Method and apparatus for funding a future liability of uncertain cost
First Claim
1. A data processing system for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby for defeasing said liability, said system comprising:
- means for determining the price to be charged to defease said liability based on the present cost of said service or commodity, data concerning the average future spread between the inflation rate for that service or commodity and investment yields, a risk premium linked to volatility of said spread, and the time period to said due date;
means responsive to the determined price for issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and
means for determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note based on the cost of the service of commodity at the time of purchase, escalation in cost of the service of commodity since that time as measured by a specific index, the unamortized discount or premium balance, and, when redemption occurs prior to maturity, a specified schedule of penalties for early withdrawal.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided to fund a certain future liability of uncertain value and thereby defease fully its future cost. The method is an insurance investment plan which can be implemented using a floating rate zero coupon note obligation the interest rate on which varies automatically with the rate of inflation or the cost of some specified service or commodity which gives rise to the future liability, and the interest payments on which are automatically reinvested. The system projects the expected future cost of the liability based on a projected escalation rate associated with a certain specified index and based also on when the liability is expected to come due. It then calculates the present value sale price on the floating rate zero coupon note by discounting the expected cost at maturity at a rate that represents the insurer'"'"'s projected reinvestment yield net of an insurance risk premium.
541 Citations
112 Claims
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1. A data processing system for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby for defeasing said liability, said system comprising:
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means for determining the price to be charged to defease said liability based on the present cost of said service or commodity, data concerning the average future spread between the inflation rate for that service or commodity and investment yields, a risk premium linked to volatility of said spread, and the time period to said due date; means responsive to the determined price for issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and means for determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note based on the cost of the service of commodity at the time of purchase, escalation in cost of the service of commodity since that time as measured by a specific index, the unamortized discount or premium balance, and, when redemption occurs prior to maturity, a specified schedule of penalties for early withdrawal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A data processing method for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby to defease said liability, said method comprising the steps of:
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determining the price to be charged to defease said liability based on the present cost of said service or commodity, data concerning the average future spread between the inflation rate for that service or commodity and investment yields, a risk premium linked to volatility of said spread, and the time period to said due date; responsive to the determined price, issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note based on the cost of the service or commodity at the time of purchase, escalation in cost of the service or commodity since that time as measured by a specified index, the unamortized discount or premium balance, and when redemption occurs prior to maturity, a specified schedule of penalties for early withdrawal. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A data processing system for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby for defeasing said liability, said system comprising:
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means for determining the price to be charged to defease said liability based on the present cost of said service or commodity, data concerning the average future spread between the inflation rate for that service or commodity and investment yields, a risk premium linked to volatility of said spread, and the time period to said due date; means responsive to the determined price for issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and means for determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note at said scheduled maturity date based on the cost of the service or commodity at said schedule maturity date. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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69. A data processing method for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby to defease said liability, said method comprising the steps of:
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determining the price to be charged to defease said liability based on the present cost of said service or commodity, data concerning the average future spread between the inflation rate for that service or commodity and investment yields, a risk premium linked to volatility of said spread, and the time period to said due date; responsive to said determined price, issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note at said scheduled maturity date based on the cost of the service or commodity at said scheduled maturity date. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. A data processing system for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby for defeasing said liability, said system comprising:
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means for determining the price to be charged to defease said liability; means responsive to the determined price for issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and means for determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note at said scheduled maturity date based on the cost of the service or commodity at said scheduled maturity date. - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91)
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92. A data processing method for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby to defease said liability, said method comprising the steps of:
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determining the price to be charged to defease said liability; responsive to the determined price, issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note at said scheduled maturity date based on the cost of the service or commodity at said scheduled maturity date. - View Dependent Claims (93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98)
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99. A data processing system for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby for defeasing said liability at a determined price, said system comprising:
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means responsive to the determined price for issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and means for determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note at said scheduled maturity date based on the cost of the service or commodity at said maturity date. - View Dependent Claims (100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105)
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106. A data processing method for administering a program to substantially reduce the uncertainty regarding the cost of a future liability whose projected due date and whose present cost are known but whose future cost is unknown but can be projected with some risk factor, said liability arising from the need to purchase a service or commodity, and thereby for defeasing said liability at a determined price, said method comprising the steps of:
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responsive to the determined price, issuing at said price a floating rate zero coupon note for defeasing said liability, said floating rate zero coupon note having a scheduled maturity date and being redeemable; and determining a redemption value of said floating rate zero coupon note at said scheduled maturity date based on the cost of the service or commodity at said maturity date. - View Dependent Claims (107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112)
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Specification