U.S. patent application number 13/232807 was filed with the patent office on 2012-04-19 for collection agency data access method.
Invention is credited to Kevin A. Layne.
Application Number | 20120095886 13/232807 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37663706 |
Filed Date | 2012-04-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120095886 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Layne; Kevin A. |
April 19, 2012 |
COLLECTION AGENCY DATA ACCESS METHOD
Abstract
An account data access method allowing access to an agency
account database, such as that of a collection or other debt
recovery agency, from public sites over a network by agency
affiliates and clients of the agency. The invention provides for
secure access to a client's accounts using a web browser over the
internet. The invention also provides for different levels of
access to the accounts among different representatives of the
client.
Inventors: |
Layne; Kevin A.; (Coon
Rapids, MN) |
Family ID: |
37663706 |
Appl. No.: |
13/232807 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12404091 |
Mar 13, 2009 |
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13232807 |
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11483140 |
Jul 7, 2006 |
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12404091 |
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09435198 |
Nov 5, 1999 |
7167839 |
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11483140 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/30 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 2221/2135 20130101;
G06F 21/6227 20130101; G06Q 40/00 20130101; G06F 2221/2141
20130101; G06Q 30/00 20130101; G06Q 20/102 20130101; G06Q 40/12
20131203; G06Q 40/025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/30 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20120101
G06Q010/10 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving logon credentials over a network
from a user, the logon credentials providing access to an online
system that stores debtor account data of debts owned by a creditor
that is a client of a collection agency that maintains the data in
the online system; authenticating the user as a client of the
collection agency; generating a report as a function of at least a
portion of the logon credentials, the generating of the report
comprising: retrieving debtor account data of debtor accounts of
the debts owned by the creditor placed with the collection agency
and represented in a database of the online system, the retrieved
debtor account data for each debtor account including debtor
identifying data, debtor account status data, and a date associated
with the account; formatting the retrieved account data in a format
displayable by web browser computer application, the formatted data
comprising a document; and transmitting the document from the
online system over the network to the user.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatting of the retrieved
account data includes embedding a hypertext link in the document
for each debtor account represented in the document, the hypertext
links providing a link to retrieve further data from the database
over the network, the further data regarding the debtor account of
the respective hyperlink.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is an HTML
document.
4. A method comprising: receiving input identifying a debtor
account placed with a collection agency by a creditor; retrieving
debtor account data from a database including data representative
of debtor accounts placed with the collection agency for collection
activity, the database including data representative of collection
activities performed by the collection agency with regard to
individual accounts represented in the database, the retrieved
debtor account data for each debtor account including debtor
identifying data, debtor account status data, and a date associated
with the account; formatting the retrieved debtor account data in a
format displayable by web browser computer application, the
formatted data comprising a document; and transmitting the document
from the online system over the network to the user.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the formatting of the retrieved
account data includes embedding a hypertext link in the document
for each debtor account represented in the document, the hypertext
links providing a link to retrieve further data from the database
over the network, the further data regarding the debtor account of
the respective hyperlink.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the document is an HTML document.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/404,091, filed on Mar. 13, 2009, which is a continuation of
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/483,140, filed on Jul. 7, 2006, which
is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/435,198, filed on
Nov. 5, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,167,839), which applications are
all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Technical Field
[0002] This invention relates generally to systems and methods for
storing and retrieving account data. In particular, the invention
pertains to a system and method for allowing secure client access
to collection agency accounts over a network from a public
site.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In conventional data access systems used by commercial
recovery and other collection agencies, client account data is
stored in databases maintained by various "collection agency
software packages" and/or other databases or spreadsheets. This
software is run on various computer hardware platforms running
different operating systems. Access to the data is only available
through the interfaces provided by the software and by a trained
operator at the agency site. Typically, when a client requests data
on a specific account or on a group of accounts, the request is
routed to the appropriate person where it is acted upon immediately
by telephone during business hours, or placed in an "In Basket" and
worked as time and resources permit. This process may involve
running queries on the database, creating spreadsheets, and writing
status reports and letters. Client contact is often by telephone
and depends upon the availability of both parties. The client then
receives the requested data, but it is sometimes several days
later, and the client only receives the data that the agency deems
appropriate.
