Method and system for transacting an anonymous purchase over the internet

• US 8,019,690 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PrivaCash Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PrivaCash Incorporated
• Inventors: Blasiman, Douglas E., Sutton, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US11/439,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A method is provided for transacting an anonymous purchase over the Internet. The method comprises the steps of: (a) acquiring intermediary credit account information (22) from a purchasing intermediary (35, 112); (b) providing transactional purchase information (24), including the intermediary credit account information, to a retailer (16, 128), where