Patent ID: 7912757

Claim:
A method of providing a gift registry in which a gift registry owner registers with a gift registry operator to establish a gift registry comprising the steps of: establishing by said gift registry operator a dedicated gift registry for said gift registry owner upon an on-line website using one or more computers and internet access; presenting by said gift registry operator said dedicated gift registry to a plurality of internet users using the internet; soliciting by said gift registry operator competing purchasing power factor bids from cooperating merchants, vendors and service providers; establishing for said gift registry owner a purchasing power factor for each of said cooperating merchants, vendors and service providers wherein each of said merchants, vendors and service providers commits to an increased effective purchasing amount honored by said merchants, vendors and service providers expressed as a multiplying factor for money used for purchases by said gift registry owner from said each of said merchants, vendors and service providers; receiving gifts in cash amounts from a plurality of internet users and accumulating said gifts to said gifts registry owner's account; following said establishing of said purchasing power factor, selecting by said gift registry owner the portion, if any, of said gifts to be allocated to said merchants, vendors and service providers; providing by said gift registry operator a purchase option for said gift registry owner to take some or all of said total of gifts received as purchases of goods or services using some or all of the total cash gifts and the established purchasing power factor transferring accumulated gifts to said gift registry owner.