RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to United States Patent Application Serial Number 62/322,960 filed April 15, 2016, entitled "A Solopreneur and Side-Gigger Focused Mobile Platform Optimizing the Billing-to-Cash Cycle by Facilitating Viral Business Growth, Customer Driven Payment and Social Customer Engagement" which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] 1. Field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a mobile billing and payment platform and, in particular, to a solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform optimizing the billing-to- cash cycle by facilitating viral business growth, customer driven payment and social customer engagement.

[0004] 2. Background Information

[0005] SOLOPRENEUR AND SIDEGIGGER

[0006] The solopreneur is a 'company of one', the proverbial "one man band" and is single- handedly working for the business, running the business, meeting all its costs and enjoying all the profit. There are an estimated 23 million solopreneurs in the United States in 2015. The term solopreneur is a blend of the adjective solo meaning 'done by one person alone' and the noun entrepreneur, which refers to someone who starts their own business and is good at spotting and securing the best business opportunities. The word solopreneur first began to appear in 2010, gaining ground partly by websites dedicated to the concept and partly by its use in social media (e.g. as a Twitter hashtag). Following the derivational pattern of entrepreneur, there's also a related adjective solopreneurial, a noun solopreneurship, and a small amount of evidence for the noun solopreneurism.

[0007] A side-gigger is defined as a person who does regular independent work, but for less than fifteen hours per week, and is generally considered distinct from a solopreneur. As the name implies the side-gigger is one who takes a gig or job on the side, often in addition to a regular job. There are estimated to be over 12 million side-giggers in the United States in 2015. [0008] Working life has undergone a radical change during the last hundred years. Previous generations had, by and large, a degree of job security and a career path which usually set them up for life. By the early 21st century, however, ever rising unemployment and a turbulent economic climate had eroded that kind of stability, forcing much of the population to be flexible and creative about how they earn a living. It's in these conditions that a growing number of people have been kick-started into self-employment, starting their own businesses and/or seeking work independently rather than being merely a regular company employee, sparking the rise of solopreneurs and side-giggers.

[0009] In some senses, the terms solopreneur and side-gigger are just a 21st century take on the terms freelancer or freelance, describing a person who doesn't work permanently for one company but sells their services to a range of companies. However the common use of the word solopreneur often suggests additional business acumen, a person who makes optimum use of 21st century technology (i.e. online media, networking opportunities, etc) to market themselves in the right places and garner the best possible financial return for their services. The 21st century term side-gigger also suggests a person likely to utilize 21st century technology in their business.

[0010] AUTOMATED CLEARING HOUSE (ACH)

[0011] ACH is an electronic network for financial transactions in the United States. ACH processes large volumes of credit and debit transactions, generally in batches. Existing ACH credit transfers generally include direct deposit, payroll and vendor payments. Existing ACH direct debit transfers include consumer payments on insurance premiums, mortgage loans, and other kinds of bills. Debit transfers also include applications such as the point-of-purchase (POP) check conversion pilot program sponsored by the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA).

[0012] Both the government and the commercial sectors use ACH payments. Businesses increasingly use ACH online to have customers pay, rather than via credit or debit cards. Rules and regulations that govern the ACH network are established by NACHA and the Federal Reserve. In 2013, this network processed nearly 22 billion ACH transactions with a total value of $38.7 trillion. Credit card payments are handled by separate networks.

[0013] The Federal Reserve Banks, through the FedACH system, are collectively the nation's largest ACH operator. In 2005, they processed 60% of commercial interbank ACH transactions; the remaining 40% was processed by the Electronic Payments Network (EPN), the United States' only private-sector ACH operator. EPN and the Reserve Banks rely on each other for the processing of some transactions when either party to the transaction is not their customer. These inter-operator transactions are settled by the Reserve Banks.

[0014] NACHA manages the development, administration, and governance of the ACH network, the backbone for the electronic movement of money and data in the United States. It is funded by the financial institutions it governs. The ACH Network serves as a network for direct consumer, business, and government payments, and annually facilitates billions of payments. Utilized by all types of financial institutions, the ACH Network is governed by the NACHA Operating Rules, a set of rules that guide risk management and create certainty for all participants, and these rules are known to the participating financial institution. NACHA represents nearly 11,000 financial institutions via 17 regional payments associations and via direct membership.

[0015] The traditional uses of the ACH payment system include bank treasury management departments selling this service to business and government customers; business-to-business payments; direct debit payment of consumer bills such as mortgages, loans, utilities, insurance premiums, rents, and any other regular payment; direct deposit of payroll, Social Security and other government payments, and tax refunds; E-commerce payments; federal, state, and local tax payments and charitable donations.

[0016] There remains a need for an inexpensive, efficient and effective solopreneur and side- gigger type, business orientated Automated Clearing House application system.

[0017] MOBILE PAYMENT

[0018] The state of mobile payments is also relevant background for the context of the present invention. Mobile payment, also referred to as mobile money, mobile money transfer, and mobile wallet, generally refer to payment services operated and performed from or via a mobile device. Instead of paying with cash, check (or cheque), or credit cards, a consumer can use a mobile device (phone or tablet) to pay for a wide range of services and digital or hard goods. Although the concept of using non-coin-based currency systems has a long history (see Hollow, Matthew (2012): Pre-1900 Utopian visions of the 'cashless society'; Munich Personal RePEc Archive), it is only in recent years that the technology to support such systems has become widely available. Mobile payment is being adopted all over the world in different ways.

