Systems and methods for electronically processing government sponsored benefits

• US 20040064332A1
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ACS State & Local Solutions Incorporated (Conduent, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Zheng, Solitro, Pasquale, Wiles, Josh A., Zou, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing benefits include providing a graphical user interface, such as a web browser, to a benefit recipient for accessing at least account information concerning at least one benefit type. The benefits processing system may receive a request from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface for displaying the at least account information concerning the at least one benefit type. The benefits processing system may then display the at least account information through the graphical user interface concerning the at least one benefit type.

Claims

1. A method for processing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

providing a graphical user interface to a benefit recipient for accessing at least account information concerning at least one benefit type;

receiving a request from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface for displaying the at least account information concerning the at least one benefit type; and

displaying the at least account information through the graphical user interface concerning the at least one benefit type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is a web browser interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least account information concerning the at least one benefit type comprises account balance for the at least one benefit type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one benefit type comprises at least one of food stamp benefit and cash benefit.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying at least one electronic message concerning the at least one benefit type to the benefit recipient.

6. A system for processing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

a component for providing a graphical user interface to a benefit recipient for accessing at least account information concerning at least one benefit type;

a component for receiving a request from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface for displaying the at least account information concerning the at least one benefit type; and

a component for displaying the at least account information through the graphical user interface concerning the at least one benefit type.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface is a web browser interface.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least account information concerning the at least one benefit type comprises account balance for the at least one benefit type.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one benefit type comprises at least one of food stamp benefit and cash benefit.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a component for displaying at least one electronic message concerning the at least one benefit type to the benefit recipient.

11. A system for processing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

means for providing a graphical user interface to a benefit recipient for accessing at least account information concerning at least one benefit type;

means for receiving a request from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface to display the at least account information concerning the at least one benefit type; and

means for displaying the at least account information through the graphical user interface concerning the at least one benefit type.

12. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for a method for processing government sponsored benefits, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface to a benefit recipient for accessing at least account information concerning at least one benefit type;

receiving a request from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface to display the at least account information concerning the at least one benefit type; and

displaying the at least account information through the graphical user interface concerning the at least one benefit type.

13. A method for processing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

receiving a request from a benefit recipient through a graphical user interface for accessing at least account balance information concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits;

displaying the at least account balance information concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits to the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface;

receiving an inquiry from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface concerning the displayed account balance information; and

responding to the inquiry from the benefit recipient concerning the displayed account balance information through the graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface is a web browser interface.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one type of government sponsored benefits comprises at least one of food stamp benefit and cash benefit.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying at least one electronic message concerning the inquiry to the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface.

17. A system for processing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

a component for receiving a request from a benefit recipient through a graphical user interface for accessing at least account balance information concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits;

a component displaying the at least account balance information concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits to the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface;

a component for receiving an inquiry from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface concerning the displayed account balance information; and

a component for responding to the inquiry from the benefit recipient concerning the displayed account balance information through the graphical user interface.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the graphical user interface is a web browser interface.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one type of government sponsored benefits comprises at least one of food stamp benefit and cash benefit.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a component for displaying at least one electronic message concerning the inquiry to the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface.

21. A system for processing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a benefit recipient through a graphical user interface for accessing at least account balance information concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits;

means for displaying the at least account balance information concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits to the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface;

means for receiving an inquiry from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface concerning the displayed account balance information; and

means for responding to the inquiry from the benefit recipient concerning the displayed account balance information through the graphical user interface.

22. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for a method for processing government sponsored benefits, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a benefit recipient through a graphical user interface for accessing at least account balance information concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits;

displaying the at least account balance information concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits to the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface;

receiving an inquiry from the benefit recipient through the graphical user interface concerning the displayed account balance information; and

responding to the inquiry from the benefit recipient concerning the displayed account balance information through the graphical user interface.

23. A method for managing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

receiving a request from at least one retailer through a graphical user interface for accessing information regarding transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits; and

displaying the information regarding the transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits at the graphical user interface.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein information regarding the transactions handled by the at least one retailer is displayed in a summary form.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

displaying detail information regarding at least one transaction handled by the at least one retailer concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the graphical user interface is a web browser interface.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one type of government sponsored benefits comprises at least one of food stamp benefit and cash benefit.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

authorizing at least one retailer to handle transactions concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

searching information concerning the at least one retailer through the graphical user interface.

30. A system for managing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

a component for receiving a request from at least one retailer through a graphical user interface for accessing information regarding transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits; and

a component for displaying the information regarding the transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits at the graphical user interface.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein information regarding the transactions handled by the at least one retailer is displayed in a summary form.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

a component for displaying detail information regarding at least one transaction handled by the at least one retailer concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the graphical user interface is a web browser interface.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the at least one type of government sponsored benefits comprises at least one of food stamp benefit and cash benefit.

35. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

a component for authorizing at least one retailer to handle transactions concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

36. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

a component for searching information concerning the at least one retailer through the graphical user interface.

37. A system for managing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

means for receiving a request from at least one retailer through a graphical user interface for accessing information regarding transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits; and

means for displaying the information regarding the transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits at the graphical user interface.

38. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for a method for managing government sponsored benefits, the method comprising:

receiving a request from at least one retailer through a graphical user interface for accessing information regarding transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning at least one type of government sponsored benefits; and

displaying the information regarding the transactions handled by the at least one retailer concerning the at least one type of government sponsored benefits at the graphical user interface.

39. A method for managing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

providing a web browser based administrative terminal to at least one government representative for managing at least one type of government sponsored benefits;

creating an account for at least one benefit recipient using the web browser based administrative terminal; and

issuing a benefit recipient card to the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

adding at least one benefit program to the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

replacing at least one lost or stolen benefit recipient card.

42. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

issuing at least one code corresponding to the benefit recipient card to that at least one benefit recipient.

43. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

canceling at least one existing benefit program.

44. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

converting at least one benefit program to another benefit program.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein the at least one type of government sponsored benefits is one of a food stamp benefit and a cash benefit.

46. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

providing at least one primary server for hosting at least account information concerning the account for the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

providing at least one secondary server for hosting the at least account information concerning the account for the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

storing information concerning each transaction regarding the account for the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits in at least one log.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

upon failure of the at least one primary server switching the at least one secondary server as the at least one primary server.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

upon recovery of the failed at least one primary server, switching the recovered at least one primary server as the at least one primary server and using the at least one log to update the recovered at least one primary server.

51. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

automatically processing a file received from a government entity.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the file is at least one of a benefit recipient account setup file, a benefit recipient account update file, and a benefit recipient update file.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein automatically processing the file, further includes:

acknowledging a receipt of the file;

validating a format of the file; and

processing the records located in the file.

54. The system of claim 51, further comprising:

a component for issuing at least one code corresponding to the benefit recipient card to that at least one benefit recipient.

55. The system of claim 51, further comprising:

a component for canceling at least one existing benefit program.

56. The system of claim 51, further comprising:

a component for converting at least one benefit program to another benefit program.

57. The system of claim 51, wherein the at least one type of government sponsored benefits is one of a food stamp benefit and a cash benefit.

58. The system of claim 51, further comprising:

at least one primary server for hosting at least account information concerning the account for the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

59. The system of claim 58, further comprising:

at least one secondary server for hosting the at least account information concerning the account for the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

60. The system of claim 59, further comprising:

at least one log for storing information concerning each transaction regarding the account for the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

61. The system of claim 60, further comprising:

upon failure of the at least one primary server means for providing at least one secondary server as the at least one primary server.

62. The system of claim 61, further comprising:

upon recovery of the failed at least one primary server, means for providing the recovered at least one primary server as the at least one primary server and means for updating the recovered at least one primary server.

66. The system of claim 54, further comprising:

means for automatically processing a file received from a government entity.

67. The system of claim 54, wherein the file is at least one of a benefit recipient account setup file, a benefit recipient account update file, and a benefit recipient update file.

68. The system of claim 54, wherein means for automatically processing the file, further includes:

means for acknowledging a receipt of the file;

means for validating a format of the file; and

means for processing the records located in the file.

63. A system for managing government sponsored benefits, comprising:

means for providing a web browser based administrative terminal to at least one government representative for managing at least one type of government sponsored benefits;

means for creating an account for at least one benefit recipient using the web browser based administrative terminal; and

means for issuing a benefit recipient card to the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

64. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for a method for managing government sponsored benefits, the method comprising:

providing a web browser based administrative terminal to at least one government representative for managing at least one type of government sponsored benefits;

creating an account for at least one benefit recipient using the web browser based administrative terminal; and

issuing a benefit recipient card to the at least one benefit recipient for the at least one type of government sponsored benefits.

65. A method for providing access to government sponsored benefits, comprising:

receiving information identifying a benefit recipient from a terminal;

authenticating the information identifying the benefit recipient;

receiving a request to debit an account corresponding to the benefit recipient; and

processing the request to debit the account corresponding to the benefit recipient.

69. A system for providing access to government sponsored benefits, comprising:

a component for receiving information identifying a benefit recipient from a terminal;

a component for authenticating the information identifying the benefit recipient;

a component for receiving a request to debit an account corresponding to the benefit recipient; and

a component for processing the request to debit the account corresponding to the benefit recipient.

70. The system of claim 69, wherein the terminal is at least one of a point of sale terminal and an automatic teller machine.

71. The system of claim 69, further comprising:

a component for receiving a code from the benefit recipient through the terminal.

72. The system of claim 69, wherein the account is at least one of a food stamp account and a cash account.

73. A system for providing access to government sponsored benefits, comprising:

means for receiving information identifying a benefit recipient from a terminal;

means for authenticating the information identifying the benefit recipient;

means for receiving a request to debit an account corresponding to the benefit recipient; and

means for processing the request to debit the account corresponding to the benefit recipient.

74. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for a method for providing access to government sponsored benefits, the method comprising:

receiving information identifying a benefit recipient from a terminal;

authenticating the information identifying the benefit recipient;

receiving a request to debit an account corresponding to the benefit recipient; and

processing the request to debit the account corresponding to the benefit recipient.