Anonymous merchandise delivery system

• US 20050082362A1
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jacob Y. Wong, Joan M. Ziegler, Roy L Anderson
• Original Assignee: Jacob Y. Wong, Joan M. Ziegler, Roy L Anderson
• Inventors: Wong, Jacob Y., Anderson, Roy L., Ziegler, Joan M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06196 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A method for implementing an anonymous payment card transaction, in either a face-to-face transaction or a MOTO transaction, in which the user is allowed to select an option for anonymous delivery of goods. The option is conveyed to a money source by means of a customization parameter. The customization parameter is used to customize generation of a user one-time payment card number, to customize a user identifier or as a customization variable that is included in a user transaction data packet which includes the user one-time payment card number and the user identifier. A delivery agent can be used to deliver the purchased goods to a delivery location that is not known by the merchant by use of a tracking identifier provided by the money source to the merchant and the delivery agent. After the purchased goods are delivered by the merchant to the delivery agent, they can be delivered to a destination location and held for pick-up, they can be delivered to a second delivery agent, or they can be delivered to a delivery address provided to the delivery agent. A person receiving the goods can prove entitlement to such goods by presentation of a delivery code or a dummy one-time payment card number that can also serve as proof of receipt and by used to trigger a charge for the goods once they have been received.

Claims

1. A method for providing a secure and anonymous transaction between a user and a merchant with subsequent delivery of a purchased item, comprising the steps of:

(1) establishing a user account between a money source and the user which is associated with a fictitious user identifier, a user account number, and a user settlement mechanism through which the user and the money source can settle payment card transactions involving the user account;

(2) providing the user with a card number generator;

(3) completing a payment card transaction between the user and the merchant in which the user account is charged a monetary value for the purchased item, comprising the following steps;

(a) allowing the user to select a customization parameter associated with an anonymous delivery option for subsequent delivery of the purchased item to customize the payment card transaction by at least one of the following steps;

(i) customizing generation of a user one-time payment card number;

(ii) customizing the user identifier;

or

(iii) inclusion of a customization variable in a user transaction data packet that includes the user one-time payment card number and the user identifier;

(b) generating the user one-time payment card number through use of the card number generator; and

(c) providing the merchant with the user transaction data packet;

(4) submitting a merchant transaction data packet to the money source, wherein the merchant transaction data packet includes the user transaction data packet, the monetary value, a merchant identifier and a purchased item identifier;

(5) providing the merchant with a confirmation that the transaction is valid after the money source verifies that the user one-time payment card number is valid for the user identifier and the transaction;

(6) sending a tracking identifier from the money source to the merchant;

(7) sending the tracking identifier and a delivery address from the money source to a delivery agent;

(8) invoking the settlement mechanism to charge or debit the user account for a transaction amount correlated to the monetary value;

(9) delivering the purchased item to the delivery agent with the tracking identifier; and

(10) delivering the purchased item from the delivery agent to the delivery address.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the merchant is not provided with the delivery address.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the confirmation is the tracking identifier.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

(11) requiring an addressee to establish entitlement to delivery of the purchased item; and

(12) delivering the purchased item to the addressee.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing the delivery agent with a delivery code.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the address establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing a dummy one-time payment card number that is verified as being valid by the money source.

7. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the user in association with selection of the customization parameter provides the delivery address.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the delivery address is provided by the user to the money source after the merchant is provided with the user transaction data packet.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

(11) delivering the purchased item from the delivery agent to a second delivery agent at the delivery address;

(12) providing the second delivery agent with a second delivery address; and

(13) delivering the purchased item to the second delivery address.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, comprising the further steps of:

(14) requiring an addressee to establish entitlement to delivery of the purchased item; and

(15) delivering the purchased item to the addressee.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing the delivery agent with a delivery code.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the address establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing a dummy one-time payment card number that is verified as being valid by the money source.

13. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the user in association with selection of the customization parameter provides the delivery address.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the delivery address is provided by the user to the money source after the merchant is provided with the user transaction data packet.

15. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the money source provides the second delivery agent with a second delivery address.

16. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein a Privacy Systems provides the second delivery agent with a second delivery address.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the delivery address is a destination address where the purchased item is held at a pick-up location.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, comprising the further steps of:

(11) providing the user with the pick-up location; and

(12) requiring an addressee to establish entitlement to delivery of the purchased item; and

(13) delivering the purchased item to the addressee at the pick-up location after the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing the delivery agent with a delivery code.

20. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing a dummy one-time payment card number that is verified as being valid by the money source.

21. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (8) is not invoked until the money source receives a dummy one-time payment card number indicating delivery of the purchased item to the address.

22. A method for providing a secure and anonymous transaction between a user and a merchant with subsequent pick-up of a purchased item, comprising the steps of:

(1) establishing a user account between a money source and the user which is associated with a fictitious user identifier, a user account number, and a user settlement mechanism through which the user and the money source can settle payment card transactions involving the user account;

(2) providing the user with a card number generator;

(3) completing a payment card transaction between the user and the merchant in which the user account is charged a monetary value for the purchased item, comprising the following steps;

(a) allowing the user to select a customization parameter associated with an anonymous pick-up option for subsequent pick-up of the purchased item to customize the payment card transaction by at least one of the following steps;

(i) customizing generation of a user one-time payment card number;

(ii) customizing the user identifier;

or

(iii) inclusion of a customization variable in a user transaction data packet that includes the user one-time payment card number and the user identifier;

(b) generating the user one-time payment card number through use of the card number generator; and

(c) providing the merchant with the user transaction data packet;

(4) submitting a merchant transaction data packet to the money source, wherein the merchant transaction data packet includes the user transaction data packet, the monetary value, a merchant identifier and a purchased item identifier;

(5) providing the merchant with a confirmation that the transaction is valid after the money source verifies that the user one-time payment card number is valid for the user identifier and the transaction;

(6) invoking the settlement mechanism to charge or debit the user account for a transaction amount correlated to the monetary value;

(7) providing the user with a pick-up location;

(8) requiring an addressee to establish entitlement to delivery of the purchased item at the pick-up location; and

(9) delivering the purchased item to the addressee at the pick-up location after the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing the delivery agent with a delivery code.

24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the addressee establishes entitlement to delivery of the purchased item by providing a dummy one-time payment card number that is verified as being valid by the money source.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein step (6) is not invoked until the money source receives a dummy one-time payment card number indicating delivery of the purchased item to the address.