US Patent 7778901 Integrated electronic presentment and payment of bills by different entities

To electronically present bills and request payment of presented bills, billing information representing a bill of a biller for a payee, and an associated selectable payment indicator having a first linking function, are received from a first network site associated with a bill presentment entity via a first communications link over a communications network. The received billing information and payment indicator are displayed. An input representing a selection of the displayed payment indicator is received. Based on the receipt of this input, the first linking function is activated to establish a second communications link over the communications network to a second network site, different that the first network site, associated with a bill payment entity, and to transmit a request to pay the represented bill on behalf of the payee to the second network site via the second communications link.