Checkfree Services Corporation

Christopher B Burfield

Alan C Van Ness

A technique is provided for paying bills electronically using data generated by any of multiple accounting software packages. The data generated by each accounting software package has a different structure. Respective rules associated with each accounting software package are stored. Structured data including data corresponding to a payee name, a payee address, an invoice number and an invoice amount generated by one of the accounting software packages is received. The data corresponding to the payee name, the payee address, the invoice number and the invoice amount is extracted from the received structured data by applying only the respective rules associated with the applicable accounting software package. The extracted data is mapped such that the extracted data corresponding to the payee name is identified as first type data, the extracted data corresponding to the payee address is identified as second type data, the extracted data corresponding to the invoice number is identified as third type data, and the extracted data corresponding to the invoice amount is identified as fourth type data. Representations of the extracted data corresponding to the payee name, the payee address, the invoice number, and the invoice amount are stored in a database at first, second, third and fourth locations, respectively, based upon the identified type of the particular data. The representations of the extracted data are read from the database and processed to electronically process payment of the invoice amount.

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Worthington, OH, United States of America

Christopher B Burfield