Patent ID: 8100324

Claim:
A method for facilitating replacement of customized value-bearing items, in response to a request to replace an original, customized, computer-based, value-bearing item for an original value, with a replacement, customized, computer-based, value-bearing item for a replacement value, said method comprising: identifying a set of full, digitally-signed, original, computer-based, value-bearing item indicia data corresponding to the original, customized, computer-based, value-bearing item for the original value; determining if the replacement value and the original value are different; if the replacement value and the original value are different: calculating a replacement value difference, obtaining a set of full, digitally-signed, replacement, computer-based, value-bearing item indicia data for a value corresponding to the replacement value difference, and generating a set of replacement, customized, computer-based, value-bearing item indicia data comprising a subset of the set of full, digitally-signed, replacement, computer-based, value-bearing item indicia data and further comprising an indication of the replacement value; if the replacement value and the original value are equal: obtaining a set of full, digitally-signed, replacement, computer-based, value-bearing item indicia data for a value corresponding to the replacement value, and generating a set of replacement, customized, computer-based, value-bearing item indicia data comprising a subset of the set of full, digitally-signed, replacement, computer-based, value-bearing item indicia and further comprising an indication of the replacement value.