Method and apparatus for a cryptographically assisted commercial network system designed to facilitate idea submission, purchase and licensing and innovation transfer

• US 20010032189A1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pitchware Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pitchware Incorporated
• Inventors: Powell, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US09/747,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20010032189A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for effectuating bilateral commerce in ideas. The present invention is both an originator- (400) and user-driven (300) online commercial network system designed to facilitate idea submission, purchase and licensing and is easily adapted to business-to-business transfers of innovation as well as consumer-to-business transfers of innovation. The invention allows originators of ideas to communicate nondisclosing synopses of ideas globally to potential users, for users conveniently to search for relevant ideas and for users potentially to bind an originator (400) to a limited duration license (120a) granting user the exclusive right to access and consider confidentially the originator'"'"'s fully disclosed idea (130a). The invention also allows users (300) to communicate confidentially or nonconfidentially unsolved problems or needs globally to potential originators, for originators conveniently to search for relevant unsolved problems or needs (100b) and for originators to submit and communicate confidentially proposed solutions (130b) to the soliciting user.

Claims

1. A method of using a computer to conduct a transaction between a user and an originator comprising:

inputting into the computer a basic description and a corresponding detailed description of the user'"'"'s unmet need or unsolved problem;

permitting the originator to access the basic description of the user'"'"'s unmet needs or unsolved problems;

for the basic description, providing the originator an option to access the corresponding detailed description by agreeing to an online license agreement;

inputting into the computer an indication of agreement by the originator to the online license agreement; and

providing the originator with access via the computer to the corresponding detailed description.

2. A method according to

claim 1

wherein the online license agreement is a limited duration, exclusive license.

3. A method according to

claim 1

further comprising:

after the originator has indicated agreement to the online license agreement, disallowing other potential originators from accessing the basic description and corresponding description for the duration of the license agreement.

4. A method according to

claim 1

wherein the corresponding detailed description is stored in the computer in encrypted form.

5. A method according to

claim 4

further comprising:

providing the originator with an access key to decrypt the corresponding detailed description after agreeing to the license agreement.

6. A method according to

claim 1

further comprising:

inputting into the computer a proposal by the originator to address the user'"'"'s unmet need or unsolved problem.

7. A method according to

claim 1

wherein the license agreement is nonexclusive.

8. A method according to

claim 1

wherein the originator accesses the corresponding detailed description using an Internet browser.

13. A method according to

claim 1

wherein the corresponding detailed description is stored in the computer in encrypted form.

14. A method according to

claim 13

further comprising:

providing the user with an access key to decrypt the corresponding description after agreeing to the license agreement.

9. A method of using a computer to conduct a transaction between an originator and a user comprising:

inputting into the computer a basic description and a corresponding detailed description of the originator'"'"'s proposal;

permitting the user to access the basic description of the originator'"'"'s proposal;

for the basic description, providing the user an option to access the corresponding detailed description by agreeing to an online license agreement;

inputting into the computer an indication of agreement by the user to the online license agreement; and

providing the originator with access via the computer to the corresponding detailed description.

10. A method according to

claim 9

wherein the originator'"'"'s proposal is in response to the user'"'"'s unmet need or unsolved problem inputted and accessed using the computer.

11. A method according to

claim 9

wherein the online license agreement is a limited duration, exclusive license.

12. A method according to

claim 9

further comprising:

after the user has indicated agreement to the online license agreement, disallowing other potential users from accessing the basic description and corresponding description for the duration of the license agreement.

15. An apparatus to facilitate transactions between a user and an originator comprising:

a computer comprising a processor and storage device, wherein a computer program causes the computer to

store using the storage device a basic description and a corresponding detailed description of the user'"'"'s unmet needs or unsolved problems,

allow the originator to access the basic description of the user'"'"'s unmet needs or unsolved problems, and

allow the originator to access the corresponding detailed description by agreeing to an online license agreement.

16. An apparatus according to

claim 15

wherein the online license agreement is a limited duration, exclusive license.

17. An apparatus according to

claim 15

wherein the computer program further causes the computer to

disallow other potential originators from accessing the basic description and corresponding description for the duration of the license agreement.

18. An apparatus according to

claim 15

wherein the corresponding detailed description is stored in an encrypted form.

19. An apparatus to facilitate transactions between a user and an originator comprising:

a computer comprising a processor and storage devices, wherein a computer program causes the computer to

store using the storage device a basic description and a corresponding detailed description of the originator'"'"'s proposal,

allow the user to access the basic description of the originator'"'"'s proposal, and

allow the user to access the corresponding detailed description by agreeing to an online license agreement.

20. An apparatus according to

claim 19

wherein the originator'"'"'s proposal is in response to the user'"'"'s unmet need or unsolved problem stored on the storage device and accessed through the computer.

21. An apparatus according to

claim 19

wherein the online license agreement is a limited duration, exclusive license.

22. An apparatus according to

claim 19

wherein the computer program further causes the computer to

disallow other potential users from accessing the device description and corresponding description for the duration of the license agreement.

23. An apparatus according to

claim 19

wherein the corresponding detailed description is stored in an encrypted form.

24. An apparatus according to

claim 19

wherein the user accesses the computer using a second computer by way of a network and an Internet browser program.

25. An apparatus according to

claim 19

wherein the storage device is a computer fixed disk device.