Construction payment management system and method with sub-tier document exchange and approval features

• US 9,721,280 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Textura LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Textura LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Allin, Patrick J., Eichhorn, William H., Wagner, Jeffrey K., Smith, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Glass, Shay S
• Application Number:
  US13/625,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: 705 30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing a construction payment process wherein a higher degree of functionality is provided to primary users and only a limited subset of functionality is provided to sub-tier contractors. One construction of the system is configured to receive an electronically signed document and a request for payment from the sub-tier contractor. The request for payment is presented to a first primary user who is a contractual parent of the sub-tier contractor. When approval of the request for payment is received, a payment is initiated from a project payor to the sub-tier contractor. In some embodiments, the project payor is a contractual grandparent of the sub-tier contractor and a contractual parent of the first primary user.

Claims

1. A construction payment management system comprising:

a first computer-readable memory storing information and documents related to a construction project, wherein the information includes user registration information for each of a plurality of users, and wherein the user registration information includes a subscription tier level for each of the plurality of users indicating whether a user is a primary-level user or a limited-level user; and

an application server including a second computer-readable memory and a processor, wherein the second computer-readable memory includes computer-executable instruction that, when executed on the processor cause the processor to;

establish electronic communication with a first user through a first user device,

automatically, upon the electronic communication being established with the first user device, access the user registration information for the first user stored on the first computer-readable memory,

automatically identify the first user as either a primary-level user or a limited-level user based on the subscription tier level of the user registration information for the first user;

in response to identifying the first user as a primary-level user, automatically generate and display, by the application server, a first graphical user interface for display on a first display of the first user device, the first graphical user interface including

(i) a first selectable link for accessing a lien waiver stored on the application server, wherein the lien waiver is an electronic document submitted by a second user for work performed by the second user in the construction project,

(ii) a second selectable link for accessing and approving a request for payment associated with the lien waiver submitted by the second user, and

(iii) a third selectable link for accessing and rejecting the request for payment associated with the lien waiver submitted by the second user, and

in response to identifying the first user as a limited-level user, automatically generate and display, by the application server, a second graphical user interface for display on the first display of the first user device, wherein the second graphical user interface provides a subset of the selectable links provided by the first graphical user interface to limit access to the selectable links and wherein the subset of the selectable links includes

a fourth link for submitting an electronic lien waiver for work performed by the first user in the construction project and does not include the second selectable link or the third selectable link.

2. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the application server further includes computer-executable instructions stored to the second computer-readable memory that, when executed on the processor, initiates payment from a payor to the second user upon receipt of approval of the request for payment from the first user when the first user is identified as a primary-level user.

3. The construction payment management system of claim 2, wherein the payor is the first user.

4. The construction payment management system of claim 3, wherein the first user is a general contractor and the second user is a subcontractor, and wherein the first user is identified as a primary-level user and the second user is identified as a limited-level user.

5. The construction payment management system of claim 2, wherein the payor is a third user and is identified as a primary-level user.

6. The construction payment management system of claim 5, wherein the third user is a general contractor, the first user is a first subcontractor, and the second user is a subcontractor of the first subcontractor.

7. The construction payment management system of claim 2, wherein the application server further includes computer-executable instructions stored to the second computer-readable memory that, when executed on the processor

access a project budget stored on the first computer-readable memory,

update the project budget based upon the approved request for payment, and

store the updated project budget to the first computer-readable memory.

8. The construction payment management system of claim 2, wherein the application server further includes computer-executable instructions stored to the second computer-readable memory that, when executed on the processor

access a project budget and a project schedule stored on the first computer-readable memory,

identify any budget or schedule discrepancies based on the approved request for payment, and

notify one or more primary-level users of the budget or schedule discrepancies.

9. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein, when the first user is identified as a limited-level user, the subset of functionality provided by the second graphical user interface includes only the fourth link and a fifth link for submitting a second request for payment associated with the electronic lien waiver for work performed by the first user in the construction project.

10. The construction payment management system of claim 1, wherein the first computer-readable memory and the second computer-readable memory are different portions of the same computer-readable memory.

11. A computer-based method of managing a construction project payment process performed by a computer including a processor, the method comprising:

establishing electronic communication between a first user and an application server through a first user device;

automatically, upon the electronic communication being established with the first user device, accessing user registration information, with the application server, for the first user stored on a computer-readable memory, wherein the user registration information includes a subscription tier level for the first user as either a primary-level user or a limited-level user;

automatically identifying the first user as either a primary-level user or a limited-level user based on the subscription tier level;

in response to identifying the first user as the primary-level user, automatically generating and displaying a primary-level user interface to the first user through the first user device, wherein the primary-level user interface includes

(i) a first selectable link for accessing a lien waiver stored on the application server, wherein the lien waiver is an electronic document submitted by a second user for work performed by the second user in a construction project,

(ii) a second selectable link for accessing and approving a first request for payment associated with the lien waiver submitted by the second user, and

(iii) a third selectable link for accessing and rejecting the first request for payment associated with the lien waiver submitted by the second user,

in response to a request from the second user, establishing electronic communication between the second user and the application server through a second user device;

automatically, upon the electronic communicating being established with the second user device, accessing user registration information for the second user stored on a computer-readable memory, wherein the user registration information includes a subscription tier level for the second user as either a primary-level user or a limited-level user;

automatically identifying the second user as a limited-level user based on the subscription tier level; and

in response to identifying the second user as the limited-level user, generating and displaying a limited-level user interface to the second user through the second user device, wherein the limited-level user interface provides a subset of the selectable links provided by the primary-level user interface to limit access to the selectable links and wherein the subset of the selectable links includes

a fourth link for submitting the lien waiver wherein the limited-level user interface does not include the second selectable link or the third selectable link.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving from the first user through the primary-level user interface a second request for payment for the construction project.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

establishing electronic communication between a third user and the application server through a third user device;

automatically accessing user registration information for the third user stored on a computer-readable memory, wherein the user registration information includes a subscription tier level for the third user;

automatically identifying the third user as a primary-level user based on the user registration information;

receiving from the third user through the primary-level user interface an approval of the first request for payment;

initiating a payment from the third user to the second user based on the first request for payment;

receiving from the third user through the primary-level user interface an approval of the second request for payment; and

initiating a payment from the third user to the first user based on the second request for payment.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

establishing electronic communication between a third user and the application server through a third user device;

automatically accessing user registration information for the third user stored on a computer-readable memory, wherein the user registration information includes a subscription tier level for the third user;

automatically identifying the third user as a primary-level user based on the user registration information; and

receiving from the third user through the primary-level user interface an approval of the second request for payment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second request for payment is based at least in part on the approved first request for payment, and further comprising:

initiating a payment from the third user to the first user based on the second request for payment; and

initiating a payment from the first user to the second user based on the first request for payment.