Systems and methods for the payment of customer bills utilizing payment platform of biller

• US 20110066517A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Inventors: Chakiris, Phil M., Smith, Merrill Brooks, Graves, Phillip Craig
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/207 Tax processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/351 Virtual cards
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is directed to systems and methods providing payment into a pre-existing customer account with a provider of goods or services, the method facilitated between a customer, a provider of goods or services, and a processor. The method including steps such as receiving from the customer value, identifying information of the customer, and information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer; accessing a payment platform of the provider; determining information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account; communicating information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account; and providing a value into the customer account.

Claims

1. A method of providing payment into a pre-existing customer account with a provider of goods or services, the method facilitated between a customer, a provider of goods or services, and a processor, the method comprising:

receiving from the customer;

value;

identifying information of the customer; and

information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer;

accessing a payment platform of the provider;

determining information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account;

communicating information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account;

providing a value into the customer account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the value, identifying information of the customer, and information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer are received via a manner selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, an automated voice recognition (IVR) system, a message sent via short message service (SMS), a message sent via media message service (MMS), an application running on a mobile device, a kiosk, a point-of-sale device, and a merchant location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the value received from the customer comprises access to a stored value account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the stored value account is a closed-loop stored value account.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the value received from the customer comprises payment made by the customer to a point-of-sale device, and wherein the processor settles with the point-of-sale device at a later time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying information of the customer comprises information required by the provider to make a payment into the customer account.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifying information includes log-in information and a password.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer comprises an account number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer comprises an indicia associated with the customer'"'"'s account with the provider.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indicia comprises a telephone number.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing a payment platform of the provider is accomplished via the Internet.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing a payment platform of the provider comprises accessing a payment web-page maintained by or associated with the provider.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account is accomplished a web-scraping or web data extraction program performed by the processor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account comprises determining the specific information needed by the provider in order to make a payment to a customer account.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account comprises inserting identifying information received from the customer into the payment platform of the provider.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating information required by the provider in order to provide payment into the customer account comprises:

identifying each piece of information requested by the provider payment platform;

determining the appropriate information from the identifying information received from the customer;

providing, in response to each piece of information requested by the provider payment platform, the appropriate information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of communicating information required by the provider comprises automatically filling in an online form.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a value into the customer account comprises transmitting the value received from the customer to the customer account with the provider.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the value provided into the customer account is the remainder of the value received from the customer once applicable fees and taxes have been deducted.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein value is received from the customer at a point-of-sale device and wherein applicable fees and taxes are calculated based upon one or more factors selected from the group consisting of:

the location associated with the customer account;

the location of the point-of-sale device;

the location of the processor; and

the location of the provider.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a value into the customer account comprises generating a virtual prepaid debit card number and providing the virtual prepaid debit card number to the payment platform of the provider.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the virtual prepaid debit card number is funded with an amount equal to the payment made to the provider.

23. A method of providing payment into a pre-existing customer account with a provider of goods or services, the method facilitated between a customer, a provider of goods or services, and a processor, the method comprising:

receiving from the customer;

value;

identifying information of the customer, comprising the customer'"'"'s name and address; and

information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer, comprising the account number of the pre-existing customer account;

identification of an amount of payment to make to the pre-existing customer account with the provider;

accessing, by the processor and via the interne, a payment website of the provider;

scraping the payment website in order to determine the information required by the provider to make a payment;

the provider acting in lieu of the customer and entering identifying information received from the customer into the payment website;

determining if the provider accepts payment in the form of value received from the customer;

upon a determination that the provider accepts payment in the form of value received from the customer, conveying value received from the customer to the provider;

upon a determination that the provider does not accept payment in the form of value received from the customer, generating a virtual prepaid debit card number, and conveying the virtual prepaid debit card number to the provider;

providing a confirmation of payment to the customer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the value, identifying information of the customer, and information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer are received via a manner selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, an automated voice recognition (IVR) system, a message sent via short message service (SMS), a message sent via media message service (MMS), an application running on a mobile device, a kiosk, a point-of-sale device, and a merchant location.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the value received from the customer comprises payment made by the customer to a point-of-sale device, and wherein the processor settles with the point-of-sale device at a later time.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the value received from the customer comprises access to a stored value account.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the stored value account is a closed-loop stored value account.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the value received from the customer comprises a payment made by the customer at a merchant using a closed-loop stored value card that is only redeemable with the merchant.

29. A processor for providing payment into a pre-existing customer account of a customer with a provider of goods or services, the processor in selective communication with the customer and the provider, the processor comprising:

a customer interface that provides selectable communication between the processor and the customer, the customer interface configured to receive from the customer;

value;

identifying information of the customer, comprising the customer'"'"'s name and address; and

information sufficient to identify the provider and pre-existing account of the customer, comprising the account number of the pre-existing customer account;

identification of an amount of payment to make to the pre-existing customer account with the provider;

a provider interface that provides selectable communication between the processor and the provider, the provider interface configured to;

access a payment platform or website of the provider; and

provide information into the payment platform or website of the provider;

a web data extraction module in communication with the provider interface, the web data extraction module being configured to determine the information required by the provider to make a payment;

a processing module in communication with the customer interface, provider interface, and web data extraction module, the processing module configured to;

entering identifying information received from the customer into the payment platform or website;

provide value to the payment platform or website.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the processing module is further configured to:

determining if the provider accepts payment in the form of value received from the customer;

upon a determination that the provider accepts payment in the form of value received from the customer, conveying value received from the customer to the provider; and

upon a determination that the provider does not accept payment in the form of value received from the customer, generating a virtual prepaid debit card number, and conveying the virtual prepaid debit card number to the provider.

31. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a value exchange module, configured to accept value from the customer in a particular denomination, deduct applicable fees or taxes, and exchange the remaining value for a denomination accepted by the payment platform or website of the provider.

32. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a virtual prepaid debit card generator, configured to generate prepaid debit card numbers with associated accounts, the associated accounts funded with the amount of payment to be made into the pre-existing customer account.

33. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a financial account interface that provides selectable communication between the processor and a financial account of the customer, the financial account interface configured to transfer value to the processor.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the customer interface provides communication with the customer via a manner selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, an automated voice recognition (IVR) system, a message sent via short message service (SMS), a message sent via media message service (MMS), an application running on a mobile device, a kiosk, a point-of-sale device, and a merchant location.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the customer interface is further configured to provide to the customer a confirmation of payment after a payment to the pre-existing customer account has been successfully made.