Third party contract depository for E-commerce transactions

• US 7,437,310 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US09/535,559
• Time in Patent Office: 3,123 Days
• Field of Search: 707/6, 707/102, 707/104, 707/104.1, 707/200, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/229, 705/26, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method, system and program for ensuring the authenticity of electronic documents generated during E-commerce transactions. The method, means and program function include: (1) creating an electronic depository for storing electronic documents generated during an E-commerce transaction, (2) enabling an automatic receipt at the electronic depository of an electronic document created during an E-commerce transaction; (3) storing the electronic document in the electronic depository; (4) providing each party to the transaction with a document ID for later access to the electronic document; and (5) allowing later read-only access to the electronic document and preventing any modifications to the document once it has been stored.

Claims

1. An electronic database used as a depository for electronic documents generated during E-commerce transactions, comprising:

means for automatically receiving an electronic document dynamically generated from information provided during an E-commerce transaction that has completed at an E-commerce server, which server is independent of the electronic database, whereby said electronic document stored at said electronic database cannot be modified by either party to the E-commerce transaction;

means for generating a document identifier (ID) for said received E-commerce generated electronic document, wherein said document ID is generated at said database;

means for storing said E-commerce generated electronic document with said document ID; and

means for transmitting said document ID to each party to said E-commerce transaction that produced said electronic document.

2. The electronic database of claim 1, wherein said means for storing further comprises:

means for allowing a later read access to said E-commerce generated electronic document by a party to said E-commerce transaction; and

means for preventing modifications to said E-commerce generated electronic document after said document has been stored.

3. The electronic database of claim 1, further comprising:

means for connecting said electronic database to a separate, independent server at which said E-commerce transactions are conducted; and

means for enabling communication between said server and said electronic database via said connecting means.