Peer-to-peer trading platform with roles-based transactions

• US 7,958,019 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Sundaresan, Neelakantan, Ahmed, Zahid N., Ferrandiz, Josep M., Cockcroft, Adrian Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZUKANOVICH, BRANDY A
• Application Number:
  US11/646,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20070211651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.82
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system is disclosed in which a network-based interaction environment includes a plurality of peer-to-peer nodes being able to communicate directly with each other using a peer-to-peer protocol and a peer-to-peer client application, and a first peer-to-peer client application running on a first peer-to-peer client of the plurality of peer-to-peer nodes, the first peer-to-peer client application to maintain persistent user account information on the first peer-to-peer client, the persistent information being related to a plurality of user accounts for conducting e-commerce interactions on the network-based interaction environment, the plurality of user accounts including at least one user account based on a plurality of roles of a corresponding user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a network-based interaction environment including a plurality of peer-to-peer nodes configured to communicate directly with each other using a peer-to-peer protocol and a peer-to-peer client application, the plurality of peer-to-peer nodes including a first peer-to-peer client; and

a first peer-to-peer client application configured to run on the first peer-to-peer client, the first peer-to-peer client application to maintain persistent user account information on the first peer-to-peer client, the persistent user account information being related to a plurality of user accounts for conducting e-commerce interactions on the network-based interaction environment, the plurality of user accounts including at least one role-based user account based on a plurality of roles for performing a transaction, wherein the role-based user account is an auction site account, the role-based user account having a plurality of peer-to-peer accounts associated with the role-based user account, each peer-to-peer account being assigned to a different role corresponding to a different particular operation in the transaction associated with the role-based user account, at least one peer-to-peer account being assigned to a role corresponding to a selling operation in the transaction, the role-based user account acting as a controlling account for the transaction performed using the plurality of peer-to-peer accounts, the role-based user account having a control option to accept or reject the selling operation assigned to the at least one peer-to-peer account.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the role-based user account implements a different set of functionality for each of the plurality of roles.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one role of the plurality of roles requires a third party authorization for particular types of e-commerce interactions.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one role of the plurality of roles requires a third party authorization for particular types of e-commerce interactions only if the value of the e-commerce interaction is above a pre-determined threshold.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein at least two user accounts of the plurality of user accounts are linked.

6. The system of claim 1 including a first role and a second role of the plurality of roles, the second role being automatically included in any e-commerce transactions performed by the first role.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the first role is a minor child role and the second role is a parent adult role.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the first role is an employee role and the second role is an employer representative role.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein a user acting in the first role may list items for sale and select items to buy using their own peer-to-peer user name.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein a user acting in the first role may search and browse as a non-registered user can.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein a user acting in the second role is automatically offered an option to reject an action attempted by a user acting in the first role.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein a user acting in the second role may pre-authorize an action later attempted by a user acting in the first role.

13. The system of claim 1 including a first role and a second role of the plurality of roles, the second role being associated with a trusted account, the first role being associated with a lite account.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of roles are linked to a plurality of user accounts.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein an individual role of the plurality of roles can be assigned to one of a plurality of different peer-to-peer marketplace identities.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein a set of services offered to the first peer-to-peer client is based on a role of a corresponding user.

17. A method comprising:

enabling network communication among a plurality of peer-to-peer nodes, the peer-to-peer nodes being able to communicate directly with each other using a peer-to-peer protocol and a peer-to-peer client application, the plurality of peer-to-peer nodes including a first peer-to-peer client; and

using a data processor to maintain persistent user account information with a first peer-to-peer client application running on the first peer-to-peer client, the persistent user account information being related to a plurality of user accounts for conducting e-commerce interactions on a network-based interaction environment, the plurality of user accounts including at least one role-based user account based on a plurality of roles for performing a transaction, wherein the role-based user account is an auction site account, the role-based user account have a plurality of peer-to-peer accounts associated with the role- based user account, each peer-to-peer account being assigned to a different role corresponding to a different particular operation in the transaction associated with the role-based user account, at least one peer-to-peer account being assigned to a role corresponding to a selling operation in the transaction, the role-based user account acting as a controlling account for the transaction performed using the plurality of peer-to-peer accounts , the role-based user account having a control option to accept or reject the selling operation assigned to the at least one peer-to-peer account.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the role-based user account implements a different set of functionality for each of the plurality of roles.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein at least one role of the plurality of roles requires a third party authorization for particular types of e-commerce interactions.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein at least one role of the plurality of roles requires a third party authorization for particular types of e-commerce interactions only if the value of the e-commerce interaction is above a pre-determined threshold.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein at least two user accounts of the plurality of user accounts are linked.

22. The method of claim 17 including a first role and a second role of the plurality of roles, the second role being automatically included in any e-commerce transactions performed by the first role.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the first role is a minor child role and the second role is a parent adult role.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the first role is an employee role and the second role is an employer representative role.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein a user acting in the first role may list items for sale and select items to buy using their own peer-to-peer user name.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein a user acting in the first role may search and browse as a non-registered user can.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein a user acting in the second role is automatically offered an option to reject an action attempted by a user acting in the first role.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein a user acting in the second role may pre-authorize an action later attempted by a user acting in the first role.

29. The method of claim 17 including a first role and a second role of the plurality of roles, the second role being associated with a trusted account, the first role being associated with a lite account.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein a plurality of roles are linked to a plurality of user accounts.

31. The method of claim 17 wherein an individual role of the plurality of roles can be assigned to one of a plurality of different peer-to-peer marketplace identities.

32. The method of claim 17 wherein a set of services offered to the first peer-to-peer client is based on a role of a corresponding user.

33. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium having machine executable instructions embedded thereon, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

enable network communication among a plurality of peer-to-peer nodes, the peer-to-peer nodes being able to communicate directly with each other using a peer-to-peer protocol and a peer-to-peer client application the plurality of peer-to-peer nodes including a first peer- to-peer client; and

maintain persistent user account information with a first peer-to-peer client application running on the first peer-to-peer client, the persistent user account information being related to a plurality of user accounts for conducting e- commerce interactions on a network-based interaction environment, the plurality of user accounts including at least one role-based user account based on a plurality of roles for performing a transaction, wherein the role-based user account is an auction site account, the role-based user account having a plurality of peer-to-peer accounts associated with the role-based user account, each peer- to-peer account being assigned to a different role corresponding to a different particular operation in the transaction associated with the role-based user account, at least one peer-to-peer account being assigned to a role corresponding to a selling operation in the transaction, the role-based user account acting as a controlling account for the transaction performed using the plurality of peer-to-peer accounts, the role-based user account having a control option to accept or reject the selling operation assigned to the at least one peer-to-peer account.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 33 wherein the role-based user account implements a different set of functionality for each of the plurality of roles.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 33 wherein at least one role of the plurality of roles requires a third party authorization for particular types of e-commerce interactions.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 33 wherein at least one role of the plurality of roles requires a third party authorization for particular types of e-commerce interactions only if the value of the e-commerce interaction is above a pre-determined threshold.