Systems and methods for generating payment due notifications

• US 8,781,959 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lawson, Mary Elizabeth, Ward, Cheryl L., Dreyer, Hans Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, STEVEN S
• Application Number:
  US13/033,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 705/35, 705/40, 705/42, 705/70
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for generating payment due notifications are provided. A payor and a payee of the payor may be identified by a payment service provider system. At least one notification control parameter associated with communicating payment due notifications to the payor may be identified. Based at least in part upon evaluating a payment history associated with one or more payments made to the payee on behalf of the payor, a payment frequency pattern may be determined. Based at least in part on a portion of the payment history and the determined payment frequency pattern, a next expected payment date may be calculated. In accordance with the at least one notification control parameter, a payment due notification including an identity of the payee and the next expected payment date may be generated. The payment due notification may be transmitted to the payor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a computerized payment service provider system comprising one or more computers, a payor and a payee of the payor;

retrieving, by the computerized payment service provider system, a payment history comprising information indicative of a plurality of payments made to the payee on behalf of the payor, wherein each of the plurality of payments is associated with a respective payment date;

determining, by the computerized payment service provider system based at least in part upon evaluating the payment history a payment frequency pattern, wherein determining the payment frequency pattern comprises determining a respective time interval for each of one or more combinations of successive payments of the plurality of payments, wherein each respective time interval is determined based at least in part on the respective payment dates associated with the respective combination of successive payments;

generating a statistical quantity, by the computerized payment service provider system, by performing a statistical function based at least in part on one or more of the respective payment dates;

calculating, by the computerized payment service provider system based at least in part on and the determined payment frequency pattern and the statistical quantity, a next expected payment date;

generating, by the computerized payment service provider system, a payment due notification comprising an identity of the payee and an indication of the next expected payment date; and

transmitting, by the computerized payment service provider system, the payment due notification to a device operable by the payor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the computerized payment service provider system, at least one notification control parameter associated with communicating the payment due notification to the payor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the at least one notification control parameter comprises identifying at least one of (i) a parameter applicable to the combination of the payor and the payee, (ii) a parameter applicable to a plurality of payees for the payor, wherein the plurality of payees includes the payee, (iii) a parameter applicable to a sponsor of the payor, or (iv) a parameter applicable to the payment service provider system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the at least one notification control parameter comprises identifying a plurality of instances of a notification control parameter, the method further comprising:

determining, by the computerized payment service provider system, a precedence ordering for the plurality of instances of the notification control parameter.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying at least one notification control parameter comprises identifying at least one of (i) a parameter associated with a number of times to notify the payor of the next expected payment date, (ii) a parameter associated with a time interval between transmitting the payment due notification and an additional payment due notification, (iii) a parameter associated with a period of time in advance of the next expected payment date in which to issue the payment due notification, or (iv) a parameter indicative of whether the payment due notification is to be transmitted via email or based upon the payor accessing a payment application.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the computerized payment service provider system on behalf of the payor, information associated with establishing at least one of the at least one notification control parameter; and

establishing, by the computerized payment service provider system based at least in part upon the received information, the at least one of the at least one notification control parameter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a payment due notification comprises generating a payment due notification comprising a link to a payment interface that facilitates the receipt of a payment request.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the computerized payment service provider system based at least in part upon a payor selection of the link, a request for the payment interface;

generating, by the computerized payment service provider system in response to the received request, a payment request form; and

transmitting, by the computerized payment service provider system to the payor, the generated payment request form.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating a payment request form comprises generating a payment request form pre-populated with at least one of (i) information associated with the payee, (ii) the next expected payment date, or (iii) an estimated payment amount.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the computerized payment service provider, a payment history control parameter associated with a period of the payment history to be evaluated,

wherein the payment history is identified based at least in part on the payment history control parameter.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistical quantity is an average of the one or more respective payment dates.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of payments is further associated with a respective payment amount, the method further comprising:

determining, by the computerized payment service provider system based at least in part on the payment history, an estimated payment amount,

wherein generating a payment due notification comprises generating a payment due notification comprising the estimated payment amount.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the computerized payment service provider system, one or more pending payment requests associated with the payor; and

determining, by the computerized payment service provider system, that none of the one or more pending payment requests are associated with the payee.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the payment due notification comprises at least one of (i) transmitting the payment due notification via email or (ii) transmitting the payment due notification during a communications session established by the payor accessing a payment application hosted by the payment service provider system.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the computerized payment service provider system, information associated with the payment due notification.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the statistical function to generate the statistical quantity comprise associating one or more values with the one or more respective payment dates and determining the statistical quantity based at least in part on the one or more values.

17. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

identifying a payor and a payee of the payor;

retrieving a payment history comprising information indicative of a plurality of payments made to the payee on behalf of the payor, wherein each of the plurality of payments is associated with a respective payment date;

determining, based at least in part upon evaluating the payment history a payment frequency pattern, wherein determining the payment frequency pattern comprises determining a respective time interval for each of one or more combinations of successive payments of the plurality of payments, wherein each respective time interval is determined based at least in part on the respective payment dates associated with the respective combination of successive payments;

generating a statistical quantity by performing a statistical function based at least in part on one or more of the respective payment dates;

calculating, based at least in part on and the determined payment frequency pattern and the statistical quantity, a next expected payment date;

generating a payment due notification comprising an identity of the payee and an indication of the next expected payment date; and

transmitting the payment due notification to a device operable by the payor.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to the operations further comprising:

identify at least one notification control parameter associated with communicating the payment due notification to the payor.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one notification control parameter comprises at least one of (i) a parameter associated with a number of times to notify the payor of the next expected payment date, (ii) a parameter associated with a time interval between the payment due notification and an additional payment due notification, (iii) a parameter associated with a period of time in advance of the next expected payment date in which to issue the payment due notification, or (iv) a parameter indicative of whether the notification will be transmitted via email or based upon the payor accessing a payment application.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one notification control parameter comprises at least one of (i) a parameter applicable to the combination of the payor and the payee, (ii) a parameter applicable to a plurality of payees for the payor, wherein the plurality of payees includes the payee, (iii) a parameter applicable to a sponsor of the payor, or (iv) a parameter applicable to the payment service provider system.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of payments is associated with a respective payment amount, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

determining, based at least in part on the payment history, an estimated payment amount,

wherein the generated payment due notification comprises the estimated payment amount.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the payment due notification is transmitted to the payor by at least one of (i) an email or (ii) a presentation communicated to the payor based upon the payor accessing a payment application.