U.S. patent application number 10/794485 was filed with the patent office on 2004-11-11 for system and method for presenting and processing documents on the internet.
This patent application is currently assigned to Pitney Bowes Inc.. Invention is credited to Bresnan, Mark, Gardner, David P..
Application Number | 20040225608 10/794485 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22831275 |
Filed Date | 2004-11-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040225608 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gardner, David P. ; et
al. |
November 11, 2004 |
System and method for presenting and processing documents on the
internet
Abstract
A digital document delivery system and method for providing to a
user an electronic primary document with associated secondary
documents. The secondary documents can have relative priorities and
are based upon user preference data. An electronic inserter, bill
processing server and interactive bill presentation server are used
to make the primary and secondary documents available for viewing
by a user via the user's web browser, as well as to allow the user
to interrogate the system and to respond to the primary document,
such as to pay an account due as stated in the primary document.
The digital document delivery system and method also notifies the
user of the existence of a primary and secondary documents for
viewing.
Inventors: |
Gardner, David P.;
(Southbury, CT) ; Bresnan, Mark; (Newtown,
CT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Intellectual Property and Technology Law Departmen
35 Waterview Drive
P.O. Box 3000
Shelton
CT
06484-8000
US
|
Assignee: |
Pitney Bowes Inc.
|
Family ID: |
22831275 |
Appl. No.: |
10/794485 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10794485 |
Mar 5, 2004 |
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09222196 |
Dec 29, 1998 |
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6725429 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/40 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/174 20200101;
G06Q 20/102 20130101; G06Q 30/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/040 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/60 |
Claims
1. A digital document delivery system for presentation of
electronic documents for user viewing electronically, wherein the
digital document delivery system comprises: A) an electronic
inserter that generates an electronic print stream output with
information to be presented to users of the system, said
information containing information regarding at least one primary
document and information concerning N secondary documents to be
associated with the primary document, where N is an integer equal
to or greater than zero; B) a bill processing server communicating
with the electronic inserter, wherein the bill processing server
interacts with an associated account database for maintaining
information concerning the primary document delivered to the user
and any response from the user concerning said primary document;
and C) an interactive bill presentation server for receipt of the
electronic print stream from the electronic inserter, for
generating electronically viewable data corresponding to the
primary document as well as for presenting electronic information
related to any associated secondary documents, the interactive bill
presentation server communicating with the bill processing server
and with the user, including receipt of response information from
the user for presentation to the bill processing server.
2. A digital document delivery system as defined in claim 1,
wherein each user has an electronic mail address and wherein the
bill processing server informs a specific user that an electronic
document is available for viewing by generating an electronic mail
message directed to the specific user's electronic mail
address.
3. A digital document delivery system as defined in claim 1,
wherein the bill processing server further has means for generating
report information concerning the daily activity of the electronic
primary documents viewed by associated users, as well as any
responses by those users.
4. A digital document delivery system as defined in claim 3,
wherein the bill processing server further comprises means for
generating periodic data concerning the activities of the users for
presentation to a third party institution.
5. A digital document delivery system as defined in claim 1,
wherein the interactive bill presentation server generates the user
viewable primary document and links to each associated secondary
document information in hypertext markup language format.
6. (Cancelled)
7. (Cancelled)
8. (Cancelled)
9. (Cancelled)
10. (Cancelled)
11. A digital document delivery system as defined in claim 1,
wherein the bill processing server communicates with the electronic
inserter via a router instruction processor, which in turn receives
commands from the electronic inserter regarding documents to be
deliverable to users and wherein the router instruction processor
processes these commands and communicates these commands to the
bill processing server.
12. A digital document delivery system as defined in claim 1,
wherein the bill processing server further has means for generating
a notification message directed to the user for informing the user
of the existence of at least an electronic primary document for
viewing by the user.
13. A digital document delivery system as defined in claim 12,
wherein the electronically viewable data generated by the
interactive bill presentation server is in a form for viewing by a
browser program.
