Automated billing consolidation system and method

• US 5,483,445 A
• Filed: 10/21/1993
• Issued: 01/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Pickering, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weinhardt, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tkacs, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US08/140,607
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 364/408, 364/406, 364/401, 364/402
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

An automated system and method for consolidating a plurality of individual company charges for a customer with different periodic company billing and payment due dates is provided. Under the system, companies and businesses such as utility companies report their periodic billing information to a central processing office or facility. This is completed by electronic or magnetic data transfer. The processing office undergoes minimization processing and holds the billing information data in time suspense until all of the billing information for the customer during a pre-selected time period is received. Then, the central processing facility generates a single customer statement which identifies all individual company charges as well as a statement due date. The statement is sent to the customer and payment for the identified charges is due by the statement due date. After receiving payment from the customer, the centralized billing center processes the payment and then remits payment to all of the companies.

Claims

1. A data processing system for consolidating a plurality of individual charges from a plurality of unrelated companies for a customer whose periodic billing cycles are not synchronized, each said individual charge having associated therewith a different periodic individual company billing date and a different periodic individual company payment due date, the system comprising:

(a) means for receiving and processing said plurality of individual charges reported to said data processing system by one of electronic and magnetic communication from said companies;

(b) means responsive to said receiving and processing means (a) for periodically generating a statement payment due date;

(c) float calculating means for computing, for each company;

i) a compensatory assessment if said statement payment due date is later than the individual company payment due date; and

ii) a charge payment if said individual company payment due date is later than said statement due date;

(d) minimization processing means for calculating an optimal statement payment due date in order to minimize said compensatory assessments;

(e) means responsive to said minimization processing means for generating a customer statement which identifies all individual company charges and said optimal statement payment due date and forwarding said customer statement to the customer on a periodically selected statement billing date;

(f) remittance processing means for processing payment received from said customer for at least some of the charges identified on said customer statement; and

,

(g) remuneration means for computing, allocating, and transmitting remuneration to those of said companies for at least some of whom payment was received.

2. The system of claim 1, further including data processing means for analyzing historical customer billing data reported by each of the companies.

3. The system of claim 1, further including data inputting and processing means for evaluating payment behavior patterns of at least one customer in order to selectively adjust said compensatory assessments.

4. An automated method for consolidating a plurality of individual charges from a plurality of unrelated companies for customers whose periodic billing cycles are not synchronized, said individual charges having different periodic individual company billing dates and different individual company payment due dates, the method comprising the steps of:

a. storing said plurality of charges from said plurality of companies in a memory device;

b. selecting a single statement billing date for charges incurred by the customer;

c. electronically processing billing data information from the charges reported by said companies;

d. periodically generating a customer statement which identifies all individual company charges and a statement payment due date;

e. determining, for each company;

a compensatory assessment if said statement payment due date is later than said individual company payment due date; and

a charge payment if said individual company payment due date is later than said statement payment due date;

f. calculating an optimal statement billing date for said customer incurred charges in order to minimize said compensatory payments;

g. transmitting said customer statement to said customer on said optimal statement billing date;

h. electronically processing payment received from said customer for at least some charges identified on said transmitted customer statement; and

,

i. computing, allocating, and transmitting remuneration to those of said companies for at least some of whose charges payment was received.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said selecting step (b) includes analyzing historical customer billing data reported by each of said companies.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said step (e) includes increasing said compensatory assessment for each of said companies due to the time required for step (c) and step (h).

7. The method of claim 4, wherein step (h) includes reducing said compensatory charge payment for each of said companies due to the time required for step (c) and step (f).

8. The method of claim 4, further including the step of:

(i) evaluating payment behavior patterns of said customer after receiving customer payments over multiple time periods.

9. The method of claim 8, further including the step of:

(k) adjusting said compensatory assessment and said compensatory charge payment for each of said companies based on said evaluating step.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein step (c) includes calculating a total customer charge based on the charges reported by each of said companies.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said statement produced by step (d) identifies said total customer charge.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein said statement produced by step (d) identifies a telephone number for customer service.

13. The method of claim 4, further including the step of forwarding at least one periodic individual company invoice along with said periodic customer statement.

14. The method of claim 4, further including the step of forwarding one or more informational or promotional inserts along with said periodic customer statement.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein said periodic customer statement includes a customer retaining portion which identifies said charges and a customer remitting stub.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step (h) includes processing said remitting stub received from said customer.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said step (h) includes processing partial payment for the charges identified in said customer statement.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said remitting stub identifies allocation of said partial payment to said companies.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step (i) comprises allocating and sending partial remuneration to the companies.

20. The method of claim 19, further including the step of notifying to each company to which full remuneration payment has not been remitted of said partial remuneration.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said remitting stub does not identify allocation of said partial payment to said companies.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said step (i) comprises allocating partial pro-rata remuneration to each of said companies.

23. The method of claim 22, further including the step of notifying each company of said partial pro-rata remuneration.

24. The method of claim 4, wherein said step (h) comprises processing payment for all the charges identified in said customer statement.

25. An automated system for consolidating a plurality of individual charges from a plurality of unrelated companies for a customer, said individual charges having different periodic individual company billing dates and different individual company payment due dates, the system comprising:

a) electronic processing means for computing a single statement billing date for the charges incurred by the customer;

b) electronic data communication means for receiving and processing periodic billing information from the charges electronically reported by said companies;

c) means, responsive to said data communication means, for generating a periodic customer statement which identifies all individual company charges and a statement payment due date and for transmitting said periodic customer statement to said customer;

d) electronic processing means for processing payment received from said customer for at least some of the charges identified on said transmitted customer statement;

e) allocating means for allocating and transmitting remuneration to at least some of said companies corresponding to the payment received; and

f) electronic computing means for calculating, for each company;

i) a compensatory assessment if said statement payment due date is later than the individual company payment due date; and

ii) a charge payment if said individual company payment due date is later than said statement payment due date;

wherein said electronic processing means (a) includes computing means for calculating an optimal statement billing date for said [customer incurred charges]periodic customer statement in order to minimize said compensatory assessments.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said electronic processing means (a) includes analyzing means for analyzing historical customer billing data reported by each of said companies.

27. The system of claim 25, further including data inputting and processing means for evaluating payment behavior patterns of said customer in order to adjust said compensatory payments.

28. The system of claim 25, further including means for electronically storing data representing customer payment history.

29. The system of claim 25, further including electronic means for comparing the total customer charges in said customer statement to a value calculated in the electronic processing means, said electronic comparing means determining if partial payment or complete payment was made.

30. The system of claim 29, said electronic comparing means determining whether any of said company bills are not paid.