Construction payment management system and method with graphical user interface features

• US 7,797,210 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• 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., Bagley, Matthew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert; Ella
• Application Number:
  US11/486,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/1.1, 705 7- 9, 705/35, 705/52, 717/101
• US Class Current: 705/35
• 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 graphical user interface embodying the invention can include a project schedule progress bar and a funds disbursed progress bar. The project schedule progress bar indicates progress with respect to calendar dates of a construction project, and the funds disbursed progress bar indicates progress with respect to a budget dollar amount of a construction project. Another graphical user embodying the invention can include an organization form, a project form, a budget form, a draw initiated notification, an enter request for payment form, a sign lien waiver notification, and a payment disbursed notification for notifying the plurality of participants that a payment has been disbursed for the pending draw to each of the plurality of participants based on the payment information received from each of the plurality of participants.

Claims

1. A construction payment management system including a graphical user interface, the construction payment management system comprising:

a construction project management server computer electronically accessible by at least one participant device including a first device, the construction project management server computer including a processor and a computer readable memory that stores computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the construction project management server computer to;

establish electronic communication with a first device, the first device including a display screen,

display on the display screen a list of projects managed by the construction project management server computer, wherein a participant is involved with the project in the list,

receive a selection from the first device of a project from the list of projects,

access a construction project schedule for the project stored on the computer readable memory, the construction project schedule defining a project start date and a target project completion date,

determine a current date, the project start date, and the target project completion date based, at least in part, on the construction project schedule,

calculate a number of days between the current date and the project start date,

calculate a number of days between the target project completion date and the project start date,

calculate a first ratio by comparing the number of days between the current date and the project start date to the number of days between the target project completion date and the project start date,

initiate a payment for a first amount to the participant for services performed for the project,

calculate a total amount of money disbursed by the construction payment management system for the project including the payment for the first amount,

access a construction project budget for the project stored on the computer readable memory,

calculate a second ratio by comparing the total amount of money disbursed to the construction project budget, and

transmit a graphical user interface that is displayed on the display screen, the graphical user interface including a first progress bar indicating the first ratio and a second progress bar indicating the second ratio.

2. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a third progress bar indicating a percentage of work completed on the construction project compared to a total amount of work for the construction project.

3. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the construction project management server computer to:

identify a participant using the first device,

access customized project home page preferences for the participant from the computer readable memory, and

display the graphical user interface on the display screen according to the customized project home page preferences for the participant.

4. The construction payment management system of claim 3, wherein the customized project home page preferences indicate whether the project home page for the participant includes the first progress bar, the second progress bar, both the first progress bar and the second progress bar, or neither the first progress bar nor the second progress bar.

5. The construction payment management system of claim 3, wherein the customized project home page preferences identify a logo to be displayed on the graphical user interface.

6. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the construction project management server computer to identify a participant using the first device, identify any completed draws in which the participant received a payment, identify any pending draws in which the participant has requested payment, and display information regarding the identified completed draws and the identified pending draws on the graphical user interface.

7. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a create organization form for registering a participant organization of the construction payment management system.

8. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a create user form for registering a user of a participant organization of the construction payment management system.

9. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a create project form for creating a project and assigning a plurality of participants to the project, wherein the plurality of participants includes participant organizations and users of the participant organizations.

10. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a create budget form for creating the construction project budget and a schedule for a plurality of draws in which money from the budget is to be disbursed to one or more project participants.

11. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes an initiate draw form for initiating a draw in which money from a budget is to be distributed to one or more project participants.

12. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes an enter invoice form for entering the first payment amount and requesting the payment for the first amount.

13. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a log in screen.

14. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a log out screen.

15. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the first progress bar and the second progress bar are displayed on the graphical user interface at the same time.

16. A computer-implemented method of communicating information relating to a construction payment process, the method comprising:

establishing, by a construction project management server computer, electronic communication with a first device, the first device including a display screen;

displaying on the display screen a list of projects managed by the construction project management server computer, wherein a participant is involved with the projects in the list;

receiving a selection from the first device of a project from the list of projects;

accessing a construction project schedule for the project stored on a computer readable memory of the construction project management server computer, the construction project schedule defining a project start date and a target project completion date;

determining a current date, the project start date, and the target project completion date based, at least in part, on the construction project schedule;

calculating a number of days between the current date and the project start date;

calculating a number of days between the target project completion date and the project start date;

calculating a first ratio by comparing the number of days between the current date and the project start date to the number of days between the target project completion date and the project start date;

initiating a payment for a first amount to the participant for services performed for the project;

calculating a total amount of money disbursed by a construction payment management system for the project including the payment for the first amount;

accessing a construction project budget for the project stored on the computer readable memory;

calculating a second ratio by comparing the total amount of money disbursed to the construction project budget; and

transmitting a graphical user interface that is displayed on the display screen, the graphical user interface including a first progress bar indicating the first ratio and a second progress bar indicating the second ratio.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitted graphical user interface further includes a third progress bar indicating a percentage of work completed on the construction project compared to a total amount of work for the construction project.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying a participant using the first device;

accessing customized project home page preferences for the participant from the computer readable memory; and

displaying the graphical user interface on the display screen according to the customized project home page preferences for the participant.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the customized project home page preferences identify a logo to be displayed on the graphical user interface.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the customized project home page preferences indicate whether the project home page for the participant includes the first progress bar, the second progress bar, both the first progress bar and the second progress bar, or neither the first progress bar nor the second progress bar.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying a participant using the first device;

identifying any completed draws in which the participant received a payment;

identifying any pending draws in which the participant has requested payment; and

displaying information regarding the identified completed draws and the identified pending draws on the graphical user interface.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying the first progress bar and the second progress bar on the display at the same time.