Systems and Methods for Processing Bill Payments with a Utility Meter

• US 20120226605A1
• Filed: 03/02/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Veerubhotla, Sitamahalakshmi
• Application Number:
  US13/038,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20120226605A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/12 in which metering is on a time basis

Abstract

Systems and methods allowing bill payment processing to be initiated from a utility meter are provided. An example system may include a utility meter for paying a utility bill that is operable to: measure utility usage; output data associated with the utility usage; receive user instructions to issue utility bill payment instructions associated with the measured utility usage over the communications network; authenticate the user according to the user authentication information; and transmit the utility bill payment instructions and the payment information over the communications network for processing.

Claims

1. A utility meter for paying a utility bill, comprising:

a utility usage reading and payment module;

memory operable to store payment information, user authentication information, and computer-executable instructions; and

a processor in communication with the utility usage reading and payment module, the memory, and a communications network, wherein the processor is operable to;

measure utility usage;

output data associated with the utility usage;

receive user instructions to issue utility bill payment instructions associated with the measured utility usage over the communications network;

authenticate the user according to the user authentication information; and

transmit the utility bill payment instructions and the payment information over the communications network for processing.

2. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the utility meter further comprises a user input interface comprising a biometric authentication device for authenticating the user according to the user authentication information.

3. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein utility meter further comprises a user input interface comprising a keypad for receiving the user instructions.

4. The utility meter of claim 3, wherein, when authenticating the user, the processor is further operable to receive a personal identification code via the keypad for authenticating the user according to the user authentication information.

5. The utility meter of claim 3, wherein the processor is further operable to receive via the keypad payment data comprising at least one of:

(a) utility units or (b) a payment amount, for including with the utility bill payment instructions.

6. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein utility meter is in communication with a computer system for receiving the user instructions from the computer system.

7. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the utility usage comprises at least one of:

(a) units of utility usage of a period of time;

(b) cost of utility usage over the period of time;

or (c) a unit cost of the utility.

8. The utility meter of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operable to receive updated unit cost of utility data over the communications network.

9. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to:

output data associated with the utility usage subsequent to receiving the user instructions to issue the utility bill payment instructions; and

receive confirmation to proceed to issue the utility bill payment instructions from the user prior to issuing the utility bill payment instructions.

10. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to receive a utility bill payment status update over the communications network upon processing the utility bill payment instructions by issuing respective debit and credit instructions over a payment network and posting a payment amount to the a utility account identified by the utility bill payment instructions.

11. The utility meter of claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to perform at least one of:

(a) output information associated with the utility bill payment status update on a display associated with the meter;

(b) store the utility bill payment status update in the memory;

or (c) store information associated with the utility bill payment instructions in the memory.

12. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the utility bill payment instructions are generated according to at least one of:

(a) an Automated Meter Reading (AMR) communications standard;

(b) an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) communications standard;

(c) an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C12 standard;

or (d) a Device Language Metering Specification/Companion Specification for Energy Metering (DLMS/COSEM) standard.

13. The utility meter of claim 1, further comprising an output port operable for connecting to at least one of:

(a) a printing device or (b) an external memory, wherein the processor is operable to facilitate printing or storage of data associated with utility usage or with utility bill payment.

14. A method for paying a utility bill from a utility meter, comprising:

measuring utility usage;

outputting data associated with the utility usage;

receiving, by a utility meter, user instructions to issue utility bill payment instructions associated with the measured utility usage over a communications network;

authenticating the user'"'"'s identity according to the user authentication information; and

upon authenticating the user'"'"'s identity, transmitting the utility bill payment instructions from the utility meter over the communications network for processing.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the utility bill payment instructions comprise payment information stored by the utility meter.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the utility bill payment instructions are transmitted to a utility bill payment system associated with one of:

(a) a utility provider or (b) a third-party service provider.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the data associated with the utility usage comprises at least one of:

(a) units of utility usage of a period of time;

(b) cost of utility usage over the period of time;

or (c) a unit cost of the utility.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a utility bill payment status update over the communications network responsive to processing the utility bill payment instructions by issuing respective debit and credit instructions over a payment network and posting a payment amount to the a utility account identified by the utility bill payment instructions.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the user instructions are received by the utility meter by one of:

(a) a user input interface associated with the utility meter;

or (b) a computer system in communication with the utility meter.

20. A method for processing utility bill payment instructions received from a utility meter, comprising:

receiving, by a utility bill payment system, utility bill payment instructions over a communications network from a utility meter in response to a user issuing instructions to the utility meter, wherein the utility meter has authenticated an identity of the user associated therewith;

determining, by the utility bill payment system, a payment amount associated with the utility bill payment instructions;

issuing, by the utility bill payment system, respective debit and credit messages for transmission over a financial network to credit a financial account associated with a utility provider providing utility service to the utility meter and to debit a financial account associated with the utility bill payment instructions; and

posting, by the utility bill payment system, payment information to a utility account associated with the utility bill payment instructions.