[0019] There are four primary models for existing mobile payments systems: i) Premium SMS based transactional payments; ii) Direct Mobile Billing; iii) Mobile web payments (WAP); and iv) Contactless NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0020] In the predominant model for SMS payments, the consumer sends a payment request via an SMS text message or a USSD (sometimes referred to as "Quick Codes" or "Feature codes") to a short code and a premium charge is applied to their phone bill or their online wallet. The merchant involved is informed of the payment success and can then release the paid-for goods. These goods are most frequently digital based goods with the merchant replying using a Multimedia Messaging Service to deliver the purchased goods such as music, ringtones, wallpapers etc. A Multimedia Messaging Service can also deliver barcodes which can then be scanned for confirmation of payment by a merchant. This is used as an electronic ticket for access to cinemas and events or to collect hard goods. The disadvantages of SMS payments include i) Poor reliability - transactional premium SMS payments can easily fail as messages get lost; ii) Slow speed - sending messages can be slow and it can take hours for a merchant to get receipt of payment; iii) Security - The SMS/USSD encryption ends in the radio interface, then the message is a plaintext; iv) High cost - There are many high costs associated with this method of payment, including the cost of setting up short codes and paying for the delivery of media via a Multimedia Messaging Service and the resulting customer support costs to account for the number of messages that get lost or are delayed; v) Low payout rates - operators also see high costs in running and supporting transactional payments which results in payout rates to the merchant being as low as 30%. Usually around 50%; and vi) Low follow-on sales - once the payment message has been sent and the goods received there is little else the consumer can do. It is difficult for them to remember where something was purchased or how to buy it again. This also makes it difficult for the customer "to tell a friend", limiting the word of mouth advertising.

[0021] In direct mobile billing, the consumer uses the mobile billing option during checkout at an e-commerce site to make a payment. Typically after two-factor authentication involving a PIN and Password, the consumer's mobile account at the mobile network operator is charged for the purchase. The mobile network operator effectively operates, much like a credit card company, as an intermediary between the merchant and the consumer. The direct mobile billing generally bypasses, or more accurately is outside of, the consumer's or the merchant's financial institutions. The disadvantage of direct mobile billing is the same as credit card based systems.

[0022] In mobile web payments the consumer uses web pages displayed or additional applications downloaded and installed on the mobile phone to make a payment. It uses WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) as underlying technology and thus inherits all the advantages of WAP, including High customer satisfaction from quick and predictable payments and Ease of use from a familiar set of online payment pages. The present application, from the consumer side of the platform, may be considered as a type of mobile web payment, although distinctly different from the direct operator billing mobile web payment systems, credit card based mobile web payment systems, and on-line wallet mobile web payment systems (e.g. Paypal, Amazon Payments and Google Wallet) that are known as will be evident in the foregoing description.

[0023] Near Field Communication (NFC) is used mostly in paying for purchases made in physical stores or transportation services. A consumer using a special mobile phone equipped with a smartcard waves his/her phone near a reader module. Most transactions do not require authentication, but some require authentication using PIN, before transaction is completed. The payment could be deducted from a pre-paid account or charged to a mobile or bank account directly. Mobile payment method via NFC faces significant challenges for wide and fast adoption, due to lack of supporting infrastructure, complex ecosystem of stakeholders, and standards.

[0024] Google, PayPal, GlobalPay and GoPago use a cloud-based approach to in-store mobile payment. The cloud based approach places the mobile payment provider in the middle of the transaction, which involves two separate steps. First, a cloud-linked payment method is selected and payment is authorized via NFC or an alternative method. During this step, the payment provider automatically covers the cost of the purchase with issuer linked funds. Second, in a separate transaction, the payment provider charges the purchaser's selected, cloud-linked account in a card-not-present environment to recoup its losses on the first transaction

[0025] The mobile payment systems developed to date, by themselves, do not provide the solopreneur and side-gigger type business owner with the platform or functionality necessary for optimizing the billing-to-cash cycle and certainly not for virally growing a business. There is a need for a mobile small business automated clearing house platform enabling on-premise service providers to automate paperless billing and payments while applying customer controlled customer controls and directives.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The present invention provides a solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform optimizing the billing-to-cash cycle by facilitating viral business growth, customer driven payment and social customer engagement. An automated clearing house platform enables solopreneur and side-gigger type businesses to automate paperless billing and apply customer controlled customer controls and directives to facilitate ACH transactions and expedite payment, initiate viral business growth via templated marketing tools for distributing promotional messages while facilitating social customer engagement with simple and intuitive billing options including photographs, video, sound and commentary. [0027] Specifically one aspect of the invention yields a solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform comprising: a billing and ACH payment platform maintained on an internet website by a sponsor associated with at least one ACH financial institution, wherein the platform is accessible by at least users and customers; a business billing component configured to be downloaded by at least solopreneur and side-gigger based business users on mobile devices and configured to allow users on mobile devices to electronically generate and electronically send at least some bills to customers; and wherein at least some of the electronic bills include an customer approvable authorization configured to initiate an ACH payment for at least a portion of the bill.

[0028] The solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform according to one aspect of the invention may further include wherein the business billing component is configured to allow users on mobile devices to electronically generate and electronically send at least some bills to customers which include enriched customer specific content in the form of at least one of photographs, video, sound, commentary, and customer specific marketing offer components added to the bill. Further, the the enriched customer specific content forming components may include customer specific marketing offer in which the platform is configured to track the number of customer specific marketing offers outstanding to customers for each user and wherein the platform is configured send acceptance of offer notifications from one of the customers to the appropriate user where the billing is electronic and the customer accepts the offer electronically. Further, at least some electronic bills generated by the users of the platform may include social media links configured for sharing of customer selected components through associated social media.

[0029] The solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform according to the invention may further include customer controlled customer controls and directives configured to limit and control the bills from a given user to the customer.

[0030] The solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform according to the invention may provide that the business billing component of the platform includes image based check processing technology configured to capture an image of the check and intitute an ACH transaction based thereon.

