SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCENTIVE-BASED RESOURCE CONSERVATION

• US 20100121700A1
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RTS Recyclebank LLC
• Original Assignee: RTS Recyclebank LLC
• Inventors: Wigder, David, Gonen, Ron
• Application Number:
  US12/692,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121700A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.250
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0609 by fluid containers, e.g. bottles, cups, gas containers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/90 Financial instruments for climate change mitigation, e.g. environmental taxes, subsidies or financing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system and method for administering an incentive-based program to encourage environmentally-conscious behavior. In one embodiment, a method for administering an incentive-based program to encourage environmentally-conscious behavior comprises providing a network-accessible database, hosted by an administrator, having a plurality of sets of records, each set of records corresponding to a user, monitoring an environmentally-conscious behavioral activity of a first user, and recording a record of the behavioral activity in the database, using a computer-based mathematical calculation to translate the record of the behavioral activity to a value, and storing the value within a record of a set of records corresponding to the first user, and allowing the first user to access the database, using a computing device to communicate through a data portal to the database via a network, to redeem the value for a credit at a third party retailer.

Claims

1. A method for administering an incentive-based program to encourage environmentally-conscious behavior comprising:

providing a network-accessible database, hosted by an administrator, having a plurality of sets of records, each set of records corresponding to a user;

monitoring an environmentally-conscious behavioral activity of a first user, and recording a record of the behavioral activity in the database;

using a computer-based mathematical calculation to translate the record of the behavioral activity to a value, and storing the value within a record of a set of records corresponding to the first user; and

allowing the first user to access the database, using a computing device to communicate through a data portal to the database via a network, to redeem the value for a credit at a third party retailer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of different environmentally-conscious behavioral activities are monitored, a record each of the plurality of different environmentally-conscious behavioral activities are translated to a value, and the first user is permitted to redeem a cumulative value from each value for a credit at a third party retailer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmentally-conscious behavioral activity comprises at least one of engaging in a reduction in energy consumption, a reduction in water consumption, a reduction of waste production, an increase in recycling activity, the utilization of a reusable product, or an expansion of a life cycle of a product.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmentally-conscious behavioral activity is monitored over a predetermined time interval.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer-based mathematical calculation utilizes a comparison of the record of the environmentally-conscious behavior activity over the predetermined time interval and a predetermined limit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined limit comprises at least one of a suggested value by a government agency, a relevant measurement from the first user over a substantially similar predetermined time interval, or an average value from a plurality of users within a community.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the environmentally-conscious behavioral activity of the first user comprises utilizing a quantitative measuring apparatus, capable of monitoring the first user'"'"'s usage or consumption of a resource.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the measuring device comprises one of an industry-standard energy meter or an industry-standard flow meter.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the quantitative measuring apparatus further comprises a reporting means for providing a measurement to the administrator.

10. A method of administering an incentive-based utility conservation program comprising:

monitoring a first entity'"'"'s utility usage data over a predetermined time interval using a measuring and recording means, and reporting the utility usage data to an administrator;

comparing utility usage data to a predetermined limit;

determining whether the utility usage data satisfied the predetermined limit, and subsequently converting the utility usage data to a value; and

storing the value in a database record, the database record comprising a cumulative value of values accumulated by the first entity;

permitting the first entity to access a data portal through a network, using a computing device, to redeem the value for a credit at a third party participating retailer;

wherein the cumulative value comprises a plurality of values, each value acquired by the first entity through a plurality of environmentally-conscious behavioral activities.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the each of the plurality of environmentally-conscious behavioral activity comprises at least one of engaging in:

a reduction in energy consumption, a reduction in water consumption, a reduction of waste production, an increase in recycling activity, the utilization of a reusable product, or an expansion of a life cycle of a product.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the cumulative value comprises at least a value acquired from a reduction in the first entity'"'"'s utility consumption and a value acquired from the first entity'"'"'s recycling habits.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined limit comprises at least one of a suggested value by a government agency, a relevant measurement from the first user over a substantially similar predetermined time interval, or an average value from a plurality of users within a community.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring the environmentally-conscious behavioral activity of the first user comprises utilizing a quantitative measuring apparatus, capable of monitoring the first user'"'"'s usage or consumption of a resource.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the measuring device comprises one of an industry-standard energy meter or an industry-standard flow meter.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the quantitative measuring apparatus further comprises a reporting means for providing a measurement to the administrator.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the reporting means comprises scraping data from a database hosted by a utility provider.

18. A method for administering an incentive-based program to encourage environmentally-conscious behavior comprising:

establishing a marketplace system, the marketplace system comprising;

a computer accessible network;

a plurality of consumers;

a plurality of merchants; and

an administrator, having a database in communication with the network for overseeing transactions between any one of the plurality of consumers and any one of the plurality merchants;

monitoring a commercial transaction between a first consumer of the plurality of consumers and one of the plurality merchants;

storing data regarding the transaction in the database;

using a computer-based mathematical calculation to translate the data to a value, and storing the value within a record in the database corresponding to the first consumer; and

allowing the first consumer to access the database, using a computing device to communicate through a data portal to the database via the computer accessible network, to redeem the value for a credit at a third party retailer;

wherein the commercial transaction comprises an environmentally-conscious behavioral activity.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the record in the database corresponding to the first consumer comprises a cumulative value of values accumulated by the first consumer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the cumulative value comprises a plurality of values, each value acquired by the first entity through a plurality of different environmentally-conscious behavioral activities.