eDropship: methods and systems for anonymous eCommerce shipment

• US 7,853,481 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2000
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Richard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): GILLIGAN, CHRISTOPHER L
• Application Number:
  US09/490,783
• Time in Patent Office: 3,977 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• 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 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• 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 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A method of enabling anonymous shipment of a package containing goods purchased by a customer from a vendor for delivery to an address unknown to the vendor includes steps of receiving a request for a package code for the package from the vendor, sending the package code to the vendor, the package code being devoid of delivery address information and sending a shipping identifier and an associated address to the shipper. The shipper, after picking up the package for shipment from the vendor, matches the package code sent to the vendor with the shipping identifier and identifies the associated address as the delivery address of the package. A shipping label may then be printed out and affixed to the package.

Claims

1. A method for a bank to enable anonymous shipment by a shipper of a package containing goods purchased by a customer from a vendor for delivery to an address unknown to the vendor, the method comprising:

storing personal and financial information associated with the customer in a bank database including an address associated with an account maintained by the customer at the bank;

authenticating the customer to a secure Web site hosted by one or more computer systems operated by the bank providing authenticated customers with electronic access to a plurality of vendors with whom the bank has a partner relationship based on encrypting at least a portion of an identification data provided by the customer via the secure Web site;

receiving an electronic draft directly from the customer via the secure Web site for the purchase of the goods along with a request for a package code for the package;

retrieving at least the authenticated customer'"'"'s financial information and address from the bank database;

guaranteeing payment to the vendor on the draft only if the customer is authenticated to the secure Web site and bank-imposed restrictions are met;

if the customer is authenticated to the secure Web site and bank-imposed restrictions are met,

generating the requested package code using one or more computer systems operated by the bank, the package code being devoid of delivery address information;

sending the generated package code from at least one of the one or more computer systems operated by the bank directly to the vendor, wherein the generated package code does not include any delivery address information for the package; and

generating, using one or more computer systems operated by the bank, a shipping identifier for the package that is associated with the generated package code; and

sending the generated shipping identifier and the address associated with the customer'"'"'s account at the bank from at least one of the one or more computer systems directly to the shipper to enable the shipper, after picking up the package for shipment from the vendor, to associate the package code sent to the vendor with the shipping identifier, to identify the associated address as the delivery address of the package, and to ship the package directly from the vendor to the delivery address without divulging any delivery address for the package to the vendor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the package code includes at least one of a code number and machine-readable indicia expressing the code number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received request includes at least one of a request for authentication and an electronic draft for payment of at least one of the purchased goods and a shipping charge.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving and sending steps are performed over a computer network.

5. A method for a shipper to process a package identified by a package code devoid of delivery address information, the package containing goods purchased by a customer from a vendor for shipment to an address unknown to the vendor, the method comprising:

receiving a request to pick up a package from the vendor at one or more computer systems operated by the shipper in communication with one or more computer systems operated by a bank at which the customer maintains an account, the package having a machine-readable package code affixed thereto but no delivery address, the request received in response to the customer being authenticated to a secure Web site operated by the bank that provides authenticated customers with electronic access to a plurality of vendors with whom the bank has a partner relationship and the customer delivering directly to the bank via the secure Web site an electronic draft for the purchase of the goods along with a request for a package code for the package;

receiving, at the one or more computer systems, a shipping identifier and a delivery address associated with the shipping identifier from the bank at which the customer having purchased the goods contained in the package maintains an account, the delivery address being associated with the customer'"'"'s account at the bank;

generating, with one or more processors associated with one or more computers operated by the shipper, first information in response to picking up the package from the vendor;

generating, with one or more processors associated with one or more computers operated by the shipper, second information in response to reading the package code affixed to the package;

matching, with one or more processors associated with one or more computers operated by the shipper, the package code with the received shipping identifier, and

generating, with one or more processors associated with one or more computers operated by the shipper, second information in delivering the package from the vendor directly to the delivery address associated with the shipping identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of printing a shipping label on which the delivery address is visible and affixing the shipping label on the package.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the package code includes at least one of a code number and machine-readable indicia expressing the code number.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving step is performed over a computer network.

9. A method for a vendor to cause a package of goods purchased by a customer to be delivered to a delivery address that is unknown to the vendor, the method comprising:

sending, from one or more computer systems operated by the vendor, a request for a package code directly to one or more computer systems operated by a bank at which the customer maintains an account that host a secure Web site providing authenticated customers with electronic access to a plurality of vendors with whom the bank has a partner relationship and an electronic draft for payment of the goods on behalf of the customer in response to the customer being authenticated to the secure Web site a purchase of goods from the vendor via the secure Web site;

receiving, at the one or more computer systems operated by the vendor, payment on the draft and the package code from the bank only if the customer is authenticated by the bank and bank-imposed constraints are satisfied, the package code being devoid of delivery address information;

generating, with one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, information for preparing the package for shipment by the shipper such that the prepared package bears no delivery address information thereon;

the vendor affixing the received package code to the prepared package, and

the vendor surrendering the package to a shipper to enable the shipper to match the package code with a shipping identifier and the delivery address that were previously received by the shipper from the bank, to generate a shipping label specifying the delivery address, to affix the shipping label to the package and to ship the package directly from the vendor to the delivery address without divulging any delivery address to the vendor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the package code includes at least one of a code number and machine-readable indicia expressing the code number.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the request includes at least one of a request for authentication and an electronic draft for payment of at least one of the purchased goods and a shipping charge.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving and sending steps are performed over a computer network.