Method and system for making donations to charitable entities

• US 8,160,922 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Inventors: Postrel, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): VIZVARY, GERALD C
• Application Number:
  US11/231,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20060122874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,401 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.19, 705/17, 705/19, 705/53, 705/58
• US Class Current: 705/14.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0232 Frequent usage rewards other than merchandise, cash or travel
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0279 Fundraising management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and system for making a donation to a third party, wherein a user executes a purchase transaction using a card linked to a reward point account If a user donation is desired, then the user'"'"'s reward point account is decreased and corresponding value is transferred to a designated third party as a donation. In another aspect referred to as “topping off”, the donation amount is the difference between the tender amount and the purchase amount, and is transferred to a designated third party as a donation to the third party in lieu of providing change for the transaction back to the user.

Claims

1. A method for making a donation to a third party comprising the steps of:

a. a user executing a purchase transaction by using a card with a point of sale device, the card linked to a user card account and a user reward point account, the user card account and the user reward point account being associated with the user and stored on an issuing bank computer, the user reward point account storing reward points previously accumulated by the user as a result of a previous transaction;

b. a transaction processing device processing the transaction with the issuing bank computer by requesting authorization of the purchase transaction from the issuing bank computer and determining the quantity of reward points stored in the user reward point account on the issuing bank computer;

c. the transaction processing device instructing the point of sale device to display (i) the quantity of reward points determined to be stored in the user reward point account on the issuing bank computer and (ii) a query to the user if a donation of reward points from the user reward point account is desired to be made by the user to a third party;

d. if the user indicates that a donation of reward points is to be made to a third party, then executing a transfer from the user reward point account to a designated third party as a donation to the third party by reducing the number of reward points in the user account and transferring a corresponding value to an account associated with the third party.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the value transferred to an account associated with the third party comprises a monetary value that is deposited to a monetary account associated with the third party.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the value transferred to an account associated with the third party comprises reward points that are deposited to a reward account associated with the third party.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward points previously accumulated by the user as a result of a previous transaction comprise reward points that are earned by the user as a result of executing a previous purchase transaction with the card.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward points previously accumulated by the user as a result of a previous transaction comprise reward points that are aggregated by the user from one or more different reward point accounts.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the point of sale device is a web site associated with the purchase transaction that is executed over the Internet by the user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the point of sale device is a telephone set associated with the purchase transaction executed by the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the point of sale device queries the user for an amount to be donated.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the user enters the amount to be donated into the point of sale device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount to be donated is a default amount previously indicated by the user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the user has the option of overriding the default amount and entering a different amount for that particular transaction into the point of sale device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the point of sale device queries the user for an identification of the third party to which the donation will be made.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the user enters the identification of the third party to which the donation will be made into the point of sale device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the identification of the third party is a default identification previously indicated by the user.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the user has the option of overriding the default identification and entering a different identification for that particular transaction into the point of sale device.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the third party is an individual.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the third party is a charitable organization.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the user donating reward points earned as a result of the purchase transaction to the third party.

19. A method for a transaction processing device to facilitate a user making a donation to a third party comprising the steps of:

a. the transaction processing device receiving a request from a point of sale device to process a purchase transaction by a user using the point of sale device with a card, the card linked to a user card account and a user reward point account, the user card account and the user reward point account being associated with the user and stored on an issuing bank computer, the user reward point account storing reward points previously accumulated by the user as a result of a previous transaction;

b. the transaction processing device processing the transaction with the issuing bank computer by requesting authorization of the purchase transaction from the issuing bank computer and determining the quantity of reward points stored in the user reward point account on the issuing bank computer;

c. the transaction processing device sending an instruction to the point of sale device to display (i) the quantity of reward points determined to be stored in the user reward point account on the issuing bank computer and (ii) a query to the user if a donation of reward points from the user reward point account is desired to be made by the user to a third party;

d. the transaction processing device receiving an instruction from the point of sale device indicating that the user indicates that a donation of reward points is to be made to a third party,

e. the transaction processing device executing a transfer from the user reward point account to a designated third party as a donation to the third party by reducing the number of reward points in the user account and transferring a corresponding value to an account associated with the third party.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the value transferred to an account associated with the third party comprises a monetary value that is deposited to a monetary account associated with the third party.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the value transferred to an account associated with the third party comprises reward points that are deposited to a reward account associated with the third party.