Systems and methods for electronically circulating a conditional electronic currency

• US 9,721,261 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Payment Network Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CapitalWill LLC
• Inventors: Wilkes, Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): ZARE, SCOTT A
• Application Number:
  US13/418,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0655 e-cash managed centrally
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Persistent, electronically anchored currency notes (PEAC notes) may be generated by a transaction provider and maintained in a datastore. Each PEAC note may be associated with a respective unique identifier and asset held by a custodian. The transaction provider may provide for assigning ownership of the PEAC notes to various entities and/or transferring ownership therebetween. Ownership transfers may be performed by the transaction provider while maintaining the PEAC notes in the datastore and/or maintaining the asset(s) associated therewith their respective custodian(s). A PEAC note may be tied to one or more usage conditions, which restrict transfers thereof. The usage conditions may be removed when release conditions are satisfied.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a computing device comprising a processor, a communication interface to an electronic communication network, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a database;

a transaction provider operating on the processor of the computing device, wherein the transaction provider is configured to define persistent, electronically anchored currency note (PEAC note) records in the database, each PEAC note record being assigned a unique uniform resource identifier that resolves to electronic content within the electronic communication network,

wherein the transaction provider is configured to associate the PEAC note records with respective assets held by a custodian such that each of the PEAC note record corresponds to a monetary value,

wherein the transaction provider is configured to assign ownership of PEAC note records to respective owners by associating unique identifiers of the PEAC note records with respective owner identifiers, including assigning ownership of a first PEAC note record having a particular unique uniform resource identifier to a first entity,

and wherein the transaction provider is configured to implement secure, real-time transfers of ownership of the PEAC note records through the electronic communication network while maintaining the PEAC note records within the database and maintaining the assets corresponding to the PEAC note records with the custodians, wherein transferring ownership of the first PEAC note record to a second entity comprises,

receiving a transfer request to transfer ownership of the first PEAC note through the communication interface to the electronic communication network,

authorizing the transfer request based on a credential of the first entity,

transferring ownership of the first PEAC note to the second entity in response to authorizing the transfer request,

wherein ownership is transferred while maintaining the asset associated with the first PEAC note record with the custodian, and wherein ownership of the first PEAC note record is transferrable by the second entity and retains the particular unique uniform resource identifier in the database, and

transmitting electronic data to the second entity through the communication interface to the electronic communication network to verify that ownership of the first PEAC note record is transferred to the second entity;

wherein the transaction provider is further configured to provide electronic content pertaining to PEAC note records within the electronic communication network, wherein providing electronic content pertaining to the first PEAC note comprises,

registering the particular unique uniform resource identifier of the first PEAC note record to a domain of the transaction provider within the electronic communication network,

receiving an information request through the electronic communication network, the information request directed to the particular unique uniform resource identifier of the first PEAC note,

generating electronic content comprising information pertaining to the first PEAC note that identifies the custodian of the asset corresponding with the first PEAC note, and

transmitting the generated electronic content through the communication interface to the electronic communication network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction provider is configured to determine whether a requested transfer of the first PEAC note record satisfies the usage condition, and prevents the first PEAC note record from being transferred when the usage condition is not satisfied.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the usage condition identifies an entity to which the PEAC note record can be transferred, and wherein the usage condition is satisfied when the second entity corresponds to the entity identified in the usage condition.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the usage condition comprises a release condition, and wherein the transaction provider is configured to remove the usage condition from the first PEAC note record in response to determining that the release condition is satisfied.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the release condition is satisfied after a pre-determined time.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the release condition is satisfied in response to an entity identified in the release condition becoming insolvent.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the release condition is satisfied in response to transferring ownership of the first PEAC note record to an entity identified in the release condition.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction provider is configured to remove the usage condition from the first PEAC note record in response to transferring ownership of the first PEAC note record to the second entity.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction provider is configured to apply the usage condition to the first PEAC note record in response to a request from an owner of the first PEAC note record.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction provider transfers ownership of the first PEAC note record to a placeholder owner and associates the placeholder owner with a redemption credential, and wherein the transaction provider transfers ownership of the first PEAC note record to the first entity in response to the first entity presenting the redemption credential.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions to cause a computing device to perform operations, the operations comprising:

maintaining a plurality of persistent, electronically anchored currency notes (PEAC notes) within a data store of a computing system, each PEAC note comprising a respective unique uniform resource identifier, having an assigned value, and being associated with an asset held by a custodian;

providing electronic content pertaining to respective PEAC notes via the electronic communication network in response to requests comprising unique uniform resource identifiers of the respective PEAC notes;

implementing a secure, real-time transfer of ownership of a first PEAC note through the electronic communication network while retaining the first PEAC note within the data store and maintaining the asset with the custodian, the first PEAC note having a first unique uniform resource identifier that resolves to first electronic content pertaining to the first PEAC note within the electronic communication network, wherein the secure, real-time transfer is implemented in response to receiving a request to transfer ownership of the first PEAC note from a first entity to a second entity, and comprises;

transferring ownership of the first PEAC note to the second entity in response to validating that the first PEAC note is owned by the first entity, and

transmitting electronic data to the second entity through the electronic communication network to confirm that ownership of the first PEAC note record is transferred to the second entity,

wherein the first PEAC note is transferrable by the second entity and retains the first unique uniform resource identifier in the database, the operations further comprising;

providing electronic content associated with the first PEAC note via the electronic communication network in response a request comprising the first unique uniform resource identifier subsequent ownership of the first PEAC note to the second entity being transferred to the second entity.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising assigning a usage condition to the first PEAC note that must be satisfied in order to transfer ownership of the first PEAC note from the first entity, wherein implementing the secure, real-time transfer of ownership of the first PEAC note further comprises verifying that the transfer satisfies the usage condition assigned to the first PEAC note.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the usage condition identifies an entity to which the PEAC note can be transferred, and wherein the usage condition is satisfied when the second entity corresponds to the entity to which the first PEAC note can be transferred.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein transferring ownership of the first PEAC note to the second entity further comprises removing the usage condition from the first PEAC note in the data store.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

associating a transfer restriction with the first PEAC note, the transfer restriction having a release condition that must be satisfied for ownership of the first PEAC note to be transferred from the first PEAC note; and

removing the transfer restriction from the first PEAC note in response to determining that the release condition is satisfied, wherein the release condition comprises one or more of expiration of a pre-determined time, a request to transfer ownership to a designated entity, completion of an ownership transfer, and insolvency of the designated entity.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

transferring ownership of the first PEAC note to a placeholder owner;

associating the first PEAC note with a redemption credential; and

transferring ownership of the first PEAC note to the first entity in response to verifying that the first entity possesses the redemption credential associated with the first PEAC note.

17. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

maintaining by a processor of a server computing device, a plurality of persistent, electronically anchored currency notes (PEAC notes) in a datastore, each PEAC note comprising a respective unique uniform resource identifier, having a value, and being associated with an asset held by a custodian;

providing electronic content pertaining to the PEAC notes via an electronic communication network in response to requests comprising the respective unique uniform resource identifiers of the PEAC notes;

implementing a secure, real-time transfer of ownership of a first PEAC note from a first entity to a second entity in response to a first transfer request, wherein implementing the secure, real-time transfer of ownership comprises;

using the processor of the server computing device to verify that the first transfer request is authorized by confirming that the data store indicates that the first entity possesses ownership of the first PEAC note, and

using the processor of the server computing device to transfer ownership of the first PEAC note to the second entity, wherein transferring ownership of the first PEAC note comprises recording that the second entity possesses ownership of the first PEAC note in the datastore and transmitting electronic data verifying that the second entity possesses ownership of the first PEAC note via the electronic communication network,

wherein ownership of the first PEAC note is transferred to the second entity while retaining the first PEAC note in the datastore with the first unique uniform resource identifier and maintaining the asset associated with the first PEAC note with the custodian, and wherein the first PEAC note is transferrable by the second entity; and

providing electronic content pertaining to the first PEAC note via the electronic communication network in response to a request received while the second entity possesses ownership of the first PEAC note and comprising the first unique uniform resource identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising applying a usage condition to the first PEAC note maintained in the data store that must be satisfied by ownership transfer requests pertaining to the first PEAC note, wherein implementing the secure, real-time transfer further comprises determining that the first transfer request satisfies the usage condition.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the usage condition identifies an entity to which the first PEAC note can be transferred, and wherein determining that the first transfer request satisfies the usage condition comprises determining that the second entity corresponds to the identified entity.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

applying a usage to the first PEAC note maintained in the data store that must be satisfied by ownership transfer requests pertaining to the first PEAC note; and

removing the usage condition from the first PEAC note maintained in the data store in response to satisfying a release condition of the usage condition.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the release condition comprises one of expiration of a pre-determined time, completion of an ownership transfer, and insolvency of a pre-determined entity.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transferring ownership of the first PEAC note to a placeholder owner;

associating the first PEAC note with a redemption credential; and

transferring ownership of the first PEAC note to the first entity in response to verifying that the first entity possesses the credential associated with the first PEAC note.