Abstract

An automated system and method for consolidating a plurality of individual company charges for a customer with different periodic company billing and payment due dates is provided. Under the system, companies and businesses such as utility companies report their periodic billing information to a central processing office or facility. This is completed by electronic or magnetic data transfer. The processing office undergoes minimization processing and holds the billing information data in time suspense until all of the billing information for the customer during a pre-selected time period is received. Then, the central processing facility generates a single customer statement which identifies all individual company charges as well as a statement due date. The statement is sent to the customer and payment for the identified charges is due by the statement due date. After receiving payment from the customer, the centralized billing center processes the payment and then remits payment to all of the companies.

Other References

• Citi-One Telephone Bill Payment, Jan., 1992
• Chase Pay By Phone--1991
• Tell Your Money Where To Go--1992
• Smart Phone--Jan. 28, 1991
• Enhanced Telephone--1990
• Direct Access--1989
• BillPay USA--1992
• Wells Fargo Automatic Payment
• A Renewed VISA
• Karen Gullo, BankAmerica, Safeway Joining to Offer Shop-at-Home Service, American Banker, Nov. 27, 1991
• Eben Shapiro, Phones Getting Smarter with Built-In Computer, New York Times, Apr. 17, 1991
• John J. Keller, SmartPhone Has Milestone: First Customer Wall Street Journal, Mar. 19, 1991
• Jeanne Iida, TV Answer, CheckFree in Bill Payment Pact, American Banker, Jun. 12, 1992
• MCI Announced A New Billing Arrangement
• Synergistics Research Corporation, FOCUS Series, Jul., 1992
• Richard Layne, Citibank Is Planning to Launch Phone Banking Service in Mar., American Banker, Oct. 11, 1990
• Karen Gullo, More Companies To Offer Phone Banking Devices The Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21, 1990
• Karen Gullo, Banks Rush to Develop Home Banking Over Telephones, The Reuter Business Report, Jul. 18, 1990
• Karen Gullo, Bank-by-Phone Competition Rising, American Banker, Jul. 16, 1990
• Karen Gullo, Citicorp Piqued at Vendor as Rival American Banker, Apr. 13, 1990
• Michael Quint, Consumer's World: Bills to Pay? The New York Times, Mar. 3, 1990
• Miscellaneous Computer Listings
• Fraser; "Account-Ability"; Inc.; v13 n3; pp. 72-78; Mar. 1991; Dialog: File 15, Acc #00538528
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• "New Electronic Payment System Brings Utility Customers Into `Checkless Society`"; News Release; Feb. 20, 1990; p. 1; Dialog: File 16, Acc #02504853
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• Hager; "The Swedish Postal Giro and Its Progress"; Journal of Bank Research; v16 n4; pp. 227-231; 1986; Dialog: File 15, Acc #0032338