System and method of processing payment of bills from multiple bill providers

• US 7,668,766 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Schlieker, Robert Randall, Goodwin, John C. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton; Lalita M
• Application Number:
  US09/950,118
• Time in Patent Office: 3,088 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/39, 705/41, 705/43, 902/8, 902/12, 902/15, 902/17
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A system for processing payment of bills from multiple bill providers which establishes connections to bill provider computers through APIs unique to each bill provider. The system includes a display for displaying a list of bill providers, an input device for recording customer selections of a number of the bill providers from the list, a payment accepting device, such as a check reader, card reader, or cash acceptor, and a processor for establishing connections to computers of the bill providers through the APIs which are resident on the kiosk in response to the customer selections, for sending customer identification information to the computers, for receiving and displaying customer account information from the computers, for recording the payments from the payment accepting device, and for sending payment information to the computers.

Claims

1. A method of processing a payment of a bill comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of bill providers on a bill payment computer;

recording a customer selection of a bill provider from a list of bill providers displayed by a bill payment computer;

connecting to a computer of the bill provider through an API of the bill provider selected on the bill payment computer;

recording customer identification information by the bill payment computer;

sending customer identification information to the computer of the bill provider by the bill payment computer;

receiving and displaying customer account information from the computer of the bill provider by the bill payment computer;

recording the payment by the bill payment computer; and

sending payment information to the computer of the bill provider by the bill payment computer.

2. The method of processing a payment of a bill as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying a list of bill providers on a bill payment computer comprises the step of displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers on a bill payment computer.

3. The method of processing a payment of a bill as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying a list of bill providers on a bill payment computer comprises the step of displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers on a kiosk.

4. The method of processing a payment of a bill as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying a list of bill providers on a bill payment computer comprises the step of displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers on a touch screen.

5. A method of processing a payment of a bill comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers by a kiosk;

recording a customer selection of one of the bill providers by an input device of the kiosk;

connecting to a computer of the one bill provider through an API of the bill provider selected on the kiosk;

recording customer identification information by the kiosk;

sending customer identification information to the computer by the kiosk;

receiving and displaying customer account information from the computer by the kiosk;

recording the payment by the kiosk;

sending payment information to the computer by the kiosk;

printing a receipt by a printer of the kiosk; and

displaying a message indicating that the computer has received the payment by the kiosk.

6. The method of processing a payment of a bill as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers by a kiosk comprises the step of displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers on a touch screen.

7. The method of processing a payment of a bill as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of recording a customer selection of one of the bill providers by an input device of the kiosk comprises the step recording a customer selection of one of the bill providers on a touch screen.

8. The method of processing a payment of a bill as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of sending payment information to the computer by the kiosk comprises sending payment information to the computer by one of a cash acceptor, a check reader and a card reader.

9. A bill payment system comprising:

a display for displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers;

an input device for recording customer selections of a number of the bill providers from the list;

means for accepting payments of bills from the bill providers by a bill payer; and

a processor for establishing connections to computers of the bill providers through APIs which are unique to each of the bill providers and resident on the kiosk in response to the customer selections, for sending customer identification information to the computers, for receiving and displaying customer account information from the computers, for recording the payments from the payment accepting means, and for sending payment information to the computers.

10. The bill payment system as recited in claim 9, wherein the display comprises a touch screen.

11. The bill payment system as recited in claim 9, wherein the input device comprises a touch screen.

12. The bill payment system as recited in claim 9, wherein the means for accepting payments of bills comprises one of a cash acceptor, a check reader and a card reader.

13. A bill payment kiosk comprising:

a touch screen for displaying a list of a plurality of different bill providers and for recording customer selections of a number of the bill providers from the list;

means for accepting payments of bills from the bill providers by a bill payer; and

a processor for establishing connections to computers of the bill providers through APIs which are unique to each of the bill providers and resident on the kiosk in response to the customer selections, for sending customer identification information to the computers, for receiving and displaying customer account information from the computers, for recording the payments from the payment accepting means, and for sending payment information to the computers.

14. The kiosk as recited in claim 13, wherein the payment accepting means comprises:

a check reader.

15. The kiosk as recited in claim 13, wherein the payment accepting means comprises:

a card reader.

16. The kiosk as recited in claim 13, wherein the payment accepting means comprises:

a cash acceptor.