Patent · US Expired

Billing system and method

US6836763B1 · kind B1 · utility

12Cited by
7References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 7, 1998
Grant dateDec 28, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 20, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99943
  • WIPO fieldIT methods for management
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A bill editor, generator, messaging and insert system and method comprises a portion of a bill production processor designed to create monthly billing statements which are sent to customers and which detail charges incurred over the course of a billing cycle. The bill editor and generator allows billing personnel to design a bill using static text, dynamic text and paragraph areas. Once the report/bill is defined, the report definition is stored in temporary memory for later use. The report definition file defines how the report is to appear and where the data used in the report is stored. The report generator, when subsequently run, uses the predefined report definition to retrieve data from the database and generates the report as defined by the report definition file. The bill messaging and insert system determines, based on assigned priority, criteria and weight and space limitations, the messages and notices to be included in a customer billing statement.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.