Electronic bill presentment and payment system with bill dispute capabilities

• US 7,516,101 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• 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): Hammond, III; Thomas M
• Application Number:
  US10/981,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40
• 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.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a bill to a consumer, the method comprising:

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller with a computer processor, 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 mad 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 kern hidden from the consumer

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

whereupon selection on an input device by a user of a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill, is included in a data structure to be returned to a biller the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item on the bill with payment remittance information; and

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 user of the particular predefined dispute reason.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the user to adjust an amount owed for a particular item on the bill.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically tallying an amount due and an amount to be paid by the consumer which accounts for one or more deductions resulting from the user '"'"'s challenge of one or more particular items on the bill.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the selection by the user of the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item on the bill is made by a check mark input by the user; and

the particular predefined dispute reason is selected from the group consisting of a tax exempt dispute and an order nonreceipt dispute.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying advertisements within the bill presentment UI.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of placing, within the bill presentment UI, a hyperlink to a target resource.

10. 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.

8. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodied with computer-executable instructions which direct a computer to perform acts comprising;

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller with a computer processor, 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 mad 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 kern hidden from the consumer

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

whereupon selection on an input device by a user of a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill, is included in a data structure to be returned to a biller the particular predefined dispute reason for the particular item on the bill with payment remittance information; and

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

9. A method for 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 with a computer processor, 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 mad 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 on the bill with predefined dispute reasons expressing possible reasons why the consumer might wish to challenge a particular item on the bill; and

enabling the consumer to select with an input device a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

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

11. A method as recited in claim 9, 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.

12. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodied with computer-executable instructions which direct a computer to perform acts comprising:

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller with a computer processor, 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 mad 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 on the bill with predefined dispute reasons expressing possible reasons why the consumer might wish to challenge a particular item on the bill; and

enabling the consumer to select with an input device a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

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

13. A method for 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 with a computer processor, 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 with an input device a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

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

14. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodied with computer-executable instructions which direct a computer to perform acts comprising:

generating a bill and associated payment remittance information at a biller with a computer processor, 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 with an input device a particular predefined dispute reason for a particular item on the bill; and

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

15. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodied with computer-executable instructions which direct a computer to perform acts comprising:

operatively linking a biller computing unit and a consumer computing unit to a 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;

presenting the bill to the consumer on 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

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