14. A method of delivering digital documents for presentation of
electronic documents for user viewing electronically, comprising
the steps of: A) generating an electronic print stream output with
information to be presented to users, said information containing
information regarding at least one primary document and information
concerning N secondary documents to be associated with the primary
document, where N is an integer equal to or greater than zero; B)
interacting with an associated account database for maintaining
information concerning the primary document delivered to the user
and any response from the user concerning said primary document;
and C) receiving the electronic print stream for generating
electronically viewable data corresponding to the primary document
as well as for presenting electronic information related to any
associated secondary documents, and communicating with the user,
including receipt of response information from the user for
modifying the account database.
15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein each user has an
electronic mail address and wherein the method further comprises
the step of informing a specific user that an electronic document
is available for viewing by generating an electronic mail message
directed to the specific user's electronic mail address.
16. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the method further
comprises the step of generating report information concerning the
daily activity of the electronic primary documents viewed by
associated users, as well as any responses by those users.
17. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the electronically
viewable data and the electronic information related to any
associated secondary document is in hypertext markup language
format.
18. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of
generating a notification message directed to the user for
informing the user of the existence of at least an electronic
primary document for viewing by the user.
19. A bill processing server for use in a digital document delivery
system having a router instruction processor (RIP) for controlling
via an electronic inserter, the generation of an electronic print
stream for presentation to an associated interactive bill
presentment server (IBPS), with the IBPS responsible for generating
the print stream data in an electronic form for viewing primary and
secondary documents by a customer, the bill processing server for
further communicating with a database containing customer account
information; comprising: means for receiving bill requests from the
RIP, said bill request containing bill data objects regarding the
nature of an electronic bill primary document to be sent
electronically over a network for viewing by the customer; means
for updating the database based upon the received bill data
objects; means for instructing the IBPS to generate an
electronically viewable version of a primary document with N
associated secondary documents, where N is an integer equal to or
greater than zero; and means for receipt of information from the
IBPS concerning any customer responses so as to update the
database.
20. A bill processing server as defined in claim 19, further
comprising means for generating a notification message for delivery
to the customer so as to notify the customer of the existence of a
primary document directed to the customer.
21. A bill processing server as defined in claim 19, wherein the
means for updating of the database includes means for updating
information concerning when the customer has paid some or all of an
outstanding balance.
22. A bill processing server as defined in claim 21, wherein at
least some of the data presented to the bill processing server from
the IBPS includes customer information concerning when the customer
has reviewed an associated bill directed to the customer.
23. A bill processing server as defined in claim 22, further
wherein the bill processing server communicates with the RIP to
indicate that the bill processing server has successfully received
the bill data object and has stored it in the account database.
24. A bill processing server as defined in claim 23, wherein the
bill processing server further has means for generating account
information for submission to an associated payment processing
system.
25. A bill processing server as defined in claim 19, wherein the
means for updating the database includes means for maintaining
status information in said database with respect to customer
interaction with the digital document delivery system.
26. A bill processing server as defined in claim 19, further
comprising means for maintaining status information concerning the
digital document delivery system in said database.
27. A bill processing server as defined in claim 19, wherein the
means for instructing the IBPS to generate electronically viewable
documents includes means for generating information regarding links
to one or more secondary documents, said links to be positioned on
the primary document.
28. A method of controlling an account database containing
information concerning customers' account balances associated with
the delivery of electronic bills to the customers, comprising the
steps of: a) receiving a bill request containing bill data objects
representative of the nature of a bill to be presented to a
customer; b) based upon the bill data objects, updating the data
stored in the account database for that customer; and c) receiving
customer response information concerning the electronic bill
delivered to the customer and based upon this response information,
updating the account database for that customer.
29. A bill processing method as defined in claim 28, further
comprising the step of generating periodic reports concerning the
status of the account database.
30. A bill processing method as defined in claim 29, further
comprising the step of generating links to secondary documents that
are associated with a bill.
31. A bill processing method as defined in claim 30, further
comprising the step of notifying the customer of an existence of an
electronic document to be viewed by the customer.
32. A bill processing method as defined in claim 31, wherein the
means for generating the notification to the customer is by
electronic mail delivered to the electronic mail box associated
with the customer.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic mail delivery
mechanism, particularly for the use via the Internet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many businesses currently send out mass mailings to their
customers or prospective customers for various business reasons.
For example, a public utility such as an electrical power
generating company may generate and send out hundreds of thousands
of bills to its customers each month. As another example, a company
may wish to send targeted marketing information, such as a sales
letter to prospective customers on a mailing list. In either
example, the company may wish to augment the bill or basic sales
letter with additional secondary material generally referred to as
"inserts", which, in many cases, are related to specific
information about the particular customer or prospective customer
to which it is sent. Various companies produce mail inserting
systems, such as the Pitney Bowes Production Mail Center 2000, for
purposes of generating mass mailings with such inserts.
[0003] Companies that use such mail inserting systems to generate
mass mailings typically use older computer systems, sometimes
referred to as "legacy" computer systems due to the relative age of
the computer hardware and software to generate the print data
stream. These "legacy" computer systems are still found to be
effective for purposes of doing mass billings and thus it is
desirable to continue to use the output print stream from such
computer systems for purposes of generating electronic mass
mailings. Applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.
08/968,649 having Attorney Docket Number E-632 describes such a
system and method for electronic and physical mass mailing in which
such legacy computer systems are used and in particular, where an
electronic data stream can be derived from the mainframe print
stream output so as to divert some or all of the print stream
information which would otherwise be sent to a physical mail
delivery system to an electronic delivery system. It is there seen
that an electronic inserter can use the electronic delivery print
stream so as to generate a plurality of electronic documents and
from there to generate electronic mail pieces which via a message
router, can be delivered to the intended recipient. The electronic
mail pieces each contain an electronic document and possibly one or
more electronic inserts. The electronic router can output such
information via e-mail, pager, fax, printer or the like.
[0004] U.S. application Ser. No. 08/968,651 having Attorney Docket
Number E-685 further details a mail delivery system and method in
which mass electronic mailing is accomplished by use of a database
that includes a plurality of instruction templates, with each
template corresponding to one of a plurality of electronic delivery
mechanisms. An electronic inserter operates so as to generate
electronic insert mail pieces while a computer processor is
provided for associating each mail piece with at least one
instruction template where each template corresponds to one of a
plurality of electronic delivery mechanisms. The electronic mail
piece is then delivered by the specified electronic delivery
mechanism such as a worldwide web (web) browser, electronic mail
(e-mail, pager, fax or printer).
[0005] For purposes of determining which of the plurality of mass
mailing documents are to be sent via electronic means, U.S.
application Ser. No. 08/968,498 having Attorney Docket Number E-653
describes a process for distributing messages from a sender to a
recipient according to distribution preferences of the sender and
the reception preferences of the recipient so that a sender can
compose a message and define a set of preferences that indicate a
destination, method of delivery, delivery media, class of service,
carrier and other requirements pertaining to the message while the
recipient can define preferences that indicate how that recipient
prefers to receive messages, as well as the methods that are
available for transmission. The sender thereby dispatches the
message according to the sender's preferences and the recipient's
preferences are analyzed to develop a set of routing rules that
govern the message delivery process. Conflicts in the routing rules
are resolved so that the message can be reformatted if needed, and
feedback about the distribution can be provided to the sender so as
to assist the sender in ascertaining the quality of service with
respect to the delivery of the message to the recipient.
[0006] The present invention is directed to an improved system and
method for presenting and processing primary documents, especially
primary customer documents such as bills, where such primary
documents may further be presented with one or more secondary
documents (called "inserts").
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is directed to a digital document
delivery system and method, particularly for use on the Internet
and particularly for presentation of electronic bills to a customer
with a mechanism for payment thereof by the customer. The digital
document delivery system comprises subsystems which work together
so as to provide a generalized capability to allow an end-user with
an Internet browser to view an electronic version of the customer's
bill which would have otherwise been printed, but which is now
presented in hypertext markup language (HTML) or similar format.
The recipient can then pay the bill that he or she is viewing.
[0008] The digital document delivery system comprises four
subsystems which typically execute on four separate servers.
[0009] A print stream separator in combination with an electronic
inserter determines which primary and secondary documents are to be
presented electronically to the customer. In order to perform this
task, the print stream separator separates an incoming print stream
into a physical and electronic delivery print steam, with this
separation based upon customer preference data. The electronic
inserter then determines what secondary or "insert" documents are
to be electronically referenced to the primary document as sent to
a customer. These insert documents are generally referenced to the
primary documents by hypertext links (sometimes called "hotlinks").
A router instruction processor (RIP) receives "send requests"
messages from the electronic inserter and generates "bill request"
therefrom. Each bill request is sent to a bill processing server
(BPS). The RIP is responsible for collecting status information
regarding the bill to be processed, as well as to make such
information available to the submitting process.
[0010] The BPS acts as a fulfillment center and is responsible for
monitoring the status of an interactive bill presentation server
(IBPS) so as to determine when the IBPS has received the print
stream data which will be transformed into a viewable electronic
document. The BPS is able to respond to IBPS requests for data,
including links to other worldwide web sites. The BPS is able to
send e-mail messages to bill recipients so as to notify them when
their electronic bill is ready for viewing. The BPS is also able to
respond to bill payment requests from the end-user and to
appropriately control the modification of customer debt, remittance
and status data as stored in an account database.
[0011] The IBPS is responsible for interactivity with a customer's
web browser. The IBPS takes the print stream data and converts it
to a form viewable using a web browser. It also sends status
information back to the BPS regarding the status of the bill,
including if the customer has requested that the bill be paid while
viewing same.
[0012] Thus the document delivery system presents an electronic
document to a customer by use of incoming traditional print stream
data. In addition to a print stream separator and electronic
inserter, the document delivery systems includes a router
instruction processor, a bill processing server receiving
instructions from the router instruction processor, and an
interactive bill presentation server for receipt of instructions
from the bill processing server and in response to said
instructions and receipt of the print stream data, generating an
electronic version of the print stream data for presentation in an
electronic form, as well as for receipt of response information
from the customer concerning a document presented to the recipient,
including presenting the response information to the bill
processing server.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] For a fuller understanding and the nature of the object of
the present invention, reference should be made to the following
detailed description, taken in conjunction with the following
drawing in which:
[0014] FIGS. 1A and 1B form an overall block diagram of a digital
document delivery system according to the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block/flow diagram of the electronic inserter
and router instruction processor shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a block/flow diagram of the router instruction
processor, bill processing server and interactive bill presentment
server shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
Detailed Description
[0017] As used throughout this description, the words "user" and
"customer" are synonymous, as are the words "bill" and "primary
document" and the words "insert" and "secondary document".
Definitions of acronyms are presented in Table 1.
[0018] As best seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a digital document delivery
system 10 comprises a number of functional elements which combine
to provide a system for electronically delivering documents to a
recipient which would typically otherwise be generated in hard copy
form. As an overview of such a system, a digital computer 12 is
shown which in many applications may be a mainframe computer of the
legacy type commonly used for generating customer billing. This
computer generates a print data stream 14 which typically
represents a stream of customer bills or the like. This print data
stream is presented to a print stream separator 16. The print
stream separator also receives customer preference data forming
part of a customer preference file 18 via data path 19. The
customer preference file forms part of the customer preference
database 20 for all of the customers. Typically, this customer
database contains information concerning the customers of a company
which periodically generates bills to its customers. This
information typically includes customer account information, mail
address information, electronic mail (e-mail) address, and other
demographic information concerning the customer (e.g., age, sex,
hobbies, occupation) which may be relevant for purposes of
generating billing or insert information. The information relevant
to deciding whether a specific customer desires electronic delivery
of documents, and, if so, the demographic information relevant to
secondary document selection (e.g., age, sex, hobbies, occupation,
etc.), is transferred to the print separator via data path 19.
[0019] The print stream separator receives this information along
with the print data stream 14 and determines which print data
should be sent to a high speed printer 22 via hard copy output data
stream 24 and which information should be presented to an
electronic inserter 26. The print data sent to the electronic
inserter includes an electronic print stream 25 representing the
primary document to be electronically delivered. The print data
also includes electronic mail run data in a specific format known
as Electronic Mail Run Data File Specification (EMRDF) by means of
an electronic output data stream 28. This data contains information
concerning secondary documents to be associated with the primary
document, with the secondary document data based upon the specific
customer preference file.
[0020] The electronic inserter also receives customer account
information and general customer information via data path 30 which
forms part of the customer preference file 18. The account
information contains general customer information, such as postal
mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, bank account information and
the like. It is also directly transferred from the customer
preference database to the electronic inserter via data path 30. Of
course, other information could be included, such as customer
facsimile number, beeper number and the like for purposes of
primary document notification.
[0021] The electronic inserter performs a function similar to that
performed by inserting systems that generate inserts to accompany
customer bills when bills are generated in hard copy.
[0022] The electronic inserter also receives information from a job
set-up application module 32 which contains information concerning
the types of inserts which are available for insertion by the
electronic inserter and the electronic slot location for these
inserts. This information concerning the specific job is known as
job set-up data and contains information concerning hypertext links
to electronic locations where such insert information is available.
Thus, the electronic inserter need not actually generate the
specific insert information to accompany the customer bill, but,
rather, need only include the electronic link to such information
for ultimate presentation to the customer in an electronic form.
For example, accompanying a customer utility bill might be one or
more links which when clicked upon in a browser, such as the
Netscape Navigator.TM. browser or Internet Explorer.TM. browser,
would cause the user to connect to that link for presentation of
specific insert information, which may be an advertisement,
informational data or the like. The electronic inserter 26 thus
performs a function analogous to a hard copy inserting system but
without the need for electronically generating an analogous
electronic copy of each insert but rather electronically generating
information regarding a link for obtaining such information when
the customer desires to view it.
[0023] The output of the electronic inserter is typically a file in
AFP format. This output is presented on data path 34 of the
electronic inserter. In this way, the file structure for the bill
is in the same format as that which would be presented if print
output were to be generated. Of course, other file formats could be
used.
[0024] The electronic inserter communicates with a router
instruction processor (RIP) 36. The RIP communicates with the
electronic inserter via communication path 38 so as to send status
information to the electronic inserter as well as to receive bill
requests (BR) from the electronic inserter. The bill request
instructs the RIP to generate a bill request via communication path
40 to a bill processing server (BPS) 42. The bill processing server
also communicates via communication path 40 with the RIP to send
bill status information to the RIP. Information regarding secondary
documents to be associated with the primary document is also
transferred to the RIP by the electronic inserter.
[0025] In operation, the RIP sends the bill request to the BPS so
as to initiate the generation of a notification to the appropriate
customer.
[0026] The BPS monitors the interactive bill presentation server
(IBPS) 44 via communication path 46. The IBPS is responsible for
receiving the electronic print data stream files via communication
path 34 and processing these documents so as to be later
presentable to the customer. It is only after the documents have
been so pre-processed that the customer can actually view the
primary document (bill) and the associated secondary documents
(inserts) via a web browser over communication path 48 forming part
of the Internet. The IBPS is also responsible for generating
account information known generally as bill status update
information which is communicated to the BPS. This bill status
update information typically includes the customer account number,
the date the bill was run, whether the bill has been loaded,
whether it has been accessed by the customer, whether it has been
paid by the customer and the like. Some of this information as
generated by the IBPS is received via communication path 48 from
the customer at his or her computer via the associated browser
software 54 that is run on the customer's computer 52.
[0027] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
IBPS generates the Internet browser viewable data stream when
requested by the customer by use of the @ Work Technologies
Internet billing system known as the WorkOut.TM. Internet Billing
System for generating browser viewable information such as in
hypertext markup language (HTML) or other browser compatible
languages (now or in the future) such as Extensible Markup Language
(XML) and Java. As seen in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 3, it should be noted
that in operation the IBPS receives the raw print data from the
electronic inserter and generates an intermediate document
corresponding to this print data using the XML language, which in
turn is stored and indexed in intermediate document database 61,
such as an Oracle.TM. database. Part of the information for
generating this intermediate document is derived from design and
build document templates 63. The location for placement of
secondary document links based upon the received priority of the
secondary document from the EMRDF file, and the overall design of
the primary document, can be stored in these templates.
[0028] The IBPS receives the specific links (called "hotlinks") for
the secondary document from the BPS. The BPS also acts as an
electronic "traffic cop", by not allowing the IBPS to generate
viewable documents unless the BPS has determined that all related
documents and account information is ready for viewing.
[0029] The BPS 42 communicates with a bill remittance and status
data database 56 via communication path 58 for retrieving and
updating bill remittance and status data concerning customer bills
based upon information received by the bill processing server from
the IBPS which in turn receives information from the customer via
the Internet and the associated browser communicating with the
Internet.
[0030] The BPS furthermore is responsible for notifying the
customer that a bill or other information is available for viewing
via the Internet. The BPS performs this task in any of a plurality
of manners, such as by generating an e-mail notification message
which can be sent over the Internet to the customer's e-mail
address as diagrammatically shown by e-mail event 60. Of course,
other methods could be used by the BPS to notify the customer, such
as generating a facsimile message and sending it via facsimile to
the customer's facsimile machine, by generating a beeper message
for presentation to the customer's beeper; or even by generating a
print mail message to be delivered to the customer's mail
address.
[0031] The BPS is also responsible for generating daily reports
concerning the overall status of the digital document delivery
system. These reports can be communicated to a biller module 62 via
communication path 64 and may contain such information as daily
account receivable reports, information concerning customers that
have not paid their respective bills for a certain period of time,
customers who have not viewed a bill after a certain period of
time, etc.
[0032] The BPS is responsible for generating information for
presentation to an associated bank 66 via communication path 68.
Such information would typically include daily ACH Batch Feed File
information and any other information which the proprietor of the
digital document delivery system wants to communicate with its
associated bank.
1 TABLE 1 ACRONYMS DEFINITIONS ACH Automated Clearing House AFP
Advanced Format for Printing ASCII American Standard Code for
Information Exchange CORBA Common Object Request Broker
Architecture EBCDIC Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
HTML Hypertext Markup Language HTTP Hypertext Transport Protocol
IIOP Internet Inter-ORB Protocol JDBC JAVA Database Connectivity
MRDF Mail Run Date File ORB Object Request Broker PDF Portable
Document Format SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol XML Extended
Markup Language
Module Details
[0033] Details of the modules described above so as to achieve the
stated operation are presented in Table 2.
[0034] FIGS. 2 and 3 show details of the modules as well as the
objects and language protocols used in the preferred embodiment of
the present invention.
[0035] The print stream separator, electronic inserter, RIP, BPS
and IBPS can be implemented on computer servers; e.g. Intel
processor based servers using Microsoft Windows NT.TM. on UNIX.TM.
operating systems. A high level object oriented language e.g. Sun
Microsystems' JAVA language can be preferably used to implement the
specific instructions for performing above-described tasks.
2TABLE 2 MODULE FUNCTION Enrollment Application Capture customer
account Module 27 number, full name of customer, email address of
customer, checking account number, customer's account bank name,
bank routing number, WEB password Print Stream Separator 16 Based
on customer account number, split out documents destined by digital
delivery, send these documents as AFP file. Electronic Inserter 26
Get data from Job Setup Module 32, customer preference file from
customer preference database 20, print stream separator 16 and
EMRDF output, compose bill request objects (BR), receive status
messages from RIP, control AFP feed to IBPS. Job Setup Application
32 Produce file of inserts in the form of hotlinks that are
logically assigned to physical inserter bins. Router Instruction
Processor (RIP) Service incoming requests from 36 multiple clients
(EIs), route requests to FAX, EMAIL, WEB, LOCAL PRINT, and PAGER,
issue notifications based on status received, process status back
to clients. Database Account 56 Store remittance data, bill data,
and status data for digital bills. Bill Processing Server (BPS) 42
Save and retrieve bill data to the database, service CORBA requests
for hotlinks from IBPS, process bill status messages from IBPS back
to the RIP, issue reports and initiate payments feeds. Interactive
Bill Present Server Process interactive events (IBPS) 44 performed
on the bill by customers, render HTML to customers based on
downloaded servlets and stored XML rules, design document
templates.
Summary of Operation of Digital Document Delivery System
[0036] In view of the description above, the overall operation of
the digital document delivery system is to generate a print stream
of data, typically in a format compatible with that used in current
hard copy printer print stream data, such as in the AFP file. This
information is generated via an electronic inserter which receives
data concerning a customer's bill as well as inserts to be
presented in that customer's bill based upon the associated
customer's preference file. This information is communicated to an
interactive bill presentation server which takes the information
and generates an output (based upon pre-processed information and
downloaded servlets concerning the design of the bill) which is
compatible for viewing such information over the Internet by means
of browser software executed on the customer's personal computer so
as to generate screens of information which look essentially
similar to a hard copy bill and associated inserts that the
customer would receive had the bill been generated by traditional
print means. This is shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1A and 1B as
bill 70 with its associated inserts.
[0037] The interactive bill presentation server is under the
control of the bill processing server which, in turn, is
responsible for updating associated account database that contains
information concerning the status of bills, payments thereof, etc.,
by the associated customer, as well as for notifying the customer
of an existence of a bill for viewing via a web browser. The bill
processing server, in turn, communicates with a router instruction
processor which interacts with the electronic inserter, as well as
informing the bill processing server of the generation of an
electronic print stream associated with a bill and associated
inserts for presentation to the interactive bill presentation
server. The interactive bill presentation server receives
instructions from the customer via the Internet which, in turn, are
communicated to the bill processing server for updating bill
remittance data and the like, upon the customer indicating his or
her desire to pay an associated bill received electronically. Bills
are only made available to a customer when all necessary
information for viewing has been pre-processed. An enrollment
application module is also made available to prospective/current
customers to allow them to create/update information in their
customer preference file.
[0038] The overall result of the present digital document delivery
system and method is an electronic analog of the traditional hard
copy printed bills generated by traditional high speed printer and
mail inserting systems and associated computers that instruct such
systems with regard to generating bills and associated inserts. The
present invention eliminates the paper associated with traditional
print systems, provides an electronic analog to the bill received
so that the bill format is familiar to the customer, provides easy
means for the customer to pay such bills, as well as to view
associated inserts having links sent with the bill.
[0039] Furthermore, the overall digital document delivery system
and method allows the proprietor of such an overall system to
monitor the activities of its customers with respect to when they
view their bills, what inserts they retrieve, when they pay their
bill(s), etc., thereby giving the proprietor of the digital
document delivery system better information concerning its customer
base, their likes and dislikes, based upon their viewing or not
viewing associated insert information, and the like. This, in turn,
allows the proprietor of the digital document delivery system to
modify the customer preference file for associated customers so as
to present to such customers inserts which would be more desirable
for viewing by that customer, and thereby enhancing the overall
delivery of bills and inserts to its customers.
[0040] Although a web browser is used in the present invention for
Internet presentation of information to the customer and for
receipt of information from the customer, any electronic
communication means, including an Intranet or any other form of
electronic delivery which is viewable by a customer with the
customer's associated viewing equipment (which would typically be a
browser program run on a personal computer), could be utilized for
presentation and receipt of electronic information to the
associated customers of the proprietor of the digital document
delivery system.
[0041] Furthermore, although the customer bill information is shown
as being separated by a print stream separator 16 with the original
customer bill information generated by a digital computer where at
least some of the information may be presented to a traditional
high volume printer, all of the information could, in fact, be
generated in electronic form without the need for such a print
stream separator. Furthermore, the format of such bill information
need not be in any specific form prior to generation of the
electronic version for viewing by the customer's browser as
generated by the interactive bill presentation server.
[0042] Although the electronic inserter, router instruction
processor, bill processing server and interactive bill presentation
server are shown as separate modules, some or all of these modules
may, in fact, reside on the same digital computer server.
[0043] In summary, the digital document delivery system provides a
primary document (such as a bill) and associated secondary
documents (such as inserts) for each identified user (customer)
having an associated customer preference file. The selection of
secondary documents can be based upon information in a customer's
preference file. The customer can communicate with the digital
document delivery system, obtain information therefrom, and perform
tasks therewith (e.g., pay a bill).
[0044] In the foregoing specification, the invention has been
described as referenced to specific embodiments thereof. It will,
however, be evident that various modification and changes may be
made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of
the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to
be regarded as illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.
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