INVENTORY-BASED PAYMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM AND APPROACH

• US 20090192922A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syncada LLC (US Bancorp)
• Original Assignee: Syncada LLC (US Bancorp)
• Inventors: Hahn-Carlson, Dean W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Transaction management for financial institution-based transactions is facilitated in various example embodiments. According to one such embodiment, a transaction management approach involves the processing of financial aspects of a transaction using transaction rules associated with a buyer for auditing the transaction and any associated invoices. A processor arrangement processes transactions for merchant offerings subject to a related set of inventory data by auditing the transactions relative to inventory data corresponding to an inventory to which the transaction applies and stored contract data for the transaction, by processing payment in response thereto, and by assessing a processing fee against one or more parties to the transaction.

Claims

1. An automated transaction processing system for processing business transactions involving buyers and providers and pertaining to an inventory of items to which merchant offerings in the transactions apply, the system comprising:

a data storage arrangement configured and arranged to store buyer-specific profile information and contract data for each buyer, each of the respective contracts being defined as a function of one of the plurality of buyers and a predefined business relationship between the one buyer and at least one provider; and

a transaction processor arrangement adapted to process transactions involving merchant offerings subject to an inventory according to the stored contract data and profile information, the transaction processor arrangement including

an auditing engine configured and arranged to audit a transaction involving a buyer and at least one provider using transaction data, inventory data corresponding to an inventory to which the transaction applies, and stored contract data for the transaction,

a payment processor configured and arranged to process payment for a transaction on behalf of the buyer in response to the auditing function indicating that payment is appropriate for the transaction, and

a fee assessment engine configured and arranged to assess a transaction processing fee against at least one of the parties to the transaction for which a payment is processed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the auditing engine is adapted to audit the transaction as a function of an inventory associated with at least one of the buyer and at least one provider involved in the transaction.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the auditing engine audits the transaction as a function of contract data specific to a defined relationship between the buyer and at least one service provider.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the auditing engine is adapted to audit the transaction as a function of inventory items associated with the transaction.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the auditing engine audits the transaction as a function of contract data specific to the buyer and the inventory items associated with the transaction.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the auditing engine is responsive to transaction data indicating a new inventory item for which no previously-defined inventory data is available by automatically associating the new inventory item as part of an inventory, such as an itemized catalog or list of tangible goods or property, or the intangible attributes or qualities, in accordance with at least one of the stored contract data and profile information.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the auditing engine is responsive to transaction data indicating a new inventory item for which no previously-defined inventory data is available by automatically establishing a new inventory and by associating the new inventory item with the newly-established inventory in accordance with at least one of the stored contract data and profile information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the auditing engine audits fixed-payment transactions involving a buyer and at least one provider in response to stored contract data for the fixed-payment transactions.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction processor automatically generates an invoice for transactions in response to a predefined event and processes the generated invoice via the auditing engine and payment processor to effect payment for the invoice.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the fee assessment engine assesses a transaction processing fee for the audit and payment processing.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the fee assessment engine assesses a transaction processing fee for financing the payment for a transaction processed by the payment processor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein

the payment processor processes payment by generating and sending payment approval information to a financial institution that effects payment for the transaction, and

the fee assessment engine assesses a transaction processing fee for financing the payment for a transaction processed by the payment processor and provides at least a portion of the assessed transaction processing fee to the financial institution.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction processor arrangement includes an expense classification engine that automatically classifies payments, made for particular inventory items, into expense classes based upon profile information for the buyer.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein, for transactions requiring buyer approval for payment,

the transaction processor provides an interface to buyers for viewing and approving invoices pertaining to the transactions, and

the auditing engine audits each transaction in response to buyer approval for the transaction.

15. For use in an automated transaction processing system that processes business transactions involving buyers and providers relative to an inventory of items to which merchant offerings in the transactions apply, a system comprising:

a data storage means for storing buyer-specific profile information and contract data for each buyer, each of the respective contracts being defined as a function of one of the plurality of buyers and a predefined business relationship between the one buyer and at least one provider; and

a transaction processing means for processing transactions involving merchant offerings subject to an inventory according to the stored contract data and profile information, the transaction processor processing means also for

auditing a transaction involving a buyer and at least one provider using transaction data, inventory data corresponding to an inventory to which the transaction applies, and stored contract data for the transaction,

processing payment for a transaction on behalf of the buyer in response to the auditing function indicating that payment is appropriate for the transaction, and

assessing a transaction processing fee against at least one of the parties to the transaction for which a payment is processed.

16. For use in an automated transaction processing system that processes business transactions involving buyers and providers relative to an inventory of items to which merchant offerings in the transactions apply, a method comprising:

using a data storage arrangement, storing buyer-specific profile information and contract data for each buyer, each of the respective contracts being defined as a function of one of the plurality of buyers and a predefined business relationship between the one buyer and at least one provider; and

using a computer processing arrangement,

processing transactions involving merchant offerings subject to an inventory according to the stored contract data and profile information,

auditing a transaction involving a buyer and at least one provider using transaction data, inventory data corresponding to an inventory to which the transaction applies, and stored contract data for the transaction,

processing payment for a transaction on behalf of the buyer in response to the auditing function indicating that payment is appropriate for the transaction, and

assessing a transaction processing fee against at least one of the parties to the transaction for which a payment is processed.

17. The method of claim 16, further including

generating and sending payment approval information to a financial institution that effects payment for the transaction, and

assessing a transaction processing fee for financing the payment for a transaction processed by the payment processor and provides at least a portion of the assessed transaction processing fee to the financial institution.

18. The method of claim 16, further including a step of classifying payments, made for particular inventory items, into expense classes based upon profile information for the buyer.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein, for transactions requiring buyer approval for payment,

providing an interface to buyers for viewing and approving invoices pertaining to the transactions, and

auditing each transaction in response to buyer approval for the transaction.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the inventory of items to which merchant offerings in the transactions apply is stored data organized in an itemized catalog or list.