Check metaphor for electronic payment authorization

• US 7,933,826 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bringardner, Clarence M., Moses, Ginger B., Kitchen, Bill, Bradley, Kenneth W. III, Au, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAHAM, CLEMENT B
• Application Number:
  US09/892,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,589 Days
• Field of Search: 395/240, 705 35- 38, 705/40, 364/408
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• 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 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• 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

Abstract

To electronically authorize and initiate payment, payment information including a date which pre-dates a due date of a payment by an amount of time corresponding to a time period for making payment in a particular manner. The received payment information is displayed in the form of a check, with the date displayed as a date on the check. A user authorization to proceed with the payment is received. An instruction to initiate the payment in the particular manner on the check date is transmitted based on the received user authorization.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving billing information associated with a bill;

calculating, by a network computing device, a payment date for the bill that pre-dates a due date for the bill that is included in the received billing information, the calculation based at least in part on a lead time associated with a remittance method for paying the bill on or before the due date, wherein the calculated payment date reflects when the payment must be made to ensure the avoidance of a late charge;

transmitting, by the network computing device, a presentation including a payment indicator and a pre-populated payment request, wherein the pre-populated payment request includes the calculated payment date as a pre-populated payment date;

receiving a selection of the payment indicator; and

responsive to receiving the selection of the payment indicator, directing payment of the bill on behalf of a payor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a biller associated with the bill, wherein transmitting a presentation is responsive to receiving the indication of the biller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the indication of the biller includes receiving a selection of the biller from a list of billers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the list of billers is a list of names of electronic billers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation is a first presentation and the payment indicator is a first payment indicator, and further comprising:

transmitting a second presentation, wherein the second presentation includes at least a portion of the billing information and an associated second payment indicator; and

receiving a selection of the second payment indicator, wherein the first presentation is transmitted responsive to receiving the selection of the second payment indicator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remittance method is one of a hardcopy check or an electronic funds transfer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-populated payment request includes at least one of (i) a pre-populated identification of a biller associated with the bill, or (ii) a pre-populated payment amount associated with the bill.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pre-populated payment request is in a check format;

and

wherein the check format includes at least one of the pre-populated payment date in a check date location, the pre-populated identification of a biller in a check payee location, or the pre-populated payment amount in a check amount location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of the payment indicator includes receiving a modified payment date with the selection of the payment indicator;

and

wherein directing payment of the bill on behalf of a payor includes directing the payment of the bill in accordance with the modified payment date.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-populated payment request includes a pre-populated payment amount;

wherein receiving a selection of the payment indicator includes receiving a modified payment amount with the selection of the payment indicator; and

wherein directing payment of the bill on behalf of a payor includes directing the payment of the bill in accordance with the modified payment amount.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of the payment indicator includes receiving an indication that the payment should be paid more than once and receiving an indication of payment frequency;

and

wherein directing payment of the bill on behalf of a payor includes directing the payment of the bill in accordance with the indication that the payment should be paid more than once and the indication of payment frequency.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the payment frequency is one of weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, triannually, semiannually, or yearly.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the lead time varies depending on the remittance method used for payment.

14. A programmed computer system, comprising:

a storage device, wherein the storage device includes computer executable instructions;

a communications interface; and

a network computing device, in communication with the storage device and communication interface, wherein the network computing device is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to;

receive billing information associated, with a bill, calculate a payment date for the bill that pre-dates a due date for the bill that is included in the received billing information, the calculation based at least in part on a lead time associated with a remittance method for paying the bill on or before the due date, wherein the calculated payment date reflects when the payment must be made to ensure the avoidance of a late charge,

transmit the presentation, wherein the presentation includes a payment indicator and a pre-populated payment request, wherein the pre-populated payment request includes the calculated payment date as a pre-populated payment date, receive, via the communications interface, a selection of the payment indicator, and responsive to receiving the selection of the payment indicator, direct payment of the bill on behalf of a payor.

15. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the network computing device is configured to execute additional computer executable instructions to:

receive an indication of a billet associated with the bill, wherein the computer executable instructions to transmit a presentation are responsive to receiving the indication of the biller.

16. The programmed computer system of claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions to receive an indication of the biller include receiving a selection of the biller from a list of billers.

17. The programmed computer system of claim 16, wherein the list of billers is a list of names of electronic billers.

18. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the presentation is a:

first presentation and the payment indicator is a first payment indicator, and wherein the network computing device is configured to execute additional computer executable instructions to;

transmit a second presentation, wherein the second presentation includes at least a portion of the billing information and an associated second payment indicator; and

receive a selection of the second payment indicator, wherein the first presentation is transmitted responsive to receiving the selection of the second payment indicator.

19. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the remittance method is one of a hardcopy check or an electronic funds transfer.

20. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the pre-populated payment request includes at least one of (i) a pre-populated identification of a biller associated with the bill, or (ii) a pre-populated payment amount associated with the bill.

21. The programmed computer system of claim 20, wherein the pre-populated payment request is in a check format;

and

wherein the check format includes at least one of the pre-populated location, or a pre-populated payment amount in a check amount location.

22. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the computer executable instructions to receive a selection of the payment indicator include receiving a modified payment date with the selection of the payment indicator, and wherein the computer executable instructions to direct payment of the bill on behalf of a payor include directing the payment of the bill in accordance with the modified payment date.

23. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the pre-populated payment request includes a pre-populated payment amount;

wherein the computer executable instructions to receive a selection of the payment indicator include receiving a modified payment amount with the selection of the payment indicator; and

wherein the computer executable instructions to direct payment of the bill on behalf of a payor include directing the payment of the bill in accordance with the modified payment amount.

24. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the computer executable instructions to receive a selection of the payment indicator include receiving an indication that the payment should be paid more than once and receiving an indication of payment frequency, and wherein the computer executable instructions to direct payment of the bill on behalf of a payor include directing the payment of the bill in accordance with the indication that the payment should be paid more than once and the indication of payment frequency.

25. The programmed computer system of claim 24, wherein the payment frequency is one of weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, tri annually, semiannually, or yearly.

26. The programmed computer system of claim 14, wherein the lead time varies depending on the remittance method used for payment.

27. A programmed computer system, comprising:

means for receiving billing information associated with a bill;

means for calculating a payment date for the bill that pre-dates a due date for tile bill that is included in the received billing information, the calculation based at least in part on a lead time associated with a remittance method for paying the bill on or before the due date, wherein the calculated payment date reflects when the payment must be made to ensure the avoidance of a late charge;

means for transmitting a presentation, wherein the presentation includes a payment indicator and a pre-populated payment request, wherein the pre-populated payment request includes the calculated payment date as a pre-populated payment date;

means for receiving a selection of the payment indicator; and

responsive to receiving the selection of the payment indicator, means for directing payment of the bill on behalf of a payor.