Computerized method, apparatus and system for issuing surety bonds
First Claim
1. A computer usable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to execute a method of obtaining one of a variety of forms of bonds, said method comprising:
- receiving and storing information about a contractor, said information comprising information that is required by one or more sureties to issue said bond, said information being transmitted over a network connection from a contractor workstation;
receiving and storing owner/obligee information required by said surety to issue said bond, said owner/obligee information being transmitted over said network from said contractor workstation;
generating a list of sureties from said one or more sureties, said list of sureties comprising one or more sureties that have authorized said contractor to submit one or more bond applications thereto;
sending said list of sureties over said network connection to said contractor workstation;
receiving and storing a selection of a surety from said list of sureties, said selection being made by said contractor from said contractor workstation;
generating a list of bond forms said contractor is authorized to submit to each surety on said list of sureties;
sending said list of authorized bond forms to said contractor workstation over said network;
receiving and storing a selection of a bond form from said authorized bond forms using said client workstation;
receiving a request from said contractor workstation, said request being received by said selected surety, said request seeking approval of a bond application over said network, said bond application comprising transmitting of all information required by said selected surety;
establishing a second network connection with a second workstation, said second workstation being accessible by an agent acting on behalf of said selected surety, said agent having access to said received bond application, said agent granting or denying said bond application.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system and apparatus for obtaining a bond is disclosed. The Invention employs a computer system that has a work station in communication with a server to provide information on a contractor that is required by a surety over the computer system. The server is provided with owner/obligee information concerning a bond over the network A surety is selected to provide the bond and the identity of the surety is presented over said computer network. The type of bond sought is identified. Approval of the bond is requested over the computer network and a decision on the bond request is obtained over the network. The approval decision includes an authorization code that is presented at a bid letting along with the contractor'"'"'s bid. The authorization code permits an owner/obligee to view an approved bond through the computer network.
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Citations
65 Claims
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1. A computer usable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to execute a method of obtaining one of a variety of forms of bonds, said method comprising:
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receiving and storing information about a contractor, said information comprising information that is required by one or more sureties to issue said bond, said information being transmitted over a network connection from a contractor workstation; receiving and storing owner/obligee information required by said surety to issue said bond, said owner/obligee information being transmitted over said network from said contractor workstation; generating a list of sureties from said one or more sureties, said list of sureties comprising one or more sureties that have authorized said contractor to submit one or more bond applications thereto; sending said list of sureties over said network connection to said contractor workstation; receiving and storing a selection of a surety from said list of sureties, said selection being made by said contractor from said contractor workstation; generating a list of bond forms said contractor is authorized to submit to each surety on said list of sureties; sending said list of authorized bond forms to said contractor workstation over said network; receiving and storing a selection of a bond form from said authorized bond forms using said client workstation; receiving a request from said contractor workstation, said request being received by said selected surety, said request seeking approval of a bond application over said network, said bond application comprising transmitting of all information required by said selected surety; establishing a second network connection with a second workstation, said second workstation being accessible by an agent acting on behalf of said selected surety, said agent having access to said received bond application, said agent granting or denying said bond application.
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2. A method implemented by a computer system server for obtaining a variety of types of bonds comprising:
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receiving, by the computer system server, information on a contractor that is required by a surety to issue a bond, said information being received on said server from a contractor workstation over a network connection; receiving, by the computer system, owner/obligee information required by said surety to issue said bond, said owner/obligee information being received from said contractor workstation over said network connection; identifying, by the computer system, one or more sureties said contractor has been authorized to obtain bonds from; transmitting, by the computer system, said identified sureties to said contractor workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a selection of a surety from among said identified sureties, said selection being received from said contractor workstation over said network connection; identifying, by the computer system, one or more bond forms said contractor has been authorized by said selected surety to submit; transmitting, by the computer system, said identified bond forms to said contractor workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a selection of a bond form from said identified bond forms, said selection being sent from said contractor workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a request for approval of said selected bond form from said contractor workstation over said network station; transmitting, by the computer system, said required contractor and owner/obligee information and said selected bond form to said selected surety, said selected surety comprising an agent acting on behalf of said selected surety, said agent rendering a decision on said selected bond form over a second network connection.
