초록 ▼

A computerized payment system by which a consumer may instruct a service provider by telephone, computer terminal, or other telecommunications means to pay various bills without the consumer having to write a check for each bill. The system operates without restriction as to where the consumer banks

A computerized payment system by which a consumer may instruct a service provider by telephone, computer terminal, or other telecommunications means to pay various bills without the consumer having to write a check for each bill. The system operates without restriction as to where the consumer banks and what bills are to be paid. The service provider collects consumers' information, financial institutions' information and merchant information and arranges payment based on a financial risk analysis to the merchants according to the consumers' instructions.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A system for use by a service provider to pay bills rendered to a consumer by billing entities, said system comprising:a financial institutions database containing information pertaining to consumers' accounts from which payments to the billing entities may be made;means

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A system for use by a service provider to pay bills rendered to a consumer by billing entities, said system comprising:a financial institutions database containing information pertaining to consumers' accounts from which payments to the billing entities may be made;means for creating said financial institutions database consisting of the identification by a consumer of information regarding the consumer's accounts from which payment from the consumer to a billing entity may be made;a billing entities database having information pertaining to the billing entities to which payments on the consumers' behalf may be made from the consumer's account;at least one remote telecommunications device operable by a consumer to be in communication with a central processing unit operated by said service provider;a program directing the operations of said central processing unit to analyze instructions received from said consumer through said telecommunications device, said program further including means for identifying a preferred form of payment from the consumer's account with respect to payments to be effected to said billing entities, said preferred form of payment being selected by the service provider from the consumer's account in the form of at least one of the group consisting of an electronic funds transfer, a charge to a credit card, a check, and a draft, the determination of the preferred form of payment being made by comparing the amount of the bill to be paid to a value corresponding to at least one of: a fixed currency value amount, a predetermined upper limit of funds determined by the service provider associated with a particular consumer, and a credit limit otherwise associated with the consumer's account, andmeans for effecting payment of the bills to said billing entities on behalf of the consumer by transferring funds from the consumer's account to the billing entity.