Methods and apparatus for child support payment processing and child support disbursement processing

• US 7,752,131 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ACS State & Local Solutions Incorporated (Conduent, Inc.)
• Inventors: Polk, John
• Primary Examiner(s): KAZIMI, HANI M
• Application Number:
  US09/975,241
• Time in Patent Office: 3,189 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/35, 705 38- 40, 705/44, 902/41
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time 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 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

Abstract

This disclosure describes a child support payment and child support disbursement system at a processing entity (such as a state disbursement unit or any other commercial, governmental, or other entity), wherein an employee (who is a noncustodial parent who owes a child support obligation) authorizes a child support payment and child support disbursement to an employer and the employer processes the child support payment and child support disbursement through a processing entity. The processing entity processes the child support payment as a debit-based transaction and processes the child support disbursement as an addendum-based transaction. The payment may be made to the processing entity, to a state, or to any other entity. The disbursement may be made to a custodial parent, to a state, to a state entity, or to any other recipient.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method by an accumulator agency of processing through a bank a child support disbursement from a governmental state entity of the United States, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities, comprising the steps of:

transmitting by the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, through the bank child support disbursement information to the state;

receiving at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, through the bank child support disbursement transaction information from the state regarding authorization for the child support disbursement as an addendum transaction; and

executing by the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, through the bank the child support disbursement to a recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step occurs by an addendum-based EDI transaction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing step includes the substep of paying the recipient via one of paper check, direct deposit, and debit deposit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

issuing an invoice for the child support disbursement.

5. A system at an accumulator agency for processing through a bank a child support disbursement from a governmental state entity of the United States, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities, comprising:

a transmitting hardware component configured to transmit by the accumulator agency through the bank child support disbursement information to the state;

a receiving hardware component configured to receive at the accumulator agency through the bank child support disbursement transaction information from the state regarding authorization for the child support disbursement as an addendum transaction; and

an executing hardware component configured to execute by the accumulator agency through the bank the child support disbursement to a recipient.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transmitting component occurs by an addendum-based EDI transaction.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the executing component further includes a child support paying component configured to pay the recipient via one of paper check, direct deposit, and debit deposit.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising an issuing component configured to issue an invoice for the child support disbursement.

9. A computer usable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a computer at an accumulator agency to perform a method for processing through a bank a child support disbursement from a governmental state entity of the United States, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities, the method comprising:

transmitting by the accumulator agency through the bank child support disbursement information to the state;

receiving at the accumulator agency through the bank child support disbursement transaction information from the state regarding authorization for the child support disbursement as an addendum transaction; and

executing by the accumulator agency through the bank the child support disbursement to a recipient.

10. A computer-implemented method by an accumulator agency of accumulating a child support payment through a bank and processing a child support disbursement to a governmental state entity of the United States, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities, comprising the steps of:

instituting at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, the child support payment with child support disbursement information from an employee to a recipient through an employer;

receiving the child support payment and the child support disbursement information at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, from the employer;

initiating by the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, the child support payment through the bank as a debit transaction;

transmitting by the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, the child support disbursement to the state as a first addendum transaction;

receiving at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, child support disbursement transaction information from the state regarding the child support disbursement to the recipient as a second addendum transaction; and

executing by the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, the child support disbursement to the recipient.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

issuing an invoice for the child support disbursement to the recipient.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the child support payment is an alimony child support payment.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the child support payment is a payment on a judgment.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the child support payment is a payment on an attachment.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the employee is a noncustodial parent.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the recipient is a custodial parent.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the executing step further includes the substep of paying the recipient via one of paper check, direct deposit, and debit deposit.

18. A system at an accumulator agency for accumulating a child support payment through a bank and processing a child support disbursement to a governmental state entity of the United States, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities comprising:

an instituting hardware component configured to institute at the accumulator agency the child support payment with child support disbursement information from an employee to a recipient through an employer;

a first receiving hardware component configured to receive the child support payment and the child support disbursement information at the accumulator agency from the employer;

an initiating hardware component configured to initiate by the accumulator agency the child support payment through the bank as a debit transaction;

a second transmitting hardware component configured to transmit by the accumulator agency the child support disbursement to the state as a first addendum transaction;

a receiving hardware component configured to receive at the accumulator agency child support disbursement transaction information from the state regarding the child support disbursement to the recipient as a second addendum transaction; and

an executing hardware component configured to execute by the accumulator agency the child support disbursement to the recipient.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

an issuing component configured to issue an invoice for the child support disbursement to the recipient.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the child support payment is an alimony child support payment.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the child support payment is a payment on a judgment.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the child support payment is a payment on an attachment.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the employee is a noncustodial parent.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the recipient is a custodial parent.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the executing component further includes a child support paying component configured to pay the recipient via one of paper check, direct deposit, and debit deposit.