Method and software application for computer aided customer independent cash collection using a state field in a data record

• US 8,131,610 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Soumokil, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haider, Fawaad
• Application Number:
  US10/573,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,681 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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 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 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for computerized processing of invoices which a company has presented to, for example, two or more customers. The systems and methods may be configured to select, from a plurality of invoices, invoices which are due within a preselectable time or on a preselectable date and the balance of which is larger than a preselectable first value, and to assign a first state to the selected invoices.

Claims

1. A method for processing invoices, the method being performed by a computer and comprising:

selecting, from a plurality of invoices, by the computer, a first set of invoices which are due within a specified time period and which have a balance larger than a first threshold value;

selecting, by the computer, from the first set of invoices, a second set of invoices for which a full payment of the respective balance has not been received;

associating, by the computer, a plurality of optional states with a selected invoice in the second set of invoices;

presenting the selected invoice with the plurality of optional states;

receiving a selection of a first state, among the plurality of optional states, for the selected invoice;

using the first state to control processing of the selected invoice;

selecting, from said plurality of invoices, a fourth set of invoices having balances smaller than a second threshold value and larger than a third threshold value;

assigning a third state to the fourth set of invoices, the second threshold value being smaller than or equal to the first threshold value and the third threshold value being smaller than the second threshold value;

selecting, from said plurality of invoices, a fifth set of invoices having balances smaller than the third threshold value;

assigning a fourth state to the fifth set of invoices; and

presenting invoices having at least one of the first state, the second state, the third state, and the fourth state to a cash collector,

wherein invoices having at least one of the first state or the second state are presented to the cash collector at the expiration of a first period of time before the due dates of the presented invoices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, from the plurality of invoices, a third set of invoices; and

assigning a second state to the third set of invoices.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising storing at least one of the first state and the second state as an entry into data fields of data records, the data records comprising data of the third set of invoices.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising:

storing at least one of the first and the second state as a first and second set of characters entered into one data field of a data record comprising data of the respective third set of invoices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of invoices are invoices of special importance.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said first state and second state are states of high priority.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the third state is a state of medium priority.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth state is a state of low priority.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold value is selected such that a total balance of the first set of invoices is equal to a specified percentage of the outstanding active debts of a company that issues the invoices.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the invoices having the third state to the cash collector at the expiration of a second period of time before the due dates of the presented invoices.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the invoices having the fourth state to the cash collector at the expiration of a third period of time before the due dates of the presented invoices.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by said cash collector, whether payments to the invoices having at least one of the first state and the second state have been made before, on, or after the due date; and

,

for invoices associated with a non-payment, presenting the non-payment invoices to a collecting service.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second period of time is smaller than the first period of time and the third period of time is smaller than the second period of time.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising dunning customers associated with the fifth set of invoices.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising presenting the non-payment invoices to one of a collection division of a company that issues the invoices or an external collecting agency.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

checking whether a non-payment is reasoned; and

in case the non-payment is not reasoned, presenting such non-payment invoice to an external collecting agency.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising presenting the non-payment invoices to the collecting service as a to-do-list.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for a state change of a specified invoice from a customer; and

changing a state of the specified invoice according to said request.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising presenting the request to an internal clearing division before changing the state.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented as part of software for supporting business processes, the software comprising enterprise resource planning software.

21. A computer system for processing invoices, comprising:

a memory having program instructions;

an input device for receiving and entering data;

a display device for displaying content;

a storage component for storing data; and

a processor configured to execute the program instructions to;

select, from a plurality of invoices, a first set of invoices which are due within a specified time period and which have a balance larger than a first threshold value;

select, from the first set of invoices, a second set of invoices for which a full payment of the respective balance has not been received;

associate, by the computer, a plurality of optional states with a selected invoice in the second set of invoices;

present the selected invoice with the plurality of optional states;

receive a selection of a first state, among the plurality of optional states, for the selected invoice;

use the first state to control processing of the selected invoice;

select, from said plurality of invoices, a fourth set of invoices having balances smaller than a second threshold value and larger than a third threshold value;

assign a third state to the fourth set of invoices, the second threshold value being smaller than or equal to the first threshold value and the third threshold value being smaller than the second threshold value;

select, from said plurality of invoices, a fifth set of invoices having balances smaller than the third threshold value;

assign a fourth state to the fifth set of invoices; and

present invoices having at least one of the first state, the second state, the third state, and the fourth state to a cash collector,

wherein invoices having at least one of the first state or the second state are presented to the cash collector at the expiration of a first period of time before the due dates of the presented invoices.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage-medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes processor to perform a method for processing invoices, the method comprising:

selecting, from a plurality of invoices, a first set of invoices which are due within a specified time period and which have a balance larger than a first threshold value;

selecting, from the first set of invoices, a second set of invoices for which a full payment of the respective balance has not been received;

associating, by the computer, a plurality of optional states with a selected invoice in the second set of invoices;

presenting the selected invoice with the plurality of optional states;

receiving a selection of a first state, among the plurality of optional states, for the selected invoice;

using the first state to control processing of the selected invoice;

selecting, from said plurality of invoices, a fourth set of invoices having balances smaller than a second threshold value and larger than a third threshold value;

assigning a third state to the fourth set of invoices, the second threshold value being smaller than or equal to the first threshold value and the third threshold value being smaller than the second threshold value;

selecting, from said plurality of invoices, a fifth set of invoices having balances smaller than the third threshold value;

assigning a fourth state to the fifth set of invoices; and

presenting invoices having at least one of the first state, the second state, the third state, and the fourth state to a cash collector,

wherein invoices having at least one of the first state or the second state are presented to the cash collector at the expiration of a first period of time before the due dates of the presented invoices.