Dynamic determination of ownership interest based on contribution

• US 20010039500A1
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Published: 11/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson, Blake
• Original Assignee: Johnson, Blake
• Inventors: Johnson, Blake
• Granted Patent: US 7,096,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A technique is provided for determining ownership interest allocation for a business, wherein transactions of contributors with the business are grouped into contributor transaction classes (CTCs), and a contribution value is calculated for the contributor transactions in each CTC to indicate the contribution of each transaction to the value of the business, using one or more performance metrics for each CTC, and lastly, at least one ownership interest award rule for a contributor is determined, based on the calculated contribution values for the CTCs. The technique can be performed with a digital computer and can provide real-time dynamic measures of ownership interest allocation.

Claims

1. A method of determining business entity ownership interest allocation in response to a data set, the method comprising:

determining contributor transaction classes into which transactions of contributors with a business entity are assigned;

calculating a contribution value for the contributor transactions in each contributor transaction class to indicate the contribution of each transaction to the value of the business entity, using at least one performance metric for each contributor transaction class; and

determining at least one award rule for each contributor transaction class in response to the calculated contribution values for the contributor transaction classes.

2. A method as defined in

claim 1

, further comprising:

determining the amount of the ownership interest in the business entity to be issued to the selected contributor in accordance with the determined award rule; and

issuing the determined ownership interest to the selected contributor.

3. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein the business entity comprises the ownership interest issuing business entity.

4. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein determining contributor transaction classes comprises:

evaluating contribution to business value for a set of transactions;

determining contributor transaction classes in accordance with contributions of all contributors; and

determining one or more rules for governing changes in contributor transaction classes over time for a desired dynamic contributor equity award structure.

5. A method as defined in

claim 4

, further comprising periodic re-evaluation of the contributor transaction classes in response to changes in the data set over time.

6. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein the at least one performance metric for a contributor transaction class is determined by:

identifying data relevant to measurement of contributor transaction class contribution to business value;

determining one or more performance metrics to be used for each contributor transaction class; and

determining one or more rules for governing changes in the performance metric or metrics of each contributor transaction class over time.

7. A method as defined in

claim 6

, further comprising periodically reevaluating the performance metric or metrics to be used for a contributor transaction class in response to changes in the data set over time.

8. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein determining an award rule for a selected transaction contributor comprises:

determining an ownership interest award rule for each contributor transaction class; and

determining one or more rules governing changes in equity awards for contributor transaction classes over time; and

determining an ownership interest award for each transaction contributor of the data set according to the calculated contribution value.

9. A method as defined in

claim 8

, further comprising periodically reevaluating the one or more ownership interest award rules in response to changes in the data set over time.

10. A system that determines a business entity ownership interest allocation, the system comprising one or more processors that execute program instructions and receive a data set, determine contributor transaction classes into which transactions of contributors with a business entity are assigned, calculate a contribution value for the contributor transactions in each contributor transaction class to indicate the contribution of each transaction to the value of the business entity, using at least one performance metric for each contributor transaction class, and determine at least one award rule for each contributor transaction class in response to the calculated contribution values for the contributor transaction classes.

11. A system as defined in

claim 10

, wherein the processors further execute program instructions to determine the amount of the ownership interest in the business entity to be issued to the selected contributor in accordance with the determined award rule and issue the determined ownership interest to the selected contributor.

12. A system as defined in

claim 10

, wherein the business entity comprises the ownership interest issuing business entity.

13. A system as defined in

claim 10

, wherein the processors determine contributor transaction classes by evaluating contribution to business value for a set of transactions;

determining contributor transaction classes in accordance with contributions of all contributors; and

determining one or more rules for governing changes in contributor transaction classes over time for a desired dynamic contributor equity award structure.

14. A system as defined in

claim 13

, wherein the processors periodically reevaluate the contributor transaction classes in response to changes in the data set over time.

15. A system as defined in

claim 10

, wherein the processors determine the at least one performance metric for a contributor transaction class by identifying data relevant to measurement of contributor transaction class contribution to business value;

determining one or more performance metrics to be used for each contributor transaction class; and

determining one or more rules for governing changes in the performance metric or metrics of each contributor transaction class over time.

16. A system as defined in

claim 15

, wherein the processors periodically reevaluate the performance metric or metrics to be used for a contributor transaction class in response to changes in the data set over time.

17. A system as defined in

claim 10

, wherein the processors determine an award rule for a selected transaction contributor by determining an ownership interest award rule for each contributor transaction class;

determining one or more rules governing changes in equity awards for contributor transaction classes over time; and

determining an ownership interest award for each transaction contributor of the data set according to the calculated contribution value.

18. A system as defined in

claim 17

, wherein the processors further periodically re-evaluate the one or more ownership interest award rules in response to changes in the data set over time.

19. A system that determines business entity ownership interest allocation in response to a data set, the system comprising:

a processor that receives a data set relating to transactions of contributors with a business entity;

means for determining contributor transaction classes into which the transactions of the contributors are assigned;

means for calculating a contribution value for the grouped contributor transactions in each contributor transaction class to indicate the contribution of each transaction to the value of the business entity, using at least one performance metric for each contributor transaction class; and

means for determining at least one award rule for each contributor transaction class in response to the calculated contribution values for the contributor transaction classes.

20. A program product for use in a computer system that executes program steps recorded in a computer-readable media to perform a method for determining business entity ownership interest allocation in response to a data set, the program product comprising:

a recordable media;

a program of computer-readable instructions executable by the computer system to perform operations comprising;

determining contributor transaction classes into which transactions of contributors with a business entity are assigned;

calculating a contribution value for the grouped contributor transactions in each contributor transaction class to indicate the contribution of each transaction to the value of the business entity, using at least one performance metric for each contributor transaction class; and

determining at least one award rule for each contributor transaction class in response to the calculated contribution values for the contributor transaction classes.

21. A program product as defined in

claim 20

, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the amount of the ownership interest in the business entity to be issued to the selected contributor in accordance with the determined award rule; and

issuing the determined ownership interest to the selected contributor.

22. A program product as defined in

claim 20

, wherein the business entity comprises the ownership interest issuing business entity.

23. A program product as defined in

claim 20

, wherein the operation of determining contributor transaction classes comprises:

evaluating contribution to business value for a set of transactions;

determining contributor transaction classes in accordance with contributions of all contributors; and

determining one or more rules for governing changes in contributor transaction classes over time for a desired dynamic contributor equity award structure.

24. A program product as defined in

claim 23

, the operation further comprising periodic re-evaluation of the contributor transaction classes in response to changes in the data set over time.

25. A program product as defined in

claim 20

, wherein the at least one performance metric for a contributor transaction class is determined by:

identifying data relevant to measurement of contributor transaction class contribution to business value;

determining one or more performance metrics to be used for each contributor transaction class; and

determining one or more rules for governing changes in the performance metric or metrics of each contributor transaction class over time.

26. A program product as defined in

claim 25

, further comprising periodically re-evaluating the performance metric or metrics to be used for a contributor transaction class in response to changes in the data set over time.

27. A program product as defined in

claim 20

, wherein the operation of determining an award rule for a selected transaction contributor comprises:

determining an ownership interest award rule for each contributor transaction class; and

determining one or more rules governing changes in equity awards for contributor transaction classes over time; and

determining an ownership interest award for each transaction contributor of the data set according to the calculated contribution value.

28. A program product as defined in

claim 27

, further comprising periodically re-evaluating the one or more ownership interest award rules in response to changes in the data set over time.