Technique for centrally tracking transactions in an electronic billing system

• US 6,334,116 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Organization - World Intellectual Property
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ganesan, Ravi, Dreyer, Hans Daniel, Wolfe, Kathryn Randall, Harris, Mark Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKERS, GEOFFREY R
• Application Number:
  US09/237,657
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 705/32, 705/34, 705/35, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/34
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method is provided for centrally tracking transactions in an electronic billing system. The system includes multiple different billing entities, multiple different financial institute entities and multiple different user entities. Each of the multiple different billing entities is associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities and each of the multiple different financial institute entities is associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities. A message is received from any of the multiple different financial institute entities indicating a request from any of the multiple different user entities associated with the applicable financial institute entity to view billing information. The receipt of the request to view the billing information is logged in a database as first event information. A message indicative of the billing information of at least one of the multiple different billing entities associated with the applicable user entity which is available for viewing is transmitted to the applicable user entity. A message indicating a request from the applicable user entity to view the available billing information of that billing entity is received from any of the at least one of the billing entities. The receipt of the message indicating the applicable user entity request to view the billing information of the applicable billing entity is logged in the database as a second event information.

Claims

1. A method for centrally tracking transactions in an electronic billing system having multiple different billing entities, multiple different financial institute entities and multiple different user entities, each of the multiple different billing entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities and each of the multiple different financial institute entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities, comprising the steps of:

receiving, from any of the multiple different financial institute entities, a message indicative of a request from any of the multiple different user entities associated with the applicable financial institute entity to view billing information;

logging, in a database, the receipt of the request to view the billing information as a first event information;

transmitting, to the applicable user entity, a message indicative of the billing information of at least one of the multiple different billing entities associated with the applicable user entity which is available for viewing;

receiving, from any of the at least one of the billing entities, a message indicative of a request from the applicable user entity to view the available billing information of that billing entity; and

logging, in the database, the receipt of the message indicative of the applicable user entity request to view the billing information of the applicable billing entity as a second event information.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a message indicative of a signing-on to the system of the applicable user entity; and

logging, in a database, the receipt of the message indicative of the applicable user entity signing-on to the system.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the message indicative of the applicable user entity signing-on to the system is indicative of the applicable user entity having been authenticated.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the message indicative of the applicable user entity signing-on to the system is received, from the applicable financial institute entity, and includes authentication credentials of the applicable user entity.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the billing entities is two or more billing entities, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the applicable user entity, a request to view the available billing information of another of the two or more billing entities;

logging, in the database, the receipt of the applicable user request to view the available billing information of the other applicable billing entity; and

transmitting, to the applicable user entity, the requested billing information of the other applicable billing entity.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the applicable user entity, a request to pay a billed amount represented by the billing information which the applicable user entity has requested to view; and

logging, in the database, the receipt of the applicable user request to pay the billed amount as a third event information.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting, to the applicable financial institute entity, a request to debit the billed amount from an account maintained by the applicable financial institute entity on behalf of the applicable user entity;

logging, in the database, the request to debit funds associated with the account maintained by the applicable financial institute entity on behalf of the applicable user entity as a fourth event information;

transmitting, to applicable billing entity, a payment of the billed amount; and

logging, in the database, the payment of the billed amount as a fifth event information.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a customer care representative of at least one of the applicable financial institute entity and the applicable billing entity, a request for one or more of the first, the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth event information;

retrieving the requested one or more of the first, the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth event information from the database; and

transmitting the retrieved information to the customer care representative.

9. A system for centrally tracking electronic billing transactions involving multiple different billing entities, multiple different financial institute entities and multiple different user entities, each of the multiple different billing entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities and each of the multiple different financial institute entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities, comprising:

a processor configured (i) to receive, from any of the multiple different financial institute entities, a message indicative of a request from any of the multiple different user entities associated with the applicable financial institute entity to view billing information, (ii) to transmit, to the applicable user entity, a message indicative of the billing information of at least one of the multiple different billing entities associated with the applicable user entity which is available for viewing, (iii) and to receive, from any of the at least one of the billing entities, a message indicative of a request from the applicable user entity to view the available billing information of that billing entity; and

a database configured to store a log of the receipt of the request to view the billing information as a first event information, and of the receipt of the message indicative of the applicable user entity request to view the billing information of the applicable billing entity as a second event information.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein:

the processor is further configured to receive a message indicative of a signing-on to the system of the applicable user entity; and

the database is further configured to store a log of the receipt of the message indicative of the applicable user entity signing-on to the system.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the message indicative of the applicable user entity signing-on to the system is received from the applicable financial institute entity.

12. A system according to claim 9, wherein:

the at least one of the billing entities is two or more billing entities;

the processor is further configured to receive, from the applicable user entity, a request to view the available billing information of another of the two or more billing entities and to transmit, to the applicable user entity, the requested billing information of the other applicable billing entity; and

the database is further configured to store a log of the receipt of the applicable user request to view the available billing information of the other applicable billing entity.

