Patent ID: 6993507

Claim:
A bill payment system comprising: an invoice-generating device corresponding to a biller, said invoice-generating device generating at least one invoice for at least one customer of said biller, said invoice comprising a unique bar code, said bar code comprising data identifying at least said customer and said biller, wherein said bar code alone, without additional information, embodies an algorithmic signature identifying said bar code as being proprietary to said bill payment system; and a scanning apparatus in communication with said bill payment system, said scanning apparatus configured to permit a cashier to scan said bar code, said scanning apparatus further being capable, based on the identifying data of said bar code and payment data corresponding to the entry into said bill payment system of a payment made to said cashier by said customer in person, of effecting or initiating transmission or transfer of funds to an account corresponding to said biller in a predetermined amount and concomitantly effecting or initiating transmission or transfer of at least a portion of said payment data to a computer of said biller.