Abstract:
A convergent invoicing system and method for accepting multiple billing information streams or pre-billing information streams from different sources and converging the information streams so that a single invoice can be generated for a specific customer. Multiple invoices could instead be generated if the customer so desires. The invoice can be output to any of a number of different output devices.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a convergent invoicing system and method for converging billing information from a plurality of distinct billing information sources into a single invoice for a customer. The present invention is particularly useful in industries such as the telecommunications service industry where a customer may be receiving products and services for which separate billing streams may be generated.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Certain businesses, such as telecommunications service providers, may offer several different services to customers that generate different billing information streams. In the telecommunications service industry, many mergers have occurred across different market segments, such as local service, long distance service, wireless service (including cellular and digital), high-speed Internet service (including DSL service and cable modem service), pay television service (such as cable TV), hardware sales and others. Many companies have also branched out into new segments. Many of these services offered by telecommunications service providers historically have had separate and distinct billing systems used to keep track of the usage of a customer, rate or pricing information and/or to generate an invoice for billing for such services.  
           [0003]    Referring now to FIG. 1, an accounting network according to the prior art is shown. This figure depicts a network that may well be in use by various telecommunications service providers offering services and products across market segments.  
           [0004]    Several different billing systems interface to receivables management functionality  100  through streams of billing information. The type of billing streams and the billing systems mentioned hereinafter are given solely as examples and are not intended to be taken as an exhaustive list of such streams and systems. Wireless billing system  110  communicates with receivables management functionality  100  through wireless billing stream  114 . Wireless billing system  110  may include a mediation function  111 , a rating function  112  and a billing function  113 . As used herein, a mediation function receives network events and prepares them for rating and a rating function assigns a price to a network event. A pre-paid billing system  120  communicates with receivables management functionality  100  through pre-paid stream  124 . Alternatively, a separate pre-paid stream  125  may interface with another billing system  130 . Pre-paid billing system  120  may include a mediation function  121 , a rating function  122  and a debiting function  123 .  
           [0005]    Billing system  130  may be an Internet service billing system, for instance. Internet service billing system  130  may have a mediation function  131 , a rating function  132  and a billing function  133 . This billing system  130  also communicates with receivable management functionality  100  through Internet billing stream  134 .  
           [0006]    A third party billing system  140  may also be involved. For instance, many customers have a different long distance carrier than their local service provider, but are billed by their local service provider for both their local service and long distance service. Third party billing system  140  may have a rating and pricing function  141  and interface to one of the other billing systems, such as Internet service billing system  130  through third party billing stream  145 . Another billing system  150  is shown for handling billing for hardware. This hardware billing system  150  may include a product/pricing function  151  and a billing function  152 . Hardware billing system may communicate with receivables management functionality through hardware billing stream  154 . Other types of billing systems that could be used include long distance service, maintenance, repairs, custom care, etc.  
           [0007]    Receivables management functionality  100  interfaces with general ledger accounting functionality  101 . It also interacts with web-enabled self-service functionality  160  for permitting customers to access their invoices through the receivables management functionality  100 .  
           [0008]    With this broadening of services offered through both mergers and branching out into new market segments, service providers may be forced to either use separate invoices for the same customer generated by its existing billing systems or to replace its current billing systems with a new integrated system. Sending out separate bills can be a customer relations problem as most customers would rather pay just one bill as opposed to multiple bills. Additionally, it increases costs in mailing, handling, and maintaining additional invoices.  
           [0009]    However, replacing the various billing systems with an integrated system tends to be an expensive alternative and may not be worth the cost to a business. Another potential problem with replacing existing billing systems with an integrated billing system is that if new services are added, the new system may not be able to handle them. Thus, either another billing system would need to be added to handle billing for the new service, resulting again in the multiple invoicing problem, or the integrated billing system would need to be replaced with a newer integrated billing system.  
           [0010]    Thus, a need exists for an inexpensive manner of converging billing information into a single invoice without necessitating the replacement of existing billing systems and that can easily adapt as new services are added that have different billing information.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The present invention relates to convergent invoicing functionality that can be either added to existing accounting networks or included in new billing systems. This functionality accepts multiple billing information streams or pre-billing information streams from different sources and permits the converging of the information so that a single invoice (or more if it is desirable) can be generated for a specific customer.  
           [0012]    The present invention has many advantages over the prior art. It provides increased flexibility enabling invoice creation across several billing streams. It also permits one to control the number of invoices sent to a customer each month. The present invention permits cross-product discounting based on total invoice, for example. This can be done because all of the billing information is available in one invoice. The present invention also permits flexible formatting and distribution of invoices.  
