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

• US 7,809,638 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• 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:
  US09/973,865
• Time in Patent Office: 3,281 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/35, 705/44, 705 38- 40, 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, 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 an accumulator agency. The accumulator agency 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 accumulator agency, 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 for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, comprising:

receiving notice of the child support obligation by the employee at the accumulator agency using a computer processor;

requesting an employer of the employee to withdraw the child support obligation from a salary of the employee by the accumulator agency using a computer processor, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities;

receiving notice of satisfaction of the child support obligation at the accumulator agency using a computer processor; and

terminating the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee upon receipt of notice that the child support obligation has been satisfied by the accumulator agency using a computer processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting is performed by the employee.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting is performed by a court.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing is performed automatically.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing is performed upon request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is made by the employee.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is made by a court.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the obligation is owed to a custodial parent.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the obligation is owed to the state.

10. A system at an accumulator agency for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, comprising:

an obligation receiving hardware component configured to receive notice of the child support obligation by the employee;

a requesting hardware component configured to request an employer of the employee to withdraw the child support obligation from a salary of the employee via the accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities;

a satisfaction receiving hardware component configured to receive notice of satisfaction of the child support obligation; and

a providing hardware component configured to provide for the termination of the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee upon receipt of notice that the child support obligation has been satisfied.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the requesting component is configured to be performed by the employee.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the requesting component is configured to be performed by a court.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the providing component is configured to be performed automatically.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the providing component is configured to be performed upon request.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the request is made by the employee.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the request is made by a court.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the obligation is owed to a custodial parent.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the obligation is owed to the state.

19. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system at an accumulator agency to perform a method for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, the method comprising:

receiving notice of the child support obligation by the employee;

requesting an employer of the employee to withdraw the child support obligation from a salary of the employee via the accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities;

receiving notice of satisfaction of the child support obligation; and

providing for the termination of the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee upon receipt of notice that the child support obligation has been satisfied.

20. A system at an accumulator agency for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, comprising:

obligation receiving means for receiving notice of the child support obligation by the employee;

requesting means for requesting an employer of the employee to withdraw the child support obligation from a salary of the employee via the accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities;

satisfaction receiving means for receiving notice of satisfaction of the child support obligation; and

providing means for providing for the termination of the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee upon receipt of notice that the child support obligation has been satisfied.

21. A computer-implemented method at an accumulator agency for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, comprising:

determining that the employee has the child support obligation by the accumulator agency using a computer processor;

withdrawing the child support obligation from a salary of the employee by an employer via the accumulator agency using a computer processor, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, and wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities; and

providing for the termination, by the accumulator agency using a computer processor, of the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee once the child support obligation has been satisfied.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein imposing is performed by the employer.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein imposing is performed by a court.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein imposing is performed by the noncustodial parent.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein providing is performed by the employee.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein providing is performed by a court.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the obligation is owed to a custodial parent.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the obligation is owed to the state.

29. A system at an accumulator agency for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, comprising:

an obligation determining hardware component configured to determine that the employee has a child support obligation;

an imposing hardware component configured to impose on the employee a withdrawal of the child support obligation from a salary of the employee by an employer via the accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, and wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities; and

a providing hardware component configured to provide for the termination of the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee once the child support obligation has been satisfied.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the imposing component is configured to be performed by the employer.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the imposing component is configured to be performed by a court.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the imposing component is configured to be performed by the noncustodial parent.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the providing component is configured to be performed by the employee.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the providing component is configured to be performed by a court.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the obligation is owed to a custodial parent.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein the obligation is owed to the state.

37. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system at an accumulator agency to perform a method for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, the method comprising:

determining that the employee has the child support obligation;

imposing on the employee a withdrawal of the child support obligation from a salary of the employee by an employer via the accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, and wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities; and

providing for the termination of the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee once the child support obligation has been satisfied.

38. A system at an accumulator agency for processing through a bank a child support obligation of an employee who is a noncustodial parent to a governmental state entity of the United States, comprising:

determining means for determining that the employee has the child support obligation;

imposing means for imposing on the employee a withdrawal of the child support obligation from a salary of the employee by an employer via the accumulator agency, wherein the accumulator agency processes a child support payment through the bank as a debit-based transaction and processes a child support disbursement to the state as an addendum-based transaction, and wherein the accumulator agency, the bank, and the state are separate entities; and

providing means for providing for the termination of the withdrawal of the child support obligation from the salary of the employee once the child support obligation has been satisfied.