13. A system according to claim 9, wherein:

the processor is further configured to receive, from the applicable user entity, a request to pay a billed amount represented by the billing information which the applicable user entity has requested to view; and

the database is further configured to store a log of the receipt of the applicable user request to pay the billed amount as a third event information.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein:

the processor is further configured to transmit, to the applicable financial institute entity, a request to debit the billed amount from an account maintained by the applicable financial institute entity on behalf of the applicable user entity, and to transmit, to applicable billing entity, a payment of the billed amount; and

the database is further configured to store a log of the request to debit funds associated with the account maintained by the applicable financial institute entity on behalf of the applicable user entity as a fourth event information, and of the payment of the billed amount as a fifth event information.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein:

the processor is further configured (i) to receive, from a customer care representative of at least one of the applicable financial institute entity and the applicable billing entity, a request for one or more of the first, the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth event information, (ii) to retrieve the requested one or more of the first, the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth event information from the database, and (iii) to transmit the retrieved information to the customer care representative.

16. A method for centrally tracking electronic billing transactions between multiple different billing entities and multiple different user entities, each of the multiple different billing entities being associated with a different portion of the multiple different user entities, comprising the steps of:

receiving requests at the multiple different billing entities from the multiple different user entities to view billing information; and

storing an indication of the receipt of the requests in a central database as first event information.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

receiving requests from the multiple different user entities to pay billed amounts represented by the requested billing information;

storing an indication of receipt of the requests from the multiple different user entities to pay the billed amounts in the central database as second event information;

receiving requests to debit the billed amounts from accounts maintained on behalf of the multiple different user entities by multiple different financial institute entities, each being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities;

storing an indication of receipt of the requests to debit the billed amounts from the accounts in the central database as third event information;

directing payments of the billed amounts; and

storing an indication of the payments in the central database as fourth event information.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

receiving requests at the multiple different financial institute entities from the multiple different user entities to view billing information; and

storing an indication of the receipt of requests at the multiple different financial institute entities from the multiple different user entities to view billing information in the central database as fifth event information.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a customer care representative of at least one of the multiple different financial institute entities and the multiple different billing entities, a request for one or more of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth event information;

retrieving the requested one or more of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth event information from the central database; and

transmitting the retrieved information to the customer care representative.

20. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting messages to the multiple different user entities, each respective message indicative of the billing information of the multiple different billing entities which is available to a particular one of the multiple different user entities for viewing.

21. A system for centrally tracking electronic billing transactions between multiple different billing entities and multiple different user entities, each of the multiple different billing entities being associated with a different portion of the multiple different user entities, comprising:

a central database configured to store transaction events; and

a central processor configured to log, in the database, requests received by the multiple different billing entities from the multiple different user entities to view billing information as first event information.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein:

the central processor is further configured to log, in the database, (i) requests from the multiple different user entities to pay billed amounts represented by the requested billing information as second event information, (ii) requests to debit the billed amounts from accounts maintained on behalf of the multiple different user entities by multiple different financial institute entities, each being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities as third event information, and (iii) payments of the billed amounts as fourth event information.

23. system according to claim 22, wherein:

the central processor is further configured to log, in the database, requests received by the multiple different financial institute entities from the multiple different user entities to view billing information.

24. A system according to claim 22, wherein the central processor is further configured (i) to receive, from a customer care representative of at least one of the multiple different financial institute entities and the multiple different billing entities, a request for one or more of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth event information, (ii) to retrieve the requested one or more of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth event information from the database, and (iii) to transmit the retrieved information to the customer care representative.

25. A system according to claim 21, wherein the central processor is further configured to transmit messages to the multiple different user entities, each respective message indicative of the billing information of the multiple different billing entities which is available to a particular one of the multiple different user entities for viewing.

26. A method for centrally tracking transactions in an electronic billing system having multiple different billing entities, multiple different financial institute entities and multiple different user entities, each of the multiple different billing entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities and each of the multiple different financial institute entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities, comprising the steps of:

receiving, from any of the multiple different financial institute entities, a message indicative of a request from any of the multiple different user entities associated with the applicable financial institute entity to view billing information;

logging, in a database, the receipt of the request to view the billing information as event information; and

transmitting, to the applicable user entity, a message indicative of the billing information of at least one of the multiple different billing entities associated with the applicable user entity which is available for viewing.

27. A system for centrally tracking electronic billing transactions involving multiple different billing entities, multiple different financial institute entities and multiple different user entities, each of the multiple different billing entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities and each of the multiple different financial institute entities being associated with a respective portion of the multiple different user entities, comprising:

a processor configured (i) to receive, from any of the multiple different financial institute entities, a message indicative of a request from any of the multiple different user entities associated with the applicable financial institute entity to view billing information, and (ii) to transmit, to the applicable user entity, a message indicative of the billing information of at least one of the multiple different billing entities associated with the applicable user entity which is available for viewing; and

a database configured to store a log of the receipt of the request to view the billing information as event information.