Propagating data to facilitate electronic payments to payees

• US 7,606,787 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baulch, Howard, Koltnow, Adam, Keown, Blake, Moenickheim, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US11/146,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/9, 705/30, 705/53, 705/64, 705/70, 705/75, 705/77
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• 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 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Payments on behalf of a plurality of payors to a plurality of payees are facilitated using respective first data associated with each payor and respective second data associated with each of those payees payable by crediting via electronic funds transfer (EFT), such as by ACH transfer. The respective first data associated with each payor includes payee identity information for each payee designated by that payor, and could for example take the form of a payee list for that payor. The respective second data associated with each payee payable by crediting via EFT includes payment information identifying a deposit account of that payee. Information identifying a first of the payees and a deposit account of the first payee is received by a payment service provider. The first payee is not currently one of those payees associated with respective second data, when this information is received. The payment service provider stores a payee identifier for the first payee in association with payment information corresponding to the received information identifying the first payee deposit account as respective second data associated with the first payee. After receipt of the information identifying the first payee and the first payee deposit account, the payment service provider determines that the respective first data associated with a first payor includes payee identity information for the first payee and, based on this determination, stores an indicator indicating that the first payee is payable by crediting via EFT, in association with the payee identity information for the first payee in the respective first data associated with the first payor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, in first information within an electronic payee database comprising payees eligible to receive electronic payments, an identity of a payee and bank deposit account information of the payee, wherein the identity of the payee and the bank deposit account information is received from the payee;

determining that second information associated with a payor specifies the payee identified in the first information within the electronic payee database; and

storing, in association with the payee in the second information, an indication that the payee is eligible to receive electronic payments subsequent to determining that the second information associated with the payor specifies the payee identified in the first information within the electronic payee database,

wherein the prior steps are performed by one or more computers associated with a payment service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information is stored in association with a payee identifier, wherein the indication that the payee is eligible to receive electronic payments is the payee identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a payment request from the payor to pay the payee;

issuing, responsive to the request, an electronic payment to the payee on behalf of the payor, based at least in part on the indication that the payee is eligible to receive the electronic payments being stored in association with the payee in the second information,

wherein the nor steps are performed by one or more computers associated with the payment service provider.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the payment request is received on a first date prior to storage of the indication in association with the payee in the second information, wherein the electronic payment is issued on a second date subsequent to the storage of the indication in association with the payee in the second information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the payment request is processed subsequent to the storage of the indication in association with the payee in the second information, wherein the electronic payment is issued based upon the processed payment request.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the electronic payment is credited to a bank deposit account associated with the bank deposit account information stored in the first information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic payments comprise crediting via an Automated Clearing House (ACH).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the payee and the bank deposit account information is received from the payee in association with a request by the payee to receive electronic payments.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request by the payee to receive electronic payments is responsive to an advertisement of availability of electronic payments transmitted to the payee.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the advertisement accompanies a paper payment for the payee.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the advertisement includes an access code, wherein the access code is received from the payee prior to storing the identity of the payee and the bank deposit account information of the payee in first information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the payor is a first payor of a plurality of payors, wherein each payor is associated with respective second information that specifies one or more respective payees associated with the respective payor, and further comprising:

searching the respective second information associated with each of the plurality of payors, excluding the first payor, for a specification of the payee; and

for each respective second information that specifies the payee, storing the indication that the payee is eligible to receive electronic payments in association with the payee in the respective second information,

wherein the prior steps are performed by one or more computers associated with the payment service provider.

13. A system, comprising:

a memory for storing computer-executable instructions; and

a processor for accessing the memory and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

store, in first information within an electronic payee database comprising payees eligible to receive electronic payments, an identity of a payee and bank deposit account information of the payee, wherein the identity of the payee and the bank deposit account information is received from the payee,

determine that second information associated with a payor specifies the payee identified in the first information within the electronic payee database, and

store, in association with the payee in the second information, an indication that the payee is eligible to receive electronic payments subsequent to determining that the second information associated with the payor specifies the payee identified in the first information of the electronic payee database.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first information is stored in association with a payee identifier, wherein the indication that the payee is eligible to receive electronic payments is the payee identifier.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

receive a payment request from the payor to pay the payee;

issue, responsive to the request, an electronic payment to the payee on behalf of the payor, based at least in part on the indication that the payee is eligible to receive the electronic payments being stored in association with the payee in the second information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the payment request is received by the processor on a first date prior to storage of the indication in association with the payee in the second information, wherein the electronic payment is issued by the processor on a second date subsequent to the storage of the indication in association with the payee in the second information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the payment request is processed by the processor subsequent to the storage of the indication in association with the payee in the second information, wherein the electronic payment is issued by the processor based upon the processed payment request.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the electronic payments comprise crediting via an Automated Clearing House (ACH).

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the identity of the payee and the bank deposit account information is received from the payee in association with a request by the payee to receive electronic payments.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the request by the payee to receive electronic payments is responsive to an advertisement of availability of electronic payments provided to the payee.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the advertisement accompanies a paper payment for the payee.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the advertisement includes an access code, wherein the access code is received by the processor from the payee prior to storing the identity of the payee and the bank deposit account information of the payee in first information.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the payor is a first payor of a plurality of payors, wherein each payor is associated with respective second information that specifies one or more respective payees associated with the respective payor, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

search the respective second information associated with each of the plurality of payors, excluding the first payor, for a specification of the payee, and

for each respective second information that specifies the payee, store the indication that the payee is eligible to receive electronic payments in association with the payee in the respective second information.

24. A system, comprising:

means for storing, in first information within an electronic payee database comprising payees eligible to receive electronic payments, an identity of a payee and bank deposit account information of the payee, wherein the identity of the payee and the bank deposit account information is received from the payee;

means for determining that second information associated with a payor specifies the payee identified in the first information within the electronic payee database; and

means for storing, in association with the payee in the second information, an indication that the payee is eligible to receive electronic payments subsequent to determining that the second information associated with the payor specifies the payee identified in the first information of the electronic payee database.