Consumer-based system and method for managing and paying electronic billing statements

• US 6,839,687 B1
• Filed: 12/13/1999
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Saliba, Bassam, Dent, Warren T., Kaethler, Judy, Remington, Darren B.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEISBERGER, RICHARD C
• Application Number:
  US09/460,256
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 705/40, 705/42, 705/33, 235/379
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/128 Check-book balancing, updating or printing arrangements

Abstract

A consumer-based bill management and payment system is configured to receive, analyze, manage and pay electronic billing statements received from the biller over the Internet. The system includes a notification manager that detects when the electronic bill arrives and notifies the consumer. The bill is stored in memory with other unpaid electronic bills. According to another aspect of the invention, the system has a cashflow analyzer that enables the consumer to coordinate the unpaid electronic bills according to different payment schedules for a bill payment cycle (e.g., a month). The goal of the manipulation is to permit the consumer to analyze how the different payment schedules affect the consumer'"'"'s cashflow with an aim toward minimizing overdraft during the bill payment cycle. The cashflow analyzer can automatically compute an optimized payment schedule that minimizes overdraft of the consumer'"'"'s account, while maximizing the balance to generate the most interest. When the consumer desires to pay a particular bill, the bill is presented to the consumer through a graphical user interface (UI). The bill management and payment system supports a payment analyzer to enable the consumer to determine how much of the electronic bill to pay. The payment analyzer provides a venue to challenge certain items on the bill.

Claims

1. For execution on a consumer computer, a cashflow analyzer user interface (UI) executing on the consumer computer to present a list of icons representing unpaid electronic bills received electronically from a biller and a date line showing dates in bill payment cycles, the cashflow analyzer UI enabling a consumer to drag and drop the unpaid bill icons from the list and other cashflow items onto certain dates of the date line and to move the unpaid bill icons and cashflow items about in the date line to form different payment schedules for the billing cycle, the cashflow analyzer UI further presenting the consumer'"'"'s account information and automatically adjusting the account information in response to the consumer coordinating the unpaid bill icons and cashflow items.

2. A cashflow analyzer user interface as recited in claim 1, further configured to automatically place the unpaid bill icons on pre-specified dates on the date line.

3. A cashflow analyzer user interface as recited in claim 1, further configured to automatically organize the unpaid bill icons on the date line relative to a preset arrangement of the cashflow items to maximize interest or minimize overdraft.

4. In a consumer-based electronic bill analysis system, a method comprising the following steps:

presenting a list of icons representing unpaid electronic bills received electronically from a biller;

presenting a graphical user interface having a date line with dates in a bill payment cycle;

enabling a consumer to drag and drop the unpaid bill icons from the list onto certain dates of the date line to define a payment schedule;

presenting the consumer'"'"'s account information; and

automatically adjusting the consumer'"'"'s account information during the bill payment cycle as the consumer drops the unpaid bill icons on selected dates to define the payment schedules.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising the step of automatically placing unpaid bill icons on pre-specified dates on the date line.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising the step of automatically organizing the unpaid bill icons on the date line to minimize overdraft in the consumer'"'"'s account.