Patent ID: 8973821
Filing Date: 2015-03-10
Classification: G06Q,G07F

Abstract:
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.