Construction payment management system and method with lien waiver exchange features

• US 9,727,871 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Textura Corp (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Textura Corp (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Trisko, Michael, Allin, Patrick J., Eichhorn, William H., Niden, Howard L., Cherry, Charles C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Glass, Shay S
• Application Number:
  US13/549,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• 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 30/00 Commerce
• 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 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

A construction project document system and method for managing a construction project including storing a signed lien waiver document, executed by a payee in a construction project, to a computer-readable memory. A payment to the payee from a payor in the construction project is facilitated after the lien waiver document has been executed. The payor is provided electronic access to the signed lien waiver document.

Claims

1. A method of managing a construction project by an application server, the method comprising:

in response to receiving, by the application server from a payee device, a signed lien waiver electronic document;

(i) storing, by the application server, the signed lien waiver electronic document generated by the application server, to a computer-readable memory, the signed lien waiver electronic document being electronically executed by a payee associated with a payment to the payee from a payor device, the signed lien waiver electronic document being stored to the computer-readable memory prior to facilitating the payment; and

(ii) automatically, by the application server, transmitting an electronic notification to the payor device by network communication, the electronic notification informing the payor device of the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the computer-readable memory prior to facilitating the payment;

controlling, by the application server, an exchange of the signed lien waiver electronic document and payment instructions by facilitating, by the application server, the payment only after the signed lien waiver electronic document is stored to the computer-readable memory, wherein the facilitating includes transmitting to a payment system computer the payment instructions to transfer electronic funds of the payment to the payee;

receiving, by the application server, a request from the payor device to electronically access the signed lien waiver electronic document;

in response to the request, determining, by the application server, whether the payment has been facilitated by the transfer of the electronic funds to the payee;

upon determining that the payment has been facilitated, automatically controlling and providing, to the payor device, by the application server, electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the computer-readable memory, and

upon determining that the payment has not been facilitated, automatically preventing, by the application server, the payor device from electronically accessing the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the computer-readable memory.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of receiving from the payment system an acknowledgement that the payee has received funds associated with the payment, and wherein the act of providing electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document includes providing, to the payor device, electronic access to the signed lien electronic waiver document only after receiving the acknowledgement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment system includes at least one of an automated clearing house system, a wire transfer system, a debit card system, a credit card system, and a check generating system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of

defining a list of signed lien waiver documents required for the construction project;

storing a plurality of signed lien waiver documents to the computer-readable memory, wherein each signed lien waiver document of the plurality of signed lien waiver documents is executed by a different one of a plurality of participants in the construction project; and

facilitating a plurality of payments to the plurality of participants such that the plurality of payments to the plurality of participants are made only after the plurality of signed lien waiver documents stored on the computer-readable memory includes all of the signed lien waiver documents from the defined list of signed lien waiver documents.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of

storing a plurality of signed lien waiver documents to a computer-readable memory;

and

facilitating a plurality of payments, wherein each payment of the plurality of payments is facilitated when the plurality of signed lien waiver documents stored on the computer-readable memory includes a corresponding signed lien waiver document.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of generating the signed lien waiver electronic document by electronically executing an unsigned lien waiver electronic document.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of

receiving an invoice amount;

and

automatically generating an unsigned lien waiver document based on the invoice amount in response to receiving the invoice amount, wherein the signed lien waiver electronic document includes an executed version of the automatically generated unsigned lien waiver electronic document.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the act of receiving a reference to at least one line item from a budget stored on the computer-readable memory, the at least one line item corresponding to the invoice amount.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the act of verifying that the invoice amount is equal to the value of the at least one line item in the budget.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of electronically receiving the signed lien waiver electronic document from the payee prior to storing the signed lien waiver electronic document to the computer-readable memory.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing, to the payor, electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document includes electronically transmitting a copy of the signed lien waiver electronic document to the payor.

