Controlling card-based greenlife computing

• US 8,544,732 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Mortgage Card LLC
• Original Assignee: Home Mortgage Card LLC
• Inventors: Carragher, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/760,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20070284438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/382, 705/26, 705/30, 705/33, 705/35, 705/40, 705/1, 705/15
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An electrical digital computer machine and a data processing system, methods of making and for using the machine, products produced thereby, as well as data structures and articles of manufacture pertaining thereto, and all necessary intermediates of that which is discussed herein, all in the field of computerized aspects of CARD crediting or debiting to GREENLIFEs, e.g. organic food bill and the like.

More particularly, there can be a computer system applying a CARD debit or credit to a GREENLIFE. Another approach can include: a first computer system enabling a debit to be incurred in connection with usage of a CARD, such as a debit, credit, or membership card; and a second computer system enabling a GREENLIFE, such as a utility bill, and applying the debit or credit to the GREENLIFE.

Claims

1. A method for generating and allocating rewards, comprising:

receiving debit or credit activity incurred in connection with a CARD account;

accessing a database of coalition members, the members including CARD account holders;

accessing a database of products and services associated with any of renewable and responsible energy use, organic foods, belief systems, transparency, honesty, non-violence, education, childcare, health, safety, and minority owned businesses;

monitoring the products and services at one or more of pre-purchase, point-of-sale, and post-purchase for compliance with standards relating to the products and services;

associating the CARD account activity of one of the account holder members with an account associated with at least one of the products and services;

crediting an amount as a reward, responsive to the CARD account activity, to the account associated with the products or services, and

generating output including the crediting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CARD is a debit card account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the CARD is a charge card account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the CARD is a membership card account.

5. A method for generating and allocating rewards, comprising:

accessing memory for data corresponding to coalition members, the members including CARD account holders, and products and services associated with any of renewable and responsible energy use, organic foods, belief systems, transparency, honesty, non-violence, education, childcare, health, safety, and minority owned businesses,

measuring a degree to which a coalition member follows standards promoting the products and services;

generating a rating from the measurement;

allocating a portion of a CARD debit or credit, in response CARD activity, as a reward to a bill or account associated with a first one of the products or services,

and

generating output including the crediting or debiting.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the CARD is a debit card account.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the CARD is a charge card account.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the CARD is a membership card account.

6. A method for generating and allocating rewards, comprising:

receiving information in memory, the information corresponding to coalition members, the members including CARD account holders, and products and services associated with any of renewable and responsible energy use, organic foods, belief systems, transparency, honesty, non-violence, education, childcare, health, safety, and minority owned businesses;

receiving an allocation instruction from a user;

applying a portion of a credit, in response to CARD activity and further to said allocation instruction, as a reward to one or more accounts associated with the products and services

wherein the allocation instruction is receivable at each of pre-purchase, post-purchase, and point-of-sale.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the CARD is a debit card account.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the CARD is a charge card account.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the CARD is a membership card account.

13. A method of using an apparatus, the method including:

accessing, by a computer apparatus, memory for data corresponding to coalition members, the members including CARD account holders, and to products and services associated with any of renewable and responsible energy use, organic foods, belief systems, transparency, honesty, non-violence, education, childcare, health, safety, and minority owned businesses;

applying, by the computer apparatus, a credit in response to CARD activity as a reward to a bill or account associated with the data;

applying, by the computer apparatus, a second credit in response to CARD activity of a second, separate CARD account holder as a reward to the same bill or account and

generating, by the computer apparatus, output including at least one of the first and second crediting.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the CARD is a debit card account.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the CARD is a charge card account.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the CARD is a membership card account.

17. A computer system configured to generate rewards comprising:

a computer programmed to;

access memory for data corresponding to coalition members, the members including CARD account holders, and to products and services associated with any of renewable and responsible energy use, organic foods, belief systems, transparency, honesty, non-violence, education, childcare, health, safety, and minority owned businesses;

apply a credit, in response to CARD activity, as a reward to an account associated with one or more of the products or services;

generate output including the crediting; and

enable peer-to-peer communication to inform coalition members about purchases relating to the one or more products or services, wherein the purchases are identified for compliance with standards relating to the products or services.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the CARD is a debit card account.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the CARD is a charge card account.

20. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the CARD is a membership card account.