Notification of the availability of electronic bills

• US 8,612,342 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ganesan, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US11/139,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,122 Days
• Field of Search: 705 38- 40, 705/1, 705/35, 705/42, 705/44, 235/379, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/00 Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• 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 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

To notify a person of the availability of electronic billing information, billing information associated with bills of a biller for its customers is stored in a first data store, and identify information identifying unregistered persons having billing information stored in the first data store, is stored in a second data store. Registration information identifying a person who is currently unregistered is received via a wide area network. The received registration information is compared with the identity information stored in the second data store. Based on the comparison, it is determined if the received registration information identifies a customer of the biller. If so, a notice of the availability of the stored billing information of the biller is transmitted to the person via the wide area network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, in one or more memory devices by a bill presentment entity supporting a plurality of billers, billing information associated with bills of a biller included in the plurality of billers for customers of the biller;

storing, in the one or more memory devices by the bill presentment entity, identity information identifying the customers of the biller having stored billing information;

receiving, by the bill presentment entity via a network, registration information identifying a person that is not currently registered with the bill presentment entity, wherein the registration information is not received in association with a request to activate electronic billing from the biller through the bill presentment entity;

comparing, by the bill presentment entity, at least a portion of the received registration information with at least a portion of the stored identity information;

determining, by the bill presentment entity based at least in part on the comparison, that the person identified by the received registration information is one of the customers of the biller having stored billing information; and

transmitting, by the bill presentment entity via the network and based at least in part upon the determination that the person is one of the customers of the biller having stored billing information, a notice of the availability of a portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person,

wherein the above steps are performed by one or more computers associated with the bill presentment entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the bill presentment entity via the network and responsive to the transmitted notice, a request for the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person; and

transmitting, by the bill presentment entity via the network and responsive to the received request, the stored billing information associated with at least one bill of the biller for the person.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the biller is a first biller, the notice is a first notice, the stored billing information is first stored billing information, and further comprising:

storing, by the bill presentment entity, second billing information associated with bills of a second biller for customers of the second biller;

determining, by the bill presentment entity based at least in part on the comparison, that the person is one of the customers of the second biller having stored billing information; and

transmitting, by the bill presentment entity via the network and based at least in part upon the determination that the person is one of the customers of the second biller, a second notice of the availability of a portion of the stored second billing information of the second biller that is associated with the person.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first notice of the availability of a portion of the stored first billing information of the first biller andthe second notice of the availability of a portion of the stored second billing information of the second biller are transmitted in a single consolidated message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person comprises at least a portion of a single bill of the biller for the person.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the bill presentment entity from the biller prior to receiving the registration information, a bill of the biller identifying the person as a customer of the biller; and

determining, based upon an analysis by the bill presentment entity of information associated with one or more registered users of the bill presentment entity, that the person is not currently registered with the bill presentment entity,

wherein the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person includes at least a portion of the bill.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating, by the bill presentment entity based at least in part upon determining that the person is currently not registered, an identifier of the person,

wherein the identifying information associated with the person stored in the stored identity information includes the generated identifier for the person.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting, by the bill presentment entity, a notification that the person is not currently registered with the bill presentment entity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein responsive to the transmitted notification, the biller informs the person of the availability of electronic bill presentment.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored billing information associated with bills of the biller comprises (i) a first database associated with customers of the biller registered with the bill presentment entity and (ii) a second database associated with customers of the biller not registered with the bill presentment entity, and further comprising:

transferring, by the bill presentment entity based at least in part upon determining that the received registration information identifies one of the customers of the biller, the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person from the second database to the first database.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored identity information includes an indicator of registration status, and further comprising:

setting, by the bill presentment entity based at least in part upon determining that the received registration information identifies one of the customers of the biller, the indicator for the person to a registration status of registered.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration information includes an identification of a financial institution and a payment account at the financial institution, and further comprising:

storing, by the bill presentment entity based at least in part upon determining that the received registration information identifies one of the customers of the biller, the identification of the financial institution and the payment account at the financial institution in association with the stored identity information for the person.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the billing information and the identity information are stored together.

