U.S. patent application number 13/854418 was filed with the patent office on 2017-08-31 for system and method for ensuring accurate reimbursement for travel expenses.
This patent application is currently assigned to Biz Travel Solutions, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is BIZ TRAVEL SOLUTIONS, LLC. Invention is credited to Lynn C. HAMPER.
Application Number | 20170249704 13/854418 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42828679 |
Filed Date | 2017-08-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170249704 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
HAMPER; Lynn C. |
August 31, 2017 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENSURING ACCURATE REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL
EXPENSES
Abstract
An Expense Verification System (EVS) checks for fraud and errors
in reimbursement requests. The EVS stores requests including
reference numbers, and receives travel reservation records from a
payment clearinghouse system. Each record includes a reference
number and associated reservation data. The EVS selectively denies
stored reimbursement requests as a function of data contained in
the travel reservation record. Alternatively, the EVS selectively
issues an alert as a function of data contained in the travel
reservation record. Further, the EVS may parse a received
reimbursement request to identify a respective reference number,
compare the parsed reference number to the stored reimbursement
requests to determine whether the parsed reference number matches a
stored reference number, and deny the received reimbursement
request if the parsed reference number matches a stored reference
number. The EVS may store the received reimbursement request if the
parsed reference number does not match a stored reference
number.
Inventors: |
HAMPER; Lynn C.; (St. Louis,
MO) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BIZ TRAVEL SOLUTIONS, LLC |
St. Louis |
MO |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Biz Travel Solutions, LLC
St. Louis
MO
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20130211981 A1 |
August 15, 2013 |
|
|
Family ID: |
42828679 |
Appl. No.: |
13/854418 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12433371 |
Apr 30, 2009 |
8478614 |
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13854418 |
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12133863 |
Jun 5, 2008 |
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12433371 |
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11419643 |
May 22, 2006 |
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12133863 |
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61165037 |
Mar 31, 2009 |
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60682955 |
May 20, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 40/10 20130101;
G06Q 10/10 20130101; G06Q 40/12 20131203 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 40/00 20060101
G06Q040/00 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for ensuring accurate
reimbursement of travel expenses by a computerized expense
verification system comprising at least a processor and a memory
operatively connected to the processor, the method comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: store in the memory a plurality of reimbursement
requests for travel reservations, each reimbursement request
comprising a respective reference number; receive, via a
communications network, a travel reservation record transmitted
from a payment clearinghouse system, the record comprising a
reference number and associated reservation data; and selectively
deny at least one stored reimbursement request as a function of
data contained in the travel reservation record received from the
payment clearinghouse system.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference number comprises an
airline ticket number.
3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: parse the travel reservation record to identify a status
identifier reflecting a canceled status of the travel reservation,
the canceled status reflecting that the travel reservation has been
canceled; parse the travel reservation record having a canceled
status to identify a parsed reference number; compare the parsed
referenced number to the stored plurality of reimbursement requests
to determine whether the parsed reference number matches a stored
reference number; and issue a denial alert if at least one
reimbursement request is denied; wherein the computerized expense
verification system operating the processor under control of
processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to
selectively deny at least one stored reimbursement request as a
function of data contained in the travel reservation record
comprises denying each stored reimbursement request having a stored
reference number matching a parsed reference number for a travel
reservation record having a status identifier reflecting a canceled
status.
4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: parse the travel reservation record to identify a status
identifier reflecting an exchanged status of the travel
reservation, the exchanged status reflecting that the travel
reservation has been exchanged for another travel reservation;
parse the travel reservation record having a canceled status to
identify a parsed reference number; compare the parsed referenced
number to the stored plurality of reimbursement requests to
determine whether the parsed reference number matches a stored
reference number; and issue a denial alert if at least one
reimbursement request is denied; wherein the computerized expense
verification system operating the processor under control of
processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to
selectively deny at least one stored reimbursement request as a
function of data contained in the travel reservation record
comprises denying each stored reimbursement request having a stored
reference number matching a parsed reference number for a travel
reservation record having a status identifier reflecting an
exchanged status.
5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: parse the travel reservation record to identify a status
identifier reflecting a refunded status of the travel reservation,
the refunded status reflecting that a payment for the travel
reservation has been refunded; parse the travel reservation record
having an refunded status to identify a parsed reference number;
compare the parsed referenced number to the stored plurality of
reimbursement requests to determine whether the parsed reference
number matches a stored reference number; and issue a denial alert
if at least one reimbursement request is denied; wherein the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to selectively deny at least one stored reimbursement
request as a function of data contained in the travel reservation
record comprises denying each stored reimbursement request having a
stored reference number matching a parsed reference number for a
travel reservation record having a status identifier reflecting a
refunded status if a reimbursement payment has not already been
issued to the traveler for the reimbursement request associated
with the matching reference number.
6. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: issue an exception alert triggering correction action if
the parsed reference number matches a stored reference number and a
reimbursement payment has already been issued to the traveler for
the reimbursement request associated with the matching reference
number.
7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: parse the travel reservation record to identify an
associated payment amount reflecting an amount paid for the travel
reservation; parse the travel reservation record to identify a
parsed reference number associated with the amount paid; compare
the parsed referenced number to the stored plurality of
reimbursement requests to determine whether the parsed reference
number matches a stored reference number; and issue a denial alert
if at least one reimbursement request is denied; wherein the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to selectively deny at least one stored reimbursement
request as a function of data contained in the travel reservation
record comprises denying each stored reimbursement request having a
stored reference number matching a parsed reference number if the
parsed amount paid is not no less than a requested reimbursement
amount of the stored reimbursement request.
8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: store in the memory a plurality of payment account
identifiers for accounts owned by a company; parse the travel
reservation record to identify an associated payment account
identifier identifying a payment account used to pay for the travel
reservation; parse the travel reservation record to identify a
parsed reference number associated with the payment account
identifier; compare the parsed referenced number to the stored
plurality of reimbursement requests to determine whether the parsed
reference number matches a stored reference number; and issue a
denial alert if at least one reimbursement request is denied;
wherein the computerized expense verification system operating the
processor under control of processor-executable instructions stored
in the memory to selectively deny at least one stored reimbursement
request as a function of data contained in the travel reservation
record comprises denying each stored reimbursement request having a
stored reference number matching a parsed reference number if the
parsed payment account identifier matches a stored payment account
identifier.
9. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: store in the memory a plurality of payment account
identifiers for accounts owned by a traveler; parse the travel
reservation record to identify an associated payment account
identifier identifying a payment account used to pay for the travel
reservation; parse the travel reservation record to identify a
parsed reference number associated with the payment account
identifier; compare the parsed referenced number to the stored
plurality of reimbursement requests to determine whether the parsed
reference number matches a stored reference number; and issue a
denial alert if at least one reimbursement request is denied;
wherein the computerized expense verification system operating the
processor under control of processor-executable instructions stored
in the memory to selectively deny at least one stored reimbursement
request as a function of data contained in the travel reservation
record comprises denying each stored reimbursement request having a
stored reference number matching a parsed reference number if the
parsed payment account identifier does not match a stored payment
account identifier.
10. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: store in the memory a rule for conditional reimbursement
of a travel reservation expense in accordance with a policy, as a
function of reservation characteristics; parse the travel
reservation record to identify a parsed reference number and an
associated reservation characteristic; compare the parsed
referenced number to the stored plurality of reimbursement requests
to determine whether the parsed reference number matches a stored
reference number; and issue a denial alert if at least one
reimbursement request is denied; wherein the computerized expense
verification system operating the processor under control of
processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to
selectively deny at least one stored reimbursement request as a
function of data contained in the travel reservation record
comprises denying each stored reimbursement request having a stored
reference number matching a parsed reference number if the stored
rule does not permit reimbursement in view of the parsed
reservation characteristic.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the parsed reservation
characteristic is selected from a group consisting of: a fare
basis, an airline carrier and a reservation price.
12. A computer-implemented method for ensuring accurate
reimbursement of travel expenses by a computerized expense
verification system comprising at least a processor and a memory
operatively connected to the processor, the method comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: store in the memory a plurality of reimbursement
requests for travel reservations, each reimbursement request
comprising a respective reference number; receive, via a
communications network, a travel reservation record transmitted
from a payment clearinghouse system, the record comprising a
reference number and associated reservation data; and issue an
alert as a function of data contained in the travel reservation
record received from the payment clearinghouse system.
13. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: parse the travel reservation record to identify a status
identifier reflecting a used status of the travel reservation, the
used status reflecting that the travel reservation has been used;
parse the travel reservation record having a used status to
identify a parsed reference number; compare the parsed referenced
number to the stored plurality of reimbursement requests to
determine whether the parsed reference number matches a stored
reference number; and issue an exception alert triggering
corrective action if the parsed reference number does not match a
stored reference number.
14. The method of claim 11, the method further comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: store in the memory a rule for determining an expiration
date of a travel reservation as a function of a payment transaction
date for the travel reservation; parse the travel reservation
record to identify a status identifier reflecting an unused status
of the travel reservation; parse the travel reservation record
having an unused status to identify an associated payment
transaction date; determine an associated expiration date for the
travel reservation as a function of the parsed payment transaction
date in accordance with the stored rule; and issue an exception
alert triggering corrective action if the parsed reference number
matches a stored reference number.
15. A computer-implemented method for ensuring accurate
reimbursement of travel expenses by a computerized expense
verification system comprising at least a processor and a memory
operatively connected to the processor, the method comprising the
computerized expense verification system operating the processor
under control of processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to: store in the memory a plurality of reimbursement
requests for travel reservations, each reimbursement request
comprising a respective reference number; receive a reimbursement
request including a respective reference number; parse the received
reimbursement request to identify the respective reference number;
compare the parsed reference number to the stored reimbursement
requests to determine whether the parsed reference number matches a
stored reference number; store the received reimbursement request
in the memory if the parsed reference number does not match a
stored reference number; deny the received reimbursement request if
the parsed reference number does match a stored reference number;
and issue a denial alert if at least one reimbursement request is
denied.
16. A computer program product for ensuring accurate reimbursement
of travel expenses, the computer program product comprising: a
tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable
program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program
code comprising processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to cause a computerized expense verification system to carry
out the method of claim 1.
17. A computer program product for ensuring accurate reimbursement
of travel expenses, the computer program product comprising: a
tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable
program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program
code comprising processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to cause a computerized expense verification system to carry
out the method of claim 12.
18. A computer program product for ensuring accurate reimbursement
of travel expenses, the computer program product comprising: a
tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable
program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program
code comprising processor-executable instructions stored in the
memory to cause a computerized expense verification system to carry
out the method of claim 15.
19. An expense verification system for ensuring accurate
reimbursement of travel expenses, the system comprising: a
processor; a memory operatively connected to the processor for
communication therewith; and processor-executable instructions
stored in the memory to cause the expense verification system to
carry out the method of claim 1.
20. An expense verification system for ensuring accurate
reimbursement of travel expenses, the system comprising: a
processor; a memory operatively connected to the processor for
communication therewith; and processor-executable instructions
stored in the memory to cause the expense verification system to
carry out the method of claim 12.
21. An expense verification system for ensuring accurate
reimbursement of travel expenses, the system comprising: a
processor; a memory operatively connected to the processor for
communication therewith; and processor-executable instructions
stored in the memory to cause the expense verification system to
carry out the method of claim 15.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
12/433,371, filed on Apr. 30, 2009, which claims the benefit of
priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 61/165,037, filed Mar. 31, 2009, and is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/133,863, filed Jun. 5, 2008, which is a continuation-in-part of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/419,643, filed May 22, 2006,
which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e)
of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/682,995, filed May
20, 2005, the entire disclosures of all of which are hereby
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to computing systems
for ensuring accurate reimbursement for travel expenses.
DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART
[0003] Reimbursement of travel expenses is a costly expense for
corporations, employers, and other entities (collectively referred
to broadly herein as a "company"). Unfortunately, both innocent
errors and fraud are difficult to detect, particularly when a large
number of travelers, etc. are involved. Inaccurate reimbursements
can be a significant drain on a company's coffers.
[0004] Changes in the airline industry have increased the
opportunities for inaccurate reimbursement requests. For example,
airline travel reservations (e.g., for airline travel tickets) may
be made by corporate personnel, third party travel agencies, or by
the employee him- or herself. Further, such reservations may be
made directly through an airline, by telephone or its website, or
through a travel aggregation website, such as Travelocity, Expedia,
Orbitz, etc. Further complicating the issues are the optional
and/or inconsistent use of personal and/or company credit cards or
other payment accounts, and the need for compliance with company
policies, which vary from company to company and may vary with a
single company over time. Further still, airline reservations may
be left unused, or may be exchanged, with or without associated
fees. These factors place a particularly heavy burden on an
employee, etc. to accurately report expenses to his/her employer,
etc., and present ample opportunities for an ill-intentioned person
to obtain unauthorized or excessive travel reimbursement, resulting
in a loss to the company.
[0005] What is needed is a system for ensuring accurate
reimbursement of travel expenses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides methods for ensuring accurate
reimbursement for travel expenses. An exemplary
computer-implemented method involves storing reimbursement requests
for travel reservations, each reimbursement request comprising a
respective reference number, receiving travel reservation record
transmitted from a payment clearinghouse system, the record
comprising a reference number and associated reservation data; and
selectively denying at least one stored reimbursement request as a
function of data contained in the travel reservation record. For
example, a stored reimbursement request identifiable by a certain
reference number is denied if received travel reservation record
data associated with the same reference number includes a CANCELED,
EXCHANGED or REFUNDED status identifier.
