Budget tracking calculator system and method

• US 20100274830A1
• Filed: 04/23/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Budget Tracking Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Budget Tracking Solutions, LLC
• Inventors: Stever, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US12/386,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274830A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 708/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A budget tracking calculator system and method is disclosed, comprising a portable calculating device operating under software control and configured to permit a user to record budgetary expenditure data and other transaction data via a keypad. Four operating modes are provided—calculator, transaction entry, graphing and PC interface. In the transaction entry mode, the user may enter expenditure data into a variety of expenditure categories, to minimize manual data entry time and effort.

Claims

1. A budget tracking calculator system, comprising:

a calculator device operating under software control and configured to operate in any of four modes, comprising;

(a) a calculator mode for permitting a user to perform numerical calculations;

(b) a transaction entry mode for permitting the user to record monetary expenditure data into a memory in the calculator via keys;

(c) a graphing mode for permitting the graphical display of the data; and

(d) an interface mode for permitting the calculator to transfer the data to an external computer;

the calculator further being configured to record and display the data in a plurality of different pre-programmed categories and sub-categories of types of expenditures.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the categories and sub-categories may be customized by the user to meet the user'"'"'s particular budgetary needs.

3. Computer software configured to operate on a personal computer and configured to communicate with, receive, analyze and display data representative of categorized monetary expenditure data recorded on a budget tracking calculator device.

4. A budget tracking method, comprising the steps of:

(a) entering data representative of one or more budget expenditure target amounts into a calculator, each target amount associated with an expenditure category;

(b) recording expenditure data in the calculator by expenditure category;

(c) graphically displaying summaries of the expenditure data on the calculator;

(d) transferring the expenditure data to a personal computer; and

(e) analyzing and displaying the expenditure data on a display screen.