Method for reconciling a financial account from a portable account register

• US RE44,059 E1
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accubalance Corporation
• Original Assignee: Accubalance Corporation
• Inventors: Witherspoon, Glenn Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/489,734
• Time in Patent Office: 2,429 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 902/24, 902/26, 705/35, 705/36, 705/37, 705/42
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method for reconciling a financial account of a user on a user device. A user list of transactions that have been entered by the user are accessed. A list of transactions from a financial institution is downloaded. The financial institution list is stored on the user device, and then compared with the user list, item by item. A reconciliation function is provided for each item on both of the lists. In one embodiment, a separate display of the cleared balance is provided, a single link button is provided to enable the upload of the register contents to a computer for reconciliation or for archiving and a memory attachment, such as a USB memory key, is also provided for archiving and/or additional program capabilities.

Claims

1. A method for reconciling a financial account of a user from a portable user electronic account register device, comprising:

entering user financial transaction data on said portable electronic account register;

uploading said transactions entered by said user as uploaded data to a personal computer;

accessing on said personal computer, from said uploaded data, a user list of said transactions entered by said user on said portable user electronic account register device;

downloading from a financial institution computer to said personal computer a financial institution list of transactions from a financial institution;

comparing, on said personal computer, said user list and said financial institution list item by item;

providing a reconciliation function for each item on both of said lists;

downloading reconciliation information from said personal computer to on said user electronic account register device;

comparing said transactions to match transactions on said financial institution list to transactions on said user list;

identifying matched transactions;

providing said matched transactions to a separate matched transaction field in a user display;

identifying unmatched transactions;

attempting to match said unmatched transactions, absent user input, according to predetermined criteria to provide proposed matches;

presenting said proposed matches to said user in said matched transaction field of said user display;

marking said proposed matches so that said user can see that they are not exact matches;

presenting unmatched items to said user in a separate unmatched transaction field of said user display;

accepting, on an item by item basis, a confirmation of said proposed matches by said user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said proposed matches are accepted absent a user unmatch input associated with said proposed matches, and proposed matches that receive a user unmatch input are moved to said unmatched transaction field of said user display.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said presenting unmatched items comprises presenting said transactions to said user in the following groupings:

transactions on said user list, but not on said financial institution list; and

transactions on said financial institution list but not on said user list.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing a user list of transactions comprises uploading said user list from said electronic account register.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing and comparing are performed on said electronic account register, and said downloading is to said electronic account register.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing an indication whether an item has been cleared for each item upon completion of said reconciliation function.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

downloading cleared items, and items on said financial institution list of transactions but not on said user list, from a computer to said portable user electronic account register device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

comparing said transactions to match transactions on said financial institution list to transactions on said user list;

identifying unmatched transactions;

accepting a user input indicating an acceptable number of days between transactions for indicating a possible match;

attempting to match said unmatched transactions according to said user input.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

exporting data regarding said transactions to a money management program.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a link button input;

presenting, on a display, in response to said link button input, the options of

(a) getting a bank statement and reconciling; and

(b) exporting a register of transaction items.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

marking items that match as cleared items;

downloading said cleared items to said portable electronic account register.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of storing reconciliation information on said user device further comprises:

downloading an indication of cleared items to said account register; and

downloading to said account register items in said financial institution list and not in said account register.

13. A method for reconciling a financial account of a user from a portable user electronic account register device, comprising:

entering user financial transaction data on said portable electronic account register;

uploading said transactions entered by said user as uploaded data to a personal computer;

accessing on said personal computer, from said uploaded data, a user list of said transactions entered by said user on said portable user electronic account register device;

downloading from a financial institution computer to said personal computer a financial institution list of transactions from a financial institution;

comparing, on said personal computer, said user list and said financial institution list item by item;

providing a reconciliation function for each item on both of said lists;

comparing said transactions to match transactions on said financial institution list to transactions on said user list;

identifying matched transactions;

providing said matched transactions to a separate matched transaction field in a user display;

identifying unmatched transactions;

attempting to match said unmatched transactions, absent user input, according to predetermined criteria to provide proposed matches;

presenting said proposed matches to said user in said matched transaction field of said user display;

marking said proposed matches so that said user can see that they are not exact matches;

presenting unmatched items to said user in a separate unmatched transaction field of said user display;

accepting, on an item by item basis, a confirmation of said proposed matches by said user;

presenting to said user a first group of transactions on said user list, but not on said financial institution list;

presenting to said user a second group of transactions on said financial institution list but not on said user list;

providing said user input capability for matching items from said first and second groups;

providing an indication whether an item has been cleared for each item upon completion of said reconciliation function; and

downloading reconciliation information from said personal computer to said user electronic account register device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of storing reconciliation information on said user device further comprises:

downloading an indication of cleared items to said account register; and

downloading to said account register items in said financial institution list and not in said account register.

15. A method for reconciling a financial account of a user from a portable user electronic account register device, comprising:

entering user financial transaction data on said portable electronic account register;

providing a drop down list of preferred payees in a description field of a display on said portable electronic account register;

populating a transaction number field of said display with a next sequential transaction number;

allowing said user to override said next sequential transaction number;

uploading said transactions entered by said user as uploaded data to a personal computer,

accessing on said personal computer, from said uploaded data, a user list of said transactions entered by said user on said portable user electronic account register device;

downloading from a financial institution computer to said personal computer a financial institution list of transactions from a financial institution;

comparing, on said personal computer, said user list and said financial institution list item by item;

providing a reconciliation function for each item on both of said lists;

comparing said transactions to match transactions on said financial institution list to transactions on said user list;

identifying matched transactions;

providing said matched transactions to a separate matched transaction field in a user display;

identifying unmatched transactions;

attempting to match said unmatched transactions, absent user input, according to predetermined criteria to provide proposed matches;

presenting said proposed matches to said user in said matched transaction field of said user display;

marking said proposed matches so that said user can see that they are not exact matches;

presenting unmatched items to said user in a separate unmatched transaction field of said user display;

accepting, on an item by item basis, a confirmation of said proposed matches by said user;

presenting to said user a first group of transactions on said user list, but not on said financial institution list;

presenting to said user a second group of transactions on said financial institution list but not on said user list;

providing said user input capability for matching items from said first and second groups;

providing an indication whether an item has been cleared for each item upon completion of said reconciliation function;

downloading an indication of cleared items to said account register; and

downloading to said account register items in said financial institution list and not in said account register;

displaying a balance of cleared items on a cleared balance display.

16. An electronic account register comprising:

a screen including

a first display area for displaying account information, including a cleared balance display area, said cleared balance display area providing an account balance that has been reconciled with a financial institution, wherein said account balance has been reconciled by

entering user financial transaction data on said portable electronic account register;

uploading said transactions entered by said user as uploaded data;

accessing a user list of said transactions entered by said user on said portable user electronic account register device;

downloading from a financial institution computer a financial institution list of transactions from a financial institution;

comparing said user list and said financial institution list item by item;

providing a reconciliation function for each item on both of said lists;

comparing said transactions to match transactions on said financial institution list to transactions on said user list;

identifying matched transactions;

identifying unmatched transactions;

a first touchscreen area for an alphanumeric keyboard;

a second touchscreen area for a numeric keypad;

an up/down scrolling input;

an on/off switch;

a controller configured to control said display; and

a memory for storing a variety of displays for said first display area, said displays including

a register of transactions display, including a transaction number field, a date field, a transaction description field, an amount field and a balance field;

a matched items display, and

an unmatched items display.

17. The electronic account register of claim 16 further comprising:

said controller being programmed to allow exporting transaction data to an external money management program.

18. The electronic account register of claim 16 further comprising:

a link input for linking said account register to another electronic device.

19. The electronic account register of claim 16 further comprising:

a description field in said account register; and

a drop down list of preferred payees in said description field.

20. The electronic account register of claim 19 further comprising:

said memory storing payees;

said controller being programmed to determine if a payee has been entered for a second time in a predetermined period and, if so, adding said payee to said list of preferred payees.

21. The electronic account register of claim 16 further comprising:

means for populating said transaction number field with a next sequential transaction number; and

means for overriding said next sequential transaction number.

22. An electronic account register comprising:

a screen including

a first display area for displaying account information, including a cleared balance display area, said cleared balance display area providing an account balance that has been reconciled with a financial institution wherein said account balance has been reconciled by

entering user financial transaction data on said portable electronic account register;

uploading said transactions entered by said user as uploaded data;

accessing a user list of said transactions entered by said user on said portable user electronic account register device;

downloading from a financial institution computer a financial institution list of transactions from a financial institution;

comparing said user list and said financial institution list item by item;

providing a reconciliation function for each item on both of said lists;

comparing said transactions to match transactions on said financial institution list to transactions on said user list;

identifying matched transactions;

identifying unmatched transactions;

a first touchscreen area for an alphanumeric keyboard;

a second touchscreen area for a numeric keypad;

an up/down scrolling input;

an on/off switch;

a controller configured to control said display;

a memory for storing a variety of displays for said first display area, said displays including

a register of transactions display, including a transaction number, a date, a transaction description, an amount and a balance;

a matched items display, and

an unmatched items display;

a link input for linking said account register to another electronic device;

a description field in said account register;

a drop down list of preferred payees in said description field;

a transaction number field;

means for populating said transaction number field with a next sequential transaction number; and

means for overriding said next sequential transaction number.

23. An electronic account register comprising:

a touch screen for displaying a register of transactions;

an alphanumeric keyboard;

a numeric keypad; and

a cleared balance display, said cleared balance display providing an account balance that has been reconciled with a financial institution;

a description field in said account register;

a drop down list of preferred payees in said description field;

a memory for storing payees; and

a controller programmed to determine if a payee has been entered for a second time in a predetermined period and, if so, adding said payee to said list of preferred payees.

24. An electronic account register comprising:

a touch screen for displaying a register of transactions;

an alphanumeric keyboard;

a numeric keypad; and

a cleared balance display, said cleared balance display providing an account balance that has been reconciled with a financial institution;

a transaction number field;

means for populating said transaction number field with a next sequential transaction number; and

means for overriding said next sequential transaction number.

25. An apparatus for reconciling a financial account of a user from a portable user electronic account register device, comprising:

means for entering user financial transaction data on said portable electronic account register;

means for downloading from a financial institution computer a financial institution list of transactions from a financial institution;

means for comparing said user list and said financial institution list item by item;

means for providing a reconciliation function for each item on both of said lists; and

a cleared balance display.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

a screen including

a first display area for displaying account information, including a cleared balance display area, said cleared balance display area providing an account balance that has been reconciled with a financial institution, wherein said account balance has been reconciled by

entering user financial transaction data on said portable electronic account register;

uploading said transactions entered by said user as uploaded data;

accessing a user list of said transactions entered by said user on said portable user electronic account register device;

downloading from a financial institution computer a financial institution list of transactions from a financial institution;

comparing said user list and said financial institution list item by item;

providing a reconciliation function for each item on both of said lists;

comparing said transactions to match transactions on said financial institution list to transactions on said user list;

identifying matched transactions;

identifying unmatched transactions;

a first touchscreen area for an alphanumeric keyboard;

a second touchscreen area for a numeric keypad;

an up/down scrolling input;

an on/off switch;

a controller configured to control said display; and

a memory for storing a variety of displays for said first display area, said displays including

a register of transactions display, including a transaction number field, a date field, a transaction description field, an amount field and a balance field;

a matched items display, and

an unmatched items display.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

a cleared balance display, said cleared balance display providing an account balance that has been reconciled with a financial institution;

a description field in said account register;

a drop down list of preferred payees in said description field;

a memory for storing payees; and

a controller programmed to determine if a payee has been entered for a second time in a predetermined period and, if so, adding said payee to said list of preferred payees.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

a cleared balance display, said cleared balance display providing an account balance that has been reconciled with a financial institution;

a transaction number field;

means for populating said transaction number field with a next sequential transaction number; and

means for overriding said next sequential transaction number.