Enhanced Electronic Data and Metadata Interchange System and Process for Electronic Billing and Payment System

• US 20120036065A1
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BILL Operations LLC (Bill Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bill.com, Inc. (Bill.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Orttung, Mark, Linscott, Darren
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies

Abstract

A Software As A System (SAAS)-based system is disclosed herein for sending bills and payments in conjunction with a third-party accounting system. The system deploys a downloadable program interface to configure the third-party accounting system and then send and receive data between the two systems. The transmitted bills may contain an electronic signature, a line item billing, and/or other transaction-specific meta data, and, based on cash flow needs and outstanding bills, some or all customers may be offered a very substantial time-limited discount for immediate payment. Also, customers may use the line-item billing feature to withhold partial payments for specific issues attributed to specific items. Alternatively, a communication module between SAAS units (CSU) may be deployed to configure the third-party accounting system and then send and receive data between the two systems.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sending bills and sending payments via a Software As A Service (SAAS) based system in conjunction with at least one third-party accounting system, the method comprising:

providing a first Software As A Service (SAAS) based system;

providing a downloadable program interface (PI) in the first SAAS based system;

deploying the downloadable PI from the first SAAS based system;

configuring the at least one third-party accounting system via the downloadable PI; and

transmitting and receiving bills and/or payments to and from the first SAAS based system via the PI, wherein bills transmitted contain at least one of an electronic signature, a line item billing, and transaction-specific metadata.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising;

providing a second SAAS based system;

providing a deployable communication service unit (CSU) in each of the first and second SAAS based systems; and

communicating between the first SAAS based system and the second SAAS based system via the CSUs.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising offering a customer a time-limited discount for immediate payment via the first SAAS based system.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 3 wherein the time-limited discount for immediate payment is based on one of cash flow needs and outstanding bills.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 wherein at least one bill includes line item billing.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5 further comprising withholding a partial payment for a specific issue attributed to a specific item set forth in the line item billing.

20. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 wherein the SAAS based system is implemented in a cloud computing system.

7. A computer system for sending bills and sending payments via a Software As A Service (SAAS) based system in conjunction with at least one third-party accounting system, the system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable computer program code for;

providing a first Software As A Service (SAAS) based system;

providing a downloadable program interface (PI) in the first SAAS based system;

deploying the downloadable PI from the first SAAS based system;

configuring the at least one third-party accounting system via the downloadable PI; and

transmitting and receiving bills and/or payments to and from the first SAAS based system via the PI, wherein bills transmitted contain at least one of an electronic signature, a line item billing, and transaction -specific metadata.

8. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the storage medium is further encoded with executable computer program code for:

providing a second SAAS based system;

providing a deployable communication service unit (CSU) in each of the first and second SAAS based systems; and

communicating between the first SAAS based system and the second SAAS based system via the CSUs.

9. The computer system according to claim 7 further comprising program code for offering a customer a time-limited discount for immediate payment via the first SAAS based system.

10. The computer system according to claim 9 wherein the time-limited discount for immediate payment is based on one of cash flow needs and outstanding bills.

11. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein at least one bill includes line item billing.

12. The computer system according to claim 11 further comprising program code for withholding a partial payment for a specific issue attributed to a specific item set forth in the line item billing.

19. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the SAAS based system is implemented in a cloud computing system.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is encoded program code, the program code for sending bills and sending payments via a Software As A Service (SAAS) based system in conjunction with at least one third-party accounting system, the program code comprising:

program code for providing a Software As A Service (SAAS) based system;

program code for providing a downloadable program interface (PI) in the SAAS based system;

program code for deploying the downloadable PI from the SAAS based system;

program code for configuring the at least one third-party accounting system via the downloadable PI; and

program code for transmitting and receiving bills and/or payments to and from the SAAS based system via the PI, wherein bills transmitted contain at least one of an electronic signature, a line item billing, and transaction -specific metadata.

14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 further comprising;

program code for providing another SAAS based system;

program code for providing a deployable communication service unit (CSU) in each SAAS based system; and

program code for communicating between the SAAS based system and the another SAAS based system via the CSUs.

15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 further comprising program code for offering a customer a time-limited discount for immediate payment via the SAAS based system.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 wherein the time-limited discount for immediate payment is based on one of cash flow needs and outstanding bills.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13 wherein at least one bill includes line item billing.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 17 further comprising program code for withholding a partial payment for a specific issue attributed to a specific item set forth in the line item billing.