Anonymous merchandise delivery system
First Claim
1. A method for providing a secure and anonymous transaction between a user and a merchant with subsequent delivery of a purchased item, comprising the steps of:
- (1) establishing a user account between a money source and the user which is associated with a fictitious user identifier, a user account number, and a user settlement mechanism through which the user and the money source can settle payment card transactions involving the user account;
(2) providing the user with a card number generator;
(3) completing a payment card transaction between the user and the merchant in which the user account is charged a monetary value for the purchased item, comprising the following steps;
(a) allowing the user to select a customization parameter associated with an anonymous delivery option for subsequent delivery of the purchased item to customize the payment card transaction by at least one of the following steps;
(i) customizing generation of a user one-time payment card Number;
(ii) customizing the fictitious user identifier;
or(iii) inclusion of a customization variable in a user transaction data packet that includes the user one-time payment card number and the fictitious user identifier;
(b) generating the user one-time payment card number through use of the card number generator; and
(c) providing the merchant with the user transaction data packet;
(4) submitting a merchant transaction data packet to the money source, wherein the merchant transaction data packet includes the user transaction data packet, the monetary value, a merchant identifier and a purchased item identifier;
(5) providing the merchant with a confirmation that the transaction is valid after the money source verifies that the user one-time payment card number is valid for the fictitious user identifier and the transaction;
(6) sending a tracking identifier from the money source to the merchant(7) sending the tracking identifier and a delivery address from the money source to a delivery agent;
(8) invoking the settlement mechanism to charge or debit the user account for a transaction amount correlated to the monetary value;
(9) delivering the purchased item to the delivery agent with the tracking identifier; and
(10) delivering the purchased item from the delivery agent to the delivery address.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for implementing an anonymous payment card transaction, in either a face-to-face transaction or a MOTO transaction, in which the user is allowed to select an option for anonymous delivery of goods. The option is conveyed to a money source by means of a customization parameter. The customization parameter is used to customize generation of a user one-time payment card number, to customize a user identifier or as a customization variable that is included in a user transaction data packet which includes the user one-time payment card number and the user identifier. A delivery agent can be used to deliver the purchased goods to a delivery location that is not known by the merchant by use of a tracking identifier provided by the money source to the merchant and the delivery agent. After the purchased goods are delivered by the merchant to the delivery agent, they can be delivered to a destination location and held for pick-up, they can be delivered to a second delivery agent, or they can be delivered to a delivery address provided to the delivery agent. A person receiving the goods can prove entitlement to such goods by presentation of a delivery code or a dummy one-time payment card number that can also serve as proof of receipt and by used to trigger a charge for the goods once they have been received.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A method for providing a secure and anonymous transaction between a user and a merchant with subsequent delivery of a purchased item, comprising the steps of:
-
(1) establishing a user account between a money source and the user which is associated with a fictitious user identifier, a user account number, and a user settlement mechanism through which the user and the money source can settle payment card transactions involving the user account; (2) providing the user with a card number generator; (3) completing a payment card transaction between the user and the merchant in which the user account is charged a monetary value for the purchased item, comprising the following steps; (a) allowing the user to select a customization parameter associated with an anonymous delivery option for subsequent delivery of the purchased item to customize the payment card transaction by at least one of the following steps; (i) customizing generation of a user one-time payment card Number; (ii) customizing the fictitious user identifier;
or(iii) inclusion of a customization variable in a user transaction data packet that includes the user one-time payment card number and the fictitious user identifier; (b) generating the user one-time payment card number through use of the card number generator; and (c) providing the merchant with the user transaction data packet; (4) submitting a merchant transaction data packet to the money source, wherein the merchant transaction data packet includes the user transaction data packet, the monetary value, a merchant identifier and a purchased item identifier; (5) providing the merchant with a confirmation that the transaction is valid after the money source verifies that the user one-time payment card number is valid for the fictitious user identifier and the transaction; (6) sending a tracking identifier from the money source to the merchant (7) sending the tracking identifier and a delivery address from the money source to a delivery agent; (8) invoking the settlement mechanism to charge or debit the user account for a transaction amount correlated to the monetary value; (9) delivering the purchased item to the delivery agent with the tracking identifier; and (10) delivering the purchased item from the delivery agent to the delivery address. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification