Providing services from a remote computer system to a user station over a communications network

• US 20070130400A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1994
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TMI Solutions LLC (Strategic Intellectual Solutions, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Twintech E.U.
• Inventors: Reisman, Richard
• Application Number:
  US11/513,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130400A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/18 Address timing or clocking circuits; Address control signal generation or management, e.g. for row address strobe [RAS] or column address strobe [CAS] signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing services from a remote computer system to a user station over a communications network, including automated identification of users. During a first communication session between a user station and a remote computer system, the user station provides first user identification information to the remote computer system. The remote computer system uses the first user identification information in transaction during the first communication session. The remote computer system also stores at least a portion of the first user identification information. The remote computer system also provides second user identification information to the user station, which is stored at the user station. The remote computer system also generates an association between the stored first user identification information and the second user identification information. During subsequent communication sessions between the user station and the remote computer system, the user station automatically provides the stored second user identification information to the remote computer system, that is, without user-prompting. The remote computer system uses the received second user identification information and the association, during the subsequent communication session, to identify and retrieve the stored first user identification information. The remote computer system then uses the retrieved first user identification information in the subsequent transaction.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for identifying users over a communications network, comprising:

receiving first user identification information at a server from a user station over the communications network during a first user-initiated communication session;

using the first user identification information during the first user-initiated communication session to process a first interaction;

sending second user identification information to the user station over the communications network during the first user-initiated communication session, whereby the second user identification information is stored at the user station without user-prompting;

storing at least a portion of the first user identification information at a location remote from the user station and accessible to the server;

generating an association between stored first user identification information and the second user identification information;

receiving the second user identification information over the communications network during a subsequent and separate user-initiated communication session, whereby the received second user identification information is sent from the user station without user-prompting;

using the received second user identification information and the association, during the subsequent and separate communication session, to identify and retrieve the stored first user identification information; and

using the retrieved first user identification information for a subsequent interaction during the subsequent and separate communication session;

wherein at least a portion of the communications network includes the Internet.

2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving of the first user identification information comprises receiving user identification information that has not been previously received.

3. A computer implemented method for providing user identification information to a remote computer system over a communications network, comprising:

initiating a first communication session with the remote computer system over the communications network;

providing first user identification information to the remote computer system over the communications network during the first communications session;

receiving second user identification information from the remote computer system over the communications network during the first communications session and storing the second user identification information, without user-prompting;

initiating a subsequent and separate communication session with the remote computer system over the communications network;

providing the second user identification information to the remote computer system over the communications network during the subsequent and separate communications session, without user-prompting; and

conducting a subsequent interaction with the remote computer system during the subsequent and separate communication session, wherein the subsequent interaction requires at least a portion of the first user identification information but does not require the at least a portion of the first user identification to be re-provided over the communications network;

wherein at least a portion of the communications network includes the Internet.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3, whereby:

the remote computer system uses the first user identification information during the first communication session to process a first interaction;

the remote computer system derives and stores information from the first user identification information;

the remote computer system generates an association between the information derived from the first user identification information and the second user identification information;

the remote computer system uses the received second user identification information and the association, during the subsequent and separate communication session, to identify and retrieve the stored information derived from the first user identification information; and

the remote computer system uses the retrieved information for the subsequent interaction during the subsequent and separate communication session;

at least a portion of the communications network includes the Internet;

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the providing of the first user identification information comprises providing user identification information that has not been previously provided to the remote computer system.

6. A computer implemented method for identifying users over a communications network, comprising:

receiving first user-related information at a server from a user station over the communications network during a first user-initiated communication session;

using the first user-related information during the first user-initiated communication session to process a first interaction;

sending second user-related information to the user station over the communications network during the first user-initiated communication session, whereby the second user identification information is stored at the user station without user-prompting, and wherein the second user-related information includes a unique user identifier,

storing information relating to the first user-related information at a location remote from the user station and accessible to the server;

generating an association between the stored first user-related information and the second user-related information and including that with the stored information accessible to the server;

receiving the second user-related information over the communications network during a subsequent and separate user-initiated communication session, whereby the received second user-related information is sent from the user station without user-prompting;

using the received second user-related information and the association, during the subsequent and separate communication session, to identify and retrieve the stored information relating to the first user-related information; and

using the retrieved information relating to the first user-related information during the subsequent and separate communication session;

wherein at least a portion of the communications network includes the Internet.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the receiving of the first user-related identification information comprises receiving user-related information for a user that is not identified as previously known to the server.

10. The computer implemented method according to claim 7, claim 8, or claim 9, wherein the providing of the first user-related information comprises providing user-related information for a user that is not identified as previously known to the remote computer system.

8. A computer implemented method for providing user identification information to a remote computer system over a communications network, comprising:

initiating a first communication session with the remote computer system over the communications network;

providing first user-related information to the remote computer system over the communications network during the first communications session;

receiving second user-related information from the remote computer system over the communications network during the first communications session and storing the second user-related information, without user-prompting, wherein the second user-related information includes a unique user identifier;

initiating a subsequent and separate communication session with the remote computer system over the communications network;

providing the second user-related information to the remote computer system over the communications network during the subsequent and separate communications session, without user-prompting; and

conducting a subsequent interaction with the remote computer system during the subsequent and separate communication session, wherein the subsequent interaction requires at least a portion of the first user-related information but does not require the at least a portion of the first user-related information to be re-provided over the communications network;

wherein at least a portion of the communications network includes the Internet.

9. The computer implemented method according to claim 8, whereby:

the remote computer system uses the first user-related information during the first communication session to process a first interaction;

the remote computer system stores at least a portion of the first user-related information at a location remote from the user and accessible to the remote computer system;

the remote computer system generates an association between the stored user-related information and the second user-related information and stores the association with the stored first user-related information;

the remote computer system uses the received second user-related information and the association, during the subsequent and separate communication session, to identify and retrieve the stored first user-related information; and

the remote computer system uses the retrieved information for the subsequent interaction during the subsequent and separate communication session.