparison in the stored record.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising editing at least one of the invoice and the payment records to resolve the discrepancy.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating an amendment report including information about the edit.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising transmitting the amendment report to U.S. Customs.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an acknowledgement of the discrepancy and, in response to the acknowledgement, declining to generate an output reporting a discrepancy when determining that a subsequently calculated error value exceeds the predetermined tolerance value.

12. A method of auditing invoice and payment records, comprising:

receiving a plurality of invoices in a computer system, each invoice referring to a shipment;

receiving a plurality of payment records in the computer system, each payment record referring to a shipment;

identifying a plurality of matched sets of invoices and payment records, wherein each matched set includes an invoice and payment record referring to the same shipment;

identifying, for each one of the plurality of matched sets, a discrepancy between the invoice and payment record in that matched set;

calculating an error value for each one of the plurality of matched sets as a function of the identified discrepancy;

determining that each calculated error value exceeds a predetermined tolerance value;

identifying a pattern in the identified discrepancies; and

generating an output from the computer system reporting the identified pattern.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the pattern comprises discrepancies in duty amounts caused by an incorrect HTS classification.

14. A method of balancing payment records and invoices, comprising:

receiving a plurality of invoices in a computer system, each invoice referring to a shipment;

receiving a plurality of payment records in the computer system, each payment record referring to a shipment;

identifying a plurality of unmatched invoices, each having no matching payment record in the plurality of payment records;

identifying a plurality of unmatched payment records, each having no matching invoice in the plurality of invoices;

generating a first list including the unmatched invoices and a second list including the unmatched payment records; and

displaying the first and second lists together.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving input from a user representing a match between a invoice displayed in the first list and an payment record displayed in the second list.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving an additional input from the user representing a correction to at least one of the payment record displayed in the first list and the invoice displayed in the second list and, in response to receiving the additional input, editing at least one of the payment record and the invoice to reflect the correction.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising generating an amendment report including information about the edit.

18. Computer-readable media embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method of auditing invoice and payment records, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of invoices in a computer system, each invoice referring to a shipment;

receiving a plurality of payment records in the computer system, each payment record referring to a shipment;

matching one of the invoices to one of the payment records, wherein the matched invoice and payment record refer to the same shipment;

comparing the matched invoice and payment record to identify a discrepancy between them;

calculating an error value as a function of the identified discrepancy;

determining that the calculated error value exceeds a predetermined tolerance value; and

generating an output from the computer system in response to determining that the calculated error value exceeds the predetermined tolerance value, the output reporting the identified discrepancy.

19. Computer-readable media embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method of auditing invoice and payment records, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of invoices in a computer system, each invoice referring to a shipment;

receiving a plurality of payment records in the computer system, each payment record referring to a shipment;

identifying a plurality of matched sets of invoices and payment records, wherein each matched set includes an invoice and payment record referring to the same shipment;

identifying, for each one of the plurality of matched sets, a discrepancy between the invoice and payment record in that matched set;

calculating an error value for each one of the plurality of matched sets as a function of the identified discrepancy;

determining that each calculated error value exceeds a predetermined tolerance value;

identifying a pattern in the identified discrepancies; and

generating an output from the computer system reporting the identified pattern.

20. Computer-readable media embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method of balancing invoice and payment records, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of invoices in a computer system, each invoice referring to a shipment;

receiving a plurality of payment records in the computer system, each payment record referring to a shipment;

identifying a plurality of unmatched invoices, each having no matching payment record in the plurality of payment records;

identifying a plurality of unmatched payment records, each having no matching invoice in the plurality of invoices;

generating a first list including the unmatched invoices and a second list including the unmatched payment records; and

displaying the first and second lists together.

21. A system for auditing invoice and payment records comprising:

an input configured to receive a plurality of invoices and a plurality of payment records, each invoice referring to a shipment and each payment record referring to a shipment;

a processor configured to match one of the invoices to one of the payment records wherein the matched invoice and payment record refer to the same shipment, compare the matched invoice and payment record to identify a discrepancy between them, calculate an error value as a function of the identified discrepancy, and determine that the calculated error value exceeds a predetermined tolerance value and generate an output in response to determining that the calculated error value exceeds the predetermined tolerance value, the output reporting the identified discrepancy; and

a display device configured to display the generated output.

22. A system for auditing invoice and payment records comprising:

an input configured to receive a plurality of invoices and a plurality of payment records, each invoice referring to a shipment and each payment record referring to a shipment;

a processor configured to identify a plurality of matched sets of invoices and payment records wherein each matched set includes an invoice and payment record referring to the same shipment, identify a discrepancy between the invoice and payment record for each one of the plurality of matched sets, calculate an error value for each one of the plurality of matched sets as a function of the identified discrepancy, determine that each calculated error value exceeds a predetermined tolerance value, and identify a pattern in the identified discrepancies; and

a display device configured to display an output reporting the identified pattern.

23. A system for balancing invoice and payment records comprising:

an input configured to receive a plurality of invoices and a plurality of payment records, each invoice referring to a shipment and each payment record referring to a shipment;

a processor configured to identify a plurality of unmatched invoices each having no matching payment record in the plurality of payment records, identify a plurality of unmatched payment records each having no matching invoice in the plurality of invoices, and generate a first list including the unmatched invoices and a second list including the unmatched payment records; and

a display device configured to display the first and second lists together.