CROWDFUNDING BASED ON ACTIONS

• US 20140025473A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rockethub Incorporated (EFactor Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Rockethub Incorporated (EFactor Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cohen, Jedidiah S.
• Application Number:
  US13/552,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025473A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A crowdfunding platform can receive an indication that an entity has completed an action. Examples of an entity include a funder, a campaign account owner, a third party and a combination thereof. Examples of actions include making a purchase, subscribing to a service, joining an entity'"'"'s social network, etc. Upon receiving the indication, an account (e.g., a crowdfund account such as a funder and/or campaign account) can be credited with a value that can correspond to the completion of the action. Value can be transferred from an external account (such as travel rewards program, an external virtual currency account, etc.) to a crowdfund account and vice versa. If the transferor account is denominated in a different unit of value than the transferee account, an exchange rate can be determined and applied to the transaction.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication that an entity has completed an action;

crediting a funder account with an amount corresponding to the completion of the action;

receiving a request from a funder to transfer a funding amount from the funder account to a campaign account; and

deducting at least the funding amount from the funder account; and

crediting a campaign amount to the campaign account, the campaign amount based on the funding amount.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising deducting a fee from at least one selected from the group of:

the funder account, the campaign account and a third party account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

subscribing to a service, enrolling in a membership, applying for a credit card and adding an entity to a social network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the action includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

purchasing a product, completing a survey, changing a membership in a social network, enrolling in a membership service, applying for a credit card and subscribing to a service.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein changing a membership in a social network includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

following a member on Twitter, mentioning an entity on a social network and adding a member to a social network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the action includes sending a request to transfer value from a rewards account having a first denomination to the funder account having a second denomination, the request specifying the value in the first denomination to be deducted from the rewards account and wherein the crediting the funder account with an amount corresponding to the completion of the action comprises:

determining an exchange rate between the first denomination of the rewards account and the second denomination of the funder account; and

calculating amount to credit the funder account based on the amount of rewards points and the exchange rate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the action includes sending a request to transfer value to the funder account having a second denomination from a rewards account having a first denomination, the request specifying the value in the second denomination to be credited to the funder account and wherein the crediting the funder account with an amount corresponding to the completion of the action comprises:

determining an exchange rate between the first denomination of the rewards account and the second denomination of the funder account; and

calculating amount to deduct from the rewards account based on the amount to be credited to the funder account and the exchange rate.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the action includes sending a request to transfer value between a rewards program having a first denomination to the funder account.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the amount credited to the campaign account is denominated in a virtual currency.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the rewards account is associated with at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a travel rewards program and a credit card rewards program.

11. A system, comprising:

a receiver that receives an indication that an entity has completed an action;

an account management module that credits a funder account with an amount corresponding to the completion of the action, receives a request from a funder to transfer a funding amount from the funder account to a campaign account, deducts at least the funding amount from the funder account and credits the funding amount to the campaign account; and

a database that stores account information including the balance of the funder account and the balance of the campaign account.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the action includes at least one selected from the group of:

purchasing a product and completing a survey.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the action includes at least one selected from the group consisting of liking an entity on Facebook, following an entity on Twitter, mentioning an entity on Facebook and mentioning an entity on Twitter.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the action includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

enrolling in a membership service and applying for an exclusive service.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a transfer processing module that receives a request to transfer value from a rewards account having a first denomination to the funder account having a second denomination, the request specifying the value in the first denomination to be deducted from the rewards account, determines an exchange rate between the first denomination of the rewards account and the second denomination of the funder account and calculates amount to credit the funder account based on the amount of rewards points and the exchange rate.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a transfer processing module that receives a request to transfer value to the funder account having a second denomination from a rewards account having a first denomination, the request specifying the value in the second denomination to be credited to the funder account, determines an exchange rate between the first denomination of the rewards account and the second denomination of the funder account and calculates an amount to deduct from the rewards account based on the amount to the funder account and the exchange rate.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the action is a request to transfer a value between a rewards account and a funder account, the rewards account being associate with at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a points program and a credit card rewards program.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the rewards account includes virtual currency.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the amount credited to the funder account is denominated in a virtual currency.