[0007] Another exemplary computer-implemented method involves
storing reimbursement requests for travel reservations, each
reimbursement request comprising a respective reference number,
receiving a travel reservation record transmitted from a payment
clearinghouse system, the record comprising a reference number and
associated reservation data; and issuing an alert as a function of
data contained in the travel reservation record. For example, if
received reservation record data is associated with a USED status
identifier and a reference number that does not match a stored
reference number of a stored reimbursement request, then this
indicates that a corresponding expense report has not been
submitted, and may indicate non-business use of a company-purchased
ticket. Accordingly, an exception alert may be issued to trigger
corrective action, which may include investigation of the matter, a
request for a refund, a deduction from a paycheck, or other request
for reimbursement.
[0008] Another exemplary computer-implemented method involves
storing reimbursement requests for travel reservations, each
reimbursement request comprising a respective reference number,
receiving a reimbursement request including a respective reference
number, parsing the received reimbursement request to identify the
respective reference number; comparing the parsed reference number
to the stored reimbursement requests to determine whether the
parsed reference number matches a stored reference number; storing
the received reimbursement request in the memory if the parsed
reference number does not match a stored reference number; denying
the received reimbursement request if the parsed reference number
does match a stored reference number; and issuing a denial alert if
at least one reimbursement request is denied.
[0009] Systems and computer program products for carrying out the
inventive methods are provided also.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The present invention will now be described by way of
example with reference to the following drawings in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an exemplary networked
computing environment in which a system and method in accordance
with the present invention may be practiced;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for ensuring accurate reimbursement for duplicate passenger
receipts, in accordance with the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for avoiding reimbursement for canceled and exchanged reservations,
in accordance with the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for avoiding reimbursement in excess of actual payment for travel
expenses, in accordance with the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for capturing third party refunds directly to the traveler, in
accordance with the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for avoiding corporate waste, in accordance with the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for avoiding reimbursement of non-reimbursable travel expenses, in
accordance with the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for ensuring compliance with corporate policies, in accordance with
the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for detecting non-business use of company-purchased tickets, in
accordance with the present invention; and
[0020] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing diagrammatically a system
in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] A system and method are provided for ensuring accurate
reimbursement by a company for travel expenses submitted for
reimbursement by a traveler. Further, the system and method are
provided for detecting fraud, errors and/or non-compliance with
applicable reimbursement policies. Accordingly, the system is
capable of ensuring accurate reimbursement by employers for travel
expenses captured by employee expense reports, such as for travel
expenses commonly incurred in connection with routine business
activities.
[0022] The present invention may be understood with reference to
the exemplary simplified network environment 10 of FIG. 1. As shown
in FIG. 1, the exemplary networked environment 10 includes an
Expense Verification System (EVS) 100 in accordance with the
present invention. The EVS includes conventional computing hardware
but is specially-configured with special-purpose software in
accordance with the present invention to provide a particular
special-purpose machine configured to carry out the inventive
methods described herein, as discussed in further detail with
reference to FIG. 10.
[0023] As is conventional, the network environment 10 further
includes a traveler/employee client device, such as a web-browsing
enabled personal computer connected via a communications network
40, such as the Internet, that is capable of computing with an
enterprise accounting system, such as company accounting system 30.
By way of example, company accounting system 30 may include a web
server providing a website-based interface to client device 20 by
which a traveler/employee may provide travel expense reimbursement
requests, receipts and other supporting documentation, images, etc.
via a website interface. The accounting system 30 may include
expense reimbursement management software, such as the Concur
travel and expense management software manufactured and/or
distributed by Concur Technologies, Inc. of Redmond, Wash., USA, as
is known in the art. Such systems are well-known in the art and
beyond the scope of the present invention, and thus will not be
discussed in greater detail here.
[0024] As discussed briefly above, the traveler may make airline
travel reservations, e.g. purchase airline travel tickets, via a
travel agency, via the airline itself, or via a web aggregator that
aggregates offerings from multiple airlines/vendors. As shown in
FIG. 1, each such entity may have its own computerized system 50,
60, 70 configured for communicating via the network 40. Generally,
each such systems 50, 60, 70 may include a web server for
communicating with the traveler's client device 20 via the network
40 to present a suitable website interface for display travel
options, receiving user selections, and receiving credit card or
other payment information. Such systems are well-known in the art
and beyond the scope of the present invention, and thus are not
discussed in detail herein.
[0025] In this example, each such system 50, 60, 70 communicates
with a global distribution system (GDS) 80 that receives data feeds
from various airlines' systems, and may also receive information
from computer systems of other entities providing travel-related
services, such as hotels, rental cars, and ferry and rail
transportation providers. The GDS' primary function is to
communicate airline, flight, rental car, hotel, etc. information to
travel agencies, corporate travel departments, etc. By way of
example, the GDS may transmit and receive data streams to
communicate with the travel agency system 50, airline reservation
system 60 and web vendor system 70, e.g. to receiving booking
information from the airline reservation system 60 and to transmit
such information to the travel agency system 50, or vice versa.
Such GDS systems and receipt and processing of such data streams
are well-known in the art and beyond the scope of the present
invention, and thus are not discussed in detail herein. Examples of
such systems include the Amadeus system maintained by Amadeus North
America, Inc. of Miami, Fla., USA, the Galileo and Worldspan
systems maintained by Travelport GDS of Atlanta, Ga., USA, and the
Sabre system maintained by Sabre Travel Network of Southlake, Tex.,
USA.
[0026] As known in the art, the GDS systems are in communication
with multiple airline systems, hotel systems, travel agent systems,
online booking agent systems, etc., and may be used by the
individual or a travel agent to make airline, hotel, automobile,
etc. reservations. Such systems, and technology for obtaining
reservation information from such systems, are well-known in the
art for use by travel agencies, etc. for use to "book" airline
travel reservations, modify travel reservations, cancel travel
reservations, etc. By way of example, the GDS may transmit, receive
and/or store an information record for each purchased reservation.
By way of example, in the context of airline travel reservations,
an exemplary record may include information identifying a ticket or
other reference number, a traveler's name, an associated airline
carrier, etc.
[0027] Of particular note in FIG. 1 is the existence of the
clearinghouse payment processing system 90, which is a computer
systems operatively connected to the network 40 for communication
with the travel agency system 50, airline reservation system 60,
and web vendor system 70. By way of example, the Airline
Clearinghouse (ACH) and International Airline Transit Association
Clearinghouse (ICH) are examples of such payment clearinghouses
having such clearinghouse payment processing systems. Information
relating to such clearinghouses can be found at
www.achpublic.airlines.org/Pages/Home.aspx and www.iata.org. As
known in the art, such clearinghouse payment processing systems 90
receive and/or transmit datastreams containing airline travel
reservation records to and/or from third parties, such as the
travel agency system 50, airline reservation system 60, and web
vendor system 70 to exchange data therewith, as discussed below.
Preferably each travel reservation record includes at least a
reference number, a status identifier, a payment amount, a payment
account identifier and a payment transaction date, although each
record may not include all of these fields. Such clearinghouse
payment processing systems 90 are well-known in the art and beyond
the scope of the present invention, and thus are not discussed in
detail herein. As known in the art, together such clearinghouses
process payments for virtually all commercial airlines flying
within or to/from the United States, and in most other parts of the
world.
[0028] Payments, credits and other transactions for airline travel
reservations made, canceled and/or modified via the GDS or other
systems are processed via the centralized payment processing
clearinghouse system(s) 90. Such clearinghouse systems, and
technology for processing payment and/or reservation information,
are well-known in the art. By way of example, the clearinghouse
systems may transmit, receive and/or store a travel reservation
record for each transaction relating to an airline/travel
reservation. By way of example, an exemplary record may include
information identifying a ticket number, a traveler's name, an
associated airline carrier, and credit card or other account
(payment) information. Conventionally, such information is routed
through the clearinghouse to and from the relevant airlines'
systems, and to and from credit card or other payment processing
systems. Further, as known in the art, each clearinghouse system 90
tracks the status of each airline reservation (e.g., used,
exchanged, refunded, open/unused, canceled, etc.) and transmits
such ticket status data as part of each record in the data it
transmits to third parties. Traditionally, such status data has
been transmitted and used solely for the purpose of notifying
travel agencies of the status of travel arrangements, e.g. to
respond to inquiries from passengers, travel agencies, credit card
companies, etc.
[0029] The EVS 100 may be provided as conventional,
commercially-available computing hardware and software configured
with special-purpose software for configuring the hardware as a
particular specially-configured machine for carrying out unique
algorithms and/or methodology in accordance with the present
invention, and described below. The EVS 100 is in electronic
communication with a conventional airline payment clearing house
system, such as the ACH or ICH clearinghouse payment processing
system 90, and/or a global distribution system (GDS) system 80. The
remaining systems shown in FIG. 1 may include conventional
computerized hardware and software for browsing the web, such as a
suitably configured, e.g. as web or back-end, servers, or as
personal or other computers. The client device 20 includes
conventional computer hardware and software for browsing the
web.
[0030] Thus, each payment clearinghouse system 90 provides a data
feed in a manner similar to those traditionally provided to
vendors', airlines' and/or other entities' systems for various
purposes unrelated to those described herein. Any changes in
status, etc. relating to a particular ticket are changes
automatically tracked and reflected in clearinghouse transaction
data associated with the same ticket/reference number, as known in
the art.
[0031] In accordance with the present invention, the EVS 100 is
configured to obtain data from the payment clearinghouse systems'
datastreams and to track reservations, by reference number over
time. Accordingly, both initial reservation information and
subsequent changes to the reservation as communicated to the EVS
100. In accordance with the present invention, transaction data
obtained from the payment clearinghouse is checked against
employee-submitted requests for reimbursement, and requests are
rejected when there are inconsistencies with the clearinghouse
transaction data, which is taken to be more reliable than
traveler-submitted expense data. Further, information parsed from
the clearinghouse transaction data is used to check for compliance
with pre-stored rules, and to enforce compliance with applicable
corporate policies, e.g., by rejecting a request for reimbursement
for a reservation that is not in compliance with corporate policy
or by issuing an alert flagging an information record for review or
other processing. Thus, data available from payment clearinghouses
for other purposes is used as described herein for ensuring
accurate reimbursement of travel expenses, compliance with company
policies, etc.
[0032] More specifically, data received from conventional payment
clearinghouse systems 90 is supplied as input to the inventive EVS
100 for the purpose of detecting errors and attempted fraud in
obtaining employee reimbursement for corporate travel arrangements,
and/or for otherwise ensuring accurate expense reimbursement,
policy compliance, etc. For example, the EVS 100 may be in
communication with a corporate computing/accounting/expense
management system for processing expense reports and/or approving
requests for reimbursement of expenses, such that approval must
first be obtained by the EVS 100 before reimbursement can be
authorized. Accordingly, for example, rather than rely solely upon
employee-submitted expense reports in support of requests to
reimburse the employee, the EVS 100 obtains information from an
independent, third party's computing system (namely the
clearinghouse payment processing system 90), and compares
employee-submitted data with the clearinghouse's third
party-supplied data for verification and/or supplementation
purposes. Such data may be directed from the clearinghouses'
systems to the EVS 100 via a data feed in a manner similar to the
manner in which similar data feeds are provided by the
clearinghouses to the airline and/or credit card payment
systems.
[0033] It should be noted that each corporate entity or other
entity may be configured to receive from the clearinghouse only
information relating to travel arrangements made by, for, or on an
account associated with that entity. Alternatively, a single,
centralized EVS may receive from a clearinghouse records for
multiple entities, but will consider only those records associated
with a certain entity when performing the methods herein. It should
be further noted that the information received from the
clearinghouse and used for the purposes described herein may be
received at the EVS directly from the clearinghouse system, or may
be received indirectly, e.g., via an intermediate such as the
entity's systems, or another third party's computer system, such as
a credit card company's system. Further, it will be appreciated
that some or all of the functionality described with respect to
each method may be distributed across what might otherwise be
perceived as discrete or distinct computer systems. Accordingly,
the descriptions in the exemplary embodiments described herein
should be viewed as exemplary and illustrative, but not
limiting.
[0034] In one embodiment, the EVS 100 is configured to operate as a
web server to provide a website interface for the various purposes
described herein. In one aspect, the website provides an Expense
Report interface providing text entry fields by which expense data
may be compiled and submitted to the EVS 100 as an expense report
requesting reimbursement. This interface may be used, for example,
by an employee, to input his/her own expenses to the EVS 100 using
a client computing device. The EVS 100 is further configured to
provide an Expense Approval interface, which may be used, for
example, by Accounts Payable personnel of the employee's employer
to view data via a client computing device. The EVS 100 is further
configured to provide expense processing, and to approve
reimbursement of a particular expense only after one or more
predetermined verification methods (described below) have been
completed successfully. Approval for reimbursement may be issued by
the EVS 100 in any suitable form, including by display of an
approval message via the Approval interface. Pertinent information
is stored in a data store.
[0035] In an alternative embodiment, the EVS is configured to
receive employee-submitted expense data as data transmitted from an
enterprise's separate travel and expense management software, such
as the Concur travel and expense software referenced above, which
receives and stores in a data store employee-supplied expense
report data in a conventional manner.
[0036] An expense report submitted to the EVS 100 by an
employee/traveler is effectively a request by the employee for the
company to reimburse the employee for the submitted expense. The
EVS 100 requires an associated reference number for an expense
report to be complete, and to be accepted by the system. The
reference number is a number that uniquely identifies the
associated transaction, and such a reference number is already
routinely provided and tracked in clearinghouse information
records. By way of example, the reference number may be a ticket
number for airline tickets.
[0037] An exemplary system for carrying out the methodology
described herein includes a memory and a processor, and stores in
its memory computer readable instructions executable by the
processor to carry out the verification methods described herein,
as discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 10. Exemplary
verification methods are described below.
[0038] Avoiding Reimbursement for Duplicate Passenger Receipts
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 2, a flow diagram 120 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for ensuring accurate reimbursement
for duplicate passenger receipts. A passenger (often referred to
herein in an exemplary, non-limiting manner as an "employee" or a
"traveler") may obtain duplicative receipts for a single airline
travel reservation, e.g., one from a travel agency and/online
booking service and another from the airline. This creates an
opportunity for the traveler to submit a separate reimbursement
request for each receipt, and to be improperly reimbursed twice for
a single expense.