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3. A method of obtaining a bond from among a variety of types of bonds comprising:
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receiving, through a computer system, information on a contractor that is required by a surety to issue a bond, said information being transmitted by a computer operated by said contractor, said information being transmitted over a communication network; receiving, through said computer system, owner/obligee information required by said surety to issue said bond, said owner/obligee information being transmitted by said computer operated by said contractor and being transmitted over said communication network; identifying, through said computer system, one or more sureties said contractor has been authorized to obtain bonds from; transmitting, through said computer system, said identified sureties to said computer operated by said contractor, said identified sureties being transmitted over said communication network; receiving, through said computer system, a selection of a surety by said contractor, said selection being sent from said computer operated by said contractor over said communication network; identifying, through said computer system, one or more bond forms said contractor has been authorized to submit to said selected surety; transmitting, through said computer system, said identified bond forms to said computer operated by said contractor over said communication network; receiving, through said computer system, a selection of a bond form by said contractor, said selection being sent from said computer operated by said contractor over said communication network; processing, through said computer system, a request for approval of said bond form by said contractor, said request being sent from said computer operated by said contractor and being sent over said communication network, said request comprising said information required by said selected surety and said selected bond form; receiving, through said computer system, a decision on said bond request over said communication network. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus for obtaining one of a variety of types of bonds comprising:
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a central processing unit;
a bus communicably linked to said central processing unit;
memory communicably linked to said bus;
said memory comprising a computer usable medium;
said computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said code communicably linking said bus of said apparatus to a storage device of a client workstation via a communication network;said code directing said bus to transfer information on a contractor that is required by a surety from said storage device of said contractor workstation to said memory of said apparatus via said communication network; said code directing said bus to transfer owner/obligee information concerning said bond from said storage device of said contractor workstation to said memory of said apparatus via said communication network; said code directing said central processing unit to generate a list of sureties authorized to issue bonds to said contractor; said code directing said bus to transfer said list of sureties from said memory of said apparatus to said storage device of said contractor workstation via said communication network; said code directing said bus to transfer a selection of a surety from said list, said selected surety being transmitted from said storage device of said contractor workstation to said memory of said apparatus via said communication network; said code directing said central processing unit to generate a list of bond forms said user has been authorized to request from said selected surety; said code directing said bus to transfer said list of bond forms to said storage device of said contractor workstation via said communication network; said code directing said bus to transfer a selection of a bond form from said list, said selection being transferred from said storage device of said contractor workstation to said memory of said apparatus via said communication network; said code directing said bus to transfer a request for approval of said bond by said contractor, said request being transferred from said storage device of said contractor workstation to said memory of said apparatus via said communication network; said code directing said bus to transfer all information received from said storage device of said contractor workstation relating to said bond request to a storage device of a computer accessible by an agent acting on a surety'"'"'s behalf, said transfer being via said communication network.
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8. A method implemented by a computer system for obtaining a variety of types of bonds comprising:
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receiving, by the computer system, information on a contractor that is required by a surety to issue a bond from a contractor workstation over a network connection; receiving, by the computer system, owner/obligee information required by said surety from said client workstation over said network connection; generating, by the computer system, a list of sureties said contractor has been authorized to obtain bonds from; transmitting, by the computer system, said list of sureties to said contractor workstation over said network; receiving, by the computer system, a selection of a surety sent from said contractor workstation over said network; generating, by the computer system, a list of types of bond forms said contractor has been authorized by said surety to request; transmitting, by the computer system, said list of types of bond forms to said contractor workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a selection of a bond form sent from said client workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a request for approval of said bond form from said client workstation over said network; transmitting, by the computer system, said required contractor information and said required owner/obligee information over said network connection to a computer system accessible by an agent acting on behalf of said surety.
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9. A method implemented by a computer system for obtaining a variety of types of bonds comprising:
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receiving, by the computer system, information on a contractor that is required by said surety to issue a bond from a contractor workstation over a network connection; receiving, by the computer system, owner/obligee information required by said surety over said network connection; identifying, by the computer system, a surety authorizing said contractor to obtain bonds therefrom; transmitting, by the computer system, said identified surety to said contractor workstation over said network connection; identifying, by the computer system, one or more bond forms said contractor has been authorized by said surety to submit; transmitting, by the computer system, said identified bond forms to said contractor workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a selection of a bond from sent from said contractor workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a request for approval of said selected bond from said client workstation over said network connection, said request comprising transmitting said information required by said selected surety.