6. A system, comprising:

one or more memory devices associated with a bill presentment entity that supports a plurality of billers, the one or more memory devices comprising a first data store and a second data store, the first data store operable to store billing information associated with bills of a biller included in the plurality of billers for customers of the biller, and the second data store operable to store identity information identifying the customers of the biller having billing information stored in the first data store; and

a processor associated with the bill presentment entity and operable (i) to receive registration information identifying a person who is currently not registered with the bill presentment entity, wherein the registration information is not received in association with a request to activate electronic billing from the biller through the bill presentment entity, (ii) to compare at least a portion of the received registration information to at least a portion of the stored identity information, (iii) to determine, based at least in part on the comparison, that the person identified in the received registration information is one of the customers of the biller having stored billing information, and (iv) to direct, based at least in part upon the determination, that the person be notified of the availability of a portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operable (i) to receive, responsive to the directed notification, a request from the person for the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person, and (ii) to direct, responsive to the received request, delivery of the stored billing information associated with at least one bill of the biller for the person.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor receives the registration information via a wide area communications network, and wherein the processor directs that the person be notified by transmission of a notice of availability of the portion of the stored billing information to the person via the wide area communications network.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the biller is a first biller,

wherein the billing information is first billing information,

wherein the first data store is further operable to store second billing information associated with bills of a second biller for customers of the second biller, and

wherein the processor is further operable (i) to determine, based at least in part on the comparison, that the person identified in the received registration information is a customer of the second biller having stored billing information, and (ii) to direct, based at least in part upon the determination that the person identified in the received registration information is a customer of the second biller, that the person be notified of the availability of a portion of the stored second billing information of the second biller that is associated with the person.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the person is determined to be one of the customers of the first biller and one of the customers of the second biller, and

wherein the processor is operable to direct that the person be notified of the availability of the portion of the stored first billing information of the first biller that is associated with the person and the portion of the stored second billing information of the second biller that is associated with the person by a single consolidated notice.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the first data store and the second data store comprise a single data store.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person comprises at least a portion of a single bill of the biller for the person.

21. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operable to (i) receive a bill of the biller identifying the person as a customer of the biller and (ii) determine, based upon an analysis of information associated with one or more registered users of the bill presentment entity, that the person is not currently registered with the bill presentment entity,

wherein the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person includes at least a portion of the bill.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further operable to generate, based at least in part upon determining that the person is currently not registered, an identifier of the person,

wherein the identifying information associated with the person stored in the second data store includes the generated identifier for the person.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further operable to direct the transmission of a notification that the person is not currently registered with the bill presentment entity.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the biller is operable to inform the person of the availability of electronic bill presentment responsive to the transmitted notification.

25. The system of claim 6, wherein the stored billing information comprises (i) a first database associated with customers of the biller registered with the bill presentment entity and (ii) a second database associated with customers of the biller not registered with the bill presentment entity, and

wherein the processor is operable to transfer, based at least in part upon determining that the received registration information identifies one of the customers of the biller, the portion of the stored billing information of the biller that is associated with the person from the second database to the first database.

26. The system of claim 6, wherein the identity information stored in the second data store includes an indicator of registration status, and

wherein the processor is further operable to set, based at least in part upon determining that the received registration information identifies one of the customers of the biller, the indicator for the person to a registration status of registered.

27. The system of claim 6, wherein the registration information includes an identification of a financial institution and a payment account at the financial institution, and

wherein the processor is further operable to direct, based at least in part upon determining that the received registration information identifies one of the customers of the biller, the storage of the identification of the financial institution and the payment account at the financial institution in association with the stored identity information for the person.

28. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, in one or more memory devices by a bill presentment entity supporting a plurality of billers, identity information identifying customers of a biller that is included in the plurality of billers;

receiving, by the bill presentment entity, registration information identifying a person that has not activated bill presentment from the biller through the bill presentment entity, wherein the received registration information is not received in association with a request to activate electronic billing from the biller through the bill presentment entity;

comparing, by the bill presentment entity, at least a portion of the received registration information with at least a portion of the stored identity information;

determining, by the bill presentment entity based at least in part on the comparison, that the person identified by the received registration information is one of the customers of the biller; and

transmitting, by the bill presentment entity via a network and based at least in part upon the determination that the person is one of the customers of the biller, bill presentment information associated with the biller for presentation to the person,

wherein the above steps are performed by one or more computers associated with the bill presentment entity.

29. A system, comprising:

a data storage device associated with a bill presentment entity that supports a plurality of billers, the data storage device operable to store identity information identifying customers of a biller included in the plurality of billers; and

a computer processor associated with the bill presentment entity and operable (i) to receive registration information identifying a person that has not activated bill presentment from the biller through the bill presentment entity, wherein the received registration information is not received in association with a request to activate electronic billing from the biller through the bill presentment entity, (ii) to compare at least a portion of the received registration information with at least a portion of the stored identity information, (iii) to determine, based at least in part on the comparison, that the person identified by the received registration information is one of the customers of the biller, and (iv) to direct, via network and based at least in part upon the determination that the person is one of the customers of the biller, the transmission of bill presentment information associated with the biller for presentation to the person.