Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EBPP BILLER DIRECTORY SYSTEM AND METHOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to online directory systems, and more
particularly to
systems providing online directories for electronic bill presentment and
payment (EBPP)
participants.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) refers to a set of electronic
processes
by which companies electronically present bills to customers for goods
purchased or
services rendered and by which customers make payments. EBPP provides an
alternative to traditional methods of presenting bills to customers through
the postal
system or courier services, and traditional methods of paying bills through
paper
cheques or bank-directed payments.
Although early forms of EBPP were implemented at large enterprise levels using
private
EDI systems, it is only since the recent expansion of the Internet that EBPP
has become
a cost-effective solution for smaller-scale billets and individual and small-
scale payers.
The number of U.S. households paying bills online is expected to increase from
1.8
million in 1999 to 18 million in 2003, according to some market researchers
(see, for
example, Sharon Nash, "Does Online Billing Add Up?" PC Magazine, January 24,
2000.). A plethora of EBPP providers have already entered the market (see Alan
Joch,
"E-bills Beat a Path to Your E-mail" PC Week Online, September 26, 1999.).
The presentment aspect of EBPP increasingly involves intermediary providers.
On the
billet side, the billet may employ a bill staging service, such as a bill
publisher or
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consolidator. On the customer side, the customer may employ his/her own
private
consolidator or an online bill payment service (The various types of EBPP
service
providers are described in detail in NACHA, Council for Electronic Billing and
Payment,
"An Overview of Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment Operating Models",
April 9,
1999).
Ideally, each of these links in the chain are connected by contract and
therefore rely on
existing relationships of trust and familiarity. However, this creates a
cumbersome
situation for the billet, who must negotiate contracts with each potential
EBPP service
provider. The customer also encounters a difficulty - having to deal only with
those
EBPP service providers who have negotiated with the customer's billets. In the
existing
system, a customer is typically required to deal with a mosaic of service
providers in
order to pay all of his or her bills online.
It is difficult or impossible for service providers to have contracts with all
potential billets.
In order to provide a complete, one-stop EBPP service to customers, therefore,
some
alternative method of delivering EBPP service outside of contract is needed.
Dealing
with billets outside of contract, however, gives rise to a need for billet
information.
The Council for Electronic Billing and Payment of the National Automated
Clearing
House Association has included as one of its draft recommended EBPP business
principles that EBPP participants "must provide customers and each other with
contact
information." ("Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) Business
Practices",
edition 2.0, December 7, 1999 (Draft for Comment)).
There is a need for EBPP billet information that is accurate, authenticated,
current and
complete. The source of information should not be restricted by the presence
or
absence of contractual arrangements with billets. The source should be
independent.
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Directory systems are known in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,629
to
DeBruin-Ashton discloses a system for making directories of regional health
care
providers.
Online directory systems are also known in the art. Both U.S. Pat. No.
5,483,586 to
Sussman and U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,442 to Pickering disclose general purpose
online
directory systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an online directory service meant specifically
for the
EBPP market, an independently-maintained EBPP biller directory system
available to
EBPP participants. Such a biller directory system has become commercially
necessary
as EBPP grows to encompass loosely connected participants.
An independent EBPP biller directory system would contribute to greater levels
of
customer convenience and satisfaction as the system would enable each customer
to
deal with the EBPP service provider of his/her choice and to pay any bill
through one
service provider.
Basic search and retrieval access to such an EBPP biller directory system is
preferably
provided freely and openly to any EBPP participant. However, it is a logical
extension of
the directory system to provide value-added services on a for-fee or
subscription basis.
Possible value-added services include printed global or customized EBPP biller
directories, retrieval with customized data formatting, proxying of directory
information
requests, and access control for specific directory listings.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of providing an
online EBPP
biller information directory is disclosed. The method comprises three steps:
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by an EBPP billet, submitting EBPP billet information for publication with an
EBPP billet directory authority;
entering EBPP billet information into an EBPP billet directory database; and
responsively to calls from client computer systems, providing online access to
EBPP billet information.
For ease of reference, "EBPP" refers to electronic bill presentment and
payment. An
"EBPP billet" refers to a company or organization which either provides
directly, or
indirectly through a service provider, electronic bills to a customer for
goods purchased
or services rendered. An "EBPP billet directory authority" is preferably a
company or
organization that maintains an EBPP billet directory.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of providing an
online
EBPP billet information directory is disclosed. The method comprises four
steps:
by an EBPP billet, submitting EBPP billet information for publication with an
EBPP billet directory authority;
by an EBPP billet directory administrator, authenticating the EBPP billet
information;
entering authenticated EBPP billet information into an EBPP billet directory
database; and
responsively to calls from client computer systems, providing online access to
authenticated EBPP billet information.
Authentication is preferably accomplished by human administrators verifying
the
accuracy of data submitted with the billets themselves or with related billet
service
providers.
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In an embodiment of the method, the third step further comprises data mapping
the
submitted EBPP biller information into a standardized EBPP biller directory
database
format.
5 Since the invention preferably allows EBPP biller information to be
submitted in a variety
of data formats, such as XML, OFX, and proprietary data formats, the
individual data
records must then be translated field-by-field into a standardized EBPP biller
directory
database format, such as relational database format. This translation can be
done
through existing software database solutions, such as vendor-supplied data
import
utilities or customized translation algorithms.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an EBPP biller directory
system is
disclosed. The system provides an online directory of EBPP biller information
for EBPP
participants. The system comprises a client-server network with a plurality of
client
computer systems, and a server connected to the client computer systems. The
client
computer systems submit and retrieve EBPP biller information. The server
receives,
stores and transmits EBPP biller information responsively to the client
computer
systems.
The client-server architecture preferably comprises commonly-known hardware
components. Each client computer system preferably comprises a computer,
display
monitor and at least two means of input, such as a standard keyboard and
mouse. The
server can be a standard PC running a server OS, such as Windows NT or UNIX,
or it
can be a mini-computer, such as a Sun server, or it can be a mainframe such as
an IBM
S/390. The server comprises at least one database for storage of the EBPP
biller
information. The server is preferably programmed with an external interface
application
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that functions as a gateway allowing remote searchable access to the database.
The
external interface can be accessed by a user interface application for the
purpose of
displaying the directory information, or by an application such as a bill
presentment
application that uses the directory information as a component for a secondary
service.
A person skilled in the art would recognize that the computer server could
equally be
implemented as a network of interconnected computer servers, structured to
provide
parallel processing and/or fail-over functionality.
In an embodiment of the system, the server is connected to the client computer
systems
over a distributed network.
The client computer systems are communicably connected to the server,
preferably by
means of bi-directional Internet connection over standard telephone, ADSL, or
ISDN
lines.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an EBPP billet directory
database
is disclosed. The database comprises EBPP billet information for EBPP
participants.
In an embodiment of the database, the EBPP billet information is stored in a
standardized EBPP billet directory database format.
The database is preferably in a standard database format, using a standard
query
language such as SQL or using an object-oriented language such as Java.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an EBPP billet directory
server is
disclosed. The server comprises an external interface and a database. The EBPP
billet
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directory user interface retrieves and submits EBPP biller information from
remote users.
The EBPP biller directory database is responsive to the EBPP biller directory
external
interface. The EBPP biller directory database stores EBPP biller directory
information
for retrieval through the EBPP biller directory external interface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in relation to the
drawings in
which
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a network diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows two possible applications of the present invention, an EBPP
biller
information directory 3. In its simplest form, the directory provides biller
information
related to an EBPP biller 2 for access by an EBPP customer 1. The biller 2
would
submit information to a directory authority (not shown) for addition to the
EBPP biller
information directory 3, which can then be searchably accessed by the customer
1.
Preferably, the biller information includes the biller's exact name, address,
and other
contact information, such as telephone number, facsimile number, and the name
of a
designated contact person. The biller information may also include name and
contact
information of the biller's electronic bill publisher.
Fig. 1 also shows an alternative application of the invention, wherein the
EBPP biller
information directory 3 is available for use by intermediary EBPP
participants, such as a
customer service provider 4 and a biller service provider 5. The customer
service
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provider 4 acts as an agent of the customer 6. These service providers enroll
customers, enable presentment and provide customer care. The biller service
provider 5
acts as an agent of the biller 7. These service providers typically provide
electronic
staging of bills for presentment on behalf of a biller.
The directory 3 provides biller information necessary to allow the customer
service
provider 4 to present bills to the customer 6 without a pre-existing
contractual
relationship with the biller 7 or the biller service provider 5.
Such biller information is provided to the directory authority (not shown) by
the biller 7.
The biller authority may then authenticate the data through the biller service
provider 5.
The directory can be searchably accessed by all EBPP participants 1, 2, 4, 5,
6, 7.
Billers 2, 7 and their service providers 5 can preferably update the biller
information as
often as necessary by contacting the EBPP biller directory authority (not
shown).
FIG. 2 shows the network configuration of an embodiment of the present
invention. The
foundation of the directory system is the EBPP biller directory database 13
which resides
on a computer server 12 programmed with an external interface application 11.
The
external interface application 11 functions as a gateway allowing remote
searchable
access to the database 13.
The server 12 is communicably coupled over a network 10 to a plurality of
client
computer systems used by EBPP participants 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7. The client-server
network
10 is preferably a distributed network, such as the Internet.
The client systems programmably communicate with the external interface in two
ways:
by a stand-alone user interface application 8, or by a business application 9,
such as a
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bill presentment application, using the directory information as a component
for a
secondary service.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the
invention. Further,
since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled
in the art, it
is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and
applications shown and
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be
resorted
to, falling within the scope of the invention and the appended claims and
their
equivalents.
All publications, patents and patent applications are incorporated by
reference in their
entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or
patent application
was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in
its entirety.