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10. An integrated process of processing an application and issuing a surety bond, from a surety or an agent of one or more sureties to a contractor, for the benefit of an obligee, using a computer system, said integrated process comprising the following steps:
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using one or more processors to execute instructions retained in a machine-readable storage media to cause said computer system to cause the display of one or more screens for use in executing said process; storing, in a memory in said computer system, a list of one or more bond types; storing, in said memory, a list of one or more sureties for which an agent has been authorized to issue bonds, said list comprising one or more sureties; requesting, by said contractor from said agent, of a bond type from among said list of one or more bond types and a bond amount, to begin said application; selecting, by said agent, of one surety from a screen displaying said list of one or more sureties; selecting, by said agent, of said requested bond type from said screen, said screen displaying said list of bond types; inputting into a portion of said screen, contractor information and obligee information required by said selected surety for an application for issuance of said requested bond type; reviewing, by said selected surety or by said agent of said selected surety, of said application; dispositioning, by said selected surety or by said agent of said selected surety, of said application for said requested bond type, where said dispositioning comprises approving or disapproving of said application, and wherein said approval comprises issuing and displaying of an authorization code to said contractor; submitting, by said contractor, of said authorization code to said obligee; and verifying, by said obligee, said approval of said application by using said authorization code to result in displaying of said approved bond. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, direct a computer system to display one or more screens to accommodate a process of issuing a surety bond, from a surety or from an agent of a surety, to a contractor, for the benefit of an obligee, said process comprising the following steps:
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pre-approving one or more agents, by one or more surety companies, for access to said computer system, said pre-approved access comprising authorization to issue bonds on behalf of each respective one or more surety companies; and
storing said pre-approval in a memory in said computer system;storing, in said memory in said computer system, a list of bond types; requesting, by said contractor, of a bond type and a bond amount, using one of said preapproved agents; accessing, by said agent, of said computer system; entering, by said agent, of said request;
said entering of said request comprising the steps of;selecting a surety from a screen being capable of displaying said stored list of sureties for said contractor; selecting said bond type from said screen, said screen being capable of displaying said stored list of bond types; and inputting, into a portion of said screen, contractor information and obligee information required for issuance of said requested bond type; dispositioning of said entered bond request, by said surety or said agent of said surety, said dispositioning comprising reviewing of said request and approving or disapproving of said bond request; and wherein when said dispositioning results in approving said bond request; providing a bond authorization code to said contractor; submitting, by said contractor, of said authorization code to said obligee; and verifying, by said obligee, of said approval of said bond by entering of said authorization code into said computer system to cause display of said approved bond. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An integrated process of processing an application and issuing a surety bond, from a surety or an agent of one or more sureties to a contractor, for the benefit of an obligee, using a computer system, said integrated process comprising the following steps:
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using one or more processors to execute instructions retained in a machine-readable storage media to cause said computer system to cause the display of one or more screens for use in executing said process; storing, in a memory in said computer system, a list of one or more bond types; pre-approving, by one or more surety companies, of an agent for access to said computer system, said pre-approved access comprising password protected access to said system, thereby providing authorization to said agent to issue bonds on behalf of each respective one or more surety companies; storing, in said memory, a list of one or more sureties for which said agent has been authorized to issue bonds, said list comprising one or more sureties; requesting, by said contractor from said agent, of a bond type from among said list of one or more bond types and a bond amount, to begin said application; selecting, by said agent, of at least one surety from a screen displaying said list of one or more sureties; selecting, by said agent, of said requested bond type from said screen, said screen displaying said list of one or more bond types; inputting to said screen, contractor information and obligee information required by said selected surety for an application for issuance of said requested bond type; reviewing, by said selected surety or by said agent of said selected surety, of said application; dispositioning, by said selected surety or by said agent of said selected surety, of said application for said requested bond type, where said dispositioning comprises reaching a decision on said application, and wherein a decision approving of said request comprises issuing and providing of an authorization to said contractor. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A method implemented by a computer system for obtaining a variety of types of bonds comprising:
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receiving, by the computer system, information on a contractor that is required by a surety to issue a bond from a workstation over a network connection; receiving, by the computer system, owner/obligee information required by said surety from said workstation over said network connection; generating, by the computer system, a list of one or more agents authorized to issue bonds on behalf of said surety; transmitting, by the computer system, said list of one or more agents to said workstation over said network; receiving, by the computer system, a selection of a surety agent sent from said workstation over said network; transmitting, by the computer system, one or more bond forms to a contractor workstation over said network connection; receiving, by the computer system, a selection of a bond form sent to said workstation over said network connection; transmitting, by the computer system, said required contractor information and said required owner/obligee information over said network connection to a computer system accessible by an agent acting on behalf of said surety; and receiving, by the computer system, approval of said bond form from said workstation over said network.
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Specification