Patent ID: 8065191

Claim:
A method of electronically transacting purchase and redemption of at least one tangible commodity which comprises: a) providing a computer-based system for purchasing tangible commodities over a communication network and which computer-based system includes a computer database containing commodity information concerning at least one product which may be purchased at a current time purchase price, and which purchase price is posted and locked-in at time of purchase, for at least partial redemption at a future date; b) establishing, using the computer-based system, an account for the purchaser; c) establishing, using the computer-based system, an account balance for each commodity in quantity units; d) authorizing, using the computer-based system, the purchaser to purchase a quantity of at least one tangible commodity from the electronic system; e) electronically accessing, using the computer-based system, the electronic system for purchaser transactions; f) performing, using the computer-based system, a purchaser transaction including purchasing from said computer database a first purchase quantity of a selected tangible commodity at the current time purchase price reflected in said computer database for redemption of at least a portion of the first purchase quantity of the selected commodity at a future date at the locked-in purchase price; g) summing, using the computer-based system, the first purchase quantity with the account balance to provide a current account balance in said account for the purchaser in the computer database for the selected commodity; h) storing, using the computer-based system, data in said computer database for the current account balance in an electronically accessible format; i) performing, using the computer-based system, a purchaser transaction including redeeming at least a portion of the current account balance of the selected commodity; j) adjusting, using the computer-based system, the current account balance to reflect the redeemed portion of the selected commodity; k) using the computer-based system, identifying a zone for redemption from the account balance of each commodity, identifying at least another zone of redemption, and converting at least a portion of the account balance of at least one commodity to an account balance for the another zone of redemption; l) repeating, using the computer-based system, at least one of the steps of performing a purchaser transaction selected from purchasing from said computer database a subsequent purchase quantity or redeeming at least a portion of the current account balance; and m) adjusting, using the computer-based system, the current account balance to reflect the purchaser transaction from the step of repeating.