AU2019200633A1 - Method and system for aggregating emailed invoices - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A method, comprising: receiving, by a server, an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user identification (ID) of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database; extracting, by the server, invoice data from the received invoice; and comparing, by the server, the extracted invoice data with stored invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database; if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associating, by the server, the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identifying, by the server, the received invoice as a new invoice, and creating, by the server, a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.

Description

A method, comprising: receiving, by a server, an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user identification (ID) of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database; extracting, by the server, invoice data from the received invoice; and comparing, by the server, the extracted invoice data with stored invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database; if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associating, by the server, the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identifying, by the server, the received invoice as a new invoice, and creating, by the server, a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.

1/6

2019200633 31 Jan 2019

DS Server DS Server^ 08 Server\ DB Server\^ 130 130 130 130

2019200633 31 Jan 2019

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AGGREGATING EMAILED INVOICES

Field [0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for characterising and aggregating emailed invoices into invoice payment systems.

Background [0002] The present applicant's WO 2017/153923, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes an invoice payment system for managing and paying invoices (or bills).

[0003] The present invention is directed to improved solutions for characterising and aggregating invoices received by email into invoice payment systems.

Summary [0004] According to the present invention, there is provided a method, comprising:

receiving, by a server, an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user identification (ID) of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database;

extracting, by the server, invoice data from the received invoice; and comparing, by the server, the extracted invoice data with stored invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database;

if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associating, by the server, the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identifying, by the server, the received invoice as a new invoice, and creating, by the server, a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.

[0005] The method may further comprise generating, by the server, a notification of the new user ID to an administrator of the invoice payment system.

2019200633 31 Jan 2019 [0006] The new user ID may be associated with the new user as a new invoice payee of the existing user that is a new invoice payer of the new invoice.

[0007] The extracted invoice data method may comprise data characterisations sufficient to uniquely identify the invoice format and classify a new user.

[0008] The data characterisation may comprise the specific format invoice one or more invoice elements such as a business registration number (e.g., an Australian Business Number (ABN), a bank account number, a bank branch number (e.g., a BSB number), and a bill payment number (e.g., a BPay number). This may include recording the location of the data field in the document, the specific order and presence or otherwise of capitalisation, punctuation or special characters.

[0009] The method may further comprise authenticating, by the server examining the characterisations, one or both of the new user and the new invoice based at least on part on the extracted invoice data.

[0010] The method may further comprise rejecting, by the server examining the characterisations, the new invoice if one or both of the new user and the new invoice cannot be authenticated.

[0011] The method may further comprise providing, by the server, an invoicing inbox to enable the existing user to manage and authorise payment of the authenticated new invoice using the invoice payment system.

[0012] The method may further comprise processing, by the server, payment of the authenticated new invoice using the invoice payment system.

[0013] The present invention also provides a system, comprising:

a server configured to:

receive an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user ID of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database;

extract invoice data from the received invoice; and

2019200633 31 Jan 2019 compare the extracted invoice data with stored and characterised invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database;

if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associate the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identify the received invoice as a new invoice, and create a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.

[0014] The present invention further provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for:

receiving an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user ID of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database;

extracting invoice data from the received invoice; and comparing the extracted invoice data with stored and characterised invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database;

if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associating the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identifying the received invoice as a new invoice, and creating a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method, comprising:

receiving an invoice by email;

extracting data characterisations from the received invoice;

comparing the extracted data character with reference data characterisations stored in an invoice database;

rejecting the received invoice if the extracted data character does not match the stored reference data characterisations.

2019200633 31 Jan 2019

Brief Description of Drawings [0016] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 6 are block diagrams of a system for aggregating emailed invoices according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for aggregating emailed invoices performed by the system;

Figure 3 is an example user interface of an invoicing inbox generated by the system and method;

Figure 4 is an example use case of the method and system; and

Figure 5 is an example data flow diagram of the method and system.

Description of Embodiments [0017] Referring to Figures 1 and 6, a system 100 for aggregating emailed invoices may be implemented as web and/or mobile software applications comprising one or more computer program modules executable by one or more client devices 110 associated with users of the system 100. The one or more client devices 110 may communicate via a network with one or more servers 120 and associated databases 130. The client devices 110 may comprise desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, smartphones, and combinations thereof. The method 200 may be provided as SaaS (Software as a Service) to users of an invoice payment system, for example, www.billzy.com. It will be appreciated, however, that the system 100 and the method 200 may implemented as an application programming interface (API) to other conventional invoice payment systems.

[0018] Referring to Figures 2 to 5, an embodiment of a method 200 for processing emailed invoices performed by the system 100 starts at step 210 when an email server 120 of the system 100 receives an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user ID of an existing user of the invoice payment system. For example, when the invoice payment system is www.billzy.com, the email address may have the format user@billzyinbox.com. This email address therefore acts as central invoicing inbox for aggregating invoices emailed to existing users of the invoice payment system.