[0040] To avoid reimbursement by a company, etc. (referred to
herein for illustrative purposes, and in a non-limiting manner as
"company") for each of duplicate passenger receipts, or
non-compliant receipts, the EVS 100 is configured to carry out the
method illustrated in FIG. 2 to deny reimbursement requests where
appropriate, and thus to avoid excessive reimbursement by the
company, and a resultant loss.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 2, the method begins with the EVS's
100 receipt of reimbursement request data from the employee, etc.
requesting reimbursement (referred to herein as the "requestor"),
as shown at 122. By way of example, this information may be
submitted by the requestor to the company in paper form, and may be
inputted into the company's accounting system 30 (FIG. 1) by
appropriate company personnel. Such information may then be
transmitted in the form of electronic data to the EVS 100, via the
network 40. By way of example, such information may be provided an
input to expense management software running at the company's
accounting system 30, and may be provided to the EVS 100 as
exported or transmitted data from the expense management software.
One commercially-available example of such expense management
software is the Concur travel and expense software referenced
above. Any suitable software may be used at the accounting system
30 for this purpose.
[0042] Alternatively, the accounting system 30 may receive such
input as input provided electronically by the requestor, e.g. via a
website interface, using the requestor's client computing device
20, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0043] Referring again to FIG. 2, the EVS 100, under control of its
processor executing microprocessor-executable instructions for
carrying out the method steps described herein, then parses the
received reimbursement request data to identify a reference number,
as shown at 124. As described above, the reference number may be an
airline ticket or reservation number. Alternatively, in this
example, the reference number may be a reservation, confirmation or
other reference number for hotel, rental car, or any other
reservation. This information is collected from receipts and/or
other information provided by the requestor.
[0044] Expense report information received by the EVS 100 is stored
in its memory 118 in an expense report data store 118a, as shown in
FIG. 10. Accordingly, this data store grows as additional expense
reports are received. The EVS then references the expense report
data store 118a of previously-stored reimbursement requests, as
shown at 126 of FIG. 2. Each stored reimbursement request record in
the data store includes at least a stored reference number, e.g. a
respective airline ticket/reservation number. The EVS 100 further
compares the parsed reference number to the previously received and
stored reference numbers stored in the data store 118a, as shown at
128, and determines whether the parsed reference number matches any
stored reference number, as shown at 130.
[0045] If it is determined at 130 that the parsed reference number
does not match any stored reference number, then the received
reimbursement request data is stored in the data store 118a as an
additional, seemingly valid, request for reimbursement, as shown at
step 132. Accordingly, the request for reimbursement is seemingly
valid, and is conditionally approved for reimbursement, subject to
further processing and further analysis in accordance with the
methods described herein, as shown at 134. This method then ends,
as shown at 136.
[0046] If, however, it is determined at 130 that the parsed
reference number does match a stored reference number, this
indicates that request for a single travel expense is being
requested more than once. To avoid duplicative reimbursement, then,
the EVS 100 then denies the received reimbursement request and
issues a denial alert, and this exemplary method ends, as shown at
138, 140 and 136. The denial report may have any suitable form,
including a display on a display device of the EVS 100, generation
of a suitable printed report identifying the details and denial of
the reimbursement request, issuance of any other suitable alert
signal and/or transmission or related data. The precise form of the
alert is not critical to the method.
[0047] It should be noted that this method may be used to ensure
compliance with corporate policies. For example, a corporate policy
may require pre-approval for amounts of $600 and above, but permit
automatic payment without approval for amounts less than $600. In
view of this policy, an employee may obtain multiple partial
receipts for a single reservation, e.g. a cash receipt for $450 and
a credit card receipt of $550 to pay for a single reservation
(having a single ticket number) costing $1,000, to give the
appearance of complying with company policy to obtain payment
without pre-approval of the expense. This method may be used to
detect multiple receipts submitted for a single reference number in
an attempt to circumvent corporate policies.
[0048] Avoiding Reimbursement for Canceled and Exchanged
Reservations
[0049] Referring now to FIG. 3, a flow diagram 150 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for avoiding reimbursement for
canceled airline travel reservations. An employee may obtain a
receipt for a ticketed reservation that may appear to be valid, or
that is valid when issued. For example, an employee may print a
boarding pass via an online booking/reservation/airline service,
and seek to submit for reimbursement purposes the printed boarding
pass as a "receipt" to show proof of travel. However, the
reservation may have been subsequently canceled, and such
cancellation would not be reflected on the original receipt. This
creates an opportunity for the employee to submit a reimbursement
request and be improperly reimbursed for an expense that has
already been incurred and refunded.
[0050] Somewhat similarly, it should be noted that a traveler can
make a non-refundable airline travel reservation, cancel the
reservation, and then obtain a new reservation for a relatively low
"change" fee by exchanging the canceled reservation for the new
reservation. Such a transaction provides the traveler with two
receipts in the amount of the face value of each reservation, when
in fact the employee has paid considerably less for the required
ticket.
[0051] To avoid reimbursement for canceled and exchanged airline
travel reservations, the EVS 100 is configured to carry out the
method illustrated in FIG. 3 to deny reimbursement requests where
appropriate, and thus to avoid excessive reimbursement by the
company, and a resultant loss. Referring now to FIG. 3, the method
begins with the EVS 100 receiving travel reservation records from a
clearinghouse payment processing system 90 by data transmission via
communications network 40, as shown at 152. See FIG. 1. These
information records may be received as part of a datastream
transmitted via the network 40 from the clearinghouse payment
processing system 90 in a manner similar to the transmission of
data to travel agencies, etc. for other purposes, as known in the
art. Each information record includes at least a reference number
and an associated status identifier. As discussed above, the status
identifier indicates the status of the airline travel reservation
having the associated reference number, as well-known in the
industry. This canceled/exchanged status information is already
routinely reflected in each airline travel reservation transaction
record distributed and/or maintained by a clearinghouse; no
modification of the clearinghouse system is required to track such
information. By way of example, the status indicators may indicate
a CANCELED status, meaning that the reservation has been canceled
and payment has been refunded (in whole or in part), or may
indicate an EXCHANGED status, meaning that the reservation has been
canceled and that payment has been applied (in whole or in part)
toward another airline travel reservation having a different
reference number.
[0052] The EVS 100 then parses the received travel reservation
records to identify at least one record having a status identifier
reflecting either a CANCELED status or an EXCHANGED status, as
shown at 154. For each such record, the EVS then parses the record
to identify an associated reference number, as shown at 156. The
EVS 100 then references the data store 118a (FIG. 10) of
previously-stored reimbursement requests. Each stored reimbursement
request includes at least an associated reference number. The EVS
100 then compares each parsed reference number to the stored
reference numbers, as shown at 160, and determines whether each
parsed reference number matches a stored reference number, as shown
at 162.
[0053] If it is determined in 162 that the parsed reference number
does not match any stored reference number for any
previously-stored reimbursement request, then the EVS 100
conditionally approves further processing of the stored
reimbursement requests.
[0054] However, if it is determined in 162 that a parsed reference
number matches a stored reference number, this indicates that
reimbursement is being requested for an airline travel reservation
that has been canceled and refunded, or canceled and
exchanged/redeemed, and thus that reimbursement would be improper.
Accordingly, if such a determination is made, the EVS 100 denies
reimbursement of each corresponding reimbursement request having a
matching reference number, and the method ends with issuance of a
denial alert, as shown at 168, 170 and 166.
[0055] Avoiding Reimbursement in Excess of Actual Payment
[0056] Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram 180 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for avoiding reimbursement to a
traveler in an amount in excess of an actual payment made by the
traveler for an airline travel reservation. For example, an
employee might obtain a receipt for airline fare (e.g., $350) and
may modify the receipt (e.g., using image editing computer
software) so that it appears to document a payment in an amount in
excess of the actual payment (e.g., $750), and may then request
reimbursement in the higher amount.
[0057] To avoid reimbursement in excess of the actual payment made,
the EVS 100 is configured to carry out the method illustrated in
FIG. 4 to deny reimbursement requests where appropriate, and thus
to avoid excessive reimbursement by the company, and a resultant
loss. Referring now to FIG. 4, the method begins with the EVS 100
receiving travel reservation records from a clearinghouse payment
processing system 90 by data transmission via communications
network 40, as shown at 182. See FIG. 1. These information records
may be received as part of a conventional datastream, as discussed
above. Each information record includes at least a reference number
and an associated payment amount reflecting the amount paid to make
the reservation, e.g., the fare plus applicable fees. This payment
amount information is already routinely reflected in each airline
travel reservation transaction record distributed and/or maintained
by a clearinghouse; no modification of the clearinghouse system is
required to track such information.
[0058] The EVS 100 then parses the received travel reservation
records to identify a payment amount associated with each reference
number, as shown at 184. For each such record, the EVS 100 then
references the data store 118a (FIG. 10) of previously-stored
reimbursement requests, as shown at 186. Each stored reimbursement
request includes at least a reference number and a reimbursement
request amount. The EVS 100 then compares each parsed reference
number to the stored reference numbers, as shown at 188, and
determines whether each parsed reference number matches a stored
reference number, as shown at 190.
[0059] If it is determined at 190 that the parsed reference number
does not match any stored reference number for any
previously-stored reimbursement request, then this verification
process ends, as shown at 192.
[0060] However, if it is determined at 190 that a parsed reference
number matches a stored reference number, then it is determined
whether the parsed payment amount (reflecting the actual amount
paid by the traveler) is no less than the requested reimbursement
amount, as shown at 194. If the parsed payment amount is greater
than or equal to, i.e., no less than, the requested reimbursement
amount, then the EVS 100 conditionally approves reimbursement for
the associated reimbursement request, subject to other verification
methods discussed herein, and submits the request for further
processing, as shown at 200.
[0061] If it is determined that the parsed amount (reflecting the
actual amount paid by the traveler) is less than, i.e., not no less
than, the requested reimbursement amount, then the reimbursement
requests exceeds the actual amount paid, and the request is
improper. In such a case, the EVS 100 denies reimbursement for the
corresponding reimbursement request having a matching reference
number, and the method ends with issuance of a denial alert, as
shown at 196, 198 and 192.
[0062] Capturing Refunds to Traveler of Reimbursed Expenses
[0063] Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow diagram 210 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for capturing refunds to a traveler
for expenses for which a company has already reimbursed the
traveler. For example, an expense for an airline travel reservation
may have been submitted for reimbursement by a traveler, and may
have been reimbursed by the traveler's employer. However,
subsequent canceling of the reservation may result in an airline's
refund directly to the employee, e.g., by posting a credit to the
employee's credit card that was used by the employee to pay for the
travel reservation. Absent additional action, the employer would
never be informed of the refund to the employee.
[0064] To capture refunds paid to a traveler for an expense already
reimbursed by a company, the EVS 100 is configured to carry out the
method illustrated in FIG. 5 to deny reimbursement requests where
appropriate, and thus to avoid excessive reimbursement by the
company, and a resultant loss. Referring now to FIG. 5, the method
begins with the EVS 100 receiving travel reservation records from a
clearinghouse payment processing system 90 by data transmission via
communications network 40, as shown at 212. See FIG. 1. These
information records may be received as part of a conventional
datastream, as discussed above. Each information record includes at
least a reference number and an associated status identifier, as
discussed above with reference to FIG. 3. However, in contrast to
the method discussed with reference to FIG. 3, this method parses
the travel reservation records to identify a record having a status
identifier reflecting a REFUNDED status, as shown at 214. The EVS
100 then parses each record having a REFUNDED status to identify an
associated reference number, as shown at 216. The EVS 100 then
compares each parsed reference number to the reference numbers
stored in data store 118a and determines whether there is a match,
as shown at 220 and 222.
[0065] If it is determined at 222 that the parsed reference number
does not match any reference number stored in the data store 118a,
then this verification method ends, as shown at 224.
[0066] If, however, it is determined at 222 that the parsed
reference number does match a stored reference number, then it is
determined whether reimbursement has already been issued to the
traveler by the company, as shown at 226. If so, the EVS 100 issues
an exception alert triggering corrective action and the method
ends, as shown at 228 and 224. The alert may have any suitable
form, including a display on a display device of the EVS 100,
generation of a suitable printed report identifying the details and
denial of the reimbursement request, issuance of any other suitable
alert signal and/or transmission or related data. The precise form
of the alert is not critical to the method. The exception alert
prompts investigation into the matter so that the reimbursement
amount may be repaid by the traveler and recaptured by the
company.
[0067] If it is determined at 226 that reimbursement has not
already been made to the traveler, then the EVS 100 denies the
reimbursement request having the corresponding reference number and
issues a denial alert, as shown at 230, 232, and the method ends,
as shown at 224. The denial report may have any suitable form
[0068] Avoiding Corporate Waste
[0069] Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow diagram 230 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for avoiding corporate waste. For
example, airline travel reservations may have been made and paid
for, but may never have been used, e.g., as in the case of
uncollected airline e-tickets. In many instances, such reservations
have a monetary value greater than $0, as they may be rescheduled
and redeemed at a discount to face value, e.g. upon payment of an
additional fee.
[0070] To avoid corporate waste attributable to allowing such
reservations to be lost and never redeemed in any form, the EVS 100
is configured to carry out the method illustrated in FIG. 6 to
issue an exception alert triggering corrective action. The
exception alert may have any suitable form, as discussed above, and
prompts investigation into the matter so that waste of corporate
funds, etc. may be avoided.
[0071] Referring now to FIG. 6, the method begins with the EVS 100
receiving travel reservation records from a clearinghouse payment
processing system 90 by data transmission via communications
network 40, as shown at 232. See FIG. 1. Each information record
includes at least a reference number and an associated status
identifier, as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5.
However, in contrast to the methods discussed above with reference
to FIGS. 3 and 5, this method parses the travel reservation records
to identify a record having a status identifier reflecting an
UNUSED status, as shown at 234. The EVS 100 then parses each record
having a UNUSED status to identify an associated payment
transaction date, as shown at 236. The EVS 100 then references a
stored rule for determining an expiration date for the airline
travel reservation, as shown at 238. The expiration date reflects
the date after which the travel reservation is no longer valid, may
no longer be used, and/or may no longer have any value for the
purposes of exchanging the reservation for a new reservation. The
rule may be a single default rule for use within the system, or may
be provided by a user to the system. Alternatively, the rule may be
one of many rules stored in a rules data store 118b stored in the
memory 118 of the system, and the system may parse information from
the transaction record, such as airline carrier, and use it as a
key to reference the rules data store an identify an applicable
rule. For example, the system may store a rule indicating that for
airline carrier X, all tickets expire 1 year from the date of the
original payment transaction. Any suitable rule or any suitable
method for determining an expiration date may be used.
[0072] The EVS then determines the associated expiration date as a
function of the payment transaction date, in accordance with the
applicable rule, as shown at 240. For example, this may be
accomplished by calculating the one-year anniversary date of the
payment transaction date for a rule indicating an expiration date
that is one year after the payment transaction date.
[0073] The EVS then generates a report identifying at least one
reference number and its associated expiration date. The report may
have any suitable form, including a display on a display device of
the EVS 100, generation of a suitable printed report, or issuance
of any other suitable alert signal and/or transmission or related
data. The precise form of the report is not critical to the method.
An exception alert is then issued to trigger corrective action, as
shown at 244, and the method ends, as shown at 246. The exception
alert prompts investigation into the matter so that the travel
reservation may be canceled, refunded or exchanged prior to the
expiration date, to avoid loss to the company of the amount paid
for the travel reservation. By way of example, an alert may be
issued as a function of the expiration date (e.g., to identify
expiration dates occurring in the next 30 days).
[0074] Advantageously, by retrieving data from the clearinghouse
payment processing system rather than from a single airline, the
EVS can create a report and exception alerts listing all
uncollected tickets for a single corporation, etc., across multiple
airlines, regardless of which agent, airline, or method (e.g., web
portal) was used to purchase the reservations.
[0075] Avoiding Reimbursement of Non-Reimbursable Expenses
[0076] Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram 250 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for avoiding reimbursement of
non-reimbursable expenses. For example, airline travel reservations
may often be paid for by an employee using a corporate credit card;
accordingly, the company/employer, not the employee, has paid for
the reservation. Accordingly, the employee/traveler is not entitled
to reimbursement of the associated travel expense.
[0077] To avoid erroneous reimbursement, because the employee has
not paid for the expense for which reimbursement has been
requested, the EVS 100 is configured to carry out the method
illustrated in FIG. 7 to issue deny reimbursement requests where
appropriate, and thus to avoid excessive reimbursement by the
company, and a resultant loss. Referring now to FIG. 7, the method
begins with the EVS 100 receiving travel reservation records from a
clearinghouse payment processing system 90, as shown at 252 and as
discussed above. Each information record includes at least a
reference number and an associated payment account identifier. For
example, a payment account identifier may include a credit card
account number for the account used to make payment for the
associated airline travel reservation. The EVS 100 then parses the
travel reservation records to identify a record having a reference
number and an associated payment account identifier, and compares
each parsed reference number to the reference numbers stored in
data store 118a and determines whether there is a match, as shown
at 256 and 258.
[0078] If it is determined at 258 that the parsed reference number
does not match any reference number stored in the data store 118a,
then this verification method ends, as shown at 260.
[0079] If, however, it is determined at 258 that the parsed
reference number does match a stored reference number, then the
parsed payment account identifier associated with each reference
number is compared to the stored payment account identifiers, as
shown in step 262. For example, payment account identifiers, e.g.,
credit card and/or bank account numbers, owned and/or funded by the
employer/company may be stored in a Company payment account data
store 118c stored in the memory 118 of the EVS. Accordingly, a
match with one of these numbers would indicate that the
company/employer, and not the traveler/employee, paid for the
airline travel reservation and thus that the traveler/employee is
not entitled to reimbursement.
[0080] In an alternative embodiment, payment account identifiers
owned and/or funded by the traveler/employee may be stored in a
Traveler payment account data store 118d stored in the memory 118
of the EVS. Accordingly, a match with one of these numbers would
indicated that the traveler/employee paid for the airline travel
reservation, and thus may be entitled to reimbursement.
[0081] Referring again to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7, the
EVS 100 then determines whether parsed payment account identifier
matches a stored payment account identifier owned/funded by the
company, as shown at 264. If not, then the company has not paid for
the reservation, and the EVS 100 conditionally approves
reimbursement and submits the request for further verification
processing and the method ends, as shown at 264, 266 and 260.
[0082] If, however, it is determined at 264 that the parsed payment
account identifier matches a stored payment account identifier,
then the company, not the traveler/employee, has paid for the
reservation and the traveler/employee is not entitled to
reimbursement. Accordingly, in this case the EVS 100 denies the
request for reimbursement for the record having the matching
payment account identifier and issues a denial alert before ending,
as shown at 264, 268, 270 and 260.
[0083] Ensuring Compliance with Corporate Policies
[0084] Various corporate policies may be enforced by the EVS, in a
similar manner. For example, company policy may permit
reimbursement of COACH airline fares, but may reject PREMIUM COACH
fares. Accordingly, the EVS may store company-specific policy
information and/or rules, and may compare clearinghouse transaction
data to such information and/or rules, and reject request for
reimbursement for which the clearinghouse transaction data is
inconsistent with the pre-stored information/rules. For example, if
an employer receives a request for reimbursement of ticket
#1234567890, and the EVS stores a rule indicating that COACH fares
are reimbursable, but PREMIUM COACH fares are not, the EVS will
reference transaction data received from the clearinghouse, and
approve the request if the fare basis parsed from the transaction
data is COACH, and reject the request if the fare basis parsed from
the transaction data is PREMIUM COACH.
[0085] Referring now to FIG. 8, a flow diagram 280 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for ensuring compliance with
corporate policies.
[0086] To avoid reimbursement in the event of non-compliance with a
company policy, the EVS 100 is configured to carry out the method
illustrated in FIG. 8 to deny reimbursement requests where
appropriate, and thus to avoid excessive reimbursement by the
company, and a resultant loss. Referring now to FIG. 8, the method
begins with storing in a Policy data store 118e in the memory 118
of the EVS 100 rules for reimbursement of travel expenses
consistent with company-specific policies, as shown at 282.
Importantly, these rules are configured to conditionally permit
reimbursement as a function of reservation characteristics that are
or may be captured in the data received from the clearinghouse
payment processing system's datastream. For example, the fare basis
(COACH, PREMIUM COACH, etc.) may be reflected in such data, and the
rules may permit 100% reimbursement for a reservation having a
COACH reservation characteristic, but may permit 0% reimbursement,
or partial reimbursement, for a reservation having a PREMIUM COACH
reservation characteristic.
[0087] The EVS 100 then receives travel reservation records from a
clearinghouse payment processing system 90, as shown at 284 and as
discussed above. Each information record includes at least a
reference number and an associated reservation characteristic. The
EVS 100 then parses the travel reservation records to identify a
record having a reference number and an associated reservation
characteristic, and compares each parsed reference number to the
reference numbers stored in data store 118a and determines whether
there is a match, as shown at 286, 288 and 290.
[0088] If it is determined at 290 that the parsed reference number
does not match any reference number stored in the data store 118a,
then this verification method ends, as shown at 292.
[0089] If, however, it is determined at 290 that the parsed
reference number does match a stored reference number, then the
parsed reservation characteristic associated with each reference
number is compared to the stored reimbursement rules from the
policy data store 118e, as shown at 294. It is then determined
whether the rules permit reimbursement in view of the associated
reservation characteristic(s), as shown at 296. If so, the EVS 100
conditionally approves reimbursement and passes the request for
further processing, as shown at 296, 298 and 292. If not, then the
EVS 100 denies the request for reimbursement for the record having
the matching reference number and issues a denial alert before
ending, as shown at 296, 298, 300 and 302.
[0090] Detecting Non-Business Use of Company-Purchased Tickets
[0091] Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram 320 is shown that
illustrates an exemplary method for detecting non-business use of a
company-purchased reservation intended for business travel.
Reservations may have been made and used, but may never have been
submitted as part of a company expense report, because they were
never used for business travel, although they were paid for by the
company.
[0092] To detect non-business use of an airline travel reservation
for which the company has paid, the EVS is configured to carry out
the method illustrated in FIG. 9 to issue an exception alert
triggering corrective action. Referring now to FIG. 9, the method
begins with the EVS 100 receiving travel reservation records from a
clearinghouse payment processing system 90, and parsing the
received records to identify reference numbers having a USED
status, as shown at 322, 324 and 326. The EVS 100 then references a
data store 118a of previously-stored reimbursement requests and
compares parsed reference numbers to stored reference numbers, as
shown at 328 and 330. If there is a match, this method ends, as
shown at 332, and further expense verification processing may
continue. However, if there is no match, then a matching expense
report has not been submitted. This may be indicative of
non-business use of a company-purchase ticket. Accordingly, in this
instance the EVS 100 issues an exception report so that the matter
can be investigated, as shown at step 334.
[0093] Accordingly, the EVS can be used to automatedly audit and/or
approve requests for reimbursement for expenses submitted via
corporate expense reports, and/or as a decision support tool for
advising human personnel considering whether to approve requests
for reimbursement. More specifically, the EVS is configured to
continually receive updated transaction data from ACH and ICH
clearinghouse systems, and to compare transaction data from the
clearinghouse systems to corresponding reimbursement requests,
based on matching ticket or other reference numbers, and to reject
reimbursement requests for which the requested reimbursement is
inconsistent with the data received from the clearinghouse. In a
preferred embodiment, the EVS, and the clearinghouse, GDS or other
system is configured to exchange updated information on a regular,
e.g. nightly, basis.
[0094] Further, the EVS is configured to detect non-compliance with
corporate policies or other irregularities by checking data
received from the clearinghouses against corporate policies and/or
expense report data maintained in an expense report software
database, spreadsheet, etc.
[0095] In a preferred embodiment, the EVS receives a stream of data
from a clearinghouse of transaction data for travel/expense
vendors, the stream of data identifying reference numbers and
associated status identifiers for transactions made and/or paid for
by the enterprise, references a data store of employee-submitted
expense report data, the data store identifying reference numbers
and payment amounts for expenses, compares information records from
the clearinghouse data stream to information records from the data
store for each reference number, and takes predefined action in
accordance with predefined rules as a result of the comparison.
Such predefined action may include one or more of: approving
reimbursement of an expense, denying reimbursement of an expense,
approving reimbursement in an amount other than a requested amount,
and creating an exception report prompting investigation of a
matter.
[0096] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a expense verification system
(EVS) (shown logically as a single representative server for ease
of illustration) 100 (see FIG. 1) in accordance with the present
invention. The EVS 100 includes conventional computer hardware
storing and/or executing specially-configured computer software
that configures the hardware as a particular special-purpose
machine having various specially-configured functional
sub-components that collectively carry out methods in accordance
with the present invention. Accordingly, the expense verification
system 100 of FIG. 10 includes a general purpose processor and a
bus 104 employed to connect and enable communication between the
processor 102 and the components of the expense verification system
100 in accordance with known techniques. The EVS 100 typically
includes a user interface adapter 106, which connects the processor
102 via the bus 104 to one or more interface devices, such as a
keyboard 108, mouse 110, and/or other interface devices 112, which
can be any user interface device, such as a touch sensitive screen,
digitized entry pad, etc. The bus 104 also connects a display
device 114, such as an LCD screen or monitor, to the processor 102
via a display adapter 116. The bus 104 also connects the processor
102 to memory 118, which can include a hard drive, diskette drive,
tape drive, etc.
[0097] The EVS 100 may communicate with other computers or networks
of computers, for example via a communications channel, network
card or modem 119. The EVS 100 may be associated with such other
computers in a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network
(WAN), and operates as a server in a client/server arrangement with
another computer, etc. Such configurations, as well as the
appropriate communications hardware and software, are known in the
art.
[0098] The EVS' software is specially configured in accordance with
the present invention. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10, the EVS
100 includes computer-readable, processor-executable instructions
stored in the memory for carrying out the methods described herein.
Further, the memory stores certain data, e.g. in databases or other
data stores shown logically in FIG. 10 for illustrative purposes,
without regard to any particular embodiment in one or more hardware
or software components. For example, FIG. 10 shows schematically
storage in the memory 118 of the EVS 100 expense reimbursement
request data in Expense Report Data Store 118a, reservation
expiration date determination rules in Expiration Date Rules Data
Store 118b, company payment account identifier data in Company
Payment Account Identifier Data Store 118c, traveler payment
account identifier data in Traveler Payment Account Identified Data
Store 118d, and rules for reimbursement in accordance with company
policies in Policy Data Store 118e.
[0099] Additionally, computer readable media storing computer
readable code for carrying out the method steps identified above is
provided. The computer readable media is a physical storage device
stores code for carrying out subprocesses for carrying out the
methods described above.
[0100] A computer program product recorded on a computer readable
medium for carrying out the method steps identified above is
provided. The computer program product comprises computer readable
means for carrying out the methods described above.
[0101] It will be appreciated that although the simplified methods
shown herein for illustrative purposes discuss receipt of a single
reimbursement request, in a typical commercial embodiment, the
methods will be repeated or adapted for numerous reimbursement
requests. Optionally, the reimbursement request data for denied
requests may be deleted or not stored in a data store, or may be
stored in the data store as a rejected request so that it is not
considered to be equivalent to a valid reimbursement request.
[0102] While there have been described herein the principles of the
invention, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that
this description is made only by way of example and not as a
limitation to the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is
intended by the appended claims, to cover all modifications of the
invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *
References