Patent ID: 6363362
Filing Date: 2002-03-26
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A method for paying bills electronically using data generated by any of multiple accounting software packages, the data generated by each of the multiple accounting software packages having a different structure, comprising the steps of:storing respective rules associated with each of the multiple accounting software packages; receiving structured data including data corresponding to a payee name, a payee address, an invoice number and an invoice amount generated by one of the multiple accounting software packages; extracting the data corresponding to the payee name, the payee address, the invoice number and the invoice amount from the received structured data by applying only the respective rules associated with the one accounting software package; mapping the extracted data such that the extracted data corresponding to the payee name is identified as first type data, the extracted data corresponding to the payee address is identified as second type data, the extracted data corresponding to the invoice number is identified as third type data, and the extracted data corresponding to the invoice amount is identified as fourth type data; storing a representation of the extracted data corresponding to the payee name in a database at a first location based upon such data being identified as the first type data, storing a representation of the extracted data corresponding to the payee address in the database at a second location based upon such data being identified as the second type data, storing a representation of the extracted data corresponding to the invoice number in the database at a third location based upon such data being identified as the third type data, and storing a representation of the extracted data corresponding to the invoice amount in the database at a location based upon such data being identified as the fourth type data; and reading representations of the extracted data from the database and processing the read data to electronically process payment of the invoice amount.