Method and system for transacting an anonymous purchase over the Internet

• US 7,054,838 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2002
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PrivaCash Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PrivaCash Incorporated
• Inventors: Sutton, David B., Blasiman, Douglas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US10/060,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705 35- 42, 705 72- 79, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A method is provided for transacting an anonymous purchase over the Internet. The method comprises the steps of: (a) acquiring intermediary credit account information (22) from a purchasing intermediary (35, 112); (b) providing transactional purchase information (24), including the intermediary credit account information, to a retailer (16, 128), where the transactional purchase information is provided by the purchaser (134) using a first computing device of a computer-implemented purchasing system (12); and (c) transacting a purchase (26) between the purchaser and the retailer (16, 126) using the intermediary credit account information, thereby maintaining the anonymity of the purchaser (134). A method is also provided for the inexpensive sale of cash cards (40) to a retail outlet (126) and for funding the cash cards (40) upon purchase by a consumer (134). The cash cards (40) are not funded until cash or credit through other credit cards is received from the consumer (134). After the consumer (134) has purchased the cash card (40), the consumer (134) must activate the card, and the purchase intermediary (112) awards commissions.

Claims

1. A method of distributing an electronic cash card comprising the steps of:

requesting a plurality of unfunded cash cards from a credit card provider by a purchase intermediary;

receiving a list of account numbers for the plurality of unfunded cash cards from the credit card provider at the purchase intermediary;

placing an order to manufacture the plurality of unfunded cash cards with a card manufacturer by the purchase intermediary using the list of account numbers;

directing distribution of the plurality of unfunded cash cards from the card manufacture to a plurality of retail outlets;

maintaining as association of which unfunded cash cards are sent to which retail outlets in a data file by executing a software-implemented application on a computing device prior to the purchase of the cash card, wherein the data file indicates that the card has not been funded;

funding the cash card at a the retail outlet via a purchase of the cash card by a purchaser for a purchase price but without selection of an identifier of the purchaser by the purchaser of the cash card;

updating the data file by executing a software-implemented application on a computing device with a value for the cash card substantially contemporaneously with funding of the cash card at the retail outlet; and

activating the given cash card after said funding when the retail outlet to which the given cash card was funded matches the retail outlet to which the cash card was sent to by the card manufacturer as indicated by the data file.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of remitting a commission to the retail outlet upon activation of the cash card.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the cash card to the retail outlet via a distributor of goods to the retail outlet other than the cash card.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of selling the card to the retail outlet for a nominal amount.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of manufacturing the cash card with a cash card carrier for supporting the cash card.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of providing at least one of advertisement and coupons on the cash card carrier.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

activating the cash card over a network by registering the purchased cash card with the purchase intermediary; and

providing at least one of advertisement and coupons over the network for presentation to the purchaser.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of activating the cash card over a network by registering the purchased cash card with the purchase intermediary subsequent to the purchase of the cash card and prior to transacting a purchase with the cash card.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein contact information for the purchase intermediary is provided on the cash card.

10. A system for distributing an electronic cash card comprising:

a credit card provider adapted to receive a request for a plurality of unfunded cash cards from a purchasing intermediary and provides an account number for each of the plurality of unfunded cash cards to the purchasing intermediary in response thereto;

the purchasing intermediary places an order to manufacture the plurality of unfunded cash cards with a card manufacturer using the provided account numbers and directs distribution of the plurality of unfunded cash cards from the card manufacturer to a plurality of retail outlets;

the purchasing intermediary further maintains an association of which of the unfunded cash cards are sent to which retail outlets in a data file residing on a computing device and prior to the Purchase of the cash cards, wherein the data file indicates that the cash cards have not been funded;

a retail outlet for receiving at least one of the unfunded cash cards, the retail outlet funding a cash card upon purchase of the cash card for a purchase price by a purchaser but without selection of an identifier of the purchaser, wherein the purchase by the purchaser causes the purchase intermediary to update the data file with a value for the cash card substantially contemporaneously with funding of the cash card at the retail outlet and registration of the cash card after funding by the purchaser with the purchase intermediary causes activation of the cash card when the retail outlet at which the cash card was funded matches the retail outlet to which the cash card was sent to as indicated by the data file.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the purchase intermediary remits a commission to the retail outlet upon activation of the cash card.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a distributor of goods to the retail outlet for providing the cash card to the retail outlet.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the purchase intermediary sells the card to the retail outlet for a nominal amount.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a cash card carrier for supporting the cash card, wherein the cash card carrier includes at least one of advertisement and coupons on the cash card.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the purchaser activates the cash card over a network by registering the purchased cash card with the purchase intermediary.

16. A method of distributing an electronic cash card comprising the steps of:

ordering a cash card by a purchasing intermediary from a credit card provider;

directing distribution of the cash card to a retail outlet;

maintaining an associate between the cash card and the retail outlet to which the cash card was sent in a data file by executing a software-implemented application on a computing device prior to the purchase of the cash card, wherein the data file indicates that the cash card has not been funded;

funding the cash card at the retail outlet via a purchase of the cash card by a purchaser for a purchase price but without selection of a personal identifier by the purchaser of the cash card;

updating the data file by executing a software-implemented application on a computing device with a value for the cash card substantially contemporaneously with funding of the cash card at the retail outlet;

remitting a fee to the retail outlet after the cash card has been funded; and

activating the cash card after said funding by checking in the data file that the retail outlet to which the cash card was sent matches the retail outlet at which the cash card was funded.