Electronic bill presentment and payment system

• US 7,478,066 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dent, Warren T., Remington, Darren B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hammond, III; Thomas M
• Application Number:
  US10/981,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A bill presentment and payment remittance system is configured for use over an electronic network, such as the Internet. The bill presentment and payment remittance system allows the biller to create a bill and payment remittance information in a format specified by the biller. The biller submits the bill and associated payment remittance information by electronically transmitting it over the Internet to the consumer. The consumer authenticates that the bill did indeed come from the indicated biller. The bill is presented in a user interface which provides a line-by-line itemization of the bill, along with a predefined dispute reasons which the consumer can check to challenge particular items on the bill. The bill can then be automatically or manually adjusted to reflect any disputed amounts. Payment of the bill is preferably in the form of a “direct debit check” that is formed by the consumer software using the billing and remittance information provided in the bill to automatically name the biller as the payee. The consumer completely controls the payment authorization, specifying the amount to be paid (either partial or full), and the date for the payment to be made, and the account from which the money will be drawn. The electronic payment and any dispute criteria are associated with the payment remittance information. The payment instruction and remittance information are then transmitted in the biller prescribed format back over the Internet to the biller. In this manner, the payment remittance information is automatically returned directly to the biller in the format that the biller chooses, without intervention by the consumer. The biller executes the payment instructions sent to it electronically by the consumer by sending them onto the biller'"'"'s bank.

Claims

1. An apparatus for electronically presenting and remitting payment of bills, comprising:

means for generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller, the payment remittance information being arranged within a data structure according to a format prescribed by the biller, the data structure having one or more open data fields to hold data that a consumer can enter or alter and one or more closed data fields to hold data that the consumer cannot alter, the remittance information further including hidden structured remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

means for electronically transmitting the bill and associated payment remittance information to the consumer;

means for enabling the consumer to authorize electronic payment of the bill;

means for associating the electronic payment with the payment remittance information; and

means for transmitting the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data, from the consumer back to the biller in the format prescribed by the biller.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for electronically transmitting the bill and associated payment remittance information over a network.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for electronically transmitting the bill and associated payment remittance information over the Internet.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for electronically transmitting the bill and associated payment remittance information from the biller to the consumer via at least one intermediary.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for enabling the consumer to specify payment instructions for paying the bill.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for enabling the consumer to specify an amount to be paid on the bill.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for enabling the consumer to specify partial payment of the bill.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for enabling the consumer to specify a payment date.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for automatically designating a payee for the payment and prohibiting the consumer from specifying a different payee.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for making the payment authorized by the consumer.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for settling accounts between the biller and consumer.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for submitting the payment instructions from the biller to an ACH payment system.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting non-billing messages along with the bill and payment remittance information.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for encrypting the bill and payment remittance information prior to transmission.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for digitally signing the bill and payment remittance information prior to transmission.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for authenticating the biller.

17. An apparatus for electronically presenting and remitting payment of bills, comprising:

means for generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller, the payment remittance information being arranged within a data structure according to a format prescribed by the biller, the data structure having one or more open data fields to hold data that a consumer can supply or alter and one or more closed data fields to hold data that the consumer cannot alter, the remittance information further including structured remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

means for electronically transmitting a bill and associated payment remittance information from the biller to at least one intermediary;

means for electronically transmitting the bill and payment remittance information from the intermediary to the consumer;

means for presenting the bill to the consumer without revealing the structured remittance data;

means for enabling the consumer to specify payment instructions which include at least one of a payment amount and a payment date;

means for electronically transmitting the payment instructions and payment remittance information from the consumer to the intermediary; and

means for electronically transmitting the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data, from the intermediary back to the biller in the format prescribed by the biller; and

means for settling accounts between the consumer and biller using the payment instructions.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the payment instructions and payment remittance information from the consumer to the intermediary and the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data, from the intermediary back to the biller are transmitted over an electronic data network.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising means for settling the accounts through a clearing network.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising means for encrypting the bill and payment remittance information prior to transmission.

21. An apparatus recited in claim 17, further comprising means for digitally signing the bill and payment remittance information prior to transmission.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising means for authenticating the biller.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

means for generating account clearing instructions at the intermediary; and

means for electronically transmitting the account clearing instructions to the biller.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

means for generating account clearing instructions at the intermediary; and

means for electronically transmitting the account clearing instructions to a bank handling the biller'"'"'s account.

25. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

means for generating clearing instructions at the intermediary account; and

means for electronically transmitting the account clearing instructions to an account clearing network.

26. A system comprising:

means for storing a bill and associated payment remittance information, the payment remittance information being arranged within a data structure according to a format prescribed by the biller, the data structure having one or more open data fields to hold data that a consumer can supply or alter and one or more closed data fields that hold data that the consumer cannot alter, the remittance information further including structured remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

means for presenting the bill to the consumer without revealing the structured remittance data;

means for enabling the consumer to specify payment instructions including at least one of an amount to be paid on the bill, a payment date, and an account from which to draw payment, while prohibiting the consumer from altering data contained in the closed data fields;

means for associating the payment instructions with the structured remittance data;

means for electronically transmitting the payment instructions to initiate payment of the bill; and

means for electronically routing the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data, in the biller prescribed format to the biller so that the structured remittance data is automatically returned to the biller without intervention by the consumer.

27. A system as recited in claim 26, further comprising means for enabling the consumer to specify both the amount to be paid and the payment date.

28. A system as recited in claim 26, further comprising means for enabling the consumer to specify a partial payment of the bill.

29. A system as recited in claim 26, further comprising means for presenting the bill to the consumer through a graphical user interface.

30. An electronic bill presentment and payment remittance system including a network, a biller computing unit with computer-readable medium, and a consumer computing unit with computer readable medium, the computer-readable media having computer-executable components comprising:

means for operatively linking the biller computing unit and consumer computing unit to the network;

means for generating a bill and associated payment remittance information in a particular format at the biller computing unit, the remittance information including structured remittance data that is kept hidden from a consumer;

means for transmitting the bill and payment remittance information over the data network from the biller computing unit to the consumer computing unit;

means for receiving the bill and payment remittance information at the consumer computing unit and presenting the bill to the consumer without revealing the structured remittance data to the consumer; and

means for facilitating entry of payment instructions including at least one of a payment amount and a date at the consumer computing unit, and following said entry, automatically routing the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data, in the particular format to the biller computing unit.

31. An electronic bill presentment and payment remittance system as recited in claim 30, wherein the computer-readable media further includes a computer-executable component comprising means for transmitting the payment instructions from the consumer computing unit over the network to initiate payment of the bill.