System and method for administration of incentive award program through use of credit

In a system for an incentive award program for a company having individual program participants, and having levels of performance set as goals to be achieved by participants for the company improvements, comprising:

• (a) computer memory means for data storing of information identifying the participants;
• (b) credit instruments for the participants, and computer data processing means for assigning individual credit instrument account numbers and corresponding accounts to the individual participants;
• (c) computer memory means for storing levels of performance to be achieved by the individual participants under the incentive program in order for the individual participants to have money credited for available use to the individual participant's credit instrument account;
• (d) computer data processing means for allocating monetary amounts to be credited for available use through the individual participant's credit instruments based on the participant's meeting of a designated level of performance under the incentive program;
• (e) computer data processing means for calculating the monetary transactions made through the individual participants' credit instruments;
• (f) computer memory means for storing transactions made with the credit instruments of participants;
• and
• (g) computer data processing and computer printer means for preparing a statement for the individual participants reporting the amount of money allocated for use through individual participants' credit instruments and reporting upon the individual participant's performance under the incentive program.

In a system for an incentive award program for a company having individual program participants and having levels of performance set as goals to be achieved by participants for the company, improvements comprising:

• (a) computer memory means for data storing of information identifying the participants;
• (b) credit instruments for the participants, and computer data processing means for assigning individual credit instrument account numbers and corresponding accounts to the individual participants;
• (c) computer data processing means for dividing the incentive program into multiple time periods, and computer memory means for storing levels of performance to be achieved by participants under the incentive program in order for the participants to have money credited for available use to the participants' credit instrument accounts at the end of the program time periods;
• (d) computer data processing means for allocating monetary amounts to be credited for available use through the individual participants' credit instruments based on the participants' meeting of a designated level of performance under the incentive program at the end of each time period;
• (e) computer data processing means for withholding at a selected time monetary amounts from the said monetary amounts eligible for allocation for use through the credit instruments, so that the withheld monetary amounts are made available for use by participants;
• (f) computer data processing means and computer printing means for preparing a statement for the individual participants reporting the amount of money allocated for use through the participants' credit instruments for each of the said time periods;
• and
• (g) computer memory means for storing, and computer printer means for reporting to participants, the transactions made with the participants' credit instruments.

In a method of operating a general purpose digital computer having data storage memory for an incentive award program for a company having individual program participants, and having levels of performance set as goals to be achieved by participants for the company, improvements comprising:

• (a) data storing of information identifying the participants in computer memory;
• (b) data storing in computer memory of credit instrument account numbers for the individual participants;
• (c) data storing in the computer memory of levels of performance to be achieved by the individual participants under the incentive award program in order for money to be credited for available use to the individual participants' credit instrument accounts under the incentive program;
• and
• (d) the step of computer comparison of the performance of the individual participants with the performance level necessary for the individual participants to achieve in order to have money credited for available use to their credit instrument accounts, and allocating a monetary amount to be available for use through the individual participant's credit instruments if the comparison shows that the participant has met the level of performance.

In a system for an incentive award program for a company having individual program participants, and having desired levels of performance to be achieved by individual participants for the company, improvements comprising:

• (a) computer memory means for data storing of information identifying the participants;
• (b) credit instruments for the participants, and computer data processing means for assigning individual credit instrument account numbers and corresponding accounts to the individual participants;
• (c) computer memory means for storing levels of performance to be achieved by the participants under the incentive program in order for the individual participants to have money credited for available use with the credit instrument of the individual from a source other than from funds generated from the participant to the participants' credit instrument accounts;
• and
• (d) computer data processing means for allocating monetary amounts from a source other than funds generated from the participant, to be credited for available use through the individual participant's credit instruments based on the participant's meeting of a level of performance under the incentive program.

A system for an incentive award program for participants, comprising:

• (a) computer memory means for data storing of information identifying participants;
• (b) credit instruments for participants, and computer data processing means for assigning individual credit instrument account numbers and corresponding accounts to individual participants;
• (c) computer memory means for storing levels of performance to be achieved by participants under the incentive program in order for the participants to have money paid to the participants' credit instrument accounts;
• (d) computer data processing means for allocating monetary amounts to be available for use through the individual participant's credit instruments based on the participant's meeting of a level of performance under the incentive program;
• and
• (e) computer data processing means for withholding, at a selected time, monetary amounts from the said monetary amounts credited as available for allocation for use through the credit instruments, so that the withheld monetary amounts withdrawn from crediting are made available for use by participants, the withheld amount being a selected percentage of the amount available for allocation, and further comprising computer data processing means for adjusting the percentage to be withheld during the course of the incentive program.

A method of operating a general purpose digital computer having data storage memory comprising:

• (a) data storing of information identifying the participants in computer memory;
• (b) data storing in computer memory of credit instrument account numbers for the individual participants;
• (c) data storing in the computer memory of levels of performance to be achieved by individual participants under an incentive award program in order for money to be paid to the individual participants' credit instrument accounts under the incentive program;
• (d) the step of computer comparison of the performance of the individual participants with the performance level necessary for the individual participants to achieve in order to have money paid to their credit instrument accounts, and allocating a monetary amount to be available for use through the individual participant's credit instruments if the comparison shows that the participant has met the level of performance;
• and
• (e) the step of computer data processing withholding a portion of the amount eligible for allocation for use through the individual participants credit instruments so that the amount is not available for use through the credit instrument, and the step of computer data processing adjusting the percentage to be withheld during the course of the incentive program.