System and method for billing an account

• US 9,064,250 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Sargeant, Patrick Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): OBAID, FATEH M
• Application Number:
  US11/924,600
• Time in Patent Office: 2,798 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for issuing bills on an account to a primary account holder and at least one secondary account holder. The methods and systems allow separate component bills to be sent to the primary and secondary account holders based on instructions received from the primary account holder. In one embodiment, the component bills represent the portion of the total bill that is attributable to the recipient of the component bill. In another embodiment, payment reminders are sent to the primary and secondary account holders before the payment deadline. Account identification information can be encoded on each payment received from a primary or secondary account holder so that the payment can be properly credited to the account.

Claims

1. A system for issuing bills on an account, the system comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

memory including computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for causing the processor to;

determine a total amount due on the account during a billing cycle;

receive billing instructions from a primary account holder of an insurance policy, the billing instructions including component billing instructions for apportioning bills to the primary account holder of the insurance policy and at least one secondary account holder of the insurance policy, the billing instructions further causing the processor to send a payment reminder directly to the secondary account holder;

determine first and second portions of the total amount due for the primary account holder and the at least one secondary account holder, respectively, according to the component billing instructions;

send a bill for the second portion of the total amount due directly to the at least one secondary account holder;

determine whether the at least one secondary account holder has paid the second portion of the total amount due by a preset deadline; and

in response to determining that the at least one secondary account holder has not paid the second portion of the total amount due by the preset deadline, bill the primary account holder for the second portion of the total amount due.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the account is an automobile insurance policy.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the total amount due corresponds to a portion of the total amount due attributable to activities of the secondary account holder.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary account holder is a parent or guardian of the secondary account holder.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the processor to send a payment reminder to the primary account holder after the payment reminder is sent to the secondary account holder.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the processor to encode account identification information onto a payment instrument received from the secondary account holder.

7. A computer-implemented method of issuing bills on an account, the method comprising:

determining a total amount due on the account during a billing cycle;

receiving billing instructions from a primary account holder of an insurance policy, the billing instructions including component billing instructions for apportioning bills to the primary account holder of the insurance policy and at least one secondary account holder of the insurance policy, the billing instructions including sending a payment reminder directly to the secondary account holder;

determining by a computer processor first and second portions of the total amount due for the primary account holder and the at least one secondary account holder, respectively, according to the component billing instructions;

sending a bill for the second portion of the total amount due directly to the at least one secondary account holder;

determining by a computer processor whether the at least one secondary account holder has paid the second portion of the total amount due by a preset deadline; and

in response to determining that the at least one secondary account holder has not paid the second portion of the total amount due by the preset deadline, billing by a computer processor the primary account holder for the second portion of the total amount due.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the account is an automobile insurance policy.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second portion of the total amount due corresponds to a portion of the total amount due attributable to activities of the secondary account holder.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the primary account holder is a parent or guardian of the secondary account holder.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending a payment reminder to the primary account holder after the payment reminder is sent to the secondary account holder.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising encoding account identification information onto a payment instrument received from the secondary account holder.

13. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-readable instructions for issuing bills on an account, the computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

determine a total amount due on the account during a billing cycle;

receive billing instructions from a primary account holder of an insurance policy, the billing instructions including component billing instructions for apportioning bills to the primary account holder of the insurance policy and at least one secondary account holder of the insurance policy, the billing instructions including sending a payment reminder directly to the secondary account holder;

determine first and second portions of the total amount due for the primary account holder and the at least one secondary account holder, respectively, according to the component billing instructions;

send a bill for the second portion of the total amount due directly to the at least one secondary account holder;

determine whether the at least one secondary account holder has paid the second portion of the total amount due by a preset deadline; and

in response to determining that the at least one secondary account holder has not paid the second portion of the total amount due by the preset deadline, bill the primary account holder for the second portion of the total amount due.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the account is an automobile insurance policy.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second portion of the total amount due corresponds to a portion of the total amount due attributable to activities of the secondary account holder.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the primary account holder is a parent or guardian of the secondary account holder.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing a computer to send a payment reminder to the primary account holder after the payment reminder is sent to the secondary account holder.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing a computer to encode account identification information onto a payment instrument received from the secondary account holder.