METHOD OF COLLECTING MONEY OR RESOURCES FROM A GROUP OF CONTRIBUTORS
First Claim
1. A method of collecting at least a predetermined amount of money from a group of contributors, comprising the steps of:
- accepting a pledge from a first contributor that provides pledge information, including an amount of money pledged and a method of payment;
authorizing the pledge by verifying the validity of the method of payment and verifying that the method of payment is able to provide the amount of money pledged; and
converting the authorized pledge to a payment when the sum of the amounts of money pledged by the authorized pledges is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount of money.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of collecting money or resources from a group of contributors includes accepting a pledge from a first contributor, authorizing the pledge, and converting the authorized pledge to a payment. The pledge provides pledge information including an amount of money pledged and a method of payment. The pledge is authorized by verifying the validity of the method of payment and verifying that the method of payment is able to provide the amount of money pledged. The pledge is converted to a payment when the sum of the amounts of money pledged by the authorized pledges is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount of money. The method is preferably designed for the fundraising field and, more specifically, for the online fundraising field. The method, however, may be alternatively used in any suitable environment and for any suitable reason.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of collecting at least a predetermined amount of money from a group of contributors, comprising the steps of:
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accepting a pledge from a first contributor that provides pledge information, including an amount of money pledged and a method of payment; authorizing the pledge by verifying the validity of the method of payment and verifying that the method of payment is able to provide the amount of money pledged; and converting the authorized pledge to a payment when the sum of the amounts of money pledged by the authorized pledges is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount of money. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of collecting resources from a group of contributors, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a collection site with collection information, including; an amount of resource requested; and an intended use for the resource once collected; accepting, from a first contributor, a pledge for an amount of resources; realizing the pledge when the sum of the amounts of resource pledged is greater than or equal to the amount of resource requested. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification