Electronically maintained community escrow

Abstract

Coin types of coins with which a user is permitted to pay for a transaction are divided into first and second groups. The coin types of the second group are of lower value than those of the first group. A difference in which a total amount of the transaction is a minuend is determined. Where the difference is positive and can only be exactly paid for by the user using just coins of the coin types of the second group, and where a community escrow has a current balance greater than the difference, the following is performed. In response to the user indicating that the difference should be paid for from the community escrow, the transaction is electronically credited from the community escrow by an amount equal to the difference, and the difference is electronically debited from the community escrow.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 dividing, by a processor, a plurality of coin types of coins with which a user is permitted to pay for a transaction into a first group and a second group, the coin types of the second group being of lower value than the coin types of the first group;   calculating, by the processor, a difference between a total amount of a transaction minus an amount paid by a user for the transaction;   where the difference is negative, determining a value equal to an absolute value of the difference minus a maximum portion of the difference that can be given back as change to the user using only paper currency bills and coins of the coin types of the first group and not coins of the coin types of the second group;   in response to the user indicating that the user wishes to contribute the value to the community escrow, in lieu of the user receiving the value as part of the amount owed to the user as change back, electronically crediting the value to a community escrow, by the computing device; and   giving the user change back equal to the maximum portion of the absolute value of the difference that can be given back to the user using only paper currency bills and coins of the coin types of the first group, wherein the community escrow is an electronically maintained tally of money functioning as a virtual penny tray.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising re-dividing the plurality of coin types of the coins into a first group and a second group, the coin types of the second group being of lower value than the coin types of the first group, wherein after re-dividing, more of the coin types are within the second group. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising electronically maintaining the community escrow on a store-wide basis, such that the community escrow is electronically shareable at all point-of-sale (POS) locations within a store, and such that the community escrow is an only community escrow electronically maintained within the store. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising electronically maintaining the community escrow on a per point-of-sale (POS) location basis, such that the community escrow at a POS location within a store is not electronically shareable at any other POS location within the store.