Method and system for commerce with full anonymity

• US 7,502,762 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2006
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tresser, Charles Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US11/487,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 705/74, 705/50, 705/51, 705/57
• US Class Current: 705/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method (and system) of conducting business electronically between a first party and a second party, includes providing a third party who knows the identity of the first party but no privacy-compromising information regarding a proposed electronic business transaction between the first and second parties, and conducting the electronic business transaction between the first and second parties through the third party such that the identity of the first party is kept from the second party.

Claims

1. A method of conducting business electronically between a first party and a second party, comprising:

providing an intermediary relationship with a third party who knows an identity of the first party but no privacy-compromising information regarding a proposed electronic business transaction between the first and second parties; and

conducting the electronic business transaction between said first and second parties through the third party by using a document, comprising;

encrypting said document with a public signature scheme of said second party and transmitting said document from said first party to said third party, said document including identification data of said first party; and

replacing, by said third party, said identification data of said first party in said document with an identifier, and transmitting said document including said identifier to said second party such that said identity of said first party is kept from the second party.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving said document by said second party, said document including said identifier in place of said identification data,

wherein said replacing said identification data of said first party comprises replacing data in a header of said document with a number corresponding to said first party, and

wherein said conducting the electronic business transaction comprises conducting the electronic business transaction via the Internet, said document comprising an electronic document.

3. A method of performing electronic commerce without a candidate customer being forced to disclose private data together with an identity of the candidate customer, to a business entity requiring said private data, said method comprising:

establishing an intermediary relationship with a third party between the candidate customer and the business entity;

providing a proprietary item to said customer such that the customer can be identified as a legitimate owner of the item without revealing the identity of said customer, said proprietary item comprising a portable device P(C) which is provided to said customer by a Fourth Party and which carries biometrics of said customer; and

performing electronic commerce between said customer and said business entity through said third party, utilizing said proprietary item, such that an identity of said customer is kept from said business entity.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the customer establishes the relationship with the third party which serves for all further engagements with business entities.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein a Fourth Party delivers to the customer a portable device P(C) which carries biometrics of the customer such that the customer can be identified as a legitimate owner of the portable device P(C) without revealing the identity of said customer.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the device P(C) delivers a number S(C) at each transaction, and the number S(C) is readable from the portable device P(C) only in the presence of the customer.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein a payment between a business entity and a third party is documented by the paying party by attaching a tagging number to the payment,

said tagging number being communicated to a bank of the paying party, and accompanies the transaction order to the bank of the payee, and

wherein the paying bank accepts the money transfer in exchange of the tag coded using a private key of the payee'"'"'s bank.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein, with a relationship between the customer and the business entity previously established, the business entity interacts with the customer despite not knowing an identity of customer.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, when submitting a transaction request, the customer addresses the transaction request to the third party, after selectively consulting with one or more verifiers Vj.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, after processing the transaction request, the business entity sends a communication encrypted using a public key pu2(I,C)), to the third party, and said third party transmits the encrypted communication to the customer.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said communication includes one of a payment, a request for further data, and a declination of the transaction request.

12. The method according to claim 3, further comprising selecting a purveyor of good or services as the business entity.

13. The method according to claim 3, wherein the proprietary item comprises a device P(C) which delivers a number S(C) at each transaction, and the number S(C) is readable from the device P(C) only under authorization from the customer.

14. The method according to claim 3, wherein the business entity chooses a set of verifiers Vj, where j=1, 2, . . . N.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein said item carries biometrics of the customer.

16. The method according to claim 3, wherein said third party receives the identity of the customer, and said business entity receives information other than the identity of the customer.

17. A system for conducting business electronically between a first party and a second party, comprising:

means for providing to a third party an identity of the first party but no privacy-compromising information regarding a proposed electronic business transaction between the first and second parties;

means for conducting the electronic business transaction between said first and second parties through the third party by using a document, comprising;

means for encrypting said document with a public signature scheme of said second party and transmitting said document from said first party to said third party, said document including identification data of said first party; and

means for replacing, by said third party, said identification data of said first party in said document with an identifier, and transmitting said document including said identifier to said second party such that said identity of said first party is kept from the second party.

18. A signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for conducting business electronically between a first party and a second party, said method comprising:

providing to a third party an identity of the first party but no privacy-compromising information regarding a proposed electronic business transaction between the first and second parties; and

conducting the electronic business transaction between said first and second parties through the third party by using a document, comprising;

encrypting said document with a public signature scheme of said second party and transmitting said document from said first party to said third party, said document including identification data of said first party; and

replacing, by said third party, said identification data of said first party in said document with an identifier, and transmitting said document including said identifier to said second party such that said identity of said first party is kept from the second party.

19. A system for performing electronic commerce without a candidate customer being forced to disclose private data together with an identity of the candidate customer to a business entity requiring said private data, said system comprising:

means for establishing an intermediary relationship with a third party between the candidate customer and the business entity;

a proprietary item provided to said customer such that the customer can be identified as a legitimate owner of the item without revealing the identity of said customer, said proprietary item comprising a portable device P(C) which is provided to said customer by a Fourth Party and which carries biometrics of said customer; and

means for performing electronic commerce between said customer and said business entity through said third party, utilizing said proprietary item, such that an identity of said customer is kept from said business entity.