Customizable electronic invoice with optional security

• US 6,282,552 B1
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RevChain Solutions LLC (Windstream Holdings II LLC)
• Original Assignee: Daleen Technologies, Inc. (Magic Software Enterprises Limited)
• Inventors: Yin, John, Thompson, Carl, Yehia, Ramzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H.
• Application Number:
  US09/032,529
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: G06/F 1.760, 705/34, 705/40, 705/51, 705/54, 380/4, 380/24-25, 707/500, 707/505, 707/1, 707/4, 707/10
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A method on a data processing server for creating customizable electronic documents in a client-server computer network having one or more data processing servers electronically connected to a plurality of data processing clients. In one embodiment, the method provides the sender with the ability of defining, via one or more interface controls, which portions of an electronic bill are changeable and modifiable by one or more recipients. This permits the subsequent users the authority to only modify the fields as controlled by the sender.

In another embodiment, the system permits tracking of changes made by each subsequent recipient of the bill compared with the original billing data.

In another embodiment, the method provides the recipient a user preference file which controls how the bill is laid-out by the user. The combination of the sender'"'"'s interface controls and the optional user preference files provides billing data to a plurality of recipients where the permissible fields to be modified or filled in are controlled by the sender and at the same time allow users to view billing data in views defined by each user in a personal preference file.

In another embodiment, authenticity and tracking history is added to the customizable electronic bill. The authenticity permits the recipient to verify the sending source and permits the sending source to view and subsequent changes or modifications made by the subsequent recipients.

In yet another embodiment, a system is disclosed for carrying out the above method on both a client and a server system.

Claims

1. An information processing system for creating and distributing customizable electronic bills with nested levels of permission control, to one or more user systems coupled therewith, the information processing system comprising:

a billing generator for generating billing data;

one or more interface controls for use on the one or more user systems for controlling one or more rules setting forth permissible comments and modifications for use in one or more electronic, bills, wherein the comments and the modifications which are permissible are displayed as governed by the interface controls on the one or more user systems and wherein the comments and the modifications which are not permissible are hidden from display as governed by the one or more interface controls on the one or more user systems;

combining means for combining the billing data with one or more interface controls to form one or more electronic bills with embedded controls, wherein the electronic bill is capable of being viewed and modified on one or more user systems, and that the one or more user systems using the embedded controls, are able to set forth a set of comments and modifications permitted to be made by the one or more subsequent recipients of the one or more electronic bills; and

transmission means for providing a transmission of the one or more electronic bills to the one or more user systems.

2. The information processing system of claim 1 wherein the one or more interface controls are written in HTML compatible code.

3. The information processing system of claim 1

wherein the control data includes a control selected from the group consisting of check-box, radio button, drop-down and push button.

4. The information processing system of claim 1, wherein the billing data includes data for a telecommunications service.

5. The information processing system of claim 1

for identifying the origin of the billing data and wherein the combining means further includes combining the authentication data along with the billing data and the one or more interface controls to form one or more electronic bills.

6. The information processing system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for receiving the billing information from a database server, the billing information to be included with the data content.

7. The information processing system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for receiving processing commands from a user via the one or more user systems, the processing commands instructing the information processing system to perform sorting, calculating, and formatting operations on the billing data in the one or more electronic bills.

8. The information processing system of claim 6 further comprising:

a processing unit for processing the processing commands received; and

wherein the transmission means for providing a transmission of the one or more electronic bills to the one or more user systems include proving billing data processed by the processing unit.

9. A client information processing system for receiving and resending customizable electronic bills with nested levels of permission control, comprising:

means for receiving electronic bills from a server system, the electronic bills comprising billing data and one or more embedded interface controls for controlling one or more rules setting forth permissible comments and modification during review of the electronic bill by at least one user;

means for receiving a user preference file; and

a bill viewer for controlling the presenting and formatting of the billing data according to the user preference file and the interface controls, including the presentation of one or more user embedded interface controls to set forth permissible subsequent comments and subsequent modifications for use by one or more subsequent recipients of the electronic bills, wherein the comments and the modifications which are permissible are displayed as governed by the interface controls on the one or more user systems and wherein the comments and the modifications which are not permissible are hidden from display as governed by the one or more interface controls on the one or more user systems.

10. The information processing system of claim 9 further comprising:

capture means for capturing modifications made by a first user of the billing data separately which is then appended to the original unmodified billing data for subsequent review by second user.

11. The information processing system of claim 9 further comprising:

E-mail means for electronically mailing the billing data to one or more subsequent users.

12. The information processing system of claim 9 further comprising:

originator authentication means for identifying the user of the billing data and subsequent modification.

13. The information processing system of claim 9 further comprising:

authentication means for proving that the billing data in the received document is substantially identical to the billing data received.

14. The information processing system of claim 9 wherein the billing data include billing for a telecommunications service.

15. A method on a data processing server for creating and distributing customizable electronic bills with nested levels of permission control in a client-server computer network having one or more data processing servers electronically connected to a plurality of data processing clients comprising the steps of:

generating billing data;

assembling one or more interface controls for use on the one or more data processing clients for controlling one or more rules setting forth permissible comments and modifications for use in one or more electronic bills, wherein the comments and the modifications which are permissible are displayed as governed by the interface controls on the one or more user systems and wherein the comments and the modifications which are not permissible are hidden from display as governed by the one or more interface controls on the one or more user systems;

combining the billing data with the one or more interface controls to form one or more electronic bills with embedded controls, wherein the electronic bill is capable of being viewed and modified on the one or more data processing clients, and that the one or more data processing clients using the embedded controls are able to set forth a set of comments and modifications permitted to be made by one or more subsequent recipients of the electronic bills; and

transmitting one or more electronic bills to the one or more data processing clients.

16. The method of creating customizable electronic documents of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

identifying the origin of the billing data and wherein the step of combining further includes combining the authentication data along with the billing data and the one or more interface controls to form one or more electronic bills.

17. The method for creating customizable electronic documents of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

capturing a user preference file for controlling one or more user'"'"'s preferences for viewing the billing data on at least one or more data processing clients and wherein the step of combining the billing data with the one or more interface controls to form one or more electronic bills further includes combining the user preference file.

18. The method of creating customizable electronic documents of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

receiving processing commands from a user via the one or more data processing clients, the processing commands instructing the one of more one or more data processing servers to perform sorting, calculating, and formatting operations on the billing data in the one or more electronic bills;

processing the processing commands received; and

wherein the step of transmitting includes transmitting billing data processed in response to a processing command.

19. A method on a data processing client for receiving and resending customizable electronic bills with nested levels of permission control in a client-server computer network comprising one or more data processing servers running database server electronically connected to a plurality of data processing clients, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving electronic bills from a server system, the electronic bills comprising billing data and one or more embedded interface controls for controlling one or more rules setting forth permissible comments and modification during review of the electronic bill by at least one user, wherein the comments and the modifications which are permissible are displayed as governed by the interface controls on the one or more user systems and wherein the comments and the modifications which are not permissible are hidden from display as governed by the one or more interface controls on the one or more user systems;

receiving a user preference file; and

controlling the presenting and formatting of the billing data according to the user preference file and the interface controls, including the presentation of one or more embedded user interface controls to set forth permissible subsequent comments and modifications for use by one or more subsequent recipients of the electronic bills.

20. The method of creating customizable electronic invoices of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

capturing modifications made by a recipient of the billing data separately which is then appended to the original unmodified billing data for review by a subsequent user.