Frame-Based Interface for Consolidated Bill Payment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bill payment systems, either through the bill consolidation model or direct billing model, face issues such as costly infrastructure setup, limited visibility of billing details, delayed payment clearing times, reliance on a single funding source, and lack of consolidation for multiple billers, which hinder convenience and efficiency for users.
Innovation Solution
A frame-based internet-enabled interface system that allows client-side credential-based deep-linking to third-party services, enabling a consolidated bill management service that aggregates and presents billing information in a user-friendly interface, allowing users to view and pay bills from multiple sources without requiring each biller's separate login, while capturing and storing interaction data for later access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a bill consolidation model is used, then a single location for bill payment is provided, but costly infrastructure setup is required and billers must set up compatible electronic payment infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bill consolidator as an intermediary service that aggregates billing information from multiple billers and presents it at a single location. The consolidator communicates with billers through standardized protocols, eliminating the need for each biller to set up complex infrastructure while maintaining consolidation benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The bill consolidator system is designed to handle multiple billers and payment methods universally. It provides a single interface for users to access billing information from various sources and supports multiple payment forms (cash, check, money order, credit card) through a unified processing system.
2Ease of operation
If a bill consolidation model is used, then consolidation of multiple bills is achieved, but the client cannot view full billing details and must reference paper bills or call customer service
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates electronic copies of complete billing information from all billers and stores it in a database. Users can access these digital copies through the consolidator's interface, eliminating the need to reference physical paper bills or call customer service for detailed information.
Solution Approach 2:
The bill consolidator acts as an intermediary that retrieves, stores, and presents complete billing details from multiple billers. It bridges the gap between users and billers by providing full access to billing information through a single consolidated interface.
3Ease of operation
If a bill consolidation model is used, then centralized payment processing is provided, but clearing time is delayed up to 7 days and immediate feedback is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous real-time communication between the bill consolidator and billers through electronic networks. Payment transactions are processed immediately and continuously, eliminating the 7-day delay and providing instant confirmation to users while maintaining centralized processing benefits.
4Ease of operation
If a bill consolidation model is used, then single source payment is enforced, but clients cannot choose multiple payment forms and are limited to bank accounts
Solution Approach 1:
The bill consolidator is designed to accept multiple payment forms including cash, check, money order, and credit card through a unified processing system. It provides a single interface for users while supporting diverse payment methods, eliminating the limitation to bank accounts only.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows dynamic configuration of payment parameters to accommodate different payment methods. Users can select from multiple payment forms based on their preferences, and the system adjusts processing parameters accordingly while maintaining centralized control.
5Loss of information
If the direct billing model is used, then billing information visibility is improved, but consolidation of multiple billers is not achieved and clients must login to each biller's site separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the direct billing model's comprehensive information access with the bill consolidation model's centralized interface. The bill consolidator aggregates complete billing details from multiple billers and presents them at a single location, allowing users to view full information without logging into each biller's site separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The bill consolidator serves as an intermediary that provides both consolidation and full information access. It retrieves complete billing details from individual biller systems and presents them unified at a single interface, eliminating the need for multiple logins while maintaining detailed visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for a frame-based internet enabled interface. In one embodiment, a system is disclosed for a client-side frame based internet enabled interface. The system comprises a first frame and a second frame in a window. The first frame encapsulates a resource from a third-party internet based service. The resource is requested by a user through an internet enabling software. In addition, the second frame comprises user-specific information that is related to content provided from the resource.