Flexible billing adjustment system

• US 7,630,938 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel of America Incorporated
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Torpin, Tom, Panda, Hermanta Ranjan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORTIZ ROMAN, DENISSE Y
• Application Number:
  US11/095,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/74
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

The present invention relates to flexible billing systems that can be used within the transportation industry to facilitate credit card billing adjustments to credit cards that were previously used by customers to pay for one or more shipping charges. In particular, the present invention provides a system or tool that enables a user to easily access a detailed billing history of credit card transactions in order to apply full or partial credit card billing adjustments that specifically correspond to individual transactions included in the history of charges associated with a particular item or shipment.

Claims

1. A system for processing a billing adjustment request related to one or more past shipping charges that were applied to a credit card used by a customer of a carrier, said system comprising:

a database for storing information related to past shipping charges;

a display device for displaying billing related information to a user via a graphical user interface;

an input device for allowing the user to input information via the graphical user interface; and

one or more computers in communication with said input device, said display device, and said database, said one or more computers configured for;

(1) allowing the user to enter a reference number that references at least one shipment associated with the customer;

(2) retrieving from said database a list of one or more past credit card transactions that are associated with said reference number;

(3) allowing the user to select a transaction from the list of one or more past credit card transactions;

(4) allowing the user to enter a reason input that identifies a reason for making a billing adjustment request for the selected transaction;

(5) based at least in part on said reason input, (a) allowing the user to enter an adjustment amount, the adjustment amount being an amount by which the transaction amount of the selected transaction is requested to be reduced pursuant to the billing adjustment request or (b) automatically setting the adjustment amount equal to the full transaction amount of the selected transaction;

(6) submitting the billing adjustment request in association with the selected transaction, wherein the billing adjustment request comprises applying the adjustment amount to a past transaction amount of the selected transaction, the past transaction amount having been previously applied to said credit card; and

(7) transmitting the adjustment amount in association with the credit card number of said credit card to a credit card company that is responsible for handling charges applied to said credit card.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said reference number is a tracking number that identifies a particular shipment associated with the customer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said one or more computers are further configured for aggregating all adjustment amounts that are associated with the same tracking number, and that occur on the same date and are applied to the same credit card number, as one invoice item that is transmitted to said credit card company.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said reference number is a credit card notification number that identifies a list of one or more past shipping charges that relate to one or more shipments associated with the customer, and that have been applied to said credit card by said carrier during a particular time period.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said one or more computers are further configured for aggregating all adjustment amounts that are associated with the same credit card notification number, and that occur on the same date and are applied to the same credit card number, as one invoice item that is transmitted to said credit card company.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction amount of the selected transaction comprises one or more itemized shipping charges that are associated with the selected transaction, and the adjustment amount comprises one or more individual offset amounts that are applied, respectively, to the one or more itemized shipping charges.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more individual offset amounts can be any amount less than or equal to the corresponding itemized shipping charge to which the offset amount is applied.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said reason input indicates that the full transaction amount of the selected transaction was billed in error to said credit card, and that said transaction amount is to be re-billed to an alternate payment source.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the alternate payment source is another credit card, different from said credit card to which said transaction amount was previously billed.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the alternate payment source is a customer account number that the customer maintains with the carrier.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said one or more computers are further configured for determining whether there exists any pending billing adjustment requests that are associated with the selected transaction, and if so, disallowing the current billing adjustment request.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more computers are further configured for displaying, in association with each of the one or more past credit card transactions, a transaction type, a transaction amount and a credit card number of a credit card to which the corresponding transaction amount was previously billed.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each credit card number displayed in association with a past credit card transaction is displayed such that only a portion of the number is revealed to the user for added security against credit card fraud.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more computers are further configured for storing the billing adjustment request in an adjustment transaction database for awaiting approval by an authorized person.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said one or more computers are further configured for automatically approving the billing adjustment request if the adjustment amount is less than a predetermined approval threshold.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more computers are further configured for automatically re-computing any applicable taxes or surcharges that are affected by the billing adjustment request.

17. A method of processing a billing adjustment request related to one or more past shipping charges that were applied to a credit card used by a customer of a carrier, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) allowing a user to enter, via an electronic input device, a reference number that references at least one shipment associated with the customer;

(2) retrieving from a database, via a computing device, a list of one or more past credit card transactions that are associated with said reference number;

(3) allowing the user to select, via the electronic input device, a transaction from the list of one or more past credit card transactions;

(4) al1owing the user to enter a reason input that identifies a reason for making a billing adjustment request for the selected transaction;

(5) based at least in part on said reason input, (a) allowing the user to enter an adjustment amount, the adjustment amount being an amount by which the transaction amount of the selected transaction is requested to be reduced pursuant to the billing adjustment request or (b) automatically setting the adjustment amount equal to the full transaction amount of the selected transaction;

(6) submitting, via the computing device, the billing adjustment request in association with the selected transaction, wherein the billing adjustment request comprises applying the adjustment amount to a past transaction amount of the selected transaction, the past transaction amount having been previously applied to said credit card; and

(7) transmitting, via the computing device, the adjustment amount in association with the credit card number of said credit card to a credit card company that is responsible for handling charges applied to said credit card.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said reference number is a tracking number that identifies a particular shipment associated with the customer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising aggregating all adjustment amounts that are associated with the same tracking number, and that occur on the same date and are applied to the same credit card number, as one invoice item that is transmitted to said credit card company.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said reference number is a credit card notification number that identifies a list of one or more past shipping charges that relate to one or more shipments associated with the customer, and that have been applied to said credit card by said carrier during a particular time period.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising aggregating all adjustment amounts that are associated with the same credit card notification number, and that occur on the same date and are applied to the same credit card number, as one invoice item that is transmitted to said credit card company.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the transaction amount of the selected transaction comprises one or more itemized shipping charges that are associated with the selected transaction, and the adjustment amount comprises one or more individual offset amounts that are applied, respectively, to the one or more itemized shipping charges.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each of the one or more individual offset amounts can be any amount less than or equal to the corresponding itemized shipping charge to which the offset amount is applied.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein said reason input indicates that the full transaction amount of the selected transaction was billed in error to said credit card, and that said transaction amount is to be re-billed to an alternate payment source.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the alternate payment source is another credit card, different from said credit card to which the transaction amount was previously billed.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the alternate payment source is a customer account number that the customer maintains with the carrier.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising determining whether there exists any pending billing adjustment requests that are associated with the selected transaction, and if so, disallowing the current billing adjustment request.

28. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying, in association with each of the one or more past credit card transactions, a transaction type, a transaction amount and a credit card number of a credit card to which the corresponding transaction amount was previously billed.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein each credit card number displayed in association with a past credit card transaction is displayed such that only a portion of the number is revealed to the user for added security against credit card fraud.

30. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing the billing adjustment request in an adjustment transaction database for awaiting approval by an authorized person.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising automatically approving the billing adjustment request if the adjustment amount is less than a predetermined approval threshold.

32. The method of claim 17, further comprising automatically re-computing any applicable taxes or surcharges that are affected by the billing adjustment request.