Presentation and payment of bills over a wide area communications network

Abstract

A bill is presented and payment of the presented bill is requested over a communications network having a first network site associated with a bill payment entity, a second network site, which is different than the first network site, associated with a user, and a third network site, which is different than the first and the second network sites, associated with a bill presentment entity, which is different than the bill payment entity. A first signal, representing a request of the user for billing information, is transmitted from the second network site to the first network site. Responsive to the transmitted first signal, a second signal representing a bill availability identifier for a bill of a biller for the user, is transmitted from the first network site to the second network site. The bill availability identifier represented by the transmitted second signal is displayed and a first user input representing a selection of the displayed bill availability identifier is received, at the second network site. A third signal, representing a request of the user for the identified bill, is transmitted from the second network site to a third network site responsive to the first user input. Responsive to the transmitted third signal, a fourth signal representing the requested bill and an associated pay bill indicator, is transmitted from the third network site to the second network site. The bill and associated pay bill indicator represented by the transmitted fourth signal are displayed and a second user input representing a selection of the displayed pay bill indicator is received at the second network site. Responsive to the second user input, a fifth signal representing a request of the user that the bill payment entity pay the displayed bill on behalf of the user, is transmitted from the second network site to the first network site.

1 . A method for presenting and requesting payment of a bill over a communications network having a first network site associated with a bill payment entity, a second network site, which is different than the first network site, associated with a user, and a third network site, which is different than the first and the second network sites, associated with a bill presentment entity, which is different than the bill payment entity, comprising: 
 transmitting, from the second network site to the first network site, a first signal representing a request of the user for billing information;    transmitting, from the first network site to the second network site responsive to the transmitted first signal, a second signal representing a bill availability identifier for a bill of a biller for the user;    displaying the bill availability identifier represented by the transmitted second signal and receiving a first user input representing a selection of the displayed bill availability identifier, at the second network site;    transmitting, from the second network site to a third network site responsive to the received first user input, a third signal representing a request of the user for the identified bill;    transmitting, from the third network site to the second network site responsive to the transmitted third signal, a fourth signal representing the requested bill and an associated pay bill indicator;    displaying the bill and associated pay bill indicator represented by the transmitted fourth signal and receiving a second user input representing a selection of the displayed pay bill indicator, at the second network site; and    transmitting, from the second network site to the first network site responsive to the received second user input, a fifth signal representing a request of the user that the bill payment entity pay the displayed bill on behalf of the user.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the bill presentment entity is the biller.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the bill payment entity is a payment service provider capable of paying bills of multiple billers on behalf of multiple users.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 issuing, from the first network site responsive to the transmitted fifth signal, a sixth signal to initiate payment of the bill on behalf of the user by the bill payment entity.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein: 
 the payment initiated by the issuing of the sixth signal is performed according to a payment process that includes the bill payment entity directing a debiting of funds in a demand deposit account of the user maintained by a financial institution.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein: 
 the financial institution is a bank.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 transmitting, from the first network site to the third network site based on the transmitted fifth signal, a sixth signal representing a notification of receipt of the request to pay the bill of the biller on behalf of the user.    wherein the notification represented by the sixth signal includes an identification of the represented bill.    
   
   
       8 . A networked system having multiple different network stations each associated with a different entity for presenting bills to user entities and requesting payment of presented bills on behalf of the user entities, comprising: 
 a wide area communications network;    a first network station associated with a user entity for transmitting, over the communications network, a first signal representing a request of the user entity for billing information;    a second network station associated with a bill payment entity for transmitting, over the communications network, a second signal representing a bill availability identifier for a bill of a biller for the user entity, responsive to the transmitted first signal, wherein the first network station (i) displays the bill availability identifier represented by the transmitted second signal, (ii) receives a first user entity input representing a selection of the displayed bill availability identifier and (iii) transmits, over the communications network, a third signal representing a request of the user entity for the bill of the biller responsive to the received first user entity input; and    a third network station associated with a bill presentment entity for transmitting, over the communications network, a fourth signal representing the bill of the biller for the user entity and an associated pay bill indicator, responsive to the transmitted third signal;    wherein the first network station (i) displays the bill and the associated pay bill indicator represented by the transmitted fourth signal, (ii) receives a second user entity input representing a selection of the displayed pay bill indicator and (iii) transmits, over the communications network, a fifth signal representing a request to pay the displayed bill of the biller on behalf of the user entity, responsive to the second user entity input;    wherein the second network station issues a sixth signal to initiate payment of the bill by the bill payment entity on behalf of the user entity responsive to the transmitted fifth signal.    
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein: 
 the bill presentment entity is the biller.    
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein: 
 the bill payment entity is a payment service provider capable of paying bills of multiple billers on behalf of multiple user entities.    
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein: 
 the payment initiated by the issuing of the sixth signal is performed according to a payment process that includes the bill payment entity directing a debiting of funds in a demand deposit account of the user entity maintained by a financial institution.    
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein: 
 the financial institution is a bank.    
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein: 
 the second network station transmits, to the third network station over the communications network, a seventh signal representing a notification of receipt of the request to pay the bill of the biller on behalf of the user entity represented by the transmitted fifth signal.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein: 
 the notification represented by the seventh signal includes an identification of the represented bill.    
   
   
       15 . A method for presenting bills to users and requesting payment of presented bills on behalf of the users over a communications network, comprising: 
 transmitting a first message, representing a request of a user for billing information, over the communications network to a bill payment entity;    transmitting a second message, in reply to the first message and representing a bill availability identifier for a bill of a biller for the user, over the communications network to the user;    transmitting a third message, representing a request of the user for the bill of the biller identified by the bill availability identifier represented by the transmitted second message, over the communications network to a bill presentment entity different than the bill payment entity;    transmitting a fourth message, in reply to the third message and representing the bill of the biller for the user and an associated selectable pay bill request indicator, over the communications network to the user; and    transmitting, a fifth message, representing a selection of the pay bill request indicator represented by the transmitted fourth message, over the communications network to the bill payment entity.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein: 
 the selection of the pay bill request indicator represented by the transmitted fourth message activates a hyperlink via which the fifth message is transmitted.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein: 
 the selection of the pay bill request indicator is represented in the transmitted fifth message as a request to pay the bill of the biller represented by the transmitted fourth message on behalf of the user.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 debiting, by the bill payment entity, of funds in a demand deposit account of the user maintained by a financial institution, based on the selection of the pay bill request indicator represented by the transmitted fifth message.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 transmitting a sixth message representing a notification of receipt by the bill payment entity of the transmitted fifth message representing the selection of the pay bill request indicator, over the communications network to the bill presentment entity.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein: 
 the notification represented by the sixth message includes an identification of the represented bill.