System and method for annuity processing

• US 20070239600A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: FoundationIP LLC (Clarivate Plc)
• Original Assignee: FoundationIP LLC (Clarivate Plc)
• Inventors: Sinha, Pradeep, Lundberg, Steven, Bergstrom, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/401,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239600A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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

The present invention provides a system, apparatus, and method for annuity processing. In some embodiments, an annuity processing module is used in conjunction with an internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system. This annuity-processing module reflects a software implementation of various business rules or methods associated with paying the annuity due on a patent. These rules are, in some embodiments, derived from various laws relating to the payment of annuities. In some embodiments, these rules are provided to a workflow engine via a DTD or XML schema. The work-flow engine manages the execution of the various business rules and states associated with this execution. These rules, including the decision to make a payment, can be manually executed or automatically executed by a member of an organization implementing the annuity payment module as a part of a larger system. This larger application could, in some embodiments, be an internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, on a client computer, notification of an annuity payment due;

initiating a payment cycle on the client computer;

extracting annuity data from an internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system;

transmitting the extracted annuity data to a server computer;

verifying the extracted annuity data against annuity data contained on the server computer;

uploading a PDL to the client computer; and

sending extracting data and payment instructions to a server computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server computer is owned by a payment channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising resolving a discrepancy between the extracted annuity data and the annuity data contained on the server computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the annuity data and payment instructions is initiated manually by a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the annuity data and payment instructions is performed automatically by a work-flow engine.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing the work-flow engine an instruction set.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating the payment cycle via a GUI.

8. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving, on a client computer, notification of an annuity payment due;

initiating a payment cycle on the client computer;

extracting annuity data from an internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system;

transmitting the extracted annuity data to a server computer;

verifying the extracted annuity data against annuity data contained on the server computer;

uploading a PDL to the client computer; and

sending extracting data and payment instructions to a server computer.

9. The computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computer to perform the method of claim 8, wherein the server computer is owned by a payment channel.

10. The computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computer to perform the method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises resolving a discrepancy between the extracted annuity data and the annuity data contained on the server computer.

11. The computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computer to perform the method of claim 8, wherein the sending of annuity data and payment instructions is initiated manually by a user.

12. The computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computer to perform the method of claim 8, wherein the sending of annuity data and payment instructions is performed automatically by a work-flow engine.

13. The computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computer to perform the method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises providing the work-flow engine an instruction set.

14. The computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computer to perform the method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises initiating a payment cycle via a GUI.

15. A system comprising:

a first computer configured to receive instructions from second computer, wherein the instructions are inputted via a GUI;

a first software module operatively coupled to an internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system wherein the first software module extracts data from the internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system residing on the first computer;

a second software module operatively coupled to the internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system that transmits the extracted data via an internet;

a third software module operatively coupled to the internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system that allows for uploading of a PDL; and

a fourth software module operatively coupled to the internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system that transmits the extracted data and payment instruction data.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a software module operatively coupled to the internet-based patent- and trademark-application management system that resolves data discrepancies.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first computer is operatively coupled via the internet to a third computer owned by a payment channel.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitting of the data and the payment instructions data is initiated manually by a user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitting of data and the payment instructions data is performed automatically by a work-flow engine.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the work-flow engine is provided with an instruction set.