U.S. patent application number 15/048051 was filed with the patent office on 2016-10-27 for marketing communication tracking.
The applicant listed for this patent is III Holdings 1, LLC. Invention is credited to Brian William Ford, Dean Victor Vocaturo.
Application Number | 20160314492 15/048051 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43011410 |
Filed Date | 2016-10-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160314492 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ford; Brian William ; et
al. |
October 27, 2016 |
MARKETING COMMUNICATION TRACKING
Abstract
Tracking and management data for distribution of marketing
communications and an associated response is disclosed. The system
generates and links tracking data for both the distribution and the
response, generates indicators that include the tracking data, and
encodes the indicators so that the indicators are detectable as
they traverse various events and locations throughout the
lifecycle. A detailed audit trail of each event in the distribution
and response lifecycle is constructed using data matching methods
and various statistics regarding the lifecycle, such that the
response habits of customers are formulated.
Inventors: |
Ford; Brian William; (Davie,
FL) ; Vocaturo; Dean Victor; (Wellington,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
III Holdings 1, LLC |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
43011410 |
Appl. No.: |
15/048051 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12437491 |
May 7, 2009 |
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15048051 |
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12427225 |
Apr 21, 2009 |
8412595 |
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12437491 |
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12044781 |
Mar 7, 2008 |
8261982 |
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12427225 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/087 20130101;
G06Q 30/02 20130101; Y10S 493/919 20130101; G06Q 30/0201 20130101;
G06Q 30/04 20130101; G06Q 10/0833 20130101; G06Q 30/0246 20130101;
Y10S 493/92 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02; G06Q 30/04 20060101 G06Q030/04; G06Q 10/08 20060101
G06Q010/08 |
Claims
1-23. (canceled)
24. A method comprising: storing, by a computer, user data
corresponding to a plurality of users, wherein the user data
includes data corresponding to a particular user of the plurality
of users; detecting, by the computer, that a first electronic
communication was sent to the particular user, wherein the first
electronic communication is associated with a first tracking
identifier; based on the first tracking identifier, the computer
detecting a time that the first electronic communication was
delivered to the particular user; receiving, by the computer, a
second tracking identifier, wherein the second tracking identifier
is associated with a second electronic communication sent from the
particular user after receipt of the first electronic
communication; based on the second tracking identifier, the
computer determining that the second electronic communication was
sent from the particular user in response to the first electronic
communication; based on the first tracking identifier and the
second tracking identifier, the computer determining a time
interval between the time that the first electronic communication
was delivered to the particular user and a time the second
electronic communication was sent from the particular user;
storing, by the computer, the determined time interval as user
response activity data; based on the storing, the computer updating
the user data to include the user response activity data; and based
on the updated data, the computer determining marketing statistics
for at least one of the plurality of users.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first tracking identifier
includes encoded data that identifies the particular user.
26. The method of claim 24, further comprising: based on a fixed
memory offset, the computer formatting at least a portion of the
user response activity data as a binary large object (BLOB).
27. The method of claim 24, wherein the first tracking identifier
includes at least one of the following identifiers: an intelligent
mail code, a barcode, a digital certificate, biometric information,
a machine readable code.
28. The method of claim 24, wherein the second tracking identifier
is received from at least one of the following senders: a
distribution service provider, a delivery service provider, a
merchant, the particular user.
29. The method of claim 24, further comprising: based on the time
interval, the computer predicting a behavior characteristic
indicative of a response behavior of the particular user.
30. The method of claim 24, further comprising: wherein the
determining that the second electronic communication was sent from
the particular user in response to the first electronic
communication is based on information encoded in the second
tracking identifier.
31. A system comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the
processor, wherein the memory has stored thereon instructions
executable by the system to cause the system to perform operations
comprising: storing user data corresponding to a plurality of
users, wherein the user data includes data corresponding to a
particular user of the plurality of users; detecting that a first
electronic communication was sent to the particular user, wherein
the first electronic communication is associated with a first
tracking identifier; based on the first tracking identifier,
detecting a time that the first electronic communication was
delivered to the particular user; receiving a second tracking
identifier, wherein the second tracking identifier is associated
with a second electronic communication sent from the particular
user after receipt of the first electronic communication; based on
the second tracking identifier, determining that the second
electronic communication was sent from the particular user in
response to the first electronic communication; based on the first
tracking identifier and the second tracking identifier, determining
a time interval between the time that the first electronic
communication was delivered to the particular user and a time the
second electronic communication was sent from the particular user;
storing the determined time interval as user response activity
data; based on the storing, updating the user data to include the
user response activity data; and based on the updated data,
determining marketing statistics for at least one of the plurality
of users.
32. The system of claim 31, wherein the determining that the second
electronic communication was sent from the particular user in
response to the first electronic communication is based on a
comparison of the second tracking identifier to the first tracking
identifier indicating that the first tracking identifier and the
second tracking identifier are identical.
33. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further
comprise: storing, in the memory, each of the first tracking
identifier and the second tracking identifier as a binary large
object (BLOB).
34. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further
comprise: comparing the time interval to a threshold time value;
and based on a result of the comparing indicating that the time
interval exceeds the threshold time value, adjusting a due date for
the particular user.
35. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further
comprise: comparing the time interval to a threshold time value;
and based on a result of the comparing indicating that the time
interval exceeds the threshold time value, adjusting a cash flow
expectation for at least one of the plurality of users.
36. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further
comprise: based on the time interval, identifying one or more
behavior characteristics indicative of a solicitation-response
behavior associated with the particular user; and adjusting content
of a third electronic communication based on the
solicitation-response behavior.
37. The system of claim 31, wherein the second tracking identifier
includes at least one of the following identifiers: an intelligent
mail code, a barcode, a digital certificate, biometric information,
a machine readable code.
38. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon
instructions executable by a computer system to cause the computer
system to perform operations comprising: storing user data
corresponding to a plurality of users, wherein the user data
includes data corresponding to a particular user of the plurality
of users; detecting that a first electronic communication was sent
to the particular user, wherein the first electronic communication
is associated with a first tracking identifier; based on the first
tracking identifier, detecting a time that the first electronic
communication was delivered to the particular user; receiving a
second tracking identifier, wherein the second tracking identifier
is associated with a second electronic communication sent from the
particular user after receipt of the first electronic
communication; based on the second tracking identifier, determining
that the second electronic communication was sent from the
particular user in response to the first electronic communication;
based on the first tracking identifier and the second tracking
identifier, determining a time interval between the time that the
first electronic communication was delivered to the particular user
and a time the second electronic communication was sent from the
particular user; storing the determined time interval as user
response activity data; based on the storing, updating the user
data to include the user response activity data; and based on the
updated data, determining marketing statistics for at least one of
the plurality of users.
39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,
wherein the determining that the second electronic communication
was sent from the particular user in response to the first
electronic communication is based on a common portion between the
first tracking identifier and the second tracking identifier.
40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,
wherein the operations further comprise: based on a fixed memory
offset, formatting the user response activity data as a block of
binary large object (BLOB).
41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,
wherein the first tracking identifier and the second tracking
identifier include encoded data that identifies the particular
user.
42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,
wherein the operations further comprise: comparing the time
interval to a threshold time value; and based on a result of the
comparing indicating that the time interval fails to meet the
threshold time value, determining content of a third electronic
communication based on a non-responsive behavior
characteristic.
43. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,
wherein the operations further comprise: applying a statistical
analysis to the updated data; and based on a result of the
statistical analysis, prioritizing billing operation for at least
one of the plurality of users.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/427,225 entitled "Lifecycle Tracking and
Management Using RF," filed on Apr. 21, 2009. The '225 application
is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/044,781 entitled "Solicitation-Response Lifecycle Tracking and
Management," filed Mar. 7, 2008, both of which are incorporated by
reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to tracking and
management data, and more particularly, to providing more accurate
and more detailed information related to tracking marketing
communications and associated responses.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Modern organizations often need to access data to manage
their enterprises effectively. Generally, more accurate and more
timely data enables improved product quality, improved customer
service, lower costs and higher profitability. The vast amount of
capital resources, human resources and physical resources that a
typical organization commits to collecting, processing and
analyzing data typically indicates the value to an organization of
accurate and timely data. Information regarding customer activity
and preferences is of particular value. Customers are the key to
success for most organizations, whether the customers are current
revenue producing customers, potential customers or constituents in
a government or non-profit organization. Therefore, organizations
spend large amounts of time, effort and money collecting,
monitoring, evaluating, analyzing and forecasting customer
activity. The data collected about customers may be as broad as an
industry or market study, or as narrow as how a particular
demographic or individual customer responds to a directed
solicitation. Organizations use this data, for example, to optimize
operations, improve financial performance, formulate product
strategy, target marketing efforts and formulate plans from the
broadest strategic vision down to the most detailed operational
detail.
[0004] One type of customer data that is often valuable to an
organization relates to timing with which a customer or potential
customer responds to a solicitation. For instance, rapid turnaround
of a marketing solicitation may indicate a healthy, eager demand
for a particular product or service. Similarly, quick payment of a
bill may indicate a happy customer, a financially sound customer
and/or a customer that prefers to minimize outstanding debt.
[0005] Detailed information related to customer payment habits is
of particular interest to an organization's financial operation
because the information is often used to better forecast cash
flows, to modify billing procedures and to increase rapid payment
of bills. Due to the importance of cash in running a business, it
is usually in a company's best interest to collect outstanding
receivables as quickly as possible. Organizations typically
calculate the average collection period as the approximate amount
of time that it takes for a business to receive payments owed from
its customers and clients. Many businesses allow customers to
purchase goods or services via credit, but one of the problems with
extending credit is not knowing when the customer will make cash
payments. Therefore, decreasing the average collection period is
often desirable because this means that it does not take a company
very long to turn its receivables into cash. See, for instance,
http://www.investopedia.com for general information regarding the
importance to organizations of converting receivables into
cash.
[0006] Organizations usually employ many different strategies,
technologies and methods in an attempt to reduce the average
collection period for receivables. One approach is to optimize
remittance collection by getting bills into the hands of the
customers who are most willing or able to pay the bills. In some
billing organizations, this approach is called customer-based work
prioritization. Such prioritization is crucial for organizations
with complex billing processes and large billing volumes. For such
organizations, access to granular data that provides visibility
into each discrete event, and the duration between these events, in
the bill-to-payment lifecycle is typically critical. These events
are not readily tracked by current methods and solutions for
tracking a correspondence. Current solutions only provide a rough
estimate of the actual time between when a customer receives a bill
and when the customer remits payment of the bill. Therefore, a
long-felt need exists for a method to determine much more precisely
when the customer sends the remittance and to link the tracking
information gathered for the bill to the tracking information
gathered for the remittance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention improves upon existing systems and
processes by providing a tangible, integrated, end-to-end marketing
distribution and customer response lifecycle tracking mechanism.
When an organization distributes marketing or promotional items to
a customer and also provides a way for the customer to respond
(e.g. by redeeming a coupon), the system generates tracking data
for both the distribution and the response. Tracking data is linked
such that tracking information collected for the distribution is
linked to tracking information for the response. Indicators are
generated that encode the tracking data and the indicators are
attached to the outgoing solicitation and the incoming response.
Service providers (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service ("USPS"),
FedEx.RTM., etc.) detect the indicator and store additional
information regarding the time, place and status of the detected
parcel. A data transfer or data sharing method provides access to
the service provider data and the data is matched using various
methods. A detailed audit trail of each event in the distribution
and response lifecycle is constructed. Various statistics regarding
the lifecycle, and specifically the response habits of customers,
is also formulated.
[0008] In one embodiment, a method includes: i) receiving first
distribution tracking data from a service provider, where the first
distribution tracking data is based upon detection of the first
tracking indicator which is associated with a first tracking
identifier, and where the first tracking identifier is one of a
plurality of tracking identifiers each associated with a tracking
indicator and a marketing communication such that each tracking
identifier is configured to be detected, and where each marketing
communication is registered in a tracking database comprising a
plurality of tracking datasets; ii) matching a first tracking
dataset with the first distribution tracking data to create matched
tracking data, where the first tracking dataset is one of the
plurality of tracking datasets; and iii) analyzing the matched
tracking data to determine marketing statistics.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] A more complete understanding of the invention may be
derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when
considered in connection with the Figures, wherein like reference
numbers refer to similar elements throughout the Figures, and:
[0010] FIG. 1 is an overview of a representative system for
tracking the lifecycle of a solicitation within a billing and
payment management system, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a representative process flow diagram for tracking
lifecycle data, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a representative process flow diagram for
collecting lifecycle tracking data, matching it with other
identifying data and storing the matched data in a management
reporting database, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a representative process for mapping the lifecycle
data to business events and performing calculations to enhance the
business value of the data, in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a representative process for tracking a
solicitation throughout a multi-stage process, in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0015] The detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the
invention herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings,
which show the exemplary embodiment by way of illustration and its
best mode. While these exemplary embodiments are described in
sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice
the invention, it should be understood that other embodiments may
be realized and that logical and mechanical changes may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus,
the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of
illustration only and not of limitation.
[0016] For the sake of brevity, conventional data networking,
application development and other functional aspects of the systems
(and components of the individual operating components of the
systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the
connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are
intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or
physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted
that many alternative or additional functional relationships or
physical connections may be present in a practical system.
[0017] In one embodiment, the system includes a billing and
management system, a billing system, a lifecycle management and
reporting module, an application server, a data download module and
various databases. While the system may contemplate upgrades or
reconfigurations of existing processing systems, changes to
existing databases and business information system tools are not
necessarily required by the present invention. For example, the
present system may contemplate, but does not require, downloading
data from a service provider (e.g., USPS) using file transfer
protocol (FTP). Moreover, the system may be seamlessly integrated
into existing information technology and data management
architectures and business information system tools with minimal
changes to existing systems.
[0018] "Organization," as used herein, may include any individual,
group, business, entity, government entity, transaction account
issuer (e.g., credit, charge, etc), merchant, consortium of
merchants, customer, account holder, charitable organization,
software, hardware, and/or any other entity or party.
[0019] A "soliciting organization" includes any organization,
software and/or hardware that contacts another organization or
person such as, for example, a customer. A soliciting organization
often contacts another entity and expects to receive some response.
As used herein, a "solicitation" includes any form of communication
(e.g. a bill, marketing piece, etc) directed to a responding
entity. A "responding entity" includes any organization, software
and/or hardware such as, for example, a customer, potential
customer or account holder to which a solicitation is directed. A
"receivable" may include any physical or logical record or other
tracking mechanism that serves to identify an expectation that the
organization will receive a response from a solicitation. In one
embodiment, one of the valid forms of an expected response may be
defined as a non-response. For example, a marketing organization
may send a customer survey to a set of potential customers, track
the expectation of a response from each customer as a separate
"receivable," and define the lack of a response as a valid response
to the survey for tracking and reporting purposes.
[0020] In one embodiment, a "billing organization" includes a
soliciting organization (or department within a larger
organization) hardware and/or software that generates, distributes,
tracks, etc. customer bills and payments. A billing organization
may generate an invoice, a remittance and a receivable which
represents the expectation that the invoice be paid via the
remittance mechanism.
[0021] Intelligent Mail Barcode ("IMB") is a specially formatted
bar code defined and specified by the USPS used to enable various
tracking services. IMB is fully specified by the USPS publication
INTELLIGENT MAIL.RTM. BARCODE (4-STATE CUSTOMER BARCODE), available
at http://ribbs.usps.gov/OneCodeSOLUTION/SPUSPS-B-3200E001.pdf,
which is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0022] An "indicator", as used herein, may include an IMB, a radio
frequency identifier (RFID), a global positioning system (GPS)
signal, a signal, a code, device, number, letter, symbol, digital
certificate, smart chip, digital signal, analog signal, biometric,
personal identification number (PIN), Internet code, magnetic
stripe, optical, transponder and/or other identifier/indicia
suitably configured to allow detection and/or data
communication.
[0023] An "account", "account number" or "customer account" as used
herein, may include any device, code (e.g., one or more of an
authorization/access code, PIN, Internet code, other identification
code, and/or the like), number, letter, symbol, digital
certificate, smart chip, digital signal, analog signal, biometric
or other identifier/indicia suitably configured to allow the
consumer to access, interact with or communicate with the system.
The account number may optionally be located on or associated with
a rewards card, charge card, credit card, debit card, prepaid card,
telephone card, embossed card, smart card, magnetic stripe card,
bar code card, transponder, radio frequency card or an associated
account. The system may include or interface with any of the
foregoing cards or devices, or a fob having a transponder and RFID
reader in RF communication with the fob. Although the system may
include a fob embodiment, the invention is not to be so limited.
Indeed, the system may include any device having a transponder
which is configured to communicate with an RFID reader via RF
communication. Typical devices may include, for example, a key
ring, tag, card, cell phone, wristwatch or any such form capable of
being presented for interrogation. Moreover, the system, computing
unit or device discussed herein may include a "pervasive computing
device," which may include a traditionally non-computerized device
that is embedded with a computing unit. Examples may include
watches, Internet enabled kitchen appliances, restaurant tables
embedded with RF readers, wallets or purses with imbedded
transponders, etc.
[0024] The account number may be distributed and stored in any form
of plastic, electronic, magnetic, radio frequency, wireless, audio
and/or optical device capable of transmitting or downloading data
from itself to a second device. A customer account number may be,
for example, a sixteen-digit credit card number, although each
credit provider has its own numbering system, such as the
fifteen-digit numbering system used by American Express. Each
company's credit card numbers comply with that company's
standardized format such that the company using a sixteen-digit
format will generally use four-spaced sets of numbers, as
represented by the number "0000 0000 0000 0000". The first five to
seven digits are reserved for processing purposes and identify the
issuing bank, card type, etc. In this example, the last (sixteenth)
digit is used as a sum check for the sixteen-digit number. The
intermediary eight-to-ten digits are used to uniquely identify the
customer. A merchant account number may be, for example, any number
or alpha-numeric characters that identify a particular merchant for
purposes of card acceptance, account reconciliation, reporting, or
the like.
[0025] Exemplary benefits provided by this invention include
increasing cash flow, optimizing financial operations, enabling
customer-focused work prioritization, enhancing knowledge about
customer activity and habits, enhancing customer functionality and
satisfaction, enhancing the ability to certify compliance with
regulatory requirements, and linking solicitation events to
response events. The tool enables tracking data for both the
solicitation and the response. The two sets of tracking data are
linked so that tracking information collected for the solicitation
is linked to tracking information for the response. The invention
improves upon existing solutions because existing systems either
provide no visibility, or, at best, provide poor or unreliable data
regarding a more precise duration of each event during a
solicitation and response lifecycle. In one embodiment, the tool
enables enhanced marketing operations by allowing marketing
materials to be tracked. In one embodiment, the tool is used to
track legal disclosures, member or customer agreements, can
compliance to regulatory service level agreements.
[0026] While described herein in reference to tracking and
maintaining billing and accounts receivable metrics for a
transaction account issuer organization, practitioners will
appreciate that the invention may further be implemented to
increase speed, lower cost and improve cash flow management in a
wide variety of industries. For instance, one embodiment may be
implemented for a wireless phone company's billing operation that
wishes to collect detailed, granular data regarding their
bill-to-payment lifecycle. Other examples of such accounts
receivable and payment tracking may be accomplished through a
variety of computing resources and hardware infrastructures.
[0027] While the description makes reference to specific
technologies, system architectures and data management techniques,
practitioners will appreciate that this is but one embodiment and
that other devices and/or methods may be implemented without
departing from the scope of the invention. Similarly, while the
description makes frequent reference to a web client, practitioners
will appreciate that other examples of solicitation-response
lifecycle tracking and management methods may be accomplished by
using a variety of user interfaces including handheld devices such
as personal digital assistants and cellular telephones.
Practitioners will also appreciate that a web client is but one
embodiment and that other devices and/or methods may be implemented
without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0028] With reference to FIG. 1, the system includes a user 105
interfacing with a billing and payment management system ("BPMS")
115 by way of a web client 110. A user is any individual, entity,
organization, third-party entity, software and/or hardware that
accesses BPMS 115 to view, analyze, audit, validate, utilize,
evaluate, report, enhance or maintain data relating to the tracking
and management of correspondence lifecycle tracking data. User 105
may be, for example, a strategic planning manager using the system
to analyze the customers that typically pay an invoice within a
week of receipt in the mail. User 105 may interface with Internet
server 125 via any communication protocol, device or method
discussed herein, known in the art, or later developed. In one
embodiment, user 105 may interact with the BPMS 115 via an Internet
browser at a web client 110.
[0029] While described in the context of information systems for a
transaction account issuer billing operation, practitioners will
appreciate that the present invention may be similarly used by any
organization to track and manage a solicitation-response lifecycle.
However, to simplify the explanation, the lifecycle tracking and
management functions are often referenced herein in the context of
tracking and maintaining billing and accounts receivable metrics
for a transaction account issuer billing operation.
[0030] Transmissions between the user 105 and the Internet server
125 may pass through a firewall 120 to help ensure the integrity of
the BPMS 115 components. Practitioners will appreciate that the
invention may incorporate any number of security schemes or none at
all. In one embodiment, the Internet server 125 receives page
requests from the web client 110 and interacts with various other
system 100 components to perform tasks related to requests from the
web client 110. Internet server 125 may invoke an authentication
server 130 to verify the identity of user 105 and assign specific
access rights to user 105. Authentication database 135 may store
information used in the authentication process such as, for
example, user identifiers, passwords, access privileges, user
preferences, user statistics, and the like. When a request to
access system 100 is received from Internet server 125, access
system 100 determines if authentication is required and transmits a
prompt to the web client 110. User 105 enters authentication data
at the web client 110, which transmits the authentication data to
Internet server 125. Internet server 125 passes the authentication
data to authentication server which queries the user database 140
for corresponding credentials. When user 105 is authenticated, user
105 may access various applications and their corresponding data
sources.
[0031] When user 105 logs on to an application, Internet server 125
may invoke an application server 145. Application server 145
invokes logic in the lifecycle management and reporting module
("LMRM") 147 by passing parameters relating to the user's 105
requests for data.
[0032] As discussed in further detail in the process descriptions
below, the LMRM 147 reads data from various databases such as, for
example, the lifecycle management and reporting ("LMR") database
160 and the customer account database 155. LMRM 147 may include any
hardware and/or software suitably configured to receive requests
from the web client 110 via Internet server 125 and the application
server 145. LMRM 147 is further configured to process requests,
construct database queries, and/or execute queries against
databases, external data sources and temporary databases, as well
as exchange data with other application modules (not pictured). In
one embodiment, the LMRM 147 may be configured to interact with
other system 100 components to perform complex calculations,
retrieve additional data, format data into reports, create XML
representations of data, construct markup language documents,
and/or the like. Moreover, the LMRM 147 may reside as a standalone
system or may be incorporated with the application server 145 or
any other BPMS 115 component as program code.
[0033] As practitioners will appreciate, while depicted as a single
entity for the purposes of illustration, databases depicted in FIG.
1 may represent multiple physical and/or hardware, software,
database, data structure and networking components. FIG. 1 depicts
the types of databases that are included in an exemplary
embodiment. The customer account database 155 stores tracking
information, such as, for example, account numbers and receivable
records, regarding customer accounts. The LMR database 160 stores
tracking and reporting metrics associated with the lifecycle of a
receivable. In one embodiment, the lifecycle of a receivable is
also referred to as the bill-to-cash lifecycle. LMR database 160 is
populated with data from various other data sources such as the
customer account database 155 and the download database 175.
Customer account database 155 stores billing and invoice
information. Download database 175 maintains a copy of the
information downloaded by the data download module ("DDM") 180. In
one embodiment, DDM 180 is a software module that links to the
external data maintained by a service provider (e.g., a shipper
such as the USPS). DDM 180 reads data from service provider
tracking database 185 and stores the data in download database 175.
Service provider tracking database 185 is an external database
maintained by the service provider that provides delivery and
package tracking information throughout the package delivery
lifecycle.
[0034] In one embodiment, service provider tracking database 185 is
the data source provided by the USPS in connection with their
"Confirm Service" product. However, as practitioners will
appreciate, other embodiments may download data from any external
data source that provides useful and accurate data. For instance
the BPMS 115 may be interconnected to an external data source 161
via a second network, referred to as the external gateway 163. The
external gateway 163 may include any hardware and/or software
suitably configured to facilitate communications and/or process
transactions between the BPMS 115 and the external data source 161.
Interconnection gateways are commercially available and known in
the art. External gateway 163 may be implemented through
commercially available hardware and/or software, through custom
hardware and/or software components, or through a combination
thereof. External gateway 163 may reside in a variety of
configurations and may exist as a standalone system or may be a
software component residing either inside system 100, the external
data source 161 or any other known configuration. External gateway
163 may be configured to deliver data directly to system 100
components (such as DDM 180) and to interact with other systems and
components such as LMR database 170. In one embodiment, external
gateway 163 may comprise web services that are invoked to exchange
data between the various disclosed systems. External gateway 163
represents existing proprietary networks that presently accommodate
data exchange for data such as financial transactions, customer
demographics, billing transactions and the like. External gateway
163 is a closed network that is assumed to be secure from
eavesdroppers.
[0035] As practitioners will appreciate, embodiments are not
limited to the exemplary databases described above, nor do
embodiments necessarily utilize each of the disclosed exemplary
databases. In addition to the components described above, the
system 100 and the BPMS 115 may further include one or more of the
following: a host server or other computing systems including a
processor for processing digital data; a memory coupled to the
processor for storing digital data; an input digitizer coupled to
the processor for inputting digital data; an application program
stored in the memory and accessible by the processor for directing
processing of digital data by the processor; a display device
coupled to the processor and memory for displaying information
derived from digital data processed by the processor; and a
plurality of databases. A representative list of various databases
used herein includes: customer account database 155, LMR database
160, download database 175, service provider tracking database 185,
an external data source 161 and/or other databases that aid in the
functioning of the system.
[0036] As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art,
one or more system 100 components may be embodied as a
customization of an existing system, an add-on product, upgraded
software, a stand-alone system (e.g., kiosk), a distributed system,
a method, a data processing system, a device for data processing,
and/or a computer program product. Accordingly, individual system
100 components may take the form of an entirely software
embodiment, an entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment
combining aspects of both software and hardware. Furthermore,
individual system 100 components may take the form of a computer
program product on a computer-readable storage medium having
computer-readable program code means embodied in the storage
medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may be
utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROM, optical storage devices,
magnetic storage devices, and/or the like.
[0037] The invention contemplates uses in association with billing
systems, accounts receivable systems, operational management
systems, cash management tools, logistical planning tools, business
intelligence systems, reporting systems, web services, pervasive
and individualized solutions, open source, biometrics, mobility and
wireless solutions, commodity computing, grid computing and/or mesh
computing. For example, in an embodiment, the web client 110 is
configured with a biometric security system that may be used for
providing biometrics as a secondary form of identification. The
biometric security system may include a transaction device and a
reader communicating with the system. The biometric security system
also may include a biometric sensor that detects biometric samples
and a device for verifying biometric samples. The biometric
security system may be configured with one or more biometric
scanners, processors and/or systems. A biometric system may include
one or more technologies, or any portion thereof, such as, for
example, recognition of a biometric. As used herein, a biometric
may include a user's voice, fingerprint, facial, ear, signature,
vascular patterns, DNA sampling, hand geometry, sound, olfactory,
keystroke/typing, iris, retinal or any other biometric relating to
recognition based upon any body part, function, system, attribute
and/or other characteristic, or any portion thereof.
[0038] Web client 110 comprises any hardware and/or software
suitably configured to facilitate requesting, retrieving, updating,
analyzing, entering or modifying data such as marketing data or any
information discussed herein. Web client 110 includes any device
(e.g., personal computer), which communicates (in any manner
discussed herein) with the BPMS 115 via any network discussed
herein. Such browser applications comprise Internet browsing
software installed within a computing unit or system to conduct
online transactions and communications. These computing units or
systems may take the form of a computer or set of computers,
although other types of computing units or systems may be used,
including laptops, notebooks, hand-held computers, set-top boxes,
workstations, computer-servers, mainframe computers,
mini-computers, PC servers, pervasive computers, network sets of
computers, and/or the like. Practitioners will appreciate that the
web client 110 may or may not be in direct contact with the BPMS
115. For example, the web client 110 may access the services of the
BPMS 115 through another server, which may have a direct or
indirect connection to Internet server 125.
[0039] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the web client
110 includes an operating system (e.g., Windows NT, 95/98/2000,
OS2, UNIX, Linux, Solaris, MacOS, etc.) as well as various
conventional support software and drivers typically associated with
computers. Web client 110 may include any suitable personal
computer, network computer, workstation, mini-computer, mainframe,
mobile device or the like. Web client 110 can be in a home or
business environment with access to a network. In an embodiment,
access is through a network or the Internet through a commercially
available web-browser software package.
[0040] Web client 110 may be independently, separately or
collectively suitably coupled to the network via data links which
includes, for example, a connection to an Internet Service Provider
(ISP) over the local loop as is typically used in connection with
standard modem communication, cable modem, Dish networks, ISDN,
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or various wireless communication
methods, see, e.g., Gilbert Held, Understanding Data Communications
(1996), which is hereby incorporated by reference. It is noted that
the network may be implemented as other types of networks, such as
an interactive television (ITV) network.
[0041] Firewall 120, as used herein, may comprise any hardware
and/or software suitably configured to protect the BPMS 115
components from users of other networks. Firewall 120 may reside in
varying configurations including stateful inspection, proxy-based
and packet filtering, among others. Firewall 120 may be integrated
as software within Internet server 125, any other system
components, or may reside within another computing device or may
take the form of a standalone hardware component.
[0042] Internet server 125 may include any hardware and/or software
suitably configured to facilitate communications between the web
client 110 and one or more BPMS 115 components. Further, Internet
server 125 may be configured to transmit data to the web client 110
within markup language documents. As used herein, "data" may
include encompassing information such as commands, queries, files,
data for storage, and/or the like in digital or any other form.
Internet server 125 may operate as a single entity in a single
geographic location or as separate computing components located
together or in separate geographic locations.
[0043] Internet server 125 may provide a suitable web site or other
Internet-based graphical user interface, which is accessible by
users. An Internet server may provide a suitable web site or other
Internet-based graphical user interface which is accessible by
users. In one embodiment, the Microsoft Internet Information Server
(IIS), Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS), and Microsoft SQL
Server, are used in conjunction with the Microsoft operating
system, Microsoft NT web server software, a Microsoft SQL Server
database system, and a Microsoft Commerce Server. Additionally,
components such as Access or Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase,
Informix MySQL, InterBase, etc., may be used to provide an Active
Data Object (ADO) compliant database management system. In one
embodiment, the Apache web server is used in conjunction with a
Linux operating system, a MySQL database, and/or the Perl, PHP, and
Python programming languages.
[0044] Any of the communications, inputs, storage, databases or
displays discussed herein may be facilitated through a web site
having web pages. The term "web page" as it is used herein is not
meant to limit the type of documents and applications that may be
used to interact with the user. For example, a typical web site may
include, in addition to standard HTML documents, various forms,
Java applets, JavaScript, active server pages (ASP), Microsoft .NET
Framework, common gateway interface scripts (CGI), extensible
markup language (XML), dynamic HTML, AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript
And XML), cascading style sheets (CSS), helper applications,
plug-ins, and/or the like. A server may include a web service that
receives a request from a web server, the request including a URL
(http://yahoo.com/stockquotes/ge) and an IP address (123.56.789).
The web server retrieves the appropriate web pages and sends the
data or applications for the web pages to the IP address. Web
services are applications that are capable of interacting with
other applications over a communications means, such as the
Internet. Web services are typically based on standards or
protocols such as XML, SOAP, AJAX, WSDL and UDDI. Web services
methods are well known in the art, and are covered in many standard
texts. See, e.g., ALEX NGHIEM, IT WEB SERVICES: A ROADMAP FOR THE
ENTERPRISE (2003) or WEB SERVICES ARCHITECTURE, W3C Working Group
Note 11 Feb. 2004, available at
http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/NOTE-ws-arch-20040211, both of which are
hereby incorporated by reference.
[0045] Application server 145 may include any hardware and/or
software suitably configured to serve applications and data to a
connected web client 110. Like. Internet server 125, the
application server 145 may communicate with any number of other
servers, databases and/or components through any means known in the
art. Further, the application server 145 may serve as a conduit
between the web client 110 and the various systems and components
of the BPMS 115. Internet server 125 may interface with the
application server 145 through any means known in the art including
a LAN/WAN, for example. Application server 145 may further invoke
software modules such as the LMRM 147 in response to user 105
requests.
[0046] In order to control access to the application server 145 or
any other component of the BPMS 115, Internet server 125 may invoke
an authentication server 130 in response to user 105 submissions of
authentication credentials received at Internet server 125.
Authentication server 130 may include any hardware and/or software
suitably configured to receive authentication credentials, encrypt
and decrypt credentials, authenticate credentials, and/or grant
access rights according to pre-defined privileges attached to the
credentials. Authentication server 130 may grant varying degrees of
application and data level access to users based on information
stored within the user database 140.
[0047] Any database depicted or implied by FIG. 1 may include any
hardware and/or software suitably configured to facilitate storing
identification, authentication credentials, and/or user
permissions. One skilled in the art will appreciate that system 100
may employ any number of databases in any number of configurations.
Further, any databases discussed herein may be any type of
database, such as relational, hierarchical, graphical,
object-oriented, and/or other database configurations. Common
database products that may be used to implement the databases
include DB2 by IBM (White Plains, N.Y.), various database products
available from Oracle Corporation (Redwood Shores, Calif.),
Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server by Microsoft Corporation
(Redmond, Wash.), Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, or any other
suitable database product. Moreover, the databases may be organized
in any suitable manner, for example, as data tables or lookup
tables. Each record may be a single file, a series of files, a
linked series of data fields or any other data structure.
Association of certain data may be accomplished through any desired
data association technique such as those known or practiced in the
art. For example, the association may be accomplished either
manually or automatically. Automatic association techniques may
include, for example, a database search, a database merge, GREP,
AGREP, SQL, using a key field in the tables to speed searches,
sequential searches through all the tables and files, sorting
records in the file according to a known order to simplify lookup,
and/or the like. The association step may be accomplished by a
database merge function, for example, using a "key field" in
pre-selected databases or data sectors.
[0048] More particularly, a "key field" partitions the database
according to the high-level class of objects defined by the key
field. For example, certain types of data may be designated as a
key field in a plurality of related data tables and the data tables
may then be linked on the basis of the type of data in the key
field. The data corresponding to the key field in each of the
linked data tables is preferably the same or of the same type.
However, data tables having similar, though not identical, data in
the key fields may also be linked by using AGREP, for example. In
accordance with one aspect of the invention, any suitable data
storage technique may be utilized to store data without a standard
format. Data sets may be stored using any suitable technique,
including, for example, storing individual files using an ISO/IEC
7816-4 file structure; implementing a domain whereby a dedicated
file is selected that exposes one or more elementary files
containing one or more data sets; using data sets stored in
individual files using a hierarchical filing system; data sets
stored as records in a single file (including compression, SQL
accessible, hashed via one or more keys, numeric, alphabetical by
first tuple, etc.); Binary Large Object (BLOB); stored as ungrouped
data elements encoded using ISO/IEC 7816-6 data elements; stored as
ungrouped data elements encoded using ISO/IEC Abstract Syntax
Notation (ASN.1) as in ISO/IEC 8824 and 8825; and/or other
proprietary techniques that may include fractal compression
methods, image compression methods, etc.
[0049] In an embodiment, the ability to store a wide variety of
information in different formats is facilitated by storing the
information as a BLOB. Thus, any binary information can be stored
in a storage space associated with a data set. As discussed above,
the binary information may be stored on the financial transaction
instrument or external to but affiliated with the financial
transaction instrument. The BLOB method may store data sets as
ungrouped data elements formatted as a block of binary via a fixed
memory offset using either fixed storage allocation, circular queue
techniques, or best practices with respect to memory management
(e.g., paged memory, least recently used, etc.). By using BLOB
methods, the ability to store various data sets that have different
formats facilitates the storage of data associated with the system
by multiple and unrelated owners of the data sets. For example, a
first data set which may be stored may be provided by a first
party, a second data set which may be stored may be provided by an
unrelated second party, and yet a third data set which may be
stored, may be provided by a third party unrelated to the first and
second parties. Each of the three data sets in this example may
contain different information that is stored using different data
storage formats and/or techniques. Further, each data set may
contain subsets of data that also may be distinct from other
subsets.
[0050] As stated above, in various embodiments of system 100, the
data can be stored without regard to a common format. However, in
one embodiment of the invention, the data set (e.g., BLOB) may be
annotated in a standard manner when provided for manipulating the
data onto the financial transaction instrument. The annotation may
comprise a short header, trailer, or other appropriate indicator
related to each data set that is configured to convey information
useful in managing the various data sets. For example, the
annotation may be called a "condition header", "header", "trailer",
or "status", herein, and may comprise an indication of the status
of the data set or may include an identifier correlated to a
specific issuer or owner of the data. In one example, the first
three bytes of each data set BLOB may be configured or configurable
to indicate the status of that particular data set; e.g., LOADED,
INITIALIZED, READY, BLOCKED, REMOVABLE, or DELETED. Subsequent
bytes of data may be used to indicate for example, the identity of
the issuer, user, transaction/membership account identifier or the
like. Each of these condition annotations are further discussed
herein.
[0051] The data set annotation may also be used for other types of
status information as well as various other purposes. For example,
the data set annotation may include security information
establishing access levels. The access levels may, for example, be
configured to permit only certain individuals, levels of employees,
companies, or other entities to access data sets, or to permit
access to specific data sets based on the transaction, merchant,
issuer, user or the like. Furthermore, the security information may
restrict/permit only certain actions such as accessing, modifying,
and/or deleting data sets. In one example, the data set annotation
indicates that only the data set owner or the user are permitted to
delete a data set, various identified users may be permitted to
access the data set for reading, and others are altogether excluded
from accessing the data set. However, other access restriction
parameters may also be used allowing various entities to access a
data set with various permission levels as appropriate.
[0052] The data, including the header or trailer may be received by
a stand-alone interaction device configured to add, delete, modify,
or augment the data in accordance with the header or trailer. As
such, in one embodiment, the header or trailer is not stored on the
transaction device along with the associated issuer-owned data but
instead the appropriate action may be taken by providing to the
transaction instrument user at the stand-alone device, the
appropriate option for the action to be taken. System 100
contemplates a data storage arrangement wherein the header or
trailer, or header or trailer history, of the data is stored on the
transaction instrument in relation to the appropriate data.
[0053] One skilled in the art will also appreciate that, for
security reasons, any databases, systems, devices, servers or other
components of system 100 may consist of any combination thereof at
a single location or at multiple locations, wherein each database
or system includes any of various suitable security features, such
as firewalls, access codes, encryption, decryption, compression,
decompression, and/or the like.
[0054] The invention may be described herein in terms of functional
block components, screen shots, optional selections and various
processing steps. It should be appreciated that such functional
blocks may be realized by any number of hardware and/or software
components configured to perform the specified functions. For
example, system 100 may employ various integrated circuit
components, e.g., memory elements, processing elements, logic
elements, look-up tables, and/or the like, which may carry out a
variety of functions under the control of one or more
microprocessors or other control devices. Similarly, the software
elements of system 100 may be implemented with any programming or
scripting language such as C, C++, Java, COBOL, assembler, PERL,
Visual Basic, SQL Stored Procedures, extensible markup language
(XML), with the various algorithms being implemented with any
combination of data structures, objects, processes, routines or
other programming elements. Further, it should be noted that system
100 may employ any number of conventional techniques for data
transmission, signaling, data processing, network control, and/or
the like. Still further, system 100 could be used to detect or
prevent security issues with a client-side scripting language, such
as JavaScript, VBScript or the like. For a basic introduction of
cryptography and network security, see any of the following
references: (1) "Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, And
Source Code In C," by Bruce Schneier, published by John Wiley &
Sons (Second edition, 1995); (2) "Java Cryptography" by Jonathan
Knudson, published by O'Reilly & Associates (1998); (3)
"Cryptography & Network Security: Principles & Practice" by
William Stallings, published by Prentice Hall; all of which are
hereby incorporated by reference.
[0055] These software elements may be loaded onto a general purpose
computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data
processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the
instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable
data processing apparatus create means for implementing the
functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. These
computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable
memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction
means which implement the function specified in the flowchart block
or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded
onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to
cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer
or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented
process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or
other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the
functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
[0056] Accordingly, functional blocks of the block diagrams and
flowchart illustrations support combinations of means for
performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for
performing the specified functions, and program instruction means
for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood
that each functional block of the block diagrams and flowchart
illustrations, and combinations of functional blocks in the block
diagrams and flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by either
special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the
specified functions or steps, or suitable combinations of special
purpose hardware and computer instructions. Further, illustrations
of the process flows and the descriptions thereof may make
reference to user windows, web pages, web sites, web forms,
prompts, etc. Practitioners will appreciate that the illustrated
steps described herein may comprise in any number of configurations
including the use of windows, web pages, web forms, popup windows,
prompts and/or the like. It should be further appreciated that the
multiple steps as illustrated and described may be combined into
single web pages and/or windows but have been expanded for the sake
of simplicity. In other cases, steps illustrated and described as
single process steps may be separated into multiple web pages
and/or windows but have been combined for simplicity.
[0057] Practitioners will appreciate that there are a number of
methods for displaying data within a browser-based document. Data
may be represented as standard text or within a fixed list,
scrollable list, drop-down list, editable text field, fixed text
field, pop-up window, and/or the like. Likewise, there are a number
of methods available for modifying data in a web page such as, for
example, free text entry using a keyboard, selection of menu items,
check boxes, option boxes, and/or the like.
[0058] Referring now to the figures, the block system diagrams and
process flow diagrams represent mere embodiments of the invention
and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as
described herein. For example, the steps recited in FIGS. 2-4 may
be executed in any order and are not limited to the order
presented. It will be appreciated that the following description
makes appropriate references not only to the steps depicted in
FIGS. 2-4, but also to the various system components as described
above with reference to FIG. 1.
[0059] With reference to FIG. 2, a representative process for
tracking the lifecycle of a communication with a customer is shown.
The lifecycle may involve any interaction between an organization
and another organization. For instance, a lifecycle may involve
sending a marketing solicitation, a consumer survey or a bill to a
customer or potential customer and receiving a response. In one
embodiment, a billing organization generates a bill and a
receivable is generated to indicate that the organization expects
to receive payment by the responding entity (e.g. a customer) (Step
205). Tracking data is generated in order to track the movement of
the bill and its associated components (e.g. the remittance portion
of the bill) throughout the payment lifecycle.
[0060] In the representative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, LMRM
147 generates two tracking data sets, one for tracking the invoice
portion of the bill and one for tracking the remittance portion of
the bill, and stores the tracking datasets in LMR database 170
(Step 210). The information in separate tracking datasets is linked
using codes, referential lookup tables, pointers or any other
technique known in the art suitable for linking or associating
data. The present invention does not require multiple tracking data
sets; other embodiments may generate only one tracking dataset. For
instance, a single tracking dataset capable of maintaining multiple
origin and destination data may be used to track both the invoice
and remittance of a customer bill.
[0061] The bill is encoded with an indicator which represents the
data from the tracking dataset. For instance, in one embodiment,
LMRM 147 encodes the information from the invoice tracking dataset
in an IMB which is printed on the invoice envelope (Step 215).
Similarly, LMRM 147 encodes the information from the remittance
tracking dataset which is printed on the remittance portion of the
bill (Step 216). The invention is not limited to using an IMB as
the indicator. The indicator may take any form or format, as
disclosed herein. For instance, in one embodiment, an RFID is used
to track the movement of the solicitation through the lifecycle. In
the context of conducting a survey, an RFID is attached to the
survey and the survey is tracked as it completes the loop from the
soliciting organization to the responding entity (i.e. the entity
being surveyed) and to the organization collecting the survey
data.
[0062] Continuing with the representative embodiment in FIG. 2, the
tracking indicators are printed as an IMB on portions of the bill
(Steps 215, 216). However, other embodiments of the present
invention may not include printing as the means for associating the
indicator with the solicitation. In other embodiments the
indicator, in any of its various forms disclosed above, may be
suitably attached or associated to any portion of the solicitation
such that the indicator is capable of being detected. For instance,
IMB's may be printed on the bill and remittance themselves and the
corresponding envelopes may have a window, aperture or other
suitable structure that allows the IMB's to be scanned. As
discussed above, other embodiments use other types of indicators.
Therefore, as practitioners will appreciate, attaching or
associating the indicator with the solicitation such that it is
capable of being detected as it traverses the lifecycle may be
accomplished using any suitable means.
[0063] As the solicitation traverses the lifecycle from the
soliciting organization to the responding entity and to the
ultimate point of termination, the indicators associated with the
solicitation are detected at any point. The information detected is
stored or transmitted such that the soliciting organization has
access to the information. As practitioner's will appreciate, the
invention is not limited by the type of solicitation, the entity
detects the indicator or the number of entities and/or steps in a
lifecycle. For example, the one solicitation may result in multiple
responses, all of which are tracked and linked to each other. In
one embodiment, a market research organization sends a package of
coupons to a company who distributes the coupons to its employees
and the response is tracked when the coupon is redeemed. Moreover,
in one embodiment, multiple solicitations may be linked to each
other which may be linked to a single or to multiple responses.
[0064] As the solicitation traverses the lifecycle from the
soliciting organization to the responding entity, and to the
ultimate point of termination, the indicators associated with the
solicitation are detected. The information detected is stored or
transmitted such that the soliciting organization has access to the
information. In the representative embodiment illustrated in FIG.
2, the solicitation is a customer bill, the soliciting organization
is the billing organization and the indicator is detected by the
USPS. The billing organization places the bill in the USPS mail and
the USPS tracks the bill through the delivery process by scanning
the indicator. The USPS performs an origination scan of the invoice
tracking indicator on the bill's envelope (Step 220). At the USPS
destination facility the USPS performs a destination scan just
prior to the bill arriving at the customer address for delivery
(Step 225). The customer receives the invoice in the mail (Step
230).
[0065] The customer pays the bill and places the remittance
envelope in the mail (Step 235). USPS picks up the remittance
envelope and performs an origination scan of the remittance
tracking indicator (Step 240). USPS delivers the envelope to the
remittance address and performs a delivery scan on the remittance
tracking indicator (Step 245). The billing organization tracks the
progress of the payment as it is processed and posted to the
organization's customer account database 155 (Step 250). As
illustrated in FIG. 2, each time the USPS scans the tracking
indicator (i.e. the IMB in this example), the information that is
detected in the scan, along with additional information indicating
the time, location and other data is stored in the USPS tracking
database 185.
[0066] Information detected and stored during the solicitation
lifecycle is stored or transmitted such that the soliciting
organization has access to the tracking information. As discussed
above, in one embodiment, the USPS detects the indicator, augments
the detected data with additional tracking data and stores all the
data on the service provider tracking database 185 (Steps 220, 225,
240, 245 and 250). As practitioners will appreciate, tracking the
progress of a solicitation as it travels from one location to
another is not limited to the USPS and may be performed by a wide
variety of service providers. For instance, in one embodiment, a
wireless communication provider detects an indicator that is a GPS
signal, detects the data encoded in the signal, augments it with
additional data (e.g. time, location and status corresponding to
the detection) and stores the tracking data on their own database
or on a third-party database. In one embodiment, tracking data is
transmitted directly to the organization that originated the
solicitation.
[0067] The tracking data is received by the soliciting
organization. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the DDM 180
coordinates the transfer of information from the service provider
tracking database 185 to the download database 175 (Step 305). In
one embodiment, the data is downloaded using file transfer protocol
(FTP). However, as practitioners will appreciate, the data transfer
may be accomplished in a variety of upload, download and data
transfer methods. In another embodiment, the data is transmitted
directly to the soliciting organization's database, so the file
transfer (such as that depicted in Step 305) may not occur. LMRM
147 matches the bill tracking data (generated in Step 210) which
was used to encode the bill tracking indicators (Steps 215 and 216)
to data in the download database 175 (Step 310). In one embodiment,
the customer account and bill number stored as bill tracking data
in LMRM 147 is matched with tracking event records in the download
database 175. In one embodiment, LMRM also matches data to data
stored in customer account database 155 (Step 310). LMRM matches
the data indication location in download database 175 to the
location data stored in LMR 170 (Step 315). LMRM 147 updates LMR
170 with the account, bill and location matching data. LMRM reads a
receivable event (Step 205) and/or a remit event (Step 250), as
shown in FIG. 2, from customer account database 155 and updates
bill tracking data in LMR 170 (Step 325), as shown in FIG. 3. With
respect to FIG. 3, the matching steps produce a complete set of
bill payment tracking data which is valuable in the process of FIG.
4 for calculating statistics and understanding customer payment
habits. "Matched tracking data" includes data that has been
processed, validated and/or matched (for example, as represented in
one embodiment, by the process of FIG. 3) such that the data is
appropriately linked and augmented to a form that is useful and
valuable to an organization.
[0068] FIG. 4 illustrates a representative process of using matched
tracking data and mapping it to business events and statistics to
create valuable operational analytical data. In one embodiment,
LMRM 147 reads matched tracking data and maps the data to
operational events and calculates customer bill payment statistics
to produce granular data that more accurately reveals the full
bill-to-payment lifecycle for an organization such as a transaction
account issuer (e.g. a bank). The event that shows the account
receivable record being created (Step 205) is Time 0 (T.sub.0)
(Step 405). The event that corresponds to the origination scan of
the indicator on the invoice envelope (Step 220) is T.sub.1 (Step
415). The difference between these times (T.sub.1-T.sub.0)
represents the total time used by the organization to generate the
bill and prepare it for mailing to the customer (Step 410). Similar
calculations are made for each subsequent event in the bill payment
tracking data for times T.sub.1 through T.sub.5. At T.sub.2, the
invoice is delivered to the customer, and at T.sub.3, the
remittance is mailed by the customer. The difference between these
two events (T.sub.3-T.sub.2) is a period of time of particular
interest to an organization. Existing systems and methods provide
little or no visibility into this time period. In the
representative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the invoice tracking
data and the remittance tracking data are linked at the time they
are generated and the data used to establish the link is stored in
LMR database 170 (Step 210) and encoded in the indicators. (Steps
215 and 216).
[0069] With reference to FIG. 5, a representative process for
tracking a solicitation throughout a multi-stage process (e.g.,
internal processing such as a billing process and an external
process such as a shipping process) is shown. In one embodiment, a
billing organization generates a bill and a receivable is generated
to indicate that the organization expects to receive payment by the
responding entity (e.g. a customer) (Step 505). Tracking data is
generated in order to track the movement of the bill and its
associated components (e.g. the remittance portion of the bill)
throughout the payment lifecycle.
[0070] In the representative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, LMRM
147 generates a payment lifecycle tracking dataset and stores it in
LMR database 170 (Step 510). The payment lifecycle tracking dataset
is associated with an invoice tracking identifier. In one
embodiment, multiple tracking data sets are used to track the
lifecycle data and the data sets are associated with each other
using the invoice tracking identifier or some other code.
[0071] The bill is encoded with the invoice tracking indicator. For
instance, in one embodiment, LMRM 147 encodes the information from
the invoice tracking dataset as an indicator, such as a bar code or
an IMB, which is printed on the invoice envelope (Step 515).
Similarly, LMRM 147 encodes an indicator with the invoice tracking
identifier on the remittance portion of the bill (Step 516). The
invention is not limited to using an IMB as the indicator. The
indicator may take any form or format, as disclosed herein (e.g.,
an intelligent mail barcode, a radio frequency identifier (RFID), a
global positioning system signal, a signal, a code, device, number,
letter, symbol, digital certificate, smart chip, digital signal,
analog signal, biometric, PIN, Internet code, magnetic stripe,
optical, and transponder).
[0072] Continuing with the representative embodiment in FIG. 5, the
tracking indicators are printed as a bar code on portions of the
bill (Steps 515, 516). However, other embodiments may not include
printing as the means for associating the indicator with the
solicitation. In other embodiments, the indicator (in any of its
various forms disclosed above) may be suitably attached or
associated to any portion of the solicitation such that the
indicator is capable of being detected. For instance, IMBs may be
printed on the bill and remittance themselves and the corresponding
envelopes may have a window, aperture or other suitable structure
that allows the IMBs to be scanned. As discussed above, other
embodiments use other types of indicators. Therefore, as
practitioners will appreciate, attaching or associating the
indicator with the solicitation such that it is capable of being
detected as it traverses the lifecycle may be accomplished using
any suitable means.
[0073] In one embodiment, it may be impractical or unfeasible to
optically detect the indicator during certain points of the
lifecycle. For instance, a large number of bills (and/or envelopes
containing bills) may be stacked together such that optically
detecting the individual parcel may be impractical or inefficient.
This situation is present in many processes that send out
solicitations (e.g., bills) in bulk. The pre-shipping process often
involves one or more grouping and/or sorting steps where a number
of parcels are stacked together. In order to provide process
tracking data for these steps, an additional indicator that may be
detected non-optically enhances process efficiency and collection
of useful, granular data. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5,
an RFID tag, that is attached to or contained within either the
bill or the envelope, is associated with the invoice tracking
indicator (Step 520).
[0074] As the bill traverses the lifecycle from the soliciting
organization to the responding entity, and to the ultimate point of
termination, the indicators associated with the solicitation are
detected. The information detected is stored or transmitted such
that the soliciting organization has access to the information. In
the representative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the
solicitation is a customer bill, the soliciting organization is the
billing organization and the indicator is detected by the USPS. The
billing organization tracks individual bills throughout each step
of the pre-shipping processes (Step 525). In one embodiment,
pre-shipping processes include inserting the bill into an envelope,
one or more pre-sorting steps, registration with the service
provider booking system (e.g., the USPS's automated mail booking
system), and one or more staging area trays or holding queues. At
various points during these process steps, exact location and
date/time data is collected by detecting individual parcels either
by detecting an indicator or by sensing the RFID tag.
[0075] In one embodiment, tracking the exact moment that a bill
leaves the billing organization is tracked for regulatory
compliance purposes. Thus, an RFID scan occurs as the bill moves
across a control boundary between the billing organization and the
service provider (Step 530). The service provider tracks the bill
through the delivery process either by scanning the indicator or by
detecting the RFID tag (Step 535). The data is collected, matched
and analyzed similar to the processes disclosed above in
conjunction with FIGS. 2-4.
[0076] Existing systems do not directly track the event
corresponding to the mailing of the remittance. Rather, in existing
systems, calculating the time the customer takes to pay a bill
after receiving an invoice is based upon when the organization
receives the remittance envelope in the mail. Therefore, it is not
possible to calculate with certainty the true time that the
customer takes to pay the bill. At best, an organization estimates
the average mail time and subtracts that time from the total
duration between when the invoice was delivered to the customer to
when the organization receives payment. The more granular data
disclosed herein is invaluable to organizations that rely on a
substantially complete and accurate picture of customer payment
activity. Many organizations use this information to drive
marketing strategy, prioritize billing operations, manage cash flow
expectations, etc.
[0077] While the steps outlined above represent a specific
embodiment of the invention, practitioners will appreciate that
there are any number of computing algorithms and user interfaces
that may be applied to create similar results. The steps are
presented for the sake of explanation only and are not intended to
limit the scope of the invention in any way.
[0078] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have
been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. However,
the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s)
that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or
become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical,
required, or essential features or elements of any or all the
claims of the invention. It should be understood that the detailed
description and specific examples, indicating exemplary embodiments
of the invention, are given for purposes of illustration only and
not as limitations. Many changes and modifications within the scope
of the instant invention may be made without departing from the
spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.
Corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all
elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure,
material, or acts for performing the functions in combination with
other claim elements as specifically claimed. The scope of the
invention should be determined by the appended claims and their
legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given above.
Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean
"one and only one" unless explicitly so stated, but rather "one or
more." Moreover, where a phrase similar to `at least one of A, B,
or C` is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be
interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B
alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an
embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may
be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B
and C, or A and B and C.
* * * * *
References