METHOD FOR ANONYMOUS PURCHASE OF GOODS BY PROVIDING A PLUARLITY OF NON-ACTIVATED ACCOUNT NUMBERS

• US 20070179865A1
• Filed: 04/10/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Shooks, Analydia, Hibler, Kimberly
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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 30/0615 Anonymizing

Abstract

A method and system for facilitating the purchase of goods and services anonymously from an e-commerce website is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of transaction account numbers, each of which is associated with a monetary load value. The transaction account numbers are stored in a database having a plurality of records. Each of the records corresponds to one of the transaction account numbers. None of the records are configured to store identifying information of a purchaser of one of the transaction numbers. A request for an authorization of a purchase transaction having a purchase value is received from a remote computer terminal. The request is associated with a transaction account number. If the purchase value does not exceed the monetary value associated with the transaction account number, an authorization message is sent to the remote computer terminal granting the request.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a purchase of an item anonymously over a computer network, said method comprising:

generating a plurality of non-activated account numbers;

storing said plurality of non-activated account numbers in a database, said database having a plurality of records, each of said plurality of records corresponding to one of said plurality of non-activated account numbers, wherein each of said plurality of records comprises a field for storing one of said plurality of non-activated account numbers and a field for storing a monetary value associated with each of said plurality of non-activated account numbers, and wherein none of said plurality of records is configured to store identifying information of a user of one of said plurality of non-activated account numbers;

providing one of said plurality of non-activated account numbers to a user in return for a monetary payment not less than said monetary value associated with said one of said plurality of non-activated account numbers and converting said one of said plurality of non-activated account numbers to an activated account number;

receiving from a computer terminal remote from said database a request for an authorization of a purchase transaction having a purchase value, wherein said request is associated with a transmitted account number;

determining when said transmitted account number is equal to said activated account number;

comparing said purchase value to said monetary value associated with said activated account number to determine when said monetary value exceeds said purchase value;

sending an authorization message authorizing said purchase transaction;

subtracting said purchase value from said monetary value associated with said activated account number to obtain an updated monetary value associated with said activated account number; and

storing said updated monetary value in said field for storing said monetary value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from a remote computer terminal a purchase request for the purchase of said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers, and a monetary load request for associating said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers with said monetary load value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from a remote computer terminal a monetary load request for increasing said monetary load value by a reload monetary value, wherein said monetary load request is associated with said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers, and adding said monetary load value and said reload monetary value to obtain a second updated monetary load value, and associating said second updated monetary load value with said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from a remote computer terminal a monetary load request for increasing said monetary load value by a reload monetary value, wherein said monetary load request is associated with said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers, and adding said monetary load value and said reload monetary value to obtain a second updated monetary load value, and associating said second updated monetary load value with said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers, wherein said second updated monetary load value is stored in a record corresponding to said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying information of a purchaser comprises at least one of a name, an address, a social security number, a credit card number, and a debit card number.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when said purchase value exceeds said monetary load value, denying said request for an authorization of a purchase transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, said step of sending said authorization message comprises transmitting said authorization message to said remote computer terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising denying said purchase transaction when said purchase value exceeds said monetary value, and transmitting a denial message to said remote computer terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said remote computer terminal comprises at least one of:

a point-of-sale terminal, a personal data assistant, and a personal computer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing step comprises providing to said user one of said plurality of non-activated transaction account numbers stored on a transaction card for subsequent activation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing step comprises providing to said user one of said plurality of activated account numbers stored on a transaction card.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from said remote terminal a balance inquiry, wherein said balance inquiry is associated with said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers;

and

transmitting to said remote terminal said first updated monetary load value.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from said remote terminal a balance inquiry, wherein said balance inquiry is associated with said one of said plurality of transaction account numbers;

and

transmitting to said remote terminal a second updated monetary load value which includes a reload value.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of transaction account numbers are not associated with an account of a merchant that distributes said plurality of transaction account numbers.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating one of said plurality of transaction account numbers with a use parameter.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating one of said plurality of transaction account numbers with a use parameter, wherein said use parameter is at least one of:

a maximum number of transactions, a maximum number of transactions per day, a maximum per transaction amount, and a cardholder defined expiration date.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said monetary value is not co-mingled with monetary load values of other transaction accounts.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of subtracting said purchase value from said monetary value comprises subtracting such that said subtraction only impacts a respective one of said plurality of transaction account numbers without impacting an account of a merchant where said purchase transaction occurred.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of subtracting said purchase value from said monetary value comprises subtracting directly from one of said plurality of transaction accounts.