Patent US6092055A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6092055A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for providing a clean accounting close for a real time billing system
Assignee: Oracle International Corp
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Filing: 1997-05-14
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Granted: 2000-07-18
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Expires: 2017-05-14
Abstract
Abstract A real time billing system for accounts that locks out transaction events when the billing process is underway is provided. When a transaction event is received that should be posted to an account during the billing process, the account is locked. It is determined if the next bill time is in the past for the account and if it is, close billing of the account is performed on the account without billing the transaction event. After close billing of the account is finished, the transaction event may be posted to the account and the account unlocked.
Inventors
- 👤 Gary L. Owens
- 👤 David S. Labuda
- 👤 James R. Haddock
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 19:13
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/06; G06Q30/0601; G06Q30/0633; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/28; G06F16/289; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/08; G06Q10/087; G06Q10/0875; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/08; G06Q20/10; G06Q20/102; G06Q20/108; G06Q30/04; G06Q40/00; G06Q40/02; G06Q40/12; G06Q40/123; G06Q40/128; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99938
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
In a computer system, a method of performing real time billing of accounts, comprising the steps of: during close billing of a billing cycle, receiving a transaction event for an account; locking the account; determining if the account has already been billed in the billing cycle; if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle, close billing the account without billing the transaction event; posting the transaction event to the account; and unlocking the account.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
In a computer system, a method of performing real time billing of accounts, comprising the steps of: during close billing of a billing cycle, receiving a transaction event for an account; locking the account; determining if the account has already been billed in the billing cycle; if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle, close billing the account without billing the transaction event; posting the transaction event to the account; and unlocking the account.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step includes the step of determining if the next bill time is in the past.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the billing step includes the step of advancing the next bill time of the account to a next billing cycle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the next bill time is compared to a current time.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction event is a billing event.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
92 words
In a computer system, a method of performing real time billing of accounts, comprising the steps of: during close billing of a billing cycle, receiving a billing event for an account; locking the account; determining if the account has already been billed in the billing cycle by checking if a next bill time of the account is in the past; if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle, close billing the account without billing the billing event; posting the billing event to the account; and unlocking the account.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
92 words
In a computer system, a method of performing real time billing of accounts, comprising the steps of: during close billing of a billing cycle, receiving a billing event for an account; locking the account; determining if the account has already been billed in the billing cycle by checking if a next bill time of the account is in the past; if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle, close billing the account without billing the billing event; posting the billing event to the account; and unlocking the account.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 6, wherein the billing step includes the step of advancing the next bill time of the account to a next billing cycle.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 6, wherein the next bill time is compared to a current time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
79 words
A computer implemented real time billing system, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor that stores accounts; an application operating on the processor that bills accounts at the end of a billing cycle and upon receiving a transaction event for an account, locks the account, close bills the account without billing the transaction event if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle, posts the transaction event to the account, and unlocks the account.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
79 words
A computer implemented real time billing system, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor that stores accounts; an application operating on the processor that bills accounts at the end of a billing cycle and upon receiving a transaction event for an account, locks the account, close bills the account without billing the transaction event if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle, posts the transaction event to the account, and unlocks the account.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 9, wherein it is determined if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle if a next bill time is in the past.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
100 words
A computer program product that performs real time billing of accounts, comprising: computer code that receives a transaction event for an account during close billing of a billing cycle; computer code that locks the account; computer code that determines if the account has already been billed in the billing cycle; computer code that close bills the account without billing the transaction event if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle; computer code that posts the transaction event to the account; computer code that unlocks the account; and a computer readable medium that stores the computer codes.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
100 words
A computer program product that performs real time billing of accounts, comprising: computer code that receives a transaction event for an account during close billing of a billing cycle; computer code that locks the account; computer code that determines if the account has already been billed in the billing cycle; computer code that close bills the account without billing the transaction event if the account has not already been billed in the billing cycle; computer code that posts the transaction event to the account; computer code that unlocks the account; and a computer readable medium that stores the computer codes.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer code that determines includes computer code that determines if the next bill time is in the past.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer code that close bills includes computer code that advances the next bill time of the account to a next billing cycle.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the next bill time is compared to a current time.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the transaction event is a billing event.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-07-18 | 2004-01-17 | 2004-07-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-07-18 | 2008-01-17 | 2008-07-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-07-18 | 2012-01-17 | 2012-07-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |