Automated remittance system

• US 5,496,991 A
• Filed: 07/26/1994
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DST Output West LLC
• Original Assignee: International Billing Services
• Inventors: Delfer, Frank W. III, Stigers, Barry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenberger, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US08/281,522
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 902/40, 253/58
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An automated remittance system, method, and associated remittance document are disclosed whereby consumers'"'"' pre-authorizations are obtained by a billing system provider to initiate an electronic transfer of Funds from the consumers'"'"' depository accounts to a vendor'"'"'s depository account upon the provider'"'"'s scanning and verifying the returned remittance documents that have unique current billing indicia. Computer means control the system and maintain currency of all associated data base files as well as generate the remittance documents.

Claims

1. For billing individual consumers, an automated remittance billing system for electronically transferring into a plurality of vendor depository accounts funds from a plurality of vendor associated consumer depository accounts, wherein said funds correspond to an amount due from each said consumer to said vendor, comprising:

means for pre-authorizing said transferring of funds;

a remittance document encoded with a single unique current billing indicium that includes a current indication of said amount of funds due to said vendor and said remittance document has a disposition action marking area for noting by each consumer acceptance of or disagreement with said amount due;

computer means of said billing service provider having vendor data base files for said vendors and consumer payment transaction data base files for vendor associated consumers programmed to;

control and maintain currency of said automated remittance system;

verify upon receipt of a returned remittance document said remittance document'"'"'s indicium by comparing said remittance document'"'"'s indicium to said payment transaction data base files;

process said verified remittance documents by creating current transmittal data base files; and

initiate said transfer of funds from said vendor associated consumer'"'"'s account into an associated vendor'"'"'s account;

means for scanning said vendor associated consumers'"'"' returned remittance documents to obtain current consumer payment transaction disposition data and transmitting said current consumer payment transaction disposition data to said computer means for said verification and processing of said transactions; and

means for the remittance document triggered transmission of said transactions to said vendor associated consumers'"'"' depositories via a host depository to initiate the transfers of funds by said consumers'"'"' depositories to said associated vendors'"'"' accounts.

2. For billing individual consumers, a billing service provider'"'"'s automated remittance billing system for transferring into a plurality of vendor depository accounts funds from a plurality of vendor associated consumer depository accounts, wherein said funds correspond to an amount due from each said consumer to said vendor, comprising:

means for pre-authorizing said transferring of funds;

a remittance document encoded with a single unique current billing indicium that includes a current indication of said amount of funds due to said vendor and said remittance document has a disposition action marking area for noting by each consumer acceptance of or disagreement with said amount due;

computer means of said billing service provider having vendor data base files for said vendors and consumer payment transaction data base files for said vendor associated consumers programmed to;

generate said remittance document;

control and maintain currency of said automated remittance system;

verify upon receipt of a returned remittance document said remittance document'"'"'s indicium by comparing said remittance document'"'"'s indicium to said payment transaction data base files;

process said verified remittance documents by creating current transmittal data base files; and

initiate said funds transfer upon said verification of said remittance document;

means for scanning said returned remittance documents to obtain current consumer payment transaction disposition data and transmitting said current consumer payment transaction disposition data to said computer means for said verification and processing of said transaction; and

means for the remittance document triggered transmission of said transactions to said vendor associated consumers'"'"' depositories via a host depository to initiate said transfers of funds by said consumers'"'"' depositories to said associated vendors'"'"' accounts.

3. For billing individual consumers, a billing service provider'"'"'s automated remittance billing system for transferring into a plurality of vendor depository accounts funds from a plurality of vendor associated consumer depository accounts, wherein said funds correspond to an amount due from each said consumer to said vendor, comprising:

means for pre-authorizing said transferring of funds;

a remittance document encoded with a single unique current billing indicium that includes a current indication of said amount of funds due to said vendor and said remittance document has a disposition action marking area for noting by each consumer acceptance of or disagreement with said amount due;

computer means of said billing service provider comprising;

a first computer programmed to;

control said system having vendor data base files for said vendors and consumer payment transaction data base files for said vendor associated consumers;

verify upon receipt of a returned remittance document said remittance document'"'"'s indicium by comparing said remittance document'"'"'s indicium to said payment transaction data base files;

process said verified remittance documents by creating current transmittal data base files; and

initiate said transfer of funds from said vendor associated consumer'"'"'s account into an associated vendor'"'"'s account;

a second computer coupled to said first computer programmed to generate said remittance document having unique current billing indicium for each of said vendor associated consumers;

a bar code reader for scanning said returned remittance documents to obtain current consumer payment transaction disposition data and transmitting said current consumer payment transaction disposition data to said first computer for verification and processing of said transactions comprising creating current transmittal data base files; and

means for the remittance document triggered transmission of said transactions from said current transmittal data base files to said vendor associated consumers'"'"' depositories via a host depository to initiate said transfers of funds by said consumers'"'"' depositories to said associated vendors'"'"' accounts.