Systems and methods for managing consumer transaction-based investments

• US 9,734,536 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acorns Grow Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acorns Grow Inc.
• Inventors: Cruttenden, Jeffrey, Cruttenden, Walter, Martell, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US14/329,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20150081458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 705 21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

The field of the invention relates to systems and methods for controlling investment funds, and more particularly to systems and methods for real-time projections based on consumer transactions. In one embodiment, an investment fund management system may include a consumer communication device configured to create a payment gateway with a Point of Sales (POS) terminal. The system further includes a portfolio server accessible over a data network. The consumer communication device is configured to execute a process including the steps of intercepting a transaction through the payment gateway; computing an expected return based on the investment of a transaction amount from said transaction; and providing the expected return to the consumer communication device.

Claims

1. An investment fund management system comprising:

a computation server configured to monitor transaction data transmitted between a payment gateway server and a consumer communication device,

the consumer communication device configured to create, during a consumer transaction, an electronic payment gateway with a POS terminal in electronic communication with the payment gateway server, the computation server is operatively coupled to a computer program product, the computer program product having a computer-usable medium having a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor of the computation server, causes the processor to execute a process that creates investment projections based on a transaction between the POS terminal and the consumer communication device, the process comprising;

intercepting a transaction through the electronic payment gateway, the transaction having a first numerical amount to be transferred;

determining a second transaction amount in excess of the first numerical amount;

determining a third transaction amount, wherein the third transaction amount is the difference between the first and second transaction amount;

computing an expected return, wherein the return is based on the investment of the third transaction amount; and

electronically publishing the expected return to the consumer communication device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the process further includes the step of electronically transferring the third transaction amount to a portfolio server over said data network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the process further includes the step of aggregating said third transaction amount with additional electronic funds prior to transferring said third transaction amount.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumer communication device further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the POS terminal further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface configured to support electronic NFC payment gateways.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second transaction amount is determined from rounding up the first numerical amount to the next whole dollar amount.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the process further includes the step of publishing the expected return to a social media platform.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein computing an expected return from investing the third transaction reflects the historical performance of similar investments designed according to Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein user input modifies the third transaction amount.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein portfolio server represents a collective investment scheme.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transaction amount comprises a corresponding dollar amount of earned rewards points.

12. A method of creating investment projections based on a consumer transaction monitored at a computation server between a Point of Sales (POS) terminal, in electronic communication with a payment gateway server, and a consumer communication device, configured to create an electronic payment gateway with the POS terminal, the method comprising:

intercepting, by the computation server, the consumer transaction through the electronic payment gateway, the transaction having a first numerical amount to be transferred;

determining, by the computation server, a second transaction amount in excess of the first numerical amount;

determining, by the computation server, a third transaction amount, wherein the third transaction amount is the difference between the first and second transaction amount;

computing, by the computation server, an expected return, wherein the return is based on the investment of the third transaction amount; and

electronically publishing the expected return to the consumer communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising electronically transferring said third transaction amount to a portfolio server accessible to the consumer communication device over a data network.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising aggregating said third transaction amount with additional electronic funds prior to transferring said third transaction amount.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second transaction amount is determined from rounding up the first numerical amount to the next whole dollar amount.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein computing an expected return from investing the third transaction reflects the historical performance of similar investments designed according to Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT).

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising publishing the expected return to a social media platform.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein user input modifies the third transaction amount.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the first transaction amount comprises a corresponding dollar amount of earned rewards points.