Susan Lynn Helms

US Patent:

7617153, Nov 10, 2009

Filed:

Dec 19, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/325404

Inventors:

Maureen Cecelia Kenny - Ft. Lauderdale FL, US
Derek B. Faulkner - Bexleyheath, GB
Susan L. Feiner - New York NY, US
Susan Lynn Helms - Peoria AZ, US
Matthew Edmund Lipinski - Chanhassen MN, US
Janice A. Meyers - Scottsdale AZ, US
Sreepriya Chitra Narasimhan - New York NY, US
Aparecida de Araujo Paula - São Paulo, BR
Vinod V. Poolamanna - New Delhi, IN
Mark Allen Rusch - New York NY, US
Manfred Schnieders - Usingen, DE
Michael R. Streit - Oak Park IL, US
Salvatore Vitale - Staten Island NY, US

Assignee:

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. - New York NY

International Classification:

G06Q 40/00

US Classification:

705 40, 705 38, 705 36, 705 35

Abstract:

The present invention provides a bypass shutdown process and method to implement change across an organization to help ensure that the procurement of goods and services is done through specifically approved suppliers, and according to appropriate procurement procedures. In a preferred embodiment, the bypass shutdown process and method comprises the steps of determining whether an invoice is from an approved supplier; determining whether the invoice relates to a targeted commodity; determining whether the related purchase was transacted prior to commodity roll-out; determining whether the transaction is exempt from penalty assessment; determining whether the purchaser previously submitted a bypass invoice; recording said invoice in a selected database; determining whether the purchaser has exceeded a penalty threshold level of non-compliance; generating a warning communication regarding an organization bypass process initiative and sending the warning communication to the purchaser; and assessing a penalty to the purchaser, or purchaser's business unit, cost center, department, division, or any other sub-unit of an organization, upon exceeding the penalty threshold.