Patent ID: 7882004

Claim:
A computer implemented method of managing a construction payment process, the method comprising the acts of: accessing a construction project profile stored on a computer readable memory, the construction project profile identifying a plurality of participants associated with a construction project and a role for each of the plurality of participants in the construction project, wherein, according to the construction project profile, the plurality of participants includes a first participant, a second participant, and a third participant, and wherein, according to the construction project profile, the third participant is a payor for the construction project, the second participant is a contractor that is contractually subordinate to the third participant for the construction project, the first participant is a contractor that is contractually subordinate to the second participant for the construction project, and the first participant is not directly in contract with the third participant for the construction project; accessing an identifier of a first participant device, a second participant device, and a third participant device corresponding to the first participant, the second participant, and the third participant, respectively, stored on the computer readable memory; establishing electronic communication between an application server and each of the first participant device, the second participant device, and the third participant device; generating an electronically-executed first request for payment on behalf of the first participant in the construction project in response to information received from the first participant device; transmitting the first request for payment to the second participant device from the application server; generating an electronically-executed second request for payment on behalf of the second participant based on the first request for payment; transmitting the second request for payment to the third participant device from the application server; transmitting a first payment directly from the third participant to the first participant; and transmitting a second payment directly from the third participant to the second participant.