Systems and methods for processing benefits

• US 8,315,946 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ACS State & Local Solutions Incorporated (Conduent, Inc.)
• Inventors: Neal, Irma Jean, Schneider, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shaikh, Mohammad Z
• Application Number:
  US13/476,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 183 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages
• 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 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• 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 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/22 in combination with an identity check of the pass holder
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing, for example, childcare benefits include: issuing a benefit card to a childcare customer; receiving a start time for childcare service at a childcare provider, the start time recorded by using the benefit card at a terminal located at the childcare provider at the start of childcare service; receiving an end time for childcare service at the childcare provider, the end time recorded by using the benefit card at a terminal located at the childcare provider at the end of childcare service; computing the childcare benefit eligibility based on the start time, the end time and benefits available for the childcare customer; and paying the childcare provider a payment based on the computed benefit eligibility.

Claims

1. A method for collecting information used to process benefit payments to a service provider, comprising:

reading, by a terminal located at the service provider, a unique machine-readable identifier from a benefit token at a beginning of a service session, the benefit token associated with a customer;

responsive to the reading, generating a session start time;

reading, by the terminal, the unique machine-readable identifier from the benefit token at an end of the service session to generate an end time; and

transmitting to a benefits processing system a transaction record including information reflecting the start time of the service session and the end time of the service session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating, by the terminal, an amount due for the service session based at least upon the start time, the end time, and an eligibility criteria, wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the amount due for the service session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the start time, the end time, and a date of the service session.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the identifier to the benefits processing system; and

receiving an authorization code from the benefits processing system, wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the authorization code.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to debit an account of the customer for an amount; and

facilitating a transaction that debits the account of the customer for the amount, wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the amount.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record includes information for a plurality of service sessions for the customer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record includes information for a plurality of service sessions for the service provider.

8. An apparatus located at a service provider for collecting information used to process benefit payments to the service provider, comprising:

a receiving component to receive a unique machine-readable identifier from a benefit token at a beginning of a service session and at an end of the service session, the benefit token being associated with a customer;

a computing component to generate a session start time responsive to receiving the identifier at the beginning of the service session, to generate a session end time responsive to receiving the identifier at the end of the service session, and to generate a transaction record including information reflecting the session start time and the session end time;

a memory component to store the session start time; and

a transmission component to transmit the transaction record to a benefits processing system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computing component calculates an amount due for the service session based at least upon the session start time, the session end time, and an eligibility criteria, and the transaction record further includes information reflecting the amount due for the service session.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory further stores the session end time and a date of the service session.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transmission component sends the identifier to the benefits processing system and receives an authorization code from the benefits processing system, and wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the authorization code.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a component for receiving a request to debit an account of the customer for an amount and for facilitating a transaction debiting the account of the customer for the amount, wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the amount.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transaction record includes information for a plurality of service sessions for the customer.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transaction record includes information for a plurality of service sessions for the service provider.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method for collecting information used to process benefit payments to a service provider, the method comprising:

reading, by a terminal located at the service provider, a unique machine- readable identifier from a benefit token at a beginning of a service session, the benefit token being associated with a customer;

responsive to the reading, generating a session start time;

reading, by the terminal, the unique machine-readable identifier from the benefit token at an end of the service session to generate a session end time; and

transmitting a transaction record including information reflecting the session start time and the session end time to a benefits processing system.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating, by the terminal, an amount due for the service session based at least upon the session start time, the session end time, and an eligibility criteria,

wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the amount due for the service session.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

storing the session start time, the session end time, and a date of the service session.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

sending the identifier to the benefits processing system; and

receiving an authorization code from the benefits processing system,

wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the authorization code.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request to debit an account of the customer for an amount; and

facilitating a transaction that debits the account of the customer for the amount, wherein the transaction record further includes information reflecting the amount.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the transaction record includes information for a plurality of service sessions for the customer.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the transaction record includes information for a plurality of service sessions for the service provider.