Centralized Switching System for Bill Payment Message Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electronic bill payment and presentation systems are inefficient and lack uniformity, particularly in utilizing mainframe application files and data, and fail to facilitate seamless exchange of information over both public and private communication lines using the Open Financial Exchange (OFX) format.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for electronically routing billing information using an open financial exchange communication protocol, which involves enrolling billers and customers in a centralized mainframe system, providing customer and biller service providers to interface with each other, and utilizing a centrally located switching system to convert mainframe application files into Internet-accessible formats for delivery over the Internet, along with file distribution agents and look-up tables for efficient message routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mainframe application files are used in batch mode for bill presentment, then system reliability and data integrity are improved, but information exchange efficiency and accessibility over public networks deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a file distribution agent as an intermediary component that bridges mainframe batch processing and Internet-based real-time access. The agent converts mainframe application files into Internet-accessible formats and distributes them over the network, allowing reliable batch processing to coexist with efficient real-time information exchange. This mediator resolves the contradiction by translating between the two different operational modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the format and accessibility parameters of billing information. Mainframe files are converted from proprietary batch formats into standardized Internet formats (such as HTML, XML, or other web-compatible formats), enabling the same data to be accessed both through traditional batch processing and through modern web-based interfaces with real-time accessibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a centralized switching system is implemented to coordinate message transfer, then system uniformity and protocol standardization are improved, but system complexity and infrastructure requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized switching system is designed to perform multiple functions: it acts as a message router, a protocol translator, a file distribution agent, and a look-up table manager. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional platform, the system achieves protocol standardization without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same infrastructure serves multiple purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The switching system automatically performs message routing, format conversion, and distribution tasks without requiring manual intervention. Look-up tables store pre-configured routing information, enabling the system to self-manage message flow and format transformations, reducing the operational complexity despite the sophisticated infrastructure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If mainframe systems are integrated with Internet-based billing systems, then connectivity options and system versatility are improved, but integration complexity and conversion requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The file distribution agent serves as a mediator between mainframe systems and Internet-based billing platforms. It handles the complex conversion tasks by translating mainframe application files into Internet-compatible formats, managing encoding differences, and handling protocol translations, thereby reducing the integration complexity for both mainframe and web-based systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of directly integrating mainframe systems with Internet platforms (which would be complex), the system creates copies of the billing data in both formats. Mainframe files are copied and converted into Internet-accessible formats, allowing both systems to operate independently while exchanging data through standardized intermediaries, thus reducing direct integration complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In a bill payment and presentation system, a method for electronically routing billing information over a communications network is provided, using an open financial exchange communication protocol. The method provides for a centrally located mainframe system and a switching system for coordinating the routing of messages between customer service providers and biller service providers. In particular, the method collects at the CSPs and at the BSPs mainframe application files comprising the messages, forwards these files in batch mode to the mainframe system and converts with a switching system these mainframe files into web-enabled addresses, allowing for the effective transmission of financial billing information in flat-file and/or Internet-based form.