Method and system for managing an incentive fund
OwnerMark Oehlerking, Greg Unruh +2inventors
InventorsMark Oehlerking, Greg Unruh, Greg Hoover, Timothy Boehle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sponsor or another establishes a pool of incentive funds to be used by designated merchants to fund sponsored incentive programs for at least one of a sale and a lease of a product. An amount of each incentive fund is allocated for a designated merchant. One or more credit plans are designated, where each credit plan is associated with or eligible for each incentive fund. The discretionary distribution of each incentive fund is supported. For example, each incentive fund may be distributed to one or more selected customers based on a customer loyalty program or other parameters.
Claims14
A method for managing a fund, the method comprising:
- establishing a pool of incentive funds to be used by designated merchants to fund sponsored incentive programs for at least one of a sale and a lease of a product;
- allocating an amount of each incentive fund within the pool for a corresponding designated merchant;
- and
- designating one or more respective credit plans that are associated with or eligible for each incentive fund;
- and
- supporting discretionary distribution of each incentive fund by the corresponding merchant to one or more selected customers.
A system for managing a fund, the system comprising:
- a fund definer for establishing a pool of incentive funds to be used by designated merchants to fund sponsored incentive programs for at least one of a sale and a lease of a product;
- an allocator for allocating an amount of each incentive fund within the pool for a corresponding designated merchant;
- and
- a designator for designating one or more respective credit plans that are associated with or eligible for each incentive fund;
- and
- a discretionary distribution module for supporting discretionary distribution of each incentive fund by the corresponding merchant to one or more selected customers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.