Methods and apparatus for child support payment processing and child support disbursement processing by a processing entity

• US 7,788,173 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• 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:
  US10/374,968
• Time in Patent Office: 2,741 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/40, 705/35, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/39
• 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 of processing payment information through a bank and disbursement information to a governmental state entity of the United States by an accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the governmental state entity are separate entities, comprising the steps, performed by a processor, of:

receiving instructions at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of payment information;

receiving instructions at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of disbursement information;

receiving payment information at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, from an employer regarding a child support obligation of an employee, the payment information including at least a debit transaction;

receiving disbursement information at the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, from the employer regarding the child support obligation of the employee, the disbursement information including at least a disbursement transaction;

processing the debit transaction from the payment information by the accumulator agency through the bank, using a computer processor, according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein processing the debit transaction further comprises receiving a payment as the debit transaction by the accumulator agency from the employer, and wherein the payment is from a salary of the employee; and

processing the disbursement transaction from the disbursement information by the accumulator agency, using a computer processor, to a disbursement recipient according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein processing the disbursement transaction further comprises establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction for the disbursement recipient, and wherein establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction further comprises sending the disbursement to the disbursement recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the governmental state entity is a state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the governmental state entity is a county.

4. A system of processing payment information through a bank and disbursement information to a governmental state entity of the United States by an accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the governmental state entity are separate entities comprising:

a receiving instructions regarding the processing of payment information hardware component configured to receive instructions at the accumulator agency from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of payment information;

a receiving instructions regarding the processing of disbursement information hardware component configured to receive instructions at the accumulator agency from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of disbursement information;

a receiving payment information hardware component configured to receive payment information at the accumulator agency from an employer regarding a child support obligation of an employee, the payment information including at least a debit transaction;

a receiving disbursement information hardware component configured to receive disbursement information at the accumulator agency from the employer regarding the child support obligation of the employee, the disbursement information including at least a disbursement transaction;

a processing the debit transaction hardware component configured to process the debit transaction from the payment information by the accumulator agency through the bank according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein the processing the debit transaction component further comprises a receiving a payment as the debit transaction component configured to receive a payment as the debit transaction by the accumulator agency from the employer, and wherein the payment is from a salary of the employee; and

a processing the disbursement transaction hardware component configured to process the disbursement transaction from the disbursement information by the accumulator agency to a disbursement recipient according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein the processing the disbursement transaction component further comprises an establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction component configured to establish a disbursement as the disbursement transaction for the disbursement recipient, and wherein the establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction further comprises a sending the disbursement component configured to send the disbursement to the disbursement recipient.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the governmental state entity is a state.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the governmental state entity is a county.

7. A computer readable medium containing instructions when executed by a computer system it performs the steps of processing payment information through a bank and disbursement information to a governmental state entity of the United States by an accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the governmental state entity are separate entities, the method comprising:

receiving instructions at the accumulator agency from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of payment information;

receiving instructions at the accumulator agency from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of disbursement information;

receiving payment information at the accumulator agency from an employer regarding a child support obligation of an employee, the payment information including at least a debit transaction;

receiving disbursement information at the accumulator agency from the employer regarding the child support obligation of the employee, the disbursement information including at least a disbursement transaction;

processing the debit transaction from the payment information by the accumulator agency through the bank according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein processing the debit transaction further comprises receiving a payment as the debit transaction by the accumulator agency from the employer, and wherein the payment is from a salary of the employee; and

processing the disbursement transaction from the disbursement information by the accumulator agency to a disbursement recipient according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein processing the disbursement transaction further comprises establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction for the disbursement recipient, and wherein establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction further comprises sending the disbursement to the disbursement recipient.

8. A system of processing payment information through a bank and disbursement information to a governmental state entity of the United States by an accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the governmental state entity are separate entities, the system comprising:

receiving means for receiving instructions at the accumulator agency from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of payment information;

receiving means for receiving instructions at the accumulator agency from the governmental state entity regarding the processing of disbursement information;

receiving means for receiving payment information at the accumulator agency from an employer regarding a child support obligation of an employee, the payment information including at least a debit transaction;

receiving means for receiving disbursement information at the accumulator agency from the employer regarding the child support obligation of the employee, the disbursement information including at least a disbursement transaction;

processing means for processing the debit transaction from the payment information through the bank by the accumulator agency according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein processing the debit transaction further comprises receiving a payment as the debit transaction by the accumulator agency from the employer, and wherein the payment is from a salary of the employee; and

processing means for processing the disbursement transaction from the disbursement information by the accumulator agency to a disbursement recipient according to the instructions from the governmental state entity, wherein processing the disbursement transaction further comprises establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction for the disbursement recipient, and wherein establishing a disbursement as the disbursement transaction further comprises sending the disbursement to the disbursement recipient.