Automatic philanthropic contribution system

• US 5,621,640 A
• Filed: 12/05/1994
• Issued: 04/15/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Every Penny Counts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Every Penny Counts Incorporated
• Inventors: Burke, Bertram V.
• Primary Examiner(s): McElheny, Jr., Donald E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tkacs, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US08/349,353
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 364/461 R, 364/405, 364/406, 364/408, 902/22, 902/24, 902/41
• US Class Current: 705/14.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

An automatic donation system for a sales establishment includes an entry arrangement for entering the price of a product into a cash register and for entering the amount of cash being paid and a calculator for determining the excess cash payment. A card reader keypad receives a card number for accessing data including charity accounts concerning the card, and a computer apportions at least a part of the excess cash payment among said accounts, and then prints out the amounts entered.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a cash register;

entry means in the cash register for entering an amount corresponding to a price of a product into the cash register and for entering an amount corresponding to cash being paid;

calculating means in the cash register for determining existence of an excess cash payment;

card identifier entering means for entering a card identifier, said card identifier identifying one or a plurality of predetermined accounts;

apportioning means responsive to said register and said card identifier entering means for apportioning at least a part of the excess cash payment among a number of predetermined accounts identified with said card; and

said accounts being identified independent of data in the register.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said cash register includes change making means for returning remains from an excess payment, after apportionment, as cash.

3. A system as in claim 2, wherein said cash register includes a display for displaying the excess cash and the remains.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein said card identifier entering means includes means for entering changes in the apportionment.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein said apportioning means includes means for allocating a portion of the excess to charity donee accounts with each apportionment.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein said apportioning means includes means for transferring the portion of the excess for the charity donee account directly to the charity donee with each apportionment.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein said apportionment means includes:

charity storage means for storing names of a plurality of qualified charities;

bank storage means for storing names of a number of banks;

account storage means for storing numbers of client accounts;

entry means for entering the names of charities and banks so as to establish an entered name for each entry of a name;

comparison means responsive to said storage means and said entry means for comparing each entered name with a stored name to determine if the entered name matches a stored name;

assignment means responsive to said comparison means for assigning a charity or a bank to an account when the charity or the bank has been entered;

recording means responsive to said account storage means for recording money entries into said accounts; and

allocating means responsive to said account storage means for registering an allocation of parts of monies recorded into accounts among the charities and banks entered for that account.

8. A system as in claim 1, wherein said apportioning means includes a central processor remote from the register for receiving the data from the card identifier entering means.

9. A system as in claim 8, wherein central processor remote from the register serves for receiving the data from the card identifier entering means on a real time basis.

10. A system as in claim 1, wherein said card identifier entering means includes receiving means for receiving a card having the number and data including the accounts and instructions for apportioning, and said apportioning means further includes means for receiving the data from the card.

11. A system as in claim 10, wherein said apportioning means includes a central processor remote from the register for receiving the data from the card number entering means on a batch processing basis.

12. A system as in claim 1, further comprising printout means coupled to said register, said card entering means, and said apportioning means for printing out the amounts entered and apportioned.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein said printout means prints out the status of each of the accounts.

14. A system as in claim 1, wherein the card identifies the relationship of apportioning among accounts independent of the of data in the cash register.

15. An apportionment system, comprising:

deducting means for deducting a cost of an item from a payment received to determine an excess;

charity storage means for storing the names of a plurality of qualified charities;

bank storage means for storing the names of a number of banks;

account storage means for storing numbers of client accounts;

entry means for entering names of charities and banks so as to define an entered name for each entry of a name;

comparison means responsive to each of said storage means for comparing the entered names with the stored names to determine if the entered name matches a stored name;

assignment means responsive to said comparison means for assigning a charity or a bank to an account when a client has selected the charity or the bank;

recording means for responsive to each of said account storage means recording money entries into said accounts; and

allocating means responsive to said deducting means and said account storage means for registering an allocation of parts of the excess, after deduction of the cost, among the charities and banks entered for that account;

each of said storage means, entry means, comparison means, assignment means, and recording means, being independent of said deducting means.

16. A point of sale operating method, comprising:

entering an amount corresponding to a price of a product into a cash register;

entering an amount corresponding to cash being paid;

determining any excess cash payment;

entering a card identifier;

apportioning at least a part of the excess cash payment among one or more of a number of predetermined accounts as determined by the card identifier; and

crediting the excess paid to the accounts to the card identifier;

the predetermined accounts being identified with said card identifier independent of said cash register.

17. A system as in claim 16, wherein said apportioning step includes making change for returning any remains from the excess payment, after apportionment, as cash.

18. A system as in claim 17, wherein said printing step includes displaying the excess cash and the remains.

19. A method as in claim 16, wherein said printout step includes printing out the status of each of the accounts.

20. A method as in claim 16, wherein said step of apportioning includes entering changes in the apportionment.

21. A method as in claim 16, wherein said step of apportioning includes allocating a portion of the excess to charity donee accounts with each apportionment.

22. A method as in claim 21, wherein said apportioning step includes transferring a portion of the excess for the charity donee account directly to the charity donee with each apportionment.

23. A method as in claim 16, wherein said apportionment step includes:

storing names of a plurality of qualified charities;

storing names of a number of banks;

storing number of client accounts;

entering the names of charities and banks so as to define an entered name for each entry of a name;

comparing each entered with a stored name to determine if the entered name matches the stored name;

assigning a charity or bank to an account when a charity or bank has been entered;

recording money entries into set accounts;

registering an allocation of parts of monies recorded into accounts among charities and banks entered for that account.

24. A method as in claim 16, wherein the relationship of apportionment among accounts is identified by the card identifier independent of data in the cash register.

25. A method as in claim 24, further comprising the step of printing out the amounts entered and apportioned.

26. A method as in claim 24, wherein the card identifies the relationship of apportioning among accounts independent of data in the cash register.

27. A method as in claim 16, wherein further comprising the step of receiving the data from the card identifier entering means in a central processor remote from the register.

28. A method as in claim 16, wherein the step of entering includes receiving a card having the card identifier and data including the accounts and instructions for apportioning, and said apportioning step further includes receiving the data from the card.

29. A method as in claim 28, wherein said apportioning step includes receiving in a central processor remote from the register data entered from the card on a batch processing basis.

30. A method as in claim 29, wherein the step of receiving data from in the central processor remote from the register includes receiving the data from the card number entering means on a real time basis.