[0004] Data maintained by the databases of these "software
packages" include but is not limited to the following fields:
Debtor Code, Debtor Name, Debtor Address, Debtor City, Debtor
State, Debtor Zip, Phone Number, Employee Contact, Extension Date,
Collection Number, Assignment Date, Original Amount Due, Total
Amount Due, Status, and Comments (each time an account is worked
the collector enters a note describing the outcome of the call or
contact). This information is usually never shown to the client but
is used by the collectors as historical reference. This data is
typically processed and manipulated by the collection agency
software to schedule collector calls, print letters and other
statements, prepare reports and provide collection agency operators
with access to the data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It would be advantageous for clients of collection agencies
and other debt recovery companies to be able to access their
accounts from their place of business, such as via the World Wide
Web with a web browser at the client's site. In response to this
need, the present invention in one embodiment is a system and
method allowing access from public sites over a network to an
agency account database, such as that of a collection or other debt
recovery agency, by agency affiliates and clients of the agency
from public sites over a network. In such a system, data items
associated with the accounts belonging to clients of the agency are
stored in the agency database. The database is accessed by a
database server that interfaces with a network server. (The term
"server" as used herein refers to a process that provides services
to another process on the same or different host machine.) The
network server processes database access requests received over a
network from a user process controlled by a remote user at a public
site or other remote location. In a typical embodiment, the network
server is a web server (i.e., a hypertext transport protocol or
HTTP server), and the user process is a web browser.
[0006] In order to provide for data security, the network server
processes credentials transmitted by the user process in order to
authenticate the identity of the user as either a client
representative or an agency affiliate authorized to access the
database. After a user is authenticated and the identity
established, the database server processes data access requests in
accordance with a defined access scheme such that a user process
controlled by a representative of a particular client is allowed
access only to data items associated with an account belonging to
that client. The defined access scheme further provides for a
plurality of access tiers such that a particular client
representative is allowed access only to those client account data
items allowed by the tier to which the representative has been
assigned. The network server may also process credentials
transmitted by the user process to authenticate the identity of the
user as an agency representative or affiliate, with the tiered
access scheme including an access tier for agency representatives
that allows access to all data items contained in the database.
[0007] As aforesaid, the user process that the client uses to
access the database is typically a web browser. In an exemplary
embodiment, an authenticated client is presented with an HTML
(hypertext markup language) form by the web server that the user
fills in with a request for data. The web server then uses the
information in the form to invoke a CGI (common gateway interface)
program which then communicates with the database server to
retrieve the requested information from the database. In another
embodiment, the web browser executes a java applet downloaded from
the web server that communicates with the database server over the
network in order to retrieve the user requested data.
[0008] The database in an exemplary system is a relational database
that defines one or more tables for containing one or more records
therein, with the data items stored in defined data fields of the
records according to type. In the case of collection agency
accounts, the data items may include, e.g., a debtor identifier,
location of debtor, amount owed on an account, account status,
amount paid, and original amount owed. Each such data item would be
stored in a data field of a record associated with a particular
account. The records thereby serve to group the data items into
data entities, with each of such data entities being associated
with a particular account. In order to associate each record (and
thereby each data item) with a particular account, an account
identifier may be related to each record by, e.g., a table of
records containing all data items in the database with the account
identifier used as a key. In order to identify the client to which
a particular account belongs, a client identifier is stored in the
database as a data item, with each account identifier being related
to a client identifier by, e.g., a table of account identifiers for
each client identifier.
[0009] The database server in one embodiment may allow a user
process to query the database with relational expressions (in,
e.g., SQL) and be presented with data responsive to the query in
accordance with the defined access scheme, thus providing a means
by which a client can search for a specific account or group of
accounts meeting the client's criteria. In another or the same
embodiment, a client representative accessing the database through
the web browser may request and be presented with a plurality of
selected views of data items associated with accounts belonging to
the client. ("Views" are derived relations or tables of a
database.) Preferably, the system also allows a selected view to
present data items sorted according to a selected data item, which
the user specifies in the data request. Such views may thus present
the data and/or subsets of a client's account data grouped in ways
meaningful to collection agency clients.
[0010] For example, the selected view may present data items sorted
according to debtor name, debtor identifier, the account
identifier, state in which a debtor is located, account status,
date on which an account was entered into the system, or by a range
of amounts owed on an account. A selected view could then show any
combination of the following: an account identifier, the name of a
debtor on the account, a state in which the debtor is located,
amounts paid on the account, amounts owing on the account, original
amount due, account status, account transactions, and a collector's
notes on an account. A selected view may also include a link to an
online-ledger for each account represented in the selected view,
wherein the online-ledger presents a plurality of data items
associated with a single account, such as a presentation of all the
data for a single account on a single screen, or a listing of all
transactions of an account.
[0011] In a particular embodiment, the defined access scheme may be
implemented by the views of the data that a client is permitted to
see. In that case, the database server restricts a particular
client's data access to only those views of the data items that
include the client identifier for that client. Similarly, the
access tiers are implemented by the database server restricting
data access of particular client representatives to selected views
of the data items to which the client has data access. The tiered
access scheme may allow for differential client access to accounts
owned by a client among representatives of the client in accordance
with a management structure of the client, allowing managers to
view and sort accounts of people working under them or at different
divisions. In some embodiments, a particular access tier may allow
a particular client representative to input data through the web
site interface into the agency account database. Such data input
operations by a client may include, for example, inserting comments
into a designated record field, placing new business by entering a
new account into the system along with data items associated with
that account, or issuing instructions about accounts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts the components of a particular system
embodying the invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting the collection agency
clients navigation and the data flow associated with that client in
the use of the system.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a high level flow chart depicting the collection
agency client's navigation through different views and the Quick
Search or Query function to arrive at the On Line Journal.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a pictorial representation of a tiered access
scheme.
[0016] FIG. 5 depicts a tier being added to the access scheme.
[0017] FIG. 6 is an actual print out of an On Line Journal using
the print frame command of a web browser.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] A preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
as described below, is a collection agency data access system that
provides clients of commercial debt recovery and collection
agencies the ability to access pertinent account data in real-time
over the internet, requiring only internet access and a web browser
at the client site. The system provides the clients of collection
agencies a powerful tool at their places of business for the
management of their accounts placed with the collection agency. The
system further provides the client with the ability to view
individual accounts or status groups of accounts via different
views and quick search functions, to communicate comments and/or
instructions, and to place new accounts. It further allows clients
to access this data outside of normal business hours and at a
much-reduced cost as compared to prior methods and systems which
impose costs on the client involving both time and long distance
phone fees. The system presents the data stored on the collection
agency system "as is," such that, with the exception of formatting
to improve readability, the data presented is not edited or changed
by the collection agency.
[0019] A "Quick Search" function is provided to further enable the
client to find and ascertain the status of their accounts. When any
individual account is accessed through any of the views or by using
the Quick Search function, the account data is presented in an "On
Line Ledger," as shown in FIG. 6. This ledger presents all the data
for that account. This ledger form also lists account transactions
or payments against the debt and the collector's notes showing
dates of contact and the results of the call.
[0020] FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a data
processing system which may be utilized to implement the method and
system of the present invention. As may be seen, the data
processing system may include a plurality of computer systems and
servers, such as separate web servers and production computers. Of
course, a plurality of computers and servers is neither necessary
nor desirable, in some cases, in order to implement the methods and
systems of the present invention. A single computer may be
sufficient in certain situations to implement a satisfactory system
in accordance with the invention. Furthermore, there are a number
of core technologies and software tools that provide methods to
access data in databases and present the data to users on the
internet. What is used is in part determined by the platform and
operating system that the host collection agency software resides
on. Availability and cost of the skill sets required for the
different implementations also determine what tools should be used
in a particular situation. Advancements in software and computing
platforms will, of course, determine what implementation tools are
used in the future.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows that the database DB is maintained by the
collection agency software CAS which interfaces directly with
internal client process IC. The database DB may also be accessed by
a database server DBS that communicates with users over a network.
The database server may constitute custom software or a readily
available commercial product that makes the data available to a
plurality of formatting and web server software. The database
server DBS interfaces to a web server (i.e., a hypertext transport
protocol or HTTP server) WS that communicates with remote clients
RC using web browsers over the internet. The database DB, agency
software CAS, database server DBS, and web server WS may reside
within the same or different host machines communicating over a
network.
[0022] In a particular exemplary implementation, the database DB
and agency software CAS reside in a host at the collection agency
site. The data contained in the database DB is extracted and
replicated by Lotus Notes Pump (or its successor Lotus Enterprise
Integrator) in one or more hosts which clients are able to access
over the internet. The replicated data is in the form of a Notes
database accessible by the Lotus Domino program, which also
provides the web serving function. Thus, in this embodiment, the
functions of the database server DBS and web server WS are
performed by Lotus Domino in conjunction with Notes Pump.
[0023] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart/block diagram illustrating the
collection agency client's access and navigation of the system's
interface using a web browser. Navigation through a World Wide Web
based application is accomplished with a web browser through
hypertext links embedded in downloaded web pages using the
hypertext transport protocol. Starting at the public web site A2,
the user requests access to the secure client site E2 and is
prompted to enter a user ID and password at step B2. The user is
then authenticated or refused access at step C2. A number of
methods and systems for authentication that are readily available
and well-known to those of skill in the art. If the user is granted
access at step C2, data is retrieved from the database DB at step
D2, which step is accomplished by the database server DBS in a
manner dependent upon the core technologies used to implement the
system and may be achieved through transactions utilizing CGI
scripts, Java, JBDC, OBDC, SQL or other methods.
[0024] The account data may be displayed in multiple views, each
sorting and sub-setting the data items associated with the accounts
by different criteria. From the secure client site interface E2,
the authenticated collection agency client is presented at step F2
with the choice of a plurality of views or predefined queries of
the accounts placed with the collection agency by this client. When
the collection agency client user requests a view from the choices
presented at step F2, the user is presented with the chosen view at
step G2. The user may then select an individual account and be
presented with the "On Line Journal" at step H2. Alternatively, a
quick search or query function may be invoked at step J2 with the
results returned at step 12.
[0025] FIG. 3 depicts the navigation of the collection agency
client's accounts using the system's "Quick Search or "Query"
function at step B3, "Views" function at step C3 and "On Line
Journal" function at step D3. Starting at the "Customer Center"
interface A3 (i.e., from the secure client site interface A2 as
already seen in FIG. 2), the collection agency client user may
choose from a plurality of views numbered 1 through 5 at step C3,
or the invoke the "Quick Search" function at step B3. Views
presented at step C3 include but are not limited to accounts sorted
by the following parameters:
[0026] Debtor Name--accounts are sorted by the debtor's name.
[0027] Account Number--accounts are sorted by the clients account
number.
[0028] State--accounts are sorted by the state the debtor is
located in.
[0029] Status--the accounts are sorted by the current status.
[0030] Date Entered--the accounts are sorted by the date that they
entered the production system.
[0031] Debtor Code--the accounts are sorted by the debtor code that
is assigned to the account by the collection agency software.
[0032] Amount Range--the accounts are sorted and subset by a
predetermined dollar amount.
[0033] Each view presents "Total Amount Due", "Total Amount Paid"
and "Original Amount Due" for the specific sorting criteria and may
also include "Amounts Collected, "Year to Date" and "Month to
Date". This provides the clients a "Quick Status" of their accounts
sorted by the particular sorting parameter. Other sorting
parameters, queries and calculated fields may be programmatically
predefined and utilized against the data retrieved from the
collection agency software database. From any view presented at
step C3, the collection agency client is presented with links to
the individual accounts listed in the order defined by the
particular view. The client may choose a link and be presented with
the "On-Line Journal" at step D3.
[0034] From the "Customer Center" at step A3, the collection agency
client may choose to use the "Quick Search" function at step B3 by
entering a debtor name, or other criteria into the text entry box.
The collection agency client is returned a view at step E3 listing
the results of the "Quick Search" or query. The client may then
choose a link and be presented with the "On-Line Journal" at step
D3.
[0035] FIGS. 4 and 5 show pictorial representations of the tiered
access scheme used in the system. Access to the accounts and their
associated data is controlled by a multi-tiered access structure.
In this embodiment, three access tiers are provided that limits
individual clients to access of only their accounts (Tier 1), but
allows supervisory and management personal (Tier 2) to access all
accounts placed or belonging to the individuals in their charge. It
further allows access to all the accounts on the production system
to the management and other authorized personnel employed by the
agency (Tier 3).
[0036] As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, Tier 1 users A have
access to only the collection accounts owned by them, while Tier 2
users B have access to the accounts of all Tier 1 users employed by
the same client company. This allows management access for
department or location managers to view and ascertain the status of
the accounts of those working below them. As can be further seen
from FIGS. 4 and 5, Tier 3 users C are collection agency employees
and authorized others who are allowed full access to all the
accounts on the system. This enables collection agency personnel
working in remote locations to view and determine the status of
accounts. FIGS. 4 and in particular 5 also show methods to add
further access tiers. A proposed Tier 4 user D would have access to
all of company C's accounts allowing central management of a
plurality of Tier 2 users and the Tier 1 users below them.
Additional tiers may be added to the system to accommodate a
plurality of client organizational structures.
[0037] FIG. 6 shows a pictorial representation of the display of
the "On-Line Journal". FIG. 6 is an actual print-out of the
"On-Line Journal" from a system such as is being described and
illustrates the plurality of account data made available to the
collection agency client. The ledger section A6 of the display
contains all the data fields from the collection agency software
and presents the data in an easily read manner to the collection
agency client. Section B6 lists any transactions for the account
including Debtor Code, Transaction Date, Collector ID Number, and
the amount of the payment. Section C6 lists the collector comments
on the account along with Debtor Code, Comment Date and Collector
Number. The display also provides a link to an online form where
the collection agency client may send a comment, question or
instruction about the account. Section E6, labeled "Other Client
Information," shows the Client Code that is assigned by the
collection agency to this client and the Reference Code or client's
account number on this debtor.
[0038] Although the invention has been described with reference to
the foregoing specific embodiments, many alternatives, variations,
and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art. Those alternatives, variations, and modifications are
intended to fall within the scope of the following appended
claims.
* * * * *