SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TWO-WAY ANONYMOUS COMMUNICATION
First Claim
1. An apparatus for two-way communication, comprising:
- a server having a mass storage device;
storage locations in said mass storage device for a first identifying address, a second identifying address, a first message, a second message, a first anonymous message, and a second anonymous message; and
an administration console connected for bidirectional data communication with said server,wherein said administration console is adapted to save information to and retrieve information from said mass storage device,said server is adapted for Internet communication with other electronic systems,said server is adapted to replace a first identifying address with a first alias in a first message received from a first electronic device, thereby creating a first anonymous message,said server is adapted to replace a second identifying address with a second alias in a second message from a second electronic device, thereby creating a second anonymous message,said server is adapted to save the first and second anonymous messages, the first and second aliases, and the first and second identifying addresses on said mass storage device in said storage locations,said server is adapted to send messages addressed to the first alias to the first electronic device,said server is adapted to send messages addressed to the second alias to the second electronic device,said server is adapted to send the first anonymous message to the second electronic device and then to send the second anonymous message to the first electronic device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Some embodiments of a system and a method for two-way anonymous communication comprise a server adapted for Internet communication with a first electronic device operated by a user and a second electronic device operated by an observer. The server replaces identifying address information in messages sent from the first electronic device with a first alias. Identifying address information in messages sent from the second electronic device is replaced with a second alias. A user of the first electronic device is therefore unable to see identifying address information for the second electronic device in messages sent to the first alias from the second electronic device. Likewise, a user of the second electronic device is unable to see identifying address information from the first electronic device in messages sent to the second alias from the first electronic device.
42 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for two-way communication, comprising:
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a server having a mass storage device; storage locations in said mass storage device for a first identifying address, a second identifying address, a first message, a second message, a first anonymous message, and a second anonymous message; and an administration console connected for bidirectional data communication with said server, wherein said administration console is adapted to save information to and retrieve information from said mass storage device, said server is adapted for Internet communication with other electronic systems, said server is adapted to replace a first identifying address with a first alias in a first message received from a first electronic device, thereby creating a first anonymous message, said server is adapted to replace a second identifying address with a second alias in a second message from a second electronic device, thereby creating a second anonymous message, said server is adapted to save the first and second anonymous messages, the first and second aliases, and the first and second identifying addresses on said mass storage device in said storage locations, said server is adapted to send messages addressed to the first alias to the first electronic device, said server is adapted to send messages addressed to the second alias to the second electronic device, said server is adapted to send the first anonymous message to the second electronic device and then to send the second anonymous message to the first electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A product for managing anonymous two-way communication, comprising:
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a computer-readable medium; means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for creating a first alias from a first identifying address in a first message received by a server from a first electronic device; means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for creating a second alias from a second identifying address in a second message received by the server from a second electronic device; means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for replacing the first identifying address in the first message with the first alias, creating thereby a first anonymous message; means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for replacing the second identifying address in the second message with the second alias, creating thereby a second anonymous message; means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for replacing a destination address in the first anonymous message with the second alias; means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for converting the second alias in the first anonymous message to the second identifying address, then sending the first anonymous message from the server to the second electronic device at the second identifying address. means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for sending another anonymous message from the second electronic device to the server and thence to the first electronic device, in reply to the first anonymous message; means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for automatically sending an acknowledgment message from a server to the first electronic device; and means, provided on the computer-readable medium, for sending an automatic notification from the server to the second electronic device when an anonymous message addressed to the second alias by the first electronic device has been received by the server.
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13. A method for anonymous two-way communication, comprising:
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assigning in a server a first alias to a first identifying address for a first electronic device; sending a message addressed to the first alias from a second electronic device to the server; receiving the message addressed to the first alias into an email inbox on the server for the first electronic device; assigning in the server a second alias to a second identifying address for the second electronic device; forming an anonymous message in the server by replacing the second identifying address with the second alias in the message addressed to the first alias; prior to sending the anonymous message, replacing the first alias with the first identifying address; and sending the anonymous message from the server to the first electronic device at the first identifying address. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification