Electronic bill presentment and payment system with bill dispute capabilities

• US 6,968,319 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1999
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dent, Warren T., Remington, Darren B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karmis, Stefano
• Application Number:
  US09/459,219
• Time in Patent Office: 2,174 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/42, 705/34, 705/14, 705/35, 705/38, 705/41
• 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

Abstract

A bill presentment and payment remittance system is configured for use over an electronic network, such as the Internet. The bill presentment and payment remittance system allows the biller to create a bill and payment remittance information in a format specified by the biller. The biller submits the bill and associated payment remittance information by electronically transmitting it over the Internet to the consumer. The consumer authenticates that the bill did indeed come from the indicated biller. The bill is presented in a user interface which provides a line-by-line itemization of the bill, along with a predefined dispute reasons which the consumer can check to challenge particular items on the bill. The bill can then be automatically or manually adjusted to reflect any disputed amounts. Payment of the bill is preferably in the form of a “direct debit check” that is formed by the consumer software using the billing and remittance information provided in the bill to automatically name the biller as the payee. The consumer completely controls the payment authorization, specifying the amount to be paid (either partial or full), and the date for the payment to be made, and the account from which the money will be drawn. The electronic payment and any dispute criteria are associated with the payment remittance information. The payment instruction and remittance information are then transmitted in the biller prescribed format back over the Internet to the biller. In this manner, the payment remittance information is automatically returned directly to the biller in the format that the biller chooses, without intervention by the consumer. The biller executes the payment instructions sent to it electronically by the consumer by sending them onto the biller'"'"'s bank.

Claims

1. In an electronic bill presentment and payment remittance system, a method for electronically presenting a bill to a consumer and for electronically remitting a payment of the bill from the consumer, comprising the following steps:

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller, the payment remittance information being arranged within a data structure according to a format prescribed by the biller, the data structure having one or more open data fields to hold data that a consumer can enter or alter and one or more closed data fields to hold data that the consumer cannot alter, the remittance information further including hidden structured remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

electronically transmitting the bill and associated payment remittance information to the consumer;

displaying a bill presentment user interface (UI) on a visual display, the bill presentment UI including items with predefined dispute reasons expressing possible reasons why the consumer might wish to challenge a particular item on the bill;

enabling the consumer to;

select a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

authorize electronic payment of the bill;

associating with the payment remittance information;

the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item; and

the electronic payment;

transmitting the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data, from the consumer back to the biller in the format prescribed by the biller.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically adjusting an amount owed for the particular item on the bill to reflect the selection by the consumer of the particular predefined dispute reason.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing one or more dialog boxes which the consumer can open from the bill presentment UI to enter an explanation as to why the particular item is being challenged.

4. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions which direct a computer to perform a method for electronically presenting a bill to a consumer and for electronically remitting a payment of the bill from the consumer, the method comprising:

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller, the payment remittance information being arranged within a data structure according to a format prescribed by the biller, the data structure having one or more open data fields to hold data that a consumer can enter or alter and one or more closed data fields to hold data that the consumer cannot alter, the remittance information further including hidden structure remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

electronically transmitting the bill and associated payment remittance information to the consumer;

displaying a bill presentment user interface (UI) on a visual display, the bill presentment UI including items with predefined dispute reasons expressing possible reasons why the consumer might wish to challenge a particular item on the bill;

enabling the consumer to;

select a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

authorize electronic payment of the bill;

associating with the payment remittance information;

the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item; and

the electronic payment;

transmitting the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data, from the consumer back to the biller in the format prescribed by the biller.

5. In an electronic bill presentment and payment remittance system, a method for electronically presenting a bill to a consumer and for electronically remitting a payment of the bill from the consumer, comprising the following steps:

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller, the payment remittance information being arranged within a data structure according to a format prescribed by the biller, the data structure having one or more open data fields to hold data that a consumer can supply or alter and one or more closed data fields to hold data that the consumer cannot alter, the payment remittance information further including structured remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

electronically transmitting a bill and associated payment remittance information from the biller to at least one intermediary;

electronically transmitting the bill and payment remittance information from the intermediary to the consumer;

displaying to the consumer a bill presentment user interface (UI) on a visual display, the bill presentment UI;

including the bill with items thereon associated with predefined dispute reasons expressing possible reasons why the consumer might wish to challenge a particular item on the bill; and

not including the structured remittance data;

enabling the consumer to;

select a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

specify payment instructions which include at least one of a payment amount and a payment date;

electronically transmitting the payment instructions, the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item, and payment remittance information from the consumer to the intermediary;

electronically transmitting the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data and the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item, from the intermediary back to the biller in the format prescribed by the biller; and

settling accounts between the consumer and biller using the payment instructions.

6. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions which direct a computer to perform a method for electronically presenting a bill to a consumer and for electronically remitting a payment of the bill from the consumer, the method comprising:

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller, the payment remittance information being arranged within a data structure according to a format prescribed by the biller the data structure having one or more open data fields to hold data that a consumer can supply or alter and one or more closed data fields to hold data that the consumer cannot alter, the payment remittance information further including structured remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

electronically transmitting a bill and associated payment remittance information from the biller to at least one intermediary;

electronically transmitting the bill and payment remittance information from the intermediary to the consumer;

displaying to the consumer a bill presentment user interface (UI) on a visual display, the bill presentment UI;

including the bill with items thereon associated with predefined dispute reasons expressing possible reasons why the consumer might wish to challenge a particular item on the bill; and

not including the structured remittance data;

enabling the consumer to;

select a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

specify payment instructions which include at least one of a payment amount and a payment date;

electronically transmitting the payment instructions, the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item, and payment remittance information from the consumer to the intermediary;

electronically transmitting the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data and the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item, from the intermediary back to the biller in the format prescribed by the biller; and

settling accounts between the consumer and biller using the payment instructions.

7. In an electronic bill presentment and payment remittance system for electronically presenting a bill to a consumer and for electronically remitting a payment of the bill from the consumer, the system including a network, a biller computing unit with computer-readable medium, and a consumer computing unit with computer readable medium the computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

operatively linking the biller computing unit and the consumer computing unit to the network;

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information in a particular format at the biller computing unit, the remittance information including structured remittance data that is kept hidden from the consumer;

transmitting the bill and payment remittance information over the data network from the biller computing unit to the consumer computing unit;

receiving the bill and payment remittance information at the consumer computing unit;

presenting the bill to the consumer a bill presentment user interface (UI) on a visual display, the bill presentment UI;

including items on the bill associated with predefined dispute reasons expressing possible reasons why the consumer might wish to challenge a particular item on the bill; and

not including the structured remittance data;

facilitating entry of payment instructions by the consumer at the consumer computing unit including;

a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

at least one of a payment amount and a date;

following said entry, automatically routing the payment remittance information, including the structured remittance data and the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item, in the particular format to the biller computing unit.