[0031] The solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform according to invention may provide that the business billing component of the platform includes a prospective user application for ACH underwriting of prospective user.

[0032] The solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform according to the invention may provide that the business billing component of the platform includes a customer contract development component configured to allow the user to develop mutually agreeable and verifiable terms between the user and the individual customer to authorize and place parameters upon subsequent ACH transactions. Further, the customer contract development component may include check capture technology configured to obtain the routing and banking information for subsequent ACH transactions. Further, the customer contract development component may be configured to allow for the inclusion of customer designated customer controls and directives. Further, the customer contract development component may be configured to include customer specific authentication elements. The solopreneur and side- gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform according to invention may provide that the platform is configured to track and display to the user each bill and the status of each bill.

[0033] Another aspect of the invention provides a solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile billing and payment platform comprising: a solopreneur and side-gigger focused billing and customer focused payment platform maintained on an internet website, wherein the platform is accessible by at least users and customers; a business billing component configured to be downloaded by at least solopreneur and side-gigger based business users on mobile devices and configured to allow users on mobile devices to electronically generate and electronically send at least some bills to customers; and wherein at least some of the electronic bills include an customer approvable authorization configured to initiate an payment for at least a portion of the bill, and wherein the business billing component is configured to allow users on mobile devices to electronically generate and electronically send at least some bills to customers which include enriched customer specific content in the form of at least one of photographs, video, sound, commentary, and customer specific marketing offer components added to the bill.

[0034] A further aspect of the invention provides an automated clearing house platform configured to enable solopreneur and side-gigger businesses to automate paperless billing with customer controlled customer controls and directives to facilitate ACH transactions to expedite billing and payment and further including enriched customer specific content in the form of at least one of photographs, video, sound and commentary added to each bill.

[0035] These and other aspects of the present invention will be clarified in the description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention described below in connection with the attached figures in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0036] Figure 1 is a schematic of a solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform optimizing the billing-to-cash cycle by facilitating viral business growth, customer driven payment and social customer engagement according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2A is a schematic of billing and automated ACH payment processing utilizing the solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0038] Figure 2B is a schematic of an alternative billing and automated ACH payment processing utilizing the solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure l ;

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic of billing and semi-automated ACH payment processing utilizing solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0040] Figure 4A is a schematic of a billing process of an existing customer in solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0041] Figure 4B is a schematic of a billing process of a new customer in solopreneur and side- gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0042] Figure 5 A is a schematic of a user's view of a business billing preferences and settings for the business in solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0043] Figure 5B is a schematic of a user's view of a business dashboard and reports for the business in solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0044] Figure 5C is a schematic of a user's website view of a business dashboard and reports for the business in solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0045] Figure 5D is a schematic of a user's website view of a business billing preferences and settings for solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0046] Figures 6A and B are schematics of customer's view of automated ACH payment processing with customer customer controls and directives utilizing solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0047] Figure 6C is a schematic of customer's view of the added bill content which can be shared following bill payment utilizing solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0048] Figure 7 is a schematic of business-customer ACH payment set up contract with customer controls and directives utilizing solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1 ;

[0049] Figures 8A and B are schematics of a business user' s website view of ACH authorization process for a business user in solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1; and [0050] Figure 9A-J are schematics of a ACH Publisher's website view of ACH authorization process for a business user in solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform according to figure 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] As shown in figures 1-9, present invention provides a solopreneur and side-gigger focused mobile platform 10 optimizing the billing-to-cash cycle by facilitating viral business growth, customer driven payment and social customer engagement. The platform 10 represents a social communication platform blended with practical business application and the platform 10 enables solopreneur and side-gigger type businesses to automate paperless billing with customer 30 controlled customer controls and directives 35 to facilitate ACH transaction to expedite billing and payment and with simple customized billing options including photographs, video, sound and commentary to facilitate viral business growth and social customer engagement.

[0052] Specifically, Figure 1 is a schematic of the solopreneur and side-gigger focused billing and ACH platform 10 enabling solopreneur and side-gigger type businesses 20 to automate paperless billing with customer controls and directives 35 set directly by customers 30 and with customer desired content to facilitate viral business growth, customer driven payment and social customer engagement. The platform 10 is available as a downloadable application via the internet/cloud 12 by users 20 on handheld portable devices 22 for interaction with their customers 30 (via customer handheld devices 32) and is managed by platform sponsor or publisher 40 working for an ACH financial institution 50 (e.g., a bank), with the ACH aspects being governed by regulators 60.

[0053] The solopreneur and the side-gigger can each be defined as a 'company of one', and each is single-handedly working for the business, running the business, meeting all its costs and enjoying all the profit. In general, both need to leverage 21 ^st century technology to efficiently run and grow their business.

[0054] The "billing-to-cash cycle" represent the time from a business 20 completing a job (typically a service for solopreneur and the side-gigger on premise businesses 20) for a customer 30 till payment is received and confirmed by the business 20. As a comparison to the billing-to- cash cycle using the platform 10 of the invention, the billing-to-cash cycle of a traditional service orientated solopreneur and the side-gigger involves a delay until the business owner can get to writing the invoice (unless it is handwritten on-site which yields its own problems), followed by a delay in forwarding the invoice to the customer, once received by the customer the invoice waits till the customer attends to payment (e.g., sitting in the bill basket), the "paid invoice" is sent to the business, once received by the business it waits till it is taken to the bank (after entered into the record keeping system), and there is a further delay while the financial institution processes the payment to make the funds available. Each step in the traditional process has a delay component and the possibility that an element (e.g., an invoice or a check) is lost or stolen. From the customer 30 perspective the cycle is much longer till he is advised the bill has been paid, often not until he reviews his next banking statement (or the one after that if the process extends over a statement closing date).

[0055] Viral business growth within the meaning of this application is essentially business growth by referral. Referral business growth is often the life blood of solopreneur and the side- gigger business growth. As detailed below the viral business growth associated with the platform 10 has two sides. First is the viral growth of the solopreneur and the side-gigger business 20 through use of the platform 10 and second is the viral growth of the use of the platform 10. Both are significant viral growth aspects of the present invention. However maintaining the customer 30 in control of the payment dynamic with the platform 10 helps to reinforce confidence on the part of the customer 30 in choosing to use the platform 10, and giving the customer 30 a simple verifiable manner of paying, simultaneously while setting any desired customer controls and directives 35, will enhance this level of acceptance (and can also yield viral marketing for the platform 10 as the customer 30 tells other service providers or potential users 20 that he wants them to use this platform 10 so he can have the same ease and control of payment of their invoices).

[0056] Customer driven payment within the meaning of this application means that the customer 30 controls the payment. In traditional payment mechanisms the customer 30 naturally controls the payment as he controls how and when to hand over the cash associated with a bill. Similarly when a check is written to pay a bill the customer 30 also controls the nature of the payment and is thus customer driven. However in certain mobile payment systems the customer 30 has lost this control and the merchant is "reaching into" the customer's account and pulling out the money and the customer has lost control over the process. Customer driven payment of the platform 10 means that the customer 30 maintains control over the payment, and in a sense the customer 30 is "pushing" the money to the business 20 (rather than the merchant "reaching in" and pulling funds).

[0057] Social customer engagement within this application, as described below, will have two related components. The first component, and most significant, is the relationship between the customer 30 and the solopreneur and the side-gigger business 20. The customized billing options including photographs, video, sound and commentary described in detail below can greatly enhance the relationship between the customer 30 and the solopreneur and the side- gigger business 20. As noted below, not only can the inclusion of photographs, video, sound and commentary document the nature of the services performed by the user 20, these additions can create an emotional connection between the customer 30 and the associated job and enhance the relationship between the customer 30 and the solopreneur and the side-gigger business 20. The second component of social customer engagement associated with use of the platform 10 is the engagement by the customer 30 with third parties when sharing the photographs, video, sound and commentary added to the bill, such as through social media. For example, the before and after pictures of a customer's car by an auto-detailing business 20 may be desired to be shared by the customer 30 with friends and family of the customer 30 (e.g., "I just had my old Mustang detailed, look how fantastic this looks").

[0058] Within the meaning of this application, and as known in the art, automated clearing house, or ACH, references an electronic network for financial transactions in the United States and which meets and is governed by the NACHA Operating Rules of the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA). Federal laws and regulations and the Federal Reserve also govern ACH, but these governing rules and regulations are captured in the NACHA Operating Rules.

[0059] Mobile, within the meaning of this patent application, when referencing the platform 10 indicates that the platform 10 is available as a downloadable application 10 from the cloud/internet 12 and is fully functional on portable handheld devices 22 of users 20.

[0060] Cloud computing, also on-demand computing, is a well-established Internet-based computing that provides shared processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand. Specifically the platform 10 is a software as a service (SaaS) model, in which users 20 gain access to application software or platform 10 via the cloud 12, such as via an app store. An app store (or app marketplace) is a conventional type of digital distribution platform for computer software, generally in a mobile context. The platform sponsor or publisher 40, also called Cloud providers, manage the infrastructure that run the app or platform 10, and will update the platform 10 such as to address ongoing regulation updates from regulating authorities 60 (Federal Government, Federal Reserve and NACHA). SaaS is sometimes referred to as "on- demand software."

[0061] The portable handheld devices 22 of the users 20 and the portable handheld devices 32 of the customers 30 are typically smartphones or tablets. A smartphone is a mobile phone with an advanced mobile operating system which combines features of a personal computer operating system with other features useful for mobile or handheld use. Smartphones typically combine the features of a cell phone with those of other popular mobile devices, such as personal digital assistant (PDA), media player, GPS navigation unit and digital camera. Smartphones can access the Internet and can run third-party apps, such as the platform 10 of the instant invention. Smartphones have a touchscreen user interface, with LCD, OLED, AMOLED, LED or similar screen. Smartphones produced from 2012 onwards typically have high-speed mobile broadband 4G LTE, motion sensors, and the capability for mobile payment. A tablet, or tablet computer, is a mobile computer with a touchscreen display, circuitry, and battery in a single device. Tablets come equipped with sensors, including cameras, a microphone, and an accelerometer, and the touchscreen display uses the recognition of finger or stylus gestures replacing the usage of the mouse and keyboard. Tablets are typically larger than smartphones or personal digital assistants with screens 7 inches (18 cm) or larger, measured diagonally. The portable handheld devices 22 and 32 herein are not limited to smartphones or tablets, and may include laptops or other devices, but the platform 10 is optimized for the smartphone or tablet usage.

[0062] Small businesses, such as solopreneurs and side-gigger type businesses 20, struggle with getting paid on time and getting more business. Within this application the small businesses 20 and the solopreneurs and side-gigger owners 20 will be used interchangeably with the term users 20 as in these contexts the business owners 20 are, as a purely practical matter (rather than as a legal entities), generally the same as the business 20. In the US there were an estimated 35 million solopreneurs and side-gigger type businesses 20 as of 2015 with this expected to grow to over 40 million before 2020. A great many of these solopreneurs and side-gigger type businesses can be described as on-premise service type businesses 20 having periodic or semi- periodic recurring billings, which can be best described with examples. On premise type businesses 20 having periodic or semi-periodic recurring billings include, but is certainly not limited to, house cleaning services, dog walking/pet care services, yard maintenance/landscaping services, pool maintenance services, babysitting/childcare services, janitorial services (often in office buildings), in-home elderly care services, exterminator services, meal delivery/grocery delivery services, handyman/contractor services, window cleaning services, auto detailing services, personal training services, personal masseuse services and the like. The solopreneur and side-gigger type businesses 20 are not limited to those performing services on the premises of the customer but also include clubs/teams/associations and the coaches and trainers therefore, music and dance instructors, tutors and the like. The small businesses 20 within the meaning of the invention can also easily include consultants, lawyers, veterinary and medical practitioners - all of which include a large percentage of sole practitioners and very small businesses. [0063] The customers 30 within the meaning of this application are the customers of the solopreneurs and side-gigger type businesses 20 and are often home owners for the home related services (e.g. landscaping, house cleaning, etc.), so these are schematically illustrated in the home outline in figure 1, but they are not to be limited to his subset of customers.

