Conversion/transfer of non-negotiable credits to entity independent funds
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, establishing an account for non-negotiable credits provided by an entity to an account holding user, wherein the entity is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holding user from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity;
a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, detecting interactions involving the account holding user earning a quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions are added to the account, wherein in absence of a conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to entity independent funds, a commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits for goods or services that the commerce partner provides, wherein the commerce partner does accept the entity independent funds for goods or services that the commerce partner provides, wherein the commerce partner is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the commerce partner is associated with the entity in some commercial activity, wherein the conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the entity independent funds not stored in the account, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits, wherein the entity independent funds are possessed by the account holding user; and
a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, subtracting a quantity of the non-negotiable credits from the account, the subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits corresponding to a quantity of entity independent funds resulting from the conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to a quantity of the entity independent funds in accordance with terms of the agreement mutually established by the commerce partner and the entity, wherein the commerce partner is compensated by the entity for granting the entity independent funds to the account holding user in exchange for non-negotiable credits.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one embodiment, an account is established for non-negotiable credits provided by an entity to one or more users. Interactions that earn a quantity of non-negotiable credits are detected. The quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions is added to the account. The non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity. In absence of a conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to entity independent funds, a commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits for goods/services that it provides. A quantity of the non-negotiable credits is subtracted from the account. The subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits corresponds to a quantity of entity independent funds resulting from the conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to a quantity of the entity independent funds in accordance with agreement terms mutually established by the commerce partner and the entity. The commerce partner is compensated by the entity.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, establishing an account for non-negotiable credits provided by an entity to an account holding user, wherein the entity is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holding user from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity; a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, detecting interactions involving the account holding user earning a quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions are added to the account, wherein in absence of a conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to entity independent funds, a commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits for goods or services that the commerce partner provides, wherein the commerce partner does accept the entity independent funds for goods or services that the commerce partner provides, wherein the commerce partner is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the commerce partner is associated with the entity in some commercial activity, wherein the conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the entity independent funds not stored in the account, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits, wherein the entity independent funds are possessed by the account holding user; and a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, subtracting a quantity of the non-negotiable credits from the account, the subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits corresponding to a quantity of entity independent funds resulting from the conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to a quantity of the entity independent funds in accordance with terms of the agreement mutually established by the commerce partner and the entity, wherein the commerce partner is compensated by the entity for granting the entity independent funds to the account holding user in exchange for non-negotiable credits. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method comprising:
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a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, establishing an account for entity-independent funds provided by a commerce partner to an account holding user, wherein the commerce partner is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the commerce partner does not accept non-negotiable credits for goods or services that the commerce partner provides, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the commerce partner is associated with the entity in some commercial activity, wherein a conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the non-negotiable credits not stored in the account, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits by the entity; a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, detecting interactions involving the account holding user placing a quantity of the entity independent funds into the account by performing the conversion operation in accordance with the terms of the agreement, wherein the entity independent funds and the non-negotiable credits of the conversion operation are possessed by the account holding user, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holding user from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity; and a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, exchanging the entity independent funds possessed by the account holder resulting from the conversion operation for commerce partner goods or services provided by the commerce partner as part of a commercial transaction, wherein the entity independent funds exchanged for the commerce partner goods are subtracted from the account, wherein the commerce partner is compensated by the entity for granting the entity independent funds to the account holding user in exchange for non-negotiable credits, wherein the compensation provided to the commerce partner is in an amount specified by the terms of the agreement. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, establishing an account for non-negotiable credits provided by an entity to an account holding user, wherein the entity is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holding user from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity; a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, detecting interactions earning a quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions are added to the account, wherein in absence of a conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to shopping funds, a commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits for shopping purchases made from a retail marketplace, wherein the retail marketplace is owned or controlled by the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the commerce partner is associated with the entity in some commercial activity, wherein the conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the shopping funds are entity independent funds not stored in the account, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits, wherein the entity independent funds are possessed by the account holding user; and a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, subtracting a quantity of the non-negotiable credits from the account, the subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits corresponding to a quantity of entity independent funds resulting from the conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to a quantity of the shopping funds in accordance with terms of the agreement mutually established by the commerce partner and the entity, wherein the commerce partner is compensated by the entity for granting the shopping funds to the account holding user in exchange for non-negotiable credits. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A method comprising:
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a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, establishing an account for shopping funds, which are entity-independent funds provided by a commerce partner to an account holding user, wherein the commerce partner is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the commerce partner does not accept non-negotiable credits for goods or services that the commerce partner provides, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the commerce partner is associated with the entity in some commercial activity, wherein a conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the non-negotiable credits not stored in the account but are stored in a separate account maintained by the entity for the account holding user, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits possessed by the account holding user; a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, detecting interactions involving the account holding user placing a quantity of the shopping funds into the account by performing the conversion operation in accordance with the terms of the agreement, wherein the shopping funds and the non-negotiable credits of the conversion operation are possessed by the account holding user, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holding user from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity; and a computer, comprising hardware and software that is stored upon the hardware and that is able to be executed by the hardware, exchanging the shopping funds possessed by the account holder resulting from the conversion operation for goods or services provided by a retail marketplace, wherein the retail marketplace is owned or controlled by the commerce partner, wherein the shopping funds exchanged for the goods or services are subtracted from the account, wherein the commerce partner is compensated by the entity for granting the shopping funds to the account holding user in exchange for non-negotiable credits, wherein the compensation provided to the commerce partner is in an amount specified by the terms of the agreement. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification