Automated transactional carbon offsetting

• US 9,665,907 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PDI Merger S2 LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kozloski, James R., O'Connell, Brian M., Walker, Keith R., Pickover, Clifford A., Hamilton, II, Rick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, TALIA F
• Application Number:
  US12/330,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,094 Days
• Field of Search: 705 15, 705 30, 705413
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/90 Financial instruments for climate change mitigation, e.g. environmental taxes, subsidies or financing

Abstract

Methods, including service methods, articles of manufacture, systems, articles and programmable devices are provided for linking and utilizing monetary and carbon credit accounts through a programmable arbitrating device providing a transaction interface to the buyer. A composite price is set for an item having a monetary portion and a carbon credit portion, a buyer executing a purchase of the item through an input to the arbitrating device transaction interface, the arbitrating device automatically charging a monetary payments from the buyer'"'"'s monetary account, carbon credit payments from the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account, a difference between the payments and the composite price debited to the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account balance for a monetary value of the difference as a function of a monetary-carbon exchange rate, or to the buyer'"'"'s monetary account for a carbon credit value of the difference as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate.

Claims

1. A method for linking and utilizing monetary and carbon credit accounts in consideration of a transaction, comprising:

a programmable arbitrating device providing a transaction interface to a buyer that links a monetary account of the buyer to a carbon credit account of the buyer; and

the arbitrating device automatically executing a purchase of an item offered for sale to the buyer by a seller at a composite price that has a monetary portion and a carbon credit portion, in response to an input of the buyer to the arbitrating device transaction interface as a function of a monetary-carbon exchange rate, by;

comparing the monetary-carbon exchange rate to a rate threshold;

in response to the monetary-carbon exchange rate meeting the compared rate threshold, charging a first monetary payment from the buyer'"'"'s monetary account, charging a first carbon credit payment from the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account and converting a first amount of a balance of a selected one of the monetary and carbon credit account to generate a first converted monetary/carbon credit payment as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate, so that a percentage of a monetary payment amount relative to a carbon credit payment amount in a total of the first monetary payment, the first carbon credit payment and the first converted monetary/carbon credit payment satisfies a specified carbon credit/monetary proportion that is associated with the rate threshold; and

in response to the monetary-carbon exchange rate not meeting the compared rate threshold, charging a second monetary payment from the buyer'"'"'s monetary account that is different from the first monetary payment, and charging a second carbon credit payment from the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account that is different from the first carbon credit payment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the total of the first monetary payment, the first carbon credit payment and the first converted monetary/carbon credit payment, and a total of the second monetary payment and the second carbon credit payment, are each less than the composite price by a remainder amount;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

the arbitrating device causing the seller to subsidize the remainder of the composite price by automatically requiring the seller to debit at least one of;

a monetary subsidy account of the seller for a monetary value of the remainder; and

a carbon credit subsidy account of the seller for a carbon credit value of the remainder;

and

wherein the arbitrating device is configured to automatically cause the seller to subsidize the remainder without requiring a further action by the buyer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the arbitrating device automatically determining at least one of:

the monetary value of the remainder from a carbon credit value of the remainder as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate; and

the carbon credit value of the remainder from a monetary value of the remainder as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the arbitrating device automatically financing at least one of:

the debiting of the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account by automatically selling carbon credits from the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account to a carbon credit purchasing entity in communication with the arbitrating device as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate and crediting proceeds into the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account, wherein the proceeds equal the debiting of the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account; and

the debiting of the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account by automatically purchasing carbon credits from a carbon credit supplier entity in communication with the arbitrating device as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate, wherein the purchased carbon credits equals the debiting of the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a service provider providing the arbitrating device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the buyer'"'"'s monetary account and the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account are established by a credit card provider as separate sub-accounts in the buyer'"'"'s name.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the arbitrating device communicating with the carbon credit supplier entity or the carbon credit purchasing entity through a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol link.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the arbitrating device is a fuel pump, the method further comprising:

sending a signal to the carbon credit supplier entity or the carbon credit purchasing entity in response to a fueling activity by a pump user;

mapping the signal to a fueling observation; and

setting an amount of carbon credits of the total consideration relative to an amount of monetary value of the total consideration as a function of the mapping.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fueling activity is:

presenting an account card associated with at least one of the buyer'"'"'s monetary and carbon credit accounts to a pump interface;

turning on the pump;

selecting a fuel grade;

or

operating a fuel pump spout; and

wherein the fueling observation is;

a quantity of fuel purchased;

a kind of fuel purchased;

a time of day of fueling;

a temperature;

an elapsed time the pump user operated the fuel pump spout;

or

an elapsed time the pump user left the fuel pump spout in a vehicle tank.

10. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer processing unit, cause the processing unit to;

link a buyer'"'"'s monetary account and a buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account and to provide a transaction interface to a buyer; and

execute a purchase of an item as a function of a monetary-carbon exchange rate in response to an input from a buyer via the transaction interface, the item offered for sale to the buyer by a seller at a composite price having a monetary portion and a carbon credit portion, by, without requiring a further action by a buyer or a seller, automatically;

comparing the monetary-carbon exchange rate to a rate threshold;

in response to the monetary-carbon exchange rate meeting the compared rate threshold, charging a first monetary payment from the buyer'"'"'s monetary account, charging a second carbon credit payment from the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account and converting a first amount of a balance of a selected one of the monetary and carbon credit account to generate a first converted monetary/carbon credit payment as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate, so that a percentage of a monetary payment amount relative to a carbon credit payment amount in a total of the first monetary payment, the first carbon credit payment and the first converted monetary/carbon credit payment satisfies a specified carbon credit/monetary proportion that is associated with the rate threshold; and

in response to the monetary-carbon exchange rate not meeting the compared rate threshold, charging a second monetary payment from the buyer'"'"'s monetary account that is different from the first monetary payment, and charging a second carbon credit payment from the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account that is different from the first carbon credit payment.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the total of the first monetary payment, the first carbon credit payment and the first converted monetary/carbon credit payment, and a total of the second monetary payment and the second carbon credit payment, are each less than the composite price by a remainder amount;

and

wherein the program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to;

cause the seller to subsidize the remainder of the composite price by automatically, without requiring a further action by the buyer, requiring the seller to debit at least one of;

a monetary subsidy account of the seller for a monetary value of the remainder; and

a carbon credit subsidy account of the seller for a carbon credit value of the remainder.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, causes the processing unit to automatically determine at least one of:

the monetary value of the remainder from a carbon credit value of the remainder as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate; and

the carbon credit value of the remainder from a monetary value of the remainder as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the processing unit, causes the processing unit to automatically finance at least one of:

debiting of the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account by automatically selling carbon credits from the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account to a carbon credit purchasing entity in communication with the computer system as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate and crediting proceeds into the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account, wherein the proceeds equal the debiting of the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account; and

debiting of the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account by automatically purchasing carbon credits from a carbon credit supplier entity in communication with the computer system as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate, wherein the purchased carbon credits equals the debiting of the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account.

14. A programmable device comprising:

a processing unit;

a computer-readable memory in communication with the processing unit;

a tangible computer-readable storage device in communication with the processing unit; and

a network interface in communication with the processing unit and the memory;

wherein the processing unit, when executing program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage device via the computer-readable memory;

links a buyer'"'"'s monetary account and a buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account and provides a transaction interface to a buyer; and

executes a purchase of an item as a function of a monetary-carbon exchange rate in response to an input from a buyer via the transaction interface, the item offered for sale to the buyer by a seller at a composite price having a monetary portion and a carbon credit portion, by, without requiring a further action by a buyer or a seller, automatically;

comparing the monetary-carbon exchange rate to a rate threshold;

in response to the monetary-carbon exchange rate meeting the compared rate threshold, charging a first monetary payment from the buyer'"'"'s monetary account, charging a first carbon credit payment from the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account and converting a first amount of a balance of a selected one of the monetary and carbon credit account to generate a first converted monetary/carbon credit payment as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate, so that a percentage of a monetary payment amount relative to a carbon credit payment amount in a total of the first monetary payment, the first carbon credit payment and the first converted monetary/carbon credit payment satisfies a specified carbon credit/monetary proportion that is associated with the rate threshold; and

in response to the monetary-carbon exchange rate not meeting the compared rate threshold, charging a second monetary payment from the buyer'"'"'s monetary account that is different from the first monetary payment, and charging a second carbon credit payment from the buyer'"'"'s carbon credit account that is different from the first carbon credit payment.

15. The programmable device method of claim 14, wherein the total of the first monetary payment, the first carbon credit payment and the first converted monetary/carbon credit payment, and a total of the second monetary payment and the second carbon credit payment, are each less than the composite price by a remainder amount;

and

wherein the programmable unit when executing the program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage device, further;

causes the seller to subsidize a remainder of the composite price by automatically, without requiring a further action by the buyer, requiring the seller to debit at least one of;

a monetary subsidy account of the seller for a monetary value of the remainder; and

a carbon credit subsidy account of the seller for a carbon credit value of the remainder.

16. The programmable device of claim 15, wherein the programmable unit when executing the program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage device, further automatically determines at least one of:

the monetary value of the remainder from a carbon credit value of the remainder as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate; and

the carbon credit value of the remainder from a monetary value of the remainder as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate.

17. The programmable device of claim 15, wherein the programmable unit when executing the program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage device, further automatically:

debits the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account by automatically selling carbon credits from the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account to a carbon credit purchasing entity in communication with the programmable device as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate and crediting proceeds into the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account, wherein the proceeds equal the debiting of the seller'"'"'s monetary subsidy account; and

debits the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account by automatically purchasing carbon credits from a carbon credit supplier entity in communication with the programmable device as a function of the monetary-carbon exchange rate, wherein the purchased carbon credits equals the debiting of the seller'"'"'s carbon credit subsidy account.