[0064] The platform sponsor or publisher 40, also called cloud providers, are conceptually distinct from the financial institutions 50 and are thus shown separately in figure 1, and these may in fact be a separate service provider contracted by the financial institution 50. Alternatively the platform sponsor or publisher 40 may be internal to the financial institution 50 without departing from the architecture or operation of the platform 10 of the present invention. The platform sponsor 40 will be operating, behind the scenes, to facilitate the business 20- customer 30 relationship. For example the sponsor 40 may maintain information regarding the business 20 (account information, routing information, etc) that the customer 30 does not know but is essential for performing transactions, and vise versa. The sponsor 40 is likely to adopt changes to the platform 10 that reflect changes to regulations from regulators 60 of which the businesses 20 and the customers 30 (and even the financial institution 50) are not aware.

[0065] The solopreneurs and side-gigger type businesses 20, customers 30, publisher 40 and financial institution 50 represent the general stakeholders in the operation of the platform 10 and each will have their own two way communication link 24, 34, 44, 54, respectively, with the cloud 12 for interacting with the platform 10. The links 24 and 34 will typically be through the handheld devices 22 and 32, respectively but any internet connected device could be utilized (e.g. a desktop computer).

[0066] Figure 1 also illustrates a one way coupling 64 between the ACH regulators 60 and the publisher 40 and financial institution 50 representing the flow of regulations, because despite the suggestions that the regulator stakeholders (institutions 50) do have some input into the promulgation of regulations, this is mainly a one way flow down to the publisher 40 and financial institution 50 from the regulatory agencies 60.

[0067] Figure 1 also illustrates a one way coupling 36 between one representative customer 30 and the solopreneurs and side-gigger type business user 20 representing the payment of a bill delivered via the platform 10 (via links 24 and 34) by check (or cash) delivered back to the solopreneurs and side-gigger type user 20, which situation is described in more detail in figure 3.

[0068] Figure 1 also illustrates a two way coupling 26 between one representative "offline" customer 30 and the solopreneurs and side-gigger type business user 20 representing the offline delivery (i.e. printing and delivery) a bill and "offline" payment of this bill by check (or cash) delivered to the user 20, which situation is also described in more detail below in the description of figure 3.

[0069] The solopreneur and side-gigger focused billing and ACH platform 10 enables solopreneur and side-gigger type businesses 20 to automate paperless billing with customer controls and directives 35 set directly by customers 30 and with customer desired content to facilitate viral business growth, customer driven payment and social customer engagement.

[0070] As noted above the heart of the present invention is to provide a solopreneur and side- gigger focused billing and automated clearing house (ACH) platform 10 enabling solopreneur and side-gigger businesses 20 to automate paperless billing with customer controls and directives 35 and to include customer desired content 110, namely pictures, video, audio and associated commentary. Figure 2A is a schematic of billing and automated ACH payment processing utilizing the platform 10 according to the present invention operating in conventional form. Essentially the solopreneur and side-gigger business user 20 performs a service (e.g., house cleaning or landscaping for example), and uses the software to generate a bill 100 for the customer 30.

[0071] The generation of a customized invoice from on-line billing applications is well known in the art to the extent they can be formed in a variety of pre-made formats 102, can include customized solopreneur and side-gigger business user 20 banners, logos and bibliographic information 104, customized customer information 106 (will appear in bill - shown under search contacts heading in the figures preparing the bill 100), and billing amounts and descriptions and payment information 108, which is also described in greater detail in connection with figures 4A and B. The platform 10 differs from existing systems in providing a mobile platform based billing which is able to easily include enriched customer specific content in the form of photographs, video, sound and commentary components 110 added to the bill 100 to improve or enhance social customer engagement and prompt viral business growth. For example for landscaping an invoice 100 for "mulch spreading" with a "Before" picture of un-mulched flower beds and "After" mulched flower beds can be effective in conveying the nature of the service as well as inherently promoting the added value of the service by showing the results far more effectively rather than merely describing "mulching services" in a bill. Further the customer 30 may desire to share the results (the after images or videos 110) via social media such as via uploading links/icons 112 that appear with the content following payment as shown in figure 6C (e.g. telling relatives "look how nice the front yard looks" with a shared image).

[0072] The bill 100 is easily transmitted to the customer 30 via connections 24 and 34, and in whatever way the customer 30 may prefer, with these preferences representing some customer controls and directives 35 set by the customer 30. The customer 30, for example, may wish to have the bill received by email and/or text, or by email with a text notification. The customer 30 will then typically authorize payment, which also represents a customer control and directive 35, and the authorization may take any form the customer 30 previously designates. Typically customer 30 will be responding to an e-mail containing an invoice with an affirmative indication via a single button push, however the authorization may include a password or biometric verification (which is available in a number of formats on phones, including fingerprint identification). Once payment is authorized by the customer 30 the present system initiates an ACH transaction to the financial institution 50 via pre-established parameters. The platform 10 will automatically include insufficient funds notifications as is present in ACH transactions. Further the system or platform 10 will notify the user 20 and customer 30 of transaction completion in accordance with ACH requirements. Figure 6C is a schematic of customer's view of the added bill content 110 which can be included in this notice and can be shared following bill payment utilizing the conventional social network uploading icons/links 112.

