Method and System for Automated Online Merchant Charity Donations

Abstract

In one example, we describe methods and systems for automated online merchant charity donations. In one embodiment, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant corresponding to the merchant website on behalf of the user to a charity of the user's choosing. If the online user exercises the option, the donation agent can calculate an amount of the donation to be made and store the calculated donation amount in a database. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The method also works for the off-line model. The points earned can be combined with a college scholarship award mechanism.

1 . A method of automatic allocation of user-driven merchant donations to charities at merchant online checkout, via users-specific charity piggy banks, based on users' and merchants' favorite and forbidden charities, said method comprising:
 providing a merchant computer interface for a first merchant, receiving said first merchant's information via said merchant computer interface, storing said first merchant's information in a merchant database, and associating said first merchant's information with a unique merchant record identifier;   receiving multiple donation percentage values, each with corresponding effective time period, via said merchant computer interface;   storing each of said multiple donation percentage values, each with said corresponding effective time period, associated with said unique merchant record identifier, in said merchant database;   providing a charity computer interface for a charity, receiving said charity's information via said charity computer interface, and storing said charity's information in a charity database;   upon receiving verification of said charity's status and eligibility, activating said charity's membership in said charity database, as a verified charity;   receiving category of said verified charity, via said charity computer interface, and storing said category of said verified charity in said charity database;   providing a first user computer interface for a user, receiving said user's information via said first user computer interface, and storing said user's information in a user database;   providing a user charity category and sub-category computer interface for selection of said user's preference and priority degree;   receiving said user's selected charity categories and sub-categories, and corresponding said priority degree for said user's selected charity categories and sub-categories, via said user charity category and sub-category computer interface;   storing said user's selected charity categories and sub-categories, and said corresponding said priority degree for said user's selected charity categories and sub-categories, in said user database, associated with said user's record;   providing a user favorite charity selection computer interface, with filtered charities based on relative geographical operational location, relative to said user, and sorted by said user's preference and priority degree, for said user to select favorite charities;   receiving said user's selected favorite charities from said user favorite charity selection computer interface, and associating said user's selected favorite charities to said user's record;   providing a computer interface for merchant favorite charity selection;   receiving said first merchant's favorite charities from said computer interface for merchant favorite charity selection;   storing said first merchant's favorite charities, associated with said unique merchant record identifier, in said merchant database;   providing a computer interface for merchant forbidden charity selection;   receiving said first merchant's forbidden charities from said computer interface for merchant forbidden charity selection;   storing said first merchant's forbidden charities, associated with said unique merchant record identifier, in said merchant database;   receiving transaction data of a transaction comprising of a transacting merchant identifier, said user's transaction sale amount, and a transacting merchant transaction identifier, corresponding to said user's purchase at or subsequent to said transacting merchant's online checkout process;   automatically matching said transacting merchant identifier to a unique identifier assigned to a signed-up merchant in said merchant database, as matched merchant identifier;   automatically determining a transaction percentage associated with said matched merchant identifier from said merchant database, based on matching time of said transaction with effective time periods associated with said multiple donation percentage values associated with said matched merchant identifier;   automatically determining transaction donation amount associated with said matched merchant identifier and said transacting merchant transaction identifier, based on said transaction percentage and said user's transaction sale amount;   providing said transaction donation amount via a donation computer interface at or subsequent to said transacting merchant's online checkout process;   automatically determining a charity piggy bank account amount associated with said user;   providing said user's said charity piggy bank account amount via said donation computer interface;   wherein said charity piggy bank account amount is determined based on one or more prior allocation of merchant donations to said user's said charity piggy bank account, from prior stored transactions associated with said user in a donation database;   automatically determining a list of selectable charities, via queries from said merchant database;   wherein said list of selectable charities comprises of said user's favorite charities and a set of randomly chosen charities based on said user's preferences, and excluding an intersection of lists of said merchant's forbidden charities and forbidden charities associated with each of merchants associated with prior allocation of merchant donations to said user's said charity piggy bank account;   wherein said user's preferences is determined based on said priority degree for said user's selected charity categories and sub-categories, extracted from said user database;   automatically determining a maximum donatable amount from said charity piggy bank account for each of said list of selectable charities, wherein said automatically determining a maximum donatable amount step comprises automatically determining a maximum donatable amount from said charity piggy bank account for a first selectable charity of said list of selectable charities, by excluding from said user's said charity piggy bank account amount a portion of said prior allocation of merchant donations associated to those merchants whose forbidden charities in said merchant database include said first selectable charity;   providing said list of selectable charities, via said donation computer interface, sorted by said user's preferences;   based on said automatically determining a maximum donatable amount step, providing one or more charity piggy bank visual indicators on said donation computer interface, visually associated with said first selectable charity, for indicating whether at least one merchant contributing to prior donation allocation of said user's said charity piggy bank account that excludes said first selectable charity, based on said at least one merchant's forbidden charities;   providing one or more merchant visual indicators on said donation computer interface, visually associated with said first selectable charity, for indicating whether said transaction donation amount is donatable to said first selectable charity, based on whether said first selectable charity is in said transacting merchant's forbidden charities;   providing said maximum donatable amount for said first selectable charity, for displaying said maximum donatable amount for said first selectable charity on said donation computer interface and applying said maximum donatable amount for said first selectable charity as a constraint on a maximum value for said user's input for donation amount for said first selectable charity;   receiving user selected charities from said donation computer interface;   allocating amounts from said transaction donation amount and said user's said charity piggy bank account amount to donation accounts associated with said user's selected charities in said donation database, based on received user's input for donation amounts for said user selected charities from said donation computer interface;   in case a record associated with said transacting merchant identifier in said merchant database indicates said transacting merchant allows donations to be placed at users' charity piggy bank accounts, providing a computer interface to receive said user's input for donation allocation to said user's said charity piggy bank account, and allocating an amount from said transaction donation amount to said user's said charity piggy bank account in said donation database, based on received user's input for donation allocation to said user's said charity piggy bank account; and   automatically updating a donation percentage value associated with said first merchant, based on automatic triggering via a rules engine based on a stored schedule of events, time-based rules, or event-based rules associated with said first merchant.   
     
     
         2 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The method of automatic allocation of user-driven merchant donations to charities at merchant online checkout, via users-specific charity piggy banks, based on users' and merchants' favorite and forbidden charities as recited in  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 using a linear programming method.   
     
     
         17 . The method of automatic allocation of user-driven merchant donations to charities at merchant online checkout, via users-specific charity piggy banks, based on users' and merchants' favorite and forbidden charities as recited in  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 using an optimization method.   
     
     
         18 . The method of automatic allocation of user-driven merchant donations to charities at merchant online checkout, via users-specific charity piggy banks, based on users' and merchants' favorite and forbidden charities as recited in  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 providing fund for school scholarship.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The method of automatic allocation of user-driven merchant donations to charities at merchant online checkout, via users-specific charity piggy banks, based on users' and merchants' favorite and forbidden charities as recited in  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 using if-then conditional rules.