Integrated payment system

• US 8,527,408 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2012
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bottomline Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bottomline Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Campbell, Eric, Hoke, Amy Beth
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US13/400,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 562 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A payment system executes payments from payers to vendors. An unattended interface system automates the uploading of payments file from each payer to the system. A web services transfer server performs the unattended transfer. Steps of a payment server generating an electronic funds transfer file with a group of fund transfer records for each payment represented by a record of the payment file. After the electronic funds transfer file is complete, the steps further comprise transferring the electronic fund transfer file to an electronic payment network for execution. Remittance records are transferred to the vendor utilizing an unattended transfer executed by the web services transfer server.

Claims

1. A payment system for making payments from each payer of a community of payers to each vendor of a community of vendors in response to each payer submitting a payment instruction file comprising a group of unique payment records, each payment record comprising:

i) the system ID of a disbursing payer, the disbursing payer being a payer within the sub group of payers associated with the originating bank;

ii) the system ID of a selected vendor, the selected vendor being a vendor within the community of vendors to which the disbursing payer is issuing a payment; and

iii) identification of the amount of the payment, the payment system comprising;

a non-transitory computer readable medium and a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium;

a vendor database encoded to the non-transitory computer readable medium, the vendor database comprising a unique vendor record for each vendor of the community of vendors, each vendor record comprising;

i) identification of a distinct one of the vendors;

ii) a unique system ID assigned to the vendor; and

iii) a vendor remittance account identifier, the vendor remittance account identifier comprising a routing number and account number of a bank account to which payments to the vendor are transferred;

an events parameters database encoded to the non-transitory computer readable medium, the events parameter database comprising, for each payer, a unique record, the record including;

i) a unique login ID identifying an unattended interface module installed on a workstation coupled to a local area network controlled by the payer, ii) identification of a file name used by the payer for each payment instruction file generated by the payer; and

iii) a directory path identifying a directory on the local area network controlled by the payer;

a web services server comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium, and a transfer server coded to the non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising steps executed by the processor in response to receipt of each web services call from each payer'"'"'s unattended interface module, the steps comprising;

in response to a first web services call from a payer'"'"'s unattended interface module, the first web services call including a login ID identifying the unattended interface module;

looking up, in the record of the events parameter database associated with the login ID, the file name and the directory path; and

returning, to the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module, the file name and the directory path;

in response to a second web services call from the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module, the second web services call comprising the payment instruction file with the file name, as obtained by the unattended interface module from the location on the local area network identified by the directory path;

storing the payment instruction file as a binary object in a non-transitory computer readable database;

returning to the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module a binary object ID identifying the binary object;

in response to a third web services call from the payees unattended interface module, the third web services call comprising the binary object ID and instructions to make the binary object available to a payment server;

looking up the binary object with the binary object ID; and

providing the binary object to the payment server;

the payment server comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium, and a payment application coded to the non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising steps executed by the processor, the steps comprising;

obtaining each payment instruction file from the non-transitory computer readable database and, for each payment file;

generating an electronic funds transfer file with a group of fund transfer records by, for each payment record of the payment instruction file;

assigning a unique payment ID to the payment record of the payment instruction file and populating the payment ID to a unique one of the fund transfer records;

populating the amount of the payment from the payment record of the payment instruction file to a field of the unique one of the fund transfer records which identifies a payment amount;

populating a pooling account identifier of the originating bank to a field of the unique one of the fund transfer records which identifies an account from which the payment is debited; and

looking up, in the vendor database, the vendor account identifier for the selected vendor and populating such vendor account identifier to a field of the unique one of the fund transfer records which identifies an account to which the payment is credited;

transferring the electronic fund transfer file to an electronic payment network for execution.

2. The system of claim 1:

a web server coupled to the payment server, the web server comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium, and a web server application coded to the non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising steps for funding approval executed by the processor, the steps comprising;

in response to each disbursing payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting a funding approval option, each disbursing payer being one of the payers that provided a payment instruction file;

obtaining a funding total for the disbursing payer from the payment application, the funding total being the aggregate sum of the payment amount of each record of the payment instruction file provided by the disbursing payer;

generating a web page with the funding total;

rendering the web page with the funding total on a remote browser system of the disbursing payer; and

obtaining disbursing payer approval of the funding total from the remote browsing system on which the funding approval object is rendered;

providing an indication of approval to the payment application and

the instructions of the payment application only transfer the electronic fund transfer file to the electronic payment network for execution after receiving the approval.

3. The system of claim 2, with the web server application further comprising steps for unattended interface configuration, the steps comprising:

in response to each payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting an unattended interface configuration option;

obtaining, from the payer, the login ID identifying payer'"'"'s unattended interface module;

obtaining, from the payer, identification of the file name used by the payer for each payment instruction file generated by the payer and identification of the directory path; and

writing each of the login ID, the file name, and the directory path to the unique record of event parameters database associated with the payer such that the file name and directory path are made available to the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module when the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module makes the first web services call to the web services server.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a mobile application server coupled to the payment server, the mobile application server comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium, and a mobile device server coded to the non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising steps for funding approval executed by the processor, the steps comprising;

in response to each disbursing payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting a funding approval option, each disbursing payer being one of the payers that provided a payment instruction file;

obtaining a funding total for the disbursing payer from the payment application, the funding total being the aggregate sum of the payment amount of each record of the payment instruction file provided by the disbursing payer;

generating a funding approval object with the funding total;

rendering the funding approval object with the funding total on a remote mobile system of the disbursing payer; and

obtaining disbursing payer approval of the funding total from the remote mobile system on which the funding approval object is rendered;

providing an indication of approval to the payment application; and

the instructions of the payment application only transfer the electronic fund transfer file to the electronic payment network for execution after receiving the approval.

5. The system of claim 4, with the mobile device server further comprising steps for unattended interface configuration, the steps comprising:

in response to each payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting an unattended interface configuration option;

obtaining, from the payer, the login ID identifying payer'"'"'s unattended interface module;

obtaining, from the payer, identification of the file name used by the payer for each payment instruction file generated by the payer and identification of the directory path; and

writing each of the login ID, the file name, and the directory path to the unique record of the event parameters database associated with the payer such that the file name and directory path are made available to the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module when the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module makes the first web services call to the web services server.

6. The system of claim 1:

each payment record of each payment instruction file further comprises remittance information, the remittance information being text describing the purposes of the payment;

the system further comprises a remittance database encoded to the non-transitory computer readable medium, the remittance database comprising a group of remittance records, each remittance record comprising, for a unique payment;

i) the payment ID;

ii) the system ID of the disbursing payer;

iii) the system ID of the selected vendor;

iv) the payment amount; and

v) the remittance information;

the instructions of the payment application further include, for each fund transfer record generated, populating to a record of the remittance database;

i) the payment ID;

ii) the system ID of the disbursing payer;

iii) the system ID of the selected vendor;

iv) the payment amount; and

v) the remittance information; and

the steps of the web server further comprise;

in response to a first web services call from a vendor'"'"'s unattended interface module, the first web services call identifying the vendor and identifying a date range;

looking up, in the remittance database, remittance records for payments made to the vendor within the date range; and

generating the remittance file by populating remittance records for payments made to the vendor within the date range;

returning, to the vendor'"'"'s unattended interface module, a binary object identifier identifying the remittance file; and

in response to a second web services call from the vendor'"'"'s unattended interface module, the second web services call including the binary object identifier;

retrieving the remittance file; and

returning to vendor'"'"'s unattended interface module, in response the create remittance file web services call, the remittance file.

7. The system of claim 6:

a web server coupled to the payment server, the web server comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium, and a web server application coded to the non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising steps for funding approval executed by the processor, the steps comprising;

in response to each disbursing payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting a funding approval option, each disbursing payer being one of the payers that provided a payment instruction file;

obtaining a funding total for the disbursing payer from the payment application, the funding total being the aggregate sum of the payment amount of each record of the payment instruction file provided by the disbursing payer;

generating a web page with the funding total;

rendering the web page with the funding total on a remote browser system of the disbursing payer; and

obtaining disbursing payer approval of the funding total from the remote browsing system on which the funding approval object is rendered;

providing an indication of approval to the payment application; and

the instructions of the payment application only transfer the electronic fund transfer file to the electronic payment network for execution after receiving the approval.

8. The system of claim 7, with the web server application further comprising steps for unattended interface configuration, the steps comprising:

in response to each payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting an unattended interface configuration option;

obtaining, from the payer, the login ID identifying payer'"'"'s unattended interface module;

obtaining, from the payer, identification of the file name used by the payer for each payment instruction file generated by the payer and identification of the directory path; and

writing each of the login ID, the file name, and the directory path to the unique record of event parameters database associated with the payer such that the file name and directory path are made available to the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module when the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module makes the first web services call to the web services server.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a mobile application server coupled to the payment server, the mobile application server comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium, and a mobile device server coded to the non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising steps for funding approval executed by the processor, the steps comprising;

in response to each disbursing payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting a funding approval option, each disbursing payer being one of the payers that provided a payment instruction file;

obtaining a funding total for the disbursing payer from the payment application, the funding total being the aggregate sum of the payment amount of each record of the payment instruction file provided by the disbursing payer;

generating a funding approval object with the funding total;

rendering the funding approval object with the funding total on a remote mobile system of the disbursing payer; and

obtaining disbursing payer approval of the funding total from the remote mobile system on which the funding approval object is rendered;

providing an indication of approval to the payment application; and

the instructions of the payment application only transfer the electronic fund transfer file to the electronic payment network for execution after receiving the approval.

10. The system of claim 9, with the mobile device server further comprising steps for unattended interface configuration, the steps comprising:

in response to each payer establishing a secure session with the system and selecting an unattended interface configuration option;

obtaining, from the payer, the login ID identifying payer'"'"'s unattended interface module;

obtaining, from the payer, identification of the file name used by the payer for each payment instruction file generated by the payer and identification of the directory path; and

writing each of the login ID, the file name, and the directory path to the unique record of the event parameters database associated with the payer such that the file name and directory path are made available to the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module when the payer'"'"'s unattended interface module makes the first web services call to the web services server.