[0073] A customer control and directive 35 within the meaning of this application is any parameter set by the customer 30 (or set/suggested by the user 20 and agreed to by the customer 30) which limits or characterizes the amount, or timing, or authorization protocol or other aspects of the acceptable invoice sent via the platform 10. For example the customer 30 may indicate that this platform 10 may only be used to bill this customer 30 for services from this user 20 i) a maximum of once per week, ii) in amounts less than $100, iii) with payment transactions to occur two days after the customer 30 has authorized payment by positively responding to the invoice, and iv) with payments for the full amount of the invoice or such lesser amount as the customer 30 designates. Elements i)-iv) all represent customer controls and directives 35 for this customer 30. Note that invoices and services outside of the customer controls and directives 35 are still possible, but they would require addressing the invoice "outside" of the platform 10, allowing the customer 30 greater scrutiny over out of these ordinary invoices 100.

[0074] In some contexts the customer controls and directives 35 may be referenced as "velocity limits" for the platform 10, however the phrase "velocity limits" more accurately describe parameters which are set by platform sponsor or publisher 40 based upon underwriting and/or other factors, and tend to be very specific and always involve money. For example, how long the processor holds the funds prior to dispersing, how much any single transaction can be, how much any series of sequential transactions can be, etc. all represent velocity limits of the platform 10. The customer 30 nor the user 20 will not be able to set velocity limits. Anything the customer 30 can control would be considered a "user preference", for example, send me bills via text message as opposed to via email, and is referenced herein as customer controls and directives 35.

[0075] Figure 2B is a schematic of an alternative billing and automated ACH payment processing utilizing the mobile platform 10 according to the present invention. This represents such a common scenario it warrants separate mentioning. Specifically in figure 2B, the customer 30 has set customer controls and directives 35 which preauthorize a given transactional amount such that bill 100 generated and delivered within the thresholds defined by these customer controls and directives 35, will automatically generate the ACH transaction to avoid the customer 30 even needing the separate authorization step. Notification to the customer 30 and user 20 of completion of the ACH transaction will still occur, and the customer 30 is still in control as he can change the pre-authorization quickly and easily at any time. Thus, for example, a customer 30 may indicate that bills 100 of $30 or less from a given user 20 spaced by a minimal time interval may be automatically paid without customer 30 specifically authorizing the payment (the process of figure 2B) although the customer 30 will still receive notification of transaction completion in a desired format, while bills 100 between $30-250 from a given user 20 (or less than $30 from a given user 20 but also less than a minimal time from a prior bill from a given user 20) need specific approval (i.e. the process of figure 2A) to facilitate the transaction, and bills 100 above $250 from a given user 20 require separate processing (such as the process of figure 3 described below).

[0076] Figure 3 is a schematic of billing and semi-automated ACH payment processing utilizing the mobile platform 10 according to the present invention in which the billing 100 is sent to the client via the platform 10 in accordance with the process of figure 2 A described above. Here the customer 30 desires to pay by check (or cash), which as described above may be unique to a given higher bill, or the customer 30 may desire to pay all billings 100 this way (as it is up to the customer 30). This scenario is illustrated schematically in figure 1 as a one way coupling 36 between one representative customer 30 and the business user 20 representing the payment of a bill delivered via the platform 10 (via links 24 and 34) by check (or cash) delivered to the user 20. Once the check is received then the system or platform 10 allows the check to be processed with known check processing technology, namely taking an image of the front and back of a check with the user' s device 22 and instigating an ACH transaction via connection 24.

[0077] The platform 10 is not limited to customers 30 who wish to take part in the ease of the platform 10, it will accommodate "offline" customers 30 as well. Figure 1 also illustrates a two way coupling 26 between one representative "offline" customer 30 and the business user 20 representing the offline delivery (i.e. printing and delivery via hand or mail) of a bill 100 and "offline" payment of this bill by check (or cash) delivered to the user 20. Printing of a bill 100 will prevent the inclusion of video and audio components 110 and will decrease these advantages of billing with the platform 10, although photographs and commentary 110 are still possible. Once the offline payment is received from the offline customer 30 it may be processed in a manner shown in figure 3.

[0078] Cash payments received from customers 30 will not instigate an ACH transaction. The user 20 merely needs to update the billing record to indicate this has been paid (via a credit or the like).

[0079] Figures 4A-B are detailed schematics of a billing process of an existing customer 30 and a new customer 30 in the mobile small business automated clearing house platform 10 according to the present invention. The process is believed to be generally known from existing billing programs to the extent they can be formed in a variety of pre-made invoice formats 102 will typically include a number of selectable formats that can be customized by the user, such as including customized solopreneur and side-gigger business user 20 banners, logos and bibliographic information 104, customized customer 30 information 106, and billing amounts and descriptions and payment information 108. When inputting a new customer, image capture from a business card or a prior check can be used to autofill various fields for information 106 to facilitate the process.

[0080] One key aspect of the present invention is easy inclusion of enriched customer specific content in the form of photographs, video, sound and commentary and even customer specific marketing offer, collectively components 110 added to the bill 100 to improve or enhance social customer engagement and prompt viral business growth. Solopreneur and side-giggers businesses 20 are generally service orientated business as noted above, and typically the customers 20 are emotionally invested in the subject matter.