           [0013]    The present invention reduces costs by reducing the number of invoices generated, maintained and mailed and by providing a better view of customers. It also protects capital investments by permitting service providers to keep their existing billing systems or replace them as desired. Furthermore, it enhances time to market for new services because it permits new billing streams for new technologies and services to be quickly added.  
           [0014]    An embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method for converging a plurality of billing information streams into a desired number of invoices, such as a single invoice.  
           [0015]    Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method for converging a plurality of billing information streams into a single invoice and outputting that invoice to at least one of a variety of outputs.  
           [0016]    Another embodiment of the present invention provides an accounting network for converging a plurality of billing information streams into a desired number of invoices.  
           [0017]    As such, it is an object of the present invention to provide for the converging of billing information streams from multiple sources and the generation of a desired number of invoices therefrom and to output the invoices to selected outputs. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a network of billing systems according to the prior art.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a network of billing systems including convergent invoicing functionality according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a process flow for convergent invoicing according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]    The present invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0022]    Referring now to FIG. 2, an accounting network is shown having convergent invoicing functionality according to an embodiment of the present invention. Receivables management functionality  100  here again communicates with general ledger accounting functionality  101 , web-enabled self-service functionality  160 . However, it now no longer directly communicates with billing systems  110 ,  120 ,  130 ,  140  and  150 , but instead communicates with convergent invoicing functionality  200 .  
         [0023]    Convergent invoicing functionality  200  receives information from a variety of sources. These sources may be the same billing systems described with respect to FIG. 1 or pre-billing systems as described hereinafter or any combination thereof. By accepting any of these systems, the present invention permits telecommunications service providers, for example, to keep legacy billing systems intact, add new billing or pre-billing systems as needed and/or replace legacy systems with pre-billing systems. Wireless pre-billing system  210  is similar to wireless billing system  110  of FIG. 1, but does not need billing function  113 . Information relating to usage and rates may be passed along from wireless pre-billing system  210  to convergent invoicing functionality  200  through wireless information stream  214 .  
         [0024]    Pre-paid billing system  120  may be connected to convergent invoicing functionality  200  through pre-paid billing stream  224  conveying information relating to usage, rates and debits. Internet pre-billing system  230  may be connected to convergent invoicing functionality  200  through Internet information stream  234 . Internet pre-billing system  230  is similar to Internet billing system  130  of FIG. 1, but does not need the billing function  133 .  
         [0025]    Third party billing system  140  communicates directly with the convergent billing functionality  200  through third party stream  245 , without having to communicate with another billing system as in the system of FIG. 1.  
         [0026]    Hardware pre-billing system  250  communicates with convergent invoicing system  200  through hardware information stream  254 . Hardware pre-billing system  250  is similar to hardware billing system of FIG. 1, but does not need billing functionality  152 .  
         [0027]    As can be seen, by adding convergent invoicing functionality, the communication between systems is simplified. Additional billing or pre-billing systems can easily be added as the telecommunications service providers acquire other companies having legacy systems or branch out into new market segments.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the convergent invoicing process flow  380  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Various input sources  300 ,  301 ,  302  and  303  provide information regarding rates and usage to convergent invoicing functionality  200  to be processed. These input sources may be billing systems and/or pre-billing sources mentioned in the discussion of FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0029]    The information from input sources  300 ,  301 ,  302  and  303  is then input processed  310 . Alternatively, the information from the input sources  300 ,  301 ,  302  and  303  can be passed on without processing each input stream individually (e.g. pricing). The processed information is then placed in a billing due list  315 . Billing/invoicing operations  320  are then performed on information within the billing due list to create invoice documents that are stored in a database  330 . One such operation that may be performed is the application of a stored discount scheme. Discount schemes can be applied across input sources based on totals from more than one source. One example of a discount scheme that may be applied is a five percent discount to wireline and wireless calls if the total of wireline and wireless changes exceeds $100.  
         [0030]    When the stored invoice documents are to be accessed by a customer or output to a customer and/or a third party, output processing  340  is performed and a processed invoice is sent through the appropriate output  350 ,  351 ,  352  or  353 . These outputs could be connected to a printer  360 , so that an invoice can be printed and mailed; a communications media  361 , such as an email or facsimile, so that the bill can be sent directly to the customer for example; another invoicing or billing system  362 ; or to a formatting system  363  for special formatting of the bill, for example.  
         [0031]    Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in detail, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and equivalents thereof.