System and method for issuer originated payments for on-line banking bill payments

• US 20060080243A1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kemper, Lynn, Lawrence, Kimberly, Patterson, Barbara
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for processing on-line banking bill payment requests are provided. A bill payment request is received from an operator of an on-line banking bill payment web site. The operator may be a bank. The request is for payment of a bill using a portable consumer device. A transaction request is then generated for an issuer and sent to the issuer for authorization. The issuer then sends a response indicating whether the transaction request is approved or declined. Remittance information for a biller is generated if the transaction is approved. The remittance information is then forwarded to the operator of the on-line banking bill payment web site for forwarding to a user of the portable consumer device. Additionally, the remittance information is sent to an acquirer or cash management bank, which can forward the information to the biller associated with the bill payment request.

Claims

1. A system for processing a request for on-line banking payment of a bill, the system comprising:

a first module configured to receive an on-line banking bill payment request for paying a bill using an account associated with a portable consumer device, wherein the bill payment request is originated by an entity different from a biller associated with the bill; and

a second module configured to interact with an issuer of the portable consumer device and an acquirer to process the on-line banking bill payment request to satisfy payment of the bill using the account associated with the portable consumer device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the issuer is the entity that originates the bill payment request.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the issuer is configured to approve or decline a transaction message for the on-line banking bill payment request and send a response message indicating whether the transaction message was approved or denied to the second module.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the issuer pre-approves the on-line banking payment request.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the second module is configured to generate remittance information for the biller associated with the on-line banking bill payment request if the transaction message is approved.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the second module is configured to send the remittance information to the first module, the first module configured to send the remittance information to a bill processor used to submit the on-line banking bill payment request.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the bill processor communicates the remittance information to a user of the portable consumer device.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the second module is configured to send the remittance information to the acquirer associated with the biller, wherein the acquirer communicates the remittance information to the biller associated with the on-line banking bill payment request, wherein the remittance information satisfies requirements for payment of a bill using the portable consumer device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second module receives settlement information for the transaction message from the acquirer and is configured to send the settlement information to the issuer.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the second module is configured to send the remittance information to a cash management bank configured to settle the transaction with the biller.

11. A method for processing on-line banking bill payment requests, the method comprising:

receiving an on-line banking bill payment request for paying a bill using an account associated with a portable consumer device, wherein the on-line banking bill payment request is originated by an entity different from a biller associated with the bill;

obtaining an approval or denial from an issuer of the portable consumer device with respect to the on-line banking bill payment request; and

if the issuer approves the on-line banking bill payment request, settling the on-line banking bill payment request between the issuer and an acquirer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the issuer is the entity that originates the bill payment request.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating remittance information for the biller associated with the on-line banking bill payment request if the on-line banking bill payment request is approved.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending the remittance information to a bill processor used to submit the on-line banking bill payment request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the bill processor communicates the remittance information to a user of the portable consumer device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending the remittance information to a cash management bank configured to settle the transaction with the biller.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending the remittance information to the acquirer associated with the biller, wherein the acquirer communicates the remittance information to the biller associated with the on-line banking bill payment request, wherein the remittance information satisfies requirements for payment of the bill using the portable consumer device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the on-line banking bill payment request is received at a first transaction processor configured to receive the on-line banking bill payment request, the method further comprising:

sending the on-line banking bill payment request to a second transaction processor configured to interact with the issuer and the acquirer to process the on-line banking bill payment request.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first transaction processor formats the on-line banking bill payment request such that it is compatible with a format used by the second transaction processor.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving activation information for the biller, the activation information needed to enable on-line banking bill payment requests associated with the biller to be processed.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein obtaining approval from the issuer comprises obtaining pre-approval from the issuer.

22. A system for processing on-line banking bill payment requests, comprising:

a plurality of bill payment processors, each bill payment processor configured to issue on-line banking bill payment requests, wherein a bill payment request is for paying a bill using an account associated with a portable consumer device; and

a transaction processor configured to receive corresponding bill payment requests from the plurality of bill payment processors, the transaction processor further configured to, for each bill payment request, contact an issuer of the portable consumer device associated with that bill payment request to request approval, wherein forwarding of the bill payment requests from the plurality of bill payment processors to the transaction processor is not originated by billers associated with the bills.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the issuer is the entity that originates the bill payment request.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of bill payment processors is operated by a financial institution.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of bill payment processors is operated by a bill payment service provider.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein for each bill payment request, if the issuer of the portable consumer device approves that bill payment request, then the transaction processor coordinates with the issuer and an acquirer for the biller associated with that bill payment request to settle payment of the bill.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the transaction processor maintains a biller file having biller information on one or more billers associated with each bill payment processor;

and

wherein the transaction processor uses the biller information in the biller file to determine whether a particular bill payment processor is allowed to submit its bill payment requests to the transaction processor for processing, wherein each bill payment processor is only allowed to submit bill payment requests relating to one or more billers that are associated with that bill payment processor.

28. A method for processing on-line banking bill payment requests, the method comprising:

receiving an on-line banking bill payment request for paying a bill associated with the biller using an account associated with a portable consumer device, wherein the on-line banking bill payment request is originated by an issuer;

obtaining an approval or denial from the issuer of the portable consumer device with respect to the on-line banking bill payment request; and

if the issuer approves the on-line banking bill payment request, settling the on-line banking bill payment request between the issuer and an acquirer.