Computer system and computerized method for processing account data

• US 8,751,468 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adelson, Richard A., Barrett, Kathleen, Bendel, Doug, Busque, Keven J., Chaput, Daniel B., Engel, Marie T., Kaplan, Marshall, Kirby, Beverly I., Lamb, John E., Medina, Nora, Meyerhofer, Sandra J., Ryan, Jeffrey J., Sirica, Jean A., Smith, Mark J., Tsokalas, James, Williams, M. Kathleen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cindy
• Application Number:
  US13/230,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 707/704, 707/741, 707/743, 707/799, 705/4, 705/34, 705/35, 705/40
• US Class Current: 707/704
• 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 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention is embodied in an online-like transaction processing method and system for processing account information contained in batch process files, the method including: reading at least one batch file containing a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records being related to an associated one of a plurality of accounts; identifying which of the plurality of records relate to same ones of the plurality of accounts; identifying one of the accounts; and, processing all of the records identified as relating to the one of the accounts together and independent of processing any of the records relating to any other of the plurality of accounts.

Claims

1. A computer system for processing account information, comprising:

a memory device storing data indicative of a plurality of records, each of said plurality of records associated with one of a plurality of accounts, at least two of said records being associated with a first one of the accounts;

an input/output subsystem for controlling data transfer to and from the memory device; and

a processor in communication with the memory device and the input/output subsystem, the processor configured to;

access stored data indicative of the plurality of records from the memory device;

responsive to restriction of access to the first account, process each record associated with the first account; and

following the processing of each record associated with the first account, unrestricting of access to the first account.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the accounts are premium billing accounts for insurance policies.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the accounts relates to a plurality of insurance policies for a single insured.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein one or more of the records relate to insured address data.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the step of processing comprises updating data associated with the first account and indicative of an address of the insured.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first account relates to an insurance policy, and the processing comprises determining a total amount due for a policy term and a current amount due.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the policy is an automobile insurance policy, the policy term is one year, and the current amount due is for a monthly payment.

8. A computer-implemented method for processing data related to accounts, comprising:

storing in a database server data indicative of a plurality of records, each of said plurality of records associated with one of a plurality of accounts, at least two of said records being associated with a common one of the accounts;

accessing by a processor in communication with the database server, via an input/output subsystem, stored data indicative of the plurality of records from the memory device; and

responsive to data indicative of restriction of access of the common account, and prior to unrestricting of access of the common account, processing by the processor each of the plurality of records associated with the common account.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising verifying that non-financial data fields of the records contain valid data, and matching premiums data with the non-financial data fields.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the common account is an automotive insurance policy account and further comprising, responsive to the processing of each record, generating a notice to an insured under the automotive insurance policy.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the notice is one of a notice that a payment is due and a notice of cancellation.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the records relates to contact information for the insured under the automotive insurance policy, and the processing relates to updating of the contact information.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein, while access to the common account is restricted, access to common account functions by the insured is not available.

14. A computer system for processing data related to insurance accounts, comprising:

a hardware database server storing data indicative of a plurality of records, each of the records being associated with one of the insurance accounts, and at least two of the records being related to a same one of the insurance accounts;

a processor having an associated input/output controller, in communication with the hardware database server, the processor configured to;

access stored data indicative of the plurality of records from the memory device;

responsive to restriction of access of the same one of the insurance accounts, process each of the plurality of records associated with the same one of the insurance accounts; and

responsive to completion of processing of each of the plurality of records associated with the same one of the insurance accounts;

unrestrict access of the same one of the insurance accounts.

15. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of processors in communication with the hardware database server, each of the processors being configured for parallel processing of records, and to process each of the plurality of records associated with one of the insurance accounts prior to processing records associated with another one of the insurance accounts.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the system is configured to restrict access to a plurality of the insurance accounts being simultaneously processed by the plurality of processors, while permitting access to others of the insurance accounts.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to, following processing of each of the plurality of records, furnish data relating to the same one of the insurance accounts to a system for managing collections procedures.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to, in processing the plurality of records, change information relating to the insurance accounts.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to, responsive to changing information relating to the insurance accounts, generate communications reflecting the changed information.

20. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of hardware file servers and processors configured in a clustering arrangement.