12. A construction project document system comprising:

an application server including a processor and a memory, the memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the application server to;

in response to receiving, by the application server from a payee device, a signed lien waiver electronic document;

(i) store a signed lien waiver electronic document generated by the application server to the memory, the signed lien waiver document being electronically executed by a payee device in a construction project associated with a payment to the payee device from a payor device and the signed lien waiver electronic document being stored to the memory prior to facilitating the payment,

(ii) automatically transmit an electronic notification to the payor, the electronic notification informing the payor of the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the memory prior to facilitating the payment,

control an exchange of the signed lien waiver electronic document and payment instructions by transmitting to a payment system computer the payment instructions to transfer electronic funds of the payment only after storing the signed lien waiver electronic document,

receive a request from the payor device to electronically access the signed lien waiver electronic document,

in response to receiving the request, determine whether the payment has been facilitated by the transfer of the electronic funds to the payee,

upon determining that the payment has been facilitated, automatically control and provide, to the payor device, electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the memory, and

upon determining that the payment has not been facilitated, automatically prevent the payor device from electronically accessing the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the memory.

13. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to receive an acknowledgement from the payment system computer that the payee device has received funds associated with the payment, and wherein the application server provides electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document by providing, to the payor device, electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document after receiving the acknowledgement.

14. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the payment system computer includes at least one of an automated clearing house system, a wire transfer system, a debit card system, a credit card system, and a check writing system.

15. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to

define a list of signed lien waiver documents required for the construction project,

store a plurality of signed lien waiver documents to the memory, wherein each signed lien wavier document of the plurality of signed lien waiver document is executed by a different one of a plurality of participants in the construction project, and

facilitate a plurality of payments to the plurality of participants only when the plurality of signed lien waiver documents stored on the memory includes all of the signed lien waiver documents from the defined list of signed lien waiver documents.

16. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to

store a plurality of signed lien waiver documents to a memory;

and

facilitate a plurality of payments, wherein each payment of the plurality of payments is facilitated when the plurality of signed lien waiver documents stored on the memory includes a corresponding signed lien waiver document.

17. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to generate the signed lien waiver electronic document by electronically executing an unsigned lien waiver electronic document.

18. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to

receive an invoice amount, and

automatically generate an unsigned lien waiver electronic document based on the invoice amount in response to receiving the invoice amount, wherein the signed lien waiver electronic document includes an executed version of the automatically generated unsigned lien waiver electronic document.

19. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the memory stores additional project information including a budget, and wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to receive a reference to at least one line item from the budget, the at least one line item corresponding to the invoice amount.

20. The construction project document system of claim 19, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to verify that the invoice amount is equal to the value of the at least one line item in the budget.

21. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the application server to receive the signed lien waiver electronic document from the payee device prior to storing the signed lien waiver electronic document to the computer-readable memory.

22. The construction project document system of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the application server to provide, to the payor device, electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document by electronically transmitting a copy of the signed lien wavier electronic document to the payor.

23. A method of managing a construction project documents performed by an application server, the method comprising:

electronically receiving, by the application server, a signed lien waiver electronic document from a payee device over at least one communication network, the signed lien waiver document associated with a payment to the payee device from a payor device;

in response to receiving the signed lien waiver electronic document;

(i) storing, by the application server, the signed lien waiver electronic document to a computer-readable memory prior to facilitating the payment;

(ii) automatically, by the application server, transmitting an electronic notification to the payor device, over at least one communication network, the electronic notification notifying the payor device of the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the computer-readable memory prior to facilitating the payment;

controlling, by the application server, an exchange of the signed lien waiver electronic document and payment instructions by facilitating, by the application server, the payment instructions only after storing the signed lien waiver electronic document to the computer-readable memory and before providing to the payor device electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the computer-readable memory;

receiving, by the application server, a request from the payor device to electronically access the signed lien waiver electronic document;

in response to the request, determining, by the application server, whether the payment has been facilitated by the transfer of the electronic funds to the payee;

upon determining that the payment has been facilitated, automatically controlling and providing, to the payor device, by the application server, electronic access to the signed lien waiver electronic document stored to the computer-readable memory; and

upon determining that the payment has not been facilitated, automatically preventing, by the application server, the payor device from electronically accessing the signed lien waiver document stored to the computer-readable memory.