Construction payment management system and method with one-time registration features

• US 7,725,384 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Textura Corp (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Textura Corp (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Eichhorn, William H., Allin, Patrick J., Niden, Howard L., Cherry, Charles C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAHAM, CLEMENT B
• Application Number:
  US11/900,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 38
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• 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 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

A system and method for managing a construction payment process. One method embodying the invention can include electronically receiving registration information including payment information from a plurality of participants, electronically storing the registration information for use with multiple construction projects, and transferring a plurality of payments to a plurality of participants associated with a plurality of construction projects by electronically accessing the registration information.

Claims

1. A method of managing a construction payment process, the method comprising the acts of:

electronically receiving, by a construction project management computer system, organization registration information including payment information and an identification of a primary user for a participant organization;

electronically receiving, by the construction project management computer system, user registration information for one or more users associated with the participant organization;

electronically storing the organization registration information and the user registration information to a computer readable memory of the construction project management computer system for use in connection with multiple construction projects;

providing the primary user access to a management interface;

receiving, through the management interface, an electronic selection of additional users associated with the organization to be associated with a construction project;

providing the additional users associated with the construction project access to a general user interface;

displaying project data and documents associated with the construction project through the general user interface;

electronically receiving, through the management interface, a legal signature for the documents associated with the construction project;

receiving, through the management interface, a selection of an additional, previously registered, participant organization to be associated with the construction project and an indication of a role to be associated with the additional participant organization in the construction project; and

transferring a payment to the additional participant organization by electronically accessing previously stored organization registration information for the additional participant organization.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the organization registration information includes at least one of business information, tax information, and banking information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the participant organization and the additional participant organization include at least two of an owner, an owner'"'"'s representative, a title company, a lender, an architect, an interior designer, an inspector, a general contractor, a subcontractor, a material supplier, a construction manager, an engineer, and a bonding company.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user registration information includes at least one of personal information, security information, and notification information.

5. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the acts of deeming one of the additional users the primary user for the participant and removing primary user status from an original primary user.

6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the act of verifying a participant organization.

7. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the act of transmitting a notification that a participant organization has been registered.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the organization registration information is stored in a database server and accessed with a database management system.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of transferring a payment to the additional participant organization includes generating an automated payment instruction and transferring to the additional participant organization a payment using one of an automated clearing house system, a wire transfer of funds, a debit card system, a credit card system, and a check generating system.

10. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the act of preventing users associated with a participant organization from modifying stored organization registration information that pertains to another participant organization.

11. A construction payment management system comprising:

an application server that stores an organization module, a user interface module, and a database management system on a computer readable memory, the organization module receiving

organization registration information including payment information and an identification of a primary user for a participant organization, and

user registration information for one or more users associated with the participant organization; and

a database server connected to the database management system, the database server storing the organization registration information and the user registration information for use in connection with multiple construction projects, and the database management system accessing the organization registration information and the user registration information,

the user interface module

providing the primary user access to a management interface,

receiving, through the management interface, an electronic selection of additional users associated with the participant organization to be associated with a construction project,

providing the additional users associated with the construction project access to a general user interface,

displaying project data and documents associated with the construction project through the general user interface,

electronically receiving, through the management interface, a legal signature for the documents associated with the construction project, and

electronically receiving, through the management interface, a selection of an additional, previously registered, participant organization to be associated with the construction project and an indication of a role to be associated with the additional participant organization in the construction project, and

the application server using the organization registration information to transfer a plurality of payments to a plurality of participant organizations associated with a plurality of construction projects.

12. The construction payment management system of claim 11 wherein the organization registration information includes at least one of business information, tax information, and banking information.

13. The construction payment management system of claim 11 wherein the participant organization and the additional participant organization include at least two of an owner, an owner'"'"'s representative, a title company, a lender, an architect, an interior designer, an inspector, a general contractor, a subcontractor, a material supplier, a construction manager, an engineer, and a bonding company.

14. The construction payment management system of claim 11 wherein the user registration information includes at least one of personal information, security information, and notification information.

15. The construction payment management system of claim 11 wherein the user interface module receives an identification of one of the additional users as the primary user for the participant organization for the construction project and removes primary user status from an original primary user.

16. The construction payment management system of claim 11 and further comprising a verification service connected to the application server, the verification service verifying a participant organization.

17. The construction payment management system of claim 11 and further comprising a notifications manager module stored in the application server, the notifications manager module transmitting a notification that a participant organization has been registered.

18. The construction payment management system of claim 11 wherein the database server is connected to the application server and the database management system accesses the organization registration information from the database server.

19. The construction payment management system of claim 11 and further comprising a payment system connected to the application server and a draw module stored in the application server, the draw module transmitting an automated payment instruction to the payment system and the payment system including one of an automated clearing house system, a wire transfer system, a debit card system, a credit card system, and a check generating system.

20. The construction payment management system of claim 11 wherein the organization module prevents a participant organization from modifying stored registration information that pertains to another participant organization.