[0081] Consider a dog walker user 20 who can add a video as a component 110 of the bill 100 of the customer's dog running and playing at the park, and a picture of the dog tired and sleeping after the walk as a component 110 with a commentary on the billing (e.g., "Fluffy had a great day at the park and chased two squirrels, and enjoyed playing with the other dogs, and I would encourage that Fluffy have continued interactions with other dogs."). The commentary may be easily dictated by the user and transformed into text to easily add to the bill 110. For video, the commentary may be added as the audio portion of the video file. It is anticipated that the commentary may be a separate audio file added by the user 20 to the bill 100. The added components 110 generally provide a verification of the service performed but the video and photograph with associated commentary enhance the relationship between the user 20 and the customer 30. After authorizing payment, the platform 10 will allow the sharing of selected components 110 through social media (facebook, twitter, snapchat, etc) and will facilitate this sharing with appropriate icons and links 112 as shown in figure 6C. The customer 30 sharing of components 110 will enhance the social engagement associated with the platform 10.

[0082] As a further example, consider a music teacher who can add a short audio/video recording of a student as a component 110 to be sent with the billing with a separate commentary as a component (e.g., "We were practicing Chopin today, and Jane has made excellent progress as you can hear. We should work on timing issues before the recital in three weeks.") Again, the added components 110 provide a verification of the service performed but the video and photograph with associated commentary enhance the relationship between the user 20 and the customer 30. After authorizing payment, the platform 10 will allow the sharing of components 110 through social media (facebook, twitter, snapchat, etc) and will facilitate this sharing with appropriate icons and links 112. The customer 30 sharing of components 110 will enhance the social engagement associated with the platform 10.

[0083] Additionally the enriched customer specific content forming components 110 may include a customer specific marketing offer. Service providers 20 will often have customer specific knowledge of what this customer 30 would most need or to which may be most receptive and the platform 10 allows the user 20 to easily add such an offer to the bill 100 as enriched customer specific content forming components 110. For example, a grass cutting service user 20 may notice a need and offer mulching service specific to this customer as a component 110 on his bill 100. The customer specific marketing offer as part of components 110 of a bill 100 may be a bid that is specific to this customer 30, such as where the user 20 can effectively add a bid for an additional service to this customer 30, e.g., "Mr. Smith, we can easily mulch the single planting island in the back yard with our next grass cutting for $100, please click HERE to indicate we should attend to this in our next visit." The platform 10 will track the number of offers out to customers 30 for a user 20 as well as the number that are accepted. The platform 10 will send acceptance of offer notifications from the customer 30 to the user 20 where the billing is electronic and the customer 30 accepts the offer electronically (acceptance of an offer for a printed bill 100 would need to be through outside communications methods such as telephone, text, or e-mail).

[0084] The customer specific marketing offer as part of components 110 of a bill 100 may be a an offer for services that the user 20 believes the customer is in need of or will be highly receptive of, one aspect of this being "customer specific", however the offer may be for a general service offer not specific to this customer 30, "Mr. Smith, we are running a mulching special of 20% off for the next month, please click HERE to indicate we should add planter area mulching in our next visit." Again the platform 10 will track the number of offers out to customers 30 for a user 20 as well as the number that are accepted and the platform 10 will send acceptance of offer notifications from the customer 30 to the user 20 where the billing is electronic and the customer 30 accepts the offer electronically. A more generic offer has the advantage of allowing the customer 30 to forward the offer to third parties via social network links 112 whom the customer 30 believes might be interested in the offer. The third parties would be able to "accept" the offer via the forwarded offer and most social network platforms, however these would generally be considered as business referrals or requests for specific work from potential new customers rather than acceptance of an offer from the user 20 as in such case the user 20 needs to accept the new work. The platform 10 will notify the user 20 and track acceptance of such offers from third parties reached out by the customer 30.

[0085] For ease of implementation the default setting on the bills is the inclusion of up to three components as shown in figures 4A and B, namely two images such as a before representation image, and an after representation image and a customer specific commentary, the default allows the user to replace the two images with a single video clip The commentary, whether part of a video content or added as text to the billing, is distinct from the description in the billing (e.g. "Mulching flower beds" as the billing description with the audio commentary "The soil seemed dry and flowers will need additional watering, but they seem healthy. We recommend an organic fertilizer treatment which is safer for pets."). It is anticipated that the commentary itself may form a separate audio file on the bill 100 as well. The components 110 serve to verify the work performed and can act as a gateway for building the customer 30 - business 20 relationship. An audio commentary such as part of a video, as opposed to text, has an advantage that the spoken word has added inflection and increases the customer 30 - business 20 relationship and it is easy for the business 20 to include as part of a video clip verifying the service. If a text commentary is used, the user 20 select audio input to be converted to text (dictation mode). Further the user can omit the "before" frame simply by not including this element, or the "after" frame or both, or the textual commentary section, and the system will automatically adjust the bill 100 to avoid a large blank space.

[0086] The specific billing generation thus generally includes only minimal preparation, such as a brief description (mowed lawn 4/12/16), the amount, and the inclusion of before and after photographs (or just the after photo - or a video with/without audio commentary) in the billing with the added text commentary (any of which can be omitted by the user 20 if desired). As the services will often be repetitive for a given user (e.g. lawn mowing, mulching, raking, trimming, etc.), the billing platform may include a pulldown menu of often used descriptions to facilitate bill preparation.

[0087] Figure 5 A is a schematic of a user's view of a business billing preferences and settings for the business 20 in the mobile platform 10 according to the present invention. This includes parameters such as how notifications are to be received, and what the global information on an invoice will be and what the format of invoices will be and other parameters to allow the user to customize the platform 10 for his or her particular business. Figure 5B is a schematic of a user's view of a business dashboard and reports for the business 20 in the mobile platform according to the invention which show that the user 20 can easily track past billings and their status to give a handheld easily viewed summary of the financial particulars of the business 20. Individual bills 100 can be selected, reviewed, resent as needed.

