Systems and methods for providing dynamic integration and access to disparate data sources

• US 7,774,251 B1
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Bear, Randy, Prasad, Bharat, Dennes, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel; Vanel
• Application Number:
  US11/464,147
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/39, 705/42
• 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 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing dynamic integration and access to disparate data sources are described. The apparatus may include an internal data source access engine, an external data source access engine, an integration engine and a user interface module. The method may comprise receiving a request for bill-pay services from a user, first retrieving internal bill-pay information, second retrieving external bill-pay information, integrating the first retrieved and second retrieved information into a single unified graphical presentation, presenting the unified graphical presentation to the user.

Claims

1. A system to provide a unified graphical presentation of disparate data sources to a user, the system comprising:

a user access system to provide to one or more users access to present account data and to receive instructions for the manipulation of funds in one or more accounts of the one or more users;

a bill-pay engine, the bill-pay engine including;

an internal data source access engine, the internal data source access engine having a plurality of internal data source software objects, each of which configured to provide access to data maintained by an internal system;

an external data source access engine, the external data source access engine having at least one external data source software object configured to provide access to data maintained by an external system;

an integration engine to receive internal data from the internal data source access engine and external data the external data source access engine and to combine the internal data and the external data into a single unified data set; and

a user interface module to receive the single unified data set and format it to be displayed graphically to a user, the user interface module to additionally send the formatted single unified data set to the web access gateway for further transmission to a computing device of the one or more users;

a plurality of internal data stores, each of which accessible by at least one of the internal data source software objects; and

a payment module configured to transmit instructions to the internal and external systems through the internal data source software object and the external data source software object, respectively, the instructions intended to generate a physical check payable from at least one of the internal and external systems and payable to at least one other of the internal and external systems.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one external data source software object is configured to access the external system using a web services framework, the access defined by a Web Services Definition Language (WSDL) published by the external system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one external data source software object is a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) web services client.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the WSDL is consumed dynamically concurrent with the access.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of internal data source software objects are pre-configured prior to accessing the data maintained by the at least one of the plurality of internal systems.

6. A machine-readable medium having machine-executable instructions to provide a unified graphical presentation of disparate data sources, the machine-executable instructions causing the following software modules to be executed:

a user access system to provide to one or more users access to present account data and to receive instructions for the manipulation of funds in one or more accounts of the one or more users;

a bill-pay engine, the bill-pay engine including;

an internal data source access engine, the internal data source access engine having a plurality of internal data source software objects, each of which configured to provide access to data maintained by an internal system;

an external data source access engine, the external data source access engine having at least one external data source software object configured to provide access to data maintained by an external system;

an integration engine to receive internal data from the internal data source access engine and external data the external data source access engine and to combine the internal data and the external data into a single unified data set; and

a user interface module to receive the single unified data set and format it to be displayed graphically to a user, the user interface module to additionally send the formatted single unified data set to the web access gateway for further transmission to a computing device of the one or more users;

a plurality of internal data stores, each of which accessible by at least one of the internal data source software objects; and

a payment module configured to transmit instructions to the internal and external systems through the internal data source software object and the external data source software object, respectively, the instructions intended to generate a physical check payable from at least one of the internal and external systems and payable to at least one other of the internal and external systems.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the at least one external data source software object is configured to access the external system using a web services framework, the access defined by a Web Services Definition Language (WSDL) published by the external system.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one external data source software object is a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) web services client.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the WSDL is consumed dynamically concurrent with the access.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of internal data source software objects are pre-configured prior to accessing the data maintained by the at least one of the plurality of internal systems.

11. A system to provide a unified graphical presentation of disparate data sources to a user, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device having machine-readable instructions contained therein which cause the processor to operate the following software modules;

a user access system to provide to one or more users access to present account data and to receive instructions for the manipulation of funds in one or more accounts of the one or more users;

a bill-pay engine, the bill-pay engine including;

an internal data source access engine, the internal data source access engine having a plurality of internal data source software objects, each of which configured to provide access to data maintained by an internal system;

an external data source access engine, the external data source access engine having at least one external data source software object configured to provide access to data maintained by an external system;

an integration engine to receive internal data from the internal data source access engine and external data the external data source access engine and to combine the internal data and the external data into a single unified data set; and

a user interface module to receive the single unified data set and format it to be displayed graphically to a user, the user interface module to additionally send the formatted single unified data set to the web access gateway for further transmission to a computing device of the one or more users;

a plurality of internal data stores, each of which accessible by at least one of the internal data source software objects; and

a payment module configured to transmit instructions to the internal and external systems through the internal data source software object and the external data source software object, respectively, the instructions intended to generate a physical check payable from at least one of the internal and external systems and payable to at least one other of the internal and external systems.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one external data source software object is configured to access the external system using a web services framework, the access defined by a Web Services Definition Language (WSDL) published by the external system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one external data source software object is a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) web services client.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the WSDL is consumed dynamically concurrent with the access.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of internal data source software objects are pre-configured prior to accessing the data maintained by the at least one of the plurality of internal systems.