2019200633 31 Jan 2019 [0019] Then, at step 220, the server 120 extracts invoice data from the received invoice. The invoice data may be extracted using conventional data extraction techniques, for example optical character recognition (OCR), for transforming electronic invoices into queryable invoice data. The extracted invoice data may comprise data characterisations sufficient to uniquely identify the issuer or invoice payee of the received invoice. For example, the data characterisations may comprise one or more of a business registration number, such as an ABN, a bank account number, a BSB number, and a BPay number. Further or alternative data characterisations may also be used to identify the issuer or invoice payee of the received invoice.

[0020] Next, at step 230, the server 120 compares the extracted invoice data with stored invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in an invoice database 130 of the system 100. The stored invoice data may comprise the same types of data characterisations described above that have previously been extracted from the existing invoices.

[0021] Then, at step 240, if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, the server 120 associates the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database 130. The existing user may then authorise the received invoice to be paid using the invoice payment system.

[0022] Alternatively, at step 250, if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, the server 120 identifies the received invoice as a new invoice, and creates a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.

[0023] The method 200 may further comprise generating by the server 120 a notification, for example an email notification, of the new user ID to an administrator of the invoice payment system. The new user ID may be associated with the new user as a new invoice payee of the existing user that is a new invoice payer of the new invoice. The administrator may then verify or authenticate one or both of the new user and the new invoice. Furthermore, the new user may be invited to register or subscribe to the invoice payment system to receive payment from the existing user for the new invoice.

2019200633 31 Jan 2019 [0024] The method 200 may further comprise the server 120 authenticating one or both of the new user and the new invoice based at least on part on the extracted invoice data. The method 200 may then further comprise the server 120 rejecting the new invoice if one or both of the new user and the new invoice cannot be authenticated. This may avoid or minimise invoice fraud where fake invoices are sent to existing users of the invoice payment system.

[0025] In simplified embodiments, the method 200 may comprise receiving an invoice by email, and extracting data characterisations from the received invoice. Next, the extracted data characterisations may be compared with reference data characterisations stored in an invoice database. The received invoice may then be rejected if the extracted data characterisations do not match the stored reference data characterisations.

[0026] The method 200 may further comprise the server 120 providing an invoicing inbox to enable the existing user to manage and authorise payment of the authenticated new invoice using the invoice payment system. Figure 3 is an example user interface of the invoicing inbox.

[0027] The method 200 may end by the server 120 processing payment of the authenticated new invoice using the invoice payment system.

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system that are both generally and specifically useful for aggregating emailed invoices into invoice payment systems.

[0029] For the purpose of this specification, the word comprising means including but not limited to, and the word comprises has a corresponding meaning.

I [0030] The above embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims that follow.

Claims (12)

1. Claims

   1. A method, comprising:

   receiving, by a server, an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user identification (ID) of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database;

   extracting, by the server, invoice data from the received invoice; and comparing, by the server, the extracted invoice data with stored invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database;

   if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associating, by the server, the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identifying, by the server, the received invoice as a new invoice, and creating, by the server, a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.
2. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the server, a notification of the new user ID to an administrator of the invoice payment system.
3. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the new user ID is associated with the new user as a new invoice payee of the existing user that is a new invoice payer of the new invoice.
4. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracted invoice data method comprises data characterisations sufficient to uniquely identify the new user.
5. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data characterisations may comprise one or more of a business registration number, a bank account number, a bank branch number, and a bill payment number.
6. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating, by the server, one or both of the new user and the new invoice based at least on part on the extracted invoice data.

   2019200633 31 Jan 2019
7. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising rejecting, by the server, the new invoice if one or both of the new user and the new invoice cannot be authenticated.
8. 8. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing, by the server, an invoicing inbox to enable the existing user to manage and authorise payment of the authenticated new invoice using the invoice payment system.
9. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising processing, by the server, payment of the authenticated new invoice using the invoice payment system.
10. 10. A system, comprising:

    a server configured to:

    receive an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user ID of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database;

    extract invoice data from the received invoice; and compare the extracted invoice data with stored invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database;

    if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associate the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identify the received invoice as a new invoice, and create a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.
11. 11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computerexecutable instructions for:

    receiving an invoice attached to an email sent to an email address associated with an existing user ID of an existing user of an invoice payment system having an invoice database;

    extracting invoice data from the received invoice; and comparing the extracted invoice data with stored invoice data previously extracted from existing invoices associated with the existing user ID in the invoice database;

    2019200633 31 Jan 2019 if the extracted invoice data matches the stored invoice data, associating the received invoice with the existing user ID in the invoice database; or if the extracted invoice data does not match the stored invoice data, identifying the received invoice as a new invoice, and creating a new user ID associated with a new user of the invoice payment system as an issuer of the new invoice.
12. 12. A method, comprising:

    receiving an invoice by email;

    extracting data characterisations from the received invoice;

    comparing the extracted data characterisations with reference data characterisations stored in an invoice database;

    rejecting the received invoice if the extracted data characterisations do not match the stored reference data fingerprints.

    1/6

    2019200633 31 Jan 2019