Method of and system for correlating charitable contributions

• US 5,724,518 A
• Filed: 02/28/1996
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Values.Com Inc.
• Original Assignee: Interactive Patents, Inc.
• Inventors: Helbling, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kalidindi, Krishna
• Application Number:
  US08/608,486
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 364/201, 235/375, 235/381
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/065 for drink preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/40 for devices for accepting orders, advertisements, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/203 Dispensing operations within ATMs dispensing in general G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/22 electrically actuated
• 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: G07F 7/04 by paper currency
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A central office correlates charitable contributions made at vending stations in food service establishments which issue information carriers in return for charitable contributions which are receipts for the contribution and entitle the donor to a beverage dispensed from a machine responding to the information carrier.

Claims

1. A method of collecting and correlating charitable contributions, comprising the steps of:

(a) from a central location remote from a collection station, transmitting to said collection station information as to availability of a premium offered for a charitable contribution and a selection of charities benefiting from charitable contributions;

(b) displaying at said collection station respective symbols of the charities of said selection;

(c) at said collection station tendering said charitable contribution, enabling donor selection from said symbols of one of said charities to benefit from the charitable contribution tendered, registering said charitable contribution tendered to the charity selected, communicating from said collection station to said central location information as to amounts of contributions tendered for the respective charities, and issuing an information carrier to each donor indicating a corresponding premium, a selected charity and an amount contributed; and

(d) in response to said information carrier, at a vending location issuing to respective donors the premiums indicated on the respective information carriers.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said information transmitted to said collection station from said central location and said information transmitted from said collection station to said central location are transmitted by telecommunication means.

3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

collecting from said central location contributions made at said collection station; and

transferring collected contributions from said central station to said charities.