Method of providing an identifier for transactions

• US 6,006,200 A
• Filed: 05/22/1998
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spraragen, Susan Lynn, Boies, Stephen Joy
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, AKIBA KANELLE
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson-Boyce, Akiba
• Application Number:
  US09/084,267
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/26.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing

Abstract

Transactions are conducted on the Internet, by telephone or directly with anonymity and privacy. A customer'"'"'s shipping address is encoded by a multi-digit identifier which is stored in the database of a trusted third party, preferably the shipping company. A user of the system need only identify themselves to a vendor by this multi-digit identifier which prints the identifier in machine readable form on a package delivered to the shipper.

Claims

1. A method of conducting transactions while preserving the anonymity and privacy of a user comprising the steps of:

assigning to a user a multi-digit identifier which is stored in a master file database of a trusted third party;

using by a customer the multi-digit identifier to order a product;

printing by a vendor the multi-digit identifier on a package to be delivered to the customer; and

accessing the master file database by a shipper to obtain the customer'"'"'s shipping address.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the master file database is owned by the shipper.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the multi-digit identifier is printed in machine readable form.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the product is ordered on the Internet.

5. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising notifying by a customer a change of address to the trusted third party in order to effect a change of address.