[0088] Figure 5C is a schematic of a user's website view of a business dashboard and reports for the business 20 in the platform 10 according to the invention and Figure 5D is a schematic of a user's website view of a business billing preferences and settings for the business 30 in the platform according to the invention. These figures are intended to illustrate that a more comprehensive view is available via the website (which may often be accessed with a laptop or desktop that yields higher display capability) and facilitates the greater information output of these views. Figure 5D also illustrates the use of the platform 10 for reaching out to the existing online customers 30 for business promotions as desired, however the bills 100 with promotional or marketing components 110 can also effectively serve as a marketing tool as discussed above. The promotions can include coupons, reminders or any promotion desired by the user 20. Thus the platform 10 provides a global marketing platform for the business 20, and the bills 100 provide a customer specific marketing platform via components 110. The nature of the promotions is up to the creativity of the users 20 and is really not limited by the platform, however users are provided with templates to aid in the process of creating promotional messages 10.

[0089] Figures 6A and B are schematics of customer's view of automated ACH payment processing with customer controls and directives 35 utilizing the mobile small business automated clearing house platform 10 according to the present invention, although the added content 110 for some bills 100 has been omitted from these examples. Figure 6A is the customer' s view of the schematic of billing and automated ACH payment processing utilizing the mobile small business automated clearing house platform 10 according to figure 2A in which the customer specifically authorizes each payment to instigate the ACH transaction. Here the authorization is with a simple press of a pay now and submit button with the user being able to adjust the amount (with the default being the amount of the billing in full). The platform 10 includes the ability for the customer 30 to easily alter the customer controls and directives 35 for this user 20. Figure 6B is the customer's view of the schematic of billing and automated ACH payment processing utilizing the mobile small business automated clearing house platform 10 according to figure 2B in which the customer 30 pre-authorizes each payment within certain amounts and the billing (within these limits) instigates the ACH transaction. Again, the platform 10 includes the ability for the customer 30 to easily alter the customer controls and directives 35 for this user 20. Thus the platform 10 remains a customer driven billing and payment platform 10. As discussed above figure 6C is a schematic of customer's view of the added bill content 110 which can be shared in conventional methods using links or icons 112 following bill payment.

[0090] Figure 7 is a schematic of business-customer ACH payment set up contract with customer controls and directives 35 utilizing the mobile platform 10 according to the present invention. This is an important feature of the present invention in that the platform 10 yields a "customer contract development" platform. In this aspect of the invention the user or business 20 sets up the electronic payment aspect of the invention by developing a customer contract directly with the customer 30 on the user's device 22. A check capture can be used to obtain the routing and banking information for subsequent ACH transactions, or this information may entered manually. Significantly all of the customer designated customer controls and directives 35 are included, only a few of which are shown in figure 7. Any customer controls and directives 35 can be included in this contract. The contract should include customer specific authentication elements 37 such as electronic acknowledgements, a handwritten signature or a captured biometric such as a fingerprint or a combination of these. The platform 10 thus develops mutually agreeable and verifiable terms between the user 20 and the individual customer 30 to authorize and place parameters upon subsequent ACH transaction.

[0091] Prior to utilizing the platform 10 for any ACH transactions, each user 20 must be underwritten by the associated institution 50 (possibly via the sponsor 40). Figures 8A and B are schematics of a business user's website view of ACH authorization process for a business user 30 in the mobile small business automated clearing house platform according to the invention. Essentially mobile technology is leveraged to simplify the underwriting information gathering process. Figure 9A-J are schematics of an ACH Publisher 40 or sponsor's website views of ACH authorization process for a business user 20 in the mobile small business automated clearing house platform 10 according to the present invention. The platform 10 facilitates information gathering and thus expedites the approval, or denial, of an applicant or potential user 20. Essentially an applicant or potential user 20 cannot submit an incomplete application which is the largest factor in delaying approvals. Further in the event an applicant or potential user 20 is denied, the platform 10 provides a simple mechanism to advise the applicant and to suggest the items that need to be addressed. Further the platform 10 yields a system for tracking all users 20 of the institution 50 and improves record keeping associated with these small business users 20.

[0092] The mobile billing solution formed by the platform 10 is designed for solopreneurs and side-giggers and can easily and intuitively utilize an image of a check, an electronic signature and email as a platform for establishing a recurring ACH relationship between the customer 30 and the business 20. As discussed above the ideal prospects or users 20 include service business (landscaper. maid service, exterminator, etc.) having regular, repeating, consistent services (same price). The ideal users 20 have a business which generally is mobile (go to the customer vs. customer coming to a fixed store) and which currently accept cash, checks and credit cards.

[0093] The platform 10 components generally include the ability to capture a check image with the camera on a mobile device, to recognize MICR data on the check image to determine and populate the financial institution via the routing number; with the ability to scroll through and accept agreements; and the ability to establish and agree to customer controls and directives 35; and the ability to sign with finger on mobile device screen; and the ability to generate invoices 100 for services rendered; and the ability to deliver invoices via email or text; and the ability to click "Pay Now", "Pay Later" or have invoices automatically sent based upon customer controls and directives 35 established by the parties; and the ability to run and track promotions with invoices; and the ability to provide base level analytics on customers and receivables; and the ability to send to customer and user all requisite NACHA notifications.

[0094] The viral business growth afforded by the platform 10 is both a viral growth of the users 20 business and use of the platform by other users 20. Essentially both customers 30 and users 20 will encourage other vendors of the respective customer 30 or user 20 to utilize the platform 10 to give the customer 30 the desired control and the additional advantages of the value added billing due to shareable components 110. The ease of generating and paying a bill greatly improves the billing-to-cash cycle for the business 20.

[0095] It is apparent that many variations to the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto.