Systems and methods for automated transactions processing

• US 8,606,602 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swiss Reinsurance Company
• Original Assignee: Swiss Reinsurance Company
• Inventors: Prange, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Sereboff, Neal
• Application Number:
  US10/660,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,742 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• 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 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for processing transactions between a customer and a business. An exemplary system includes a server used by the business and being accessible by the customer, and a customer account associated with the customer housed on the server. The customer account includes automated instructions that allow the customer to advise the business of an upcoming payment for an upcoming event, to request a payment from the business from a previous event, or to pair a payment with one or more upcoming events.

Claims

1. A system for transacting business between a customer and a business, the system comprising:

a server used by the business and being accessible by the customer, wherein the business is a reinsurer and the customer is an insurer; and

a customer account stored on the server, the customer account having access to internal records of the reinsurer associated with the customer account on the server, wherein the server includes automated instructions that, when executed by the server, allow the customer to use a computer graphical user interface to offset a payment due to the reinsurer from the insurer with one or more payments due from the reinsurer to the insurer,

wherein the automated instructions are adapted to present, on the computer graphical user interface for view and use by the customer, a list of debits indicating payments from the reinsurer to the insurer and credits indicating payments from the insurer to the reinsurer,

wherein the debits and the credits are associated with more than one insurance policy between the insurer and the reinsurer, and

wherein, a processor at the server uses the list of the debits and the credits to offset the payment due from the insurer to the reinsurer with the payment due from the reinsurer to the insurer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the payment due from the reinsurer to the insurer is for an insurance claim.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a computer in communication with the server, wherein the customer accesses the server through the computer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the access to the server from the computer includes use of the Internet.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the access to the server from the computer is remote.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer advises of an upcoming payment by selecting a debit and a credit on the list, and wherein the automated instructions are adapted to verify that a sum of all selected debits and credits results in a net payment to the business.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer requests a payment from the business by selecting a debit and a credit on the list, and wherein the automated instructions are adapted to verify that a sum of all selected debits and credits results in a net payment to the customer.

8. A system for transacting business between a customer and a business, the system comprising:

a server used by the business and being accessible by the customer, wherein the business is a reinsurer and the customer is an insurer; and

a customer account stored on the server, the customer account being configured to permit access to individual records associated with the customer account, the customer account having at least one associated process executable by the server,

wherein the server includes automated instructions that are adapted to present, on a computer graphical user interface for view and use by the customer, a list of debits indicating payments from the reinsurer to the insurer and credits indicating payments from the insurer to the reinsurer,

wherein the debits and credits are associated with more than one insurance policy between the insurer and the reinsurer, and

wherein, a processor at the server uses the list of the debits and the credits to offset a payment due from the insurer to the reinsurer with a payment due from the reinsurer to the insurer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the payment due from the reinsurer to the insurer is for an insurance claim.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a computer in communication with the server, wherein the customer accesses the server through the computer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the access to the server from the computer includes use of the Internet.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the access to the server from the computer is remote.

13. A method of transacting business between a customer and a business, the method comprising:

accessing, through a server used by the business, an existing customer account, including internal records of the business, wherein the business is a reinsurer and the customer is an insurer;

accessing, through the server, a computer graphical user interface that displays a list of debits indicating payments from the reinsurer to the insurer and credits indicating payments from the insurer to the reinsurer, wherein the debits and the credits are associated with more than one insurance policy, and

using the list of the debits and the credits to instruct the server, through a computer communicatively coupled to the server, to offset a payment due from the insurer to the reinsurer with a payment due from the reinsurer to the insurer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the payment due from the reinsurer to the insurer is for an insurance claim.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein accessing the customer account involves use of the Internet.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the customer account is accessed remotely.