CONSTRUCTION PAYMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH SPECIFIED BILLING FEATURES

• US 20090012886A1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Textura Corp (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Textura Corp (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Eichhorn, William H., Allin, Patrick J., Cherry, Charles C., Smith, John W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,306,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing payments. One construction of the system includes a software enabled user interface accessible by a first party and a second party, at least one computer readable memory, and a processor. The processor is configured to selectively operate in a specified billing mode in response to an input received from the first party. The processor is configured to receiving invoice details from the first party when operating in the specified billing mode and from the second party when not operating in the specified billing mode. The processor is further configured to generate an invoice based on the invoice details, display the invoice to the first party and the second party, and request an approval or a rejection of the invoice from the first party or the second party.

Claims

1. A construction payment management system comprising:

a software enabled user interface accessible by a first party and a second party associated with a construction project;

a computer readable memory; and

a processor configured to

selectively operate in a specified billing mode in response to an input received from the first party,

receive invoice details from the first party when operating in the specified billing mode,

receive invoice details from the second party when not operating in the specified billing mode,

generate an invoice based on the invoice details,

display the invoice to the first party and the second party, and

request an approval or a rejection of the invoice from the first party or the second party.

2. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to notify the second party when the specified billing mode has been turned on or off.

3. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to request the approval or the rejection of the invoice from both the first party and the second party.

4. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive invoice details from the first party when not operating in the specified billing mode.

5. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to prevent the second party from entering invoice details when operating in the specified billing mode.

6. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to prevent the first party from entering invoice details when not operating in the specified billing mode.

7. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to turn the specified billing mode on or off for an invoice in response to the input from the first party.

8. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to turn the specified billing mode off after receiving the rejection of the invoice from the second party and the input from the first party.

9. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to turn the specified billing mode on after receiving the rejection of the invoice from the first party and the input from the first party.

10. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to turn the specified billing mode on for new invoices by default.

11. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to turn off the specified billing mode at any time in response to the input from the first party.

12. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to

receive a comment from one of the first party and the second party, and

display the comment to the other of the first party and the second party.

13. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to display the comment and a plurality of other comments received from the first party and the second party in a chronologically ordered list.

14. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to associate the comment with a change made to the invoice details.

15. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to associate the comment with an approval or a rejection of the invoice.

16. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to store the comment to the computer readable memory.

17. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to store the comment to the computer readable memory

18. The construction payment management system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to store the comment and a plurality of other comments received from the first party and the second party to the computer readable memory in a chronologically ordered list.

19. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the comment includes a textual comment.

20. The construction payment management system of claim 19, wherein the textual comment includes a link to a photograph.

21. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the comment includes a photograph.

22. The construction payment management system of claim 12, wherein the comment includes at least one of a video recording and an audio recording,

23. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the first party is a quantity surveyor.

24. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the first party is a general contractor and the second party is a subcontractor.

25. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the invoice details include

a total value for materials and services that a contractor is obligated to provide for the construction project, and

a percentage of completion associated with the materials and services.

26. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate an electronic payment of an invoice after receiving the approval of the invoice from the first party and the second party.

27. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive an electronic signature verifying the approval of the invoice from the first party or the second party.

28. A construction payment management system comprising:

a software enabled user interface accessible by a first party and a second party;

a computer readable memory; and

a processor configured to

receive invoice details from the first party through the software enabled user interface, wherein the invoice details include a value associated with work performed on a construction project or a value associated with materials supplied for use in the construction project,

generate an invoice for the construction project based on the invoice details,

display the invoice to the second party through the software enabled user interface,

request an approval or a rejection of the invoice from the second party,

receive a plurality of comments from the first party and the second party,

associate a comment from the plurality of comments with one of a received invoice detail, an approval, and a rejection,

display the plurality of comments in a chronologically ordered list, and

store the chronologically ordered list to the computer readable memory.

29. A construction payment management system comprising:

a software enabled user interface accessible by a first party, a second party, and a third party associated with a construction project;

a computer readable memory; and

a processor configured to

selectively operate in a specified billing mode for a first invoice in response to an input received from the first party, wherein the first party is associated with a payor of the first invoice and the second party is associated with a payee of the first invoice,

receive invoice information for a first set of invoice details from the first party when operating in the specified billing mode for the first invoice,

receive invoice information for the first set of invoice details from the second party when not operating in the specified billing mode for the first invoice,

generate the first invoice based on the first set of invoice details,

selectively operate in a specified billing mode for a second invoice in response to an input received from the second party, wherein the second invoice is related to the first invoice and wherein the second party is associated with a payor of the second invoice and the third party is associated with a payee of the second invoice,

receive invoice information for a second set of invoice details from the second party when operating in the specified billing mode for the second invoice,

receive invoice information for the second set of invoice details from the third party when not operating in the specified billing mode for the second invoice, and

generate the second invoice based on the second set of invoice details.

30. The construction payment management system of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to

initiate the second invoice with the specified billing mode turned on, and

create the second set of invoice details based on the first set of invoice details.

31. The construction payment management system of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to

initiate the first invoice with the specified billing mode turned off, and

create the first set of invoice details based on the second set of invoice details.