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Method and system for aggregation of reward points for payment of auctioned items

  • US 6,829,586 B2
  • Filed: 08/25/2003
  • Issued: 12/07/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of operating an auction wherein accumulated reward points are redeemed for an item won in the auction comprising the steps of:

  • a) a user establishing a reward point account directly with each of a plurality of reward points issuing entities, wherein each of said reward point accounts is stored on a reward server associated with the reward point issuing entity, and wherein each of said reward point accounts tracks points earned by the user for transactions between the user and the associated reward points issuing entity, and wherein each of the reward points issuing entities enables the user to selectively redeem points from the reward point account associated with that reward point issuing entity and the user for an item selected by the user, b) the user earning reward points from each of the plurality of reward points issuing entities, each of said reward points issuing entities tracking the user'"'"'s earned reward points in the user'"'"'s reward point account stored on the rewards server associated with that reward points issuing entity, c) the user establishing a reward exchange account on a trading server, said trading server selectively interconnected over a network with each of the plurality of reward servers, d) the user designating at least some of said earned reward points from one or more of said user'"'"'s reward point accounts for trading into the reward exchange account, e) the trading server accumulating the user'"'"'s designated earned reward points from each of said designated reward point accounts into the reward exchange account associated with the user, and f) the user interacting with the trading server to redeem accumulated points from the user'"'"'s reward exchange account for an item won in an auction;

    whereby portions of available reward points may be selected from selected reward point accounts for accumulation into the user'"'"'s reward exchange account on the trading server, and optionally leave other portions of available reward points remaining in said selected reward points accounts for subsequent redemption with the associated reward points issuing entity or for subsequent accumulation into the user'"'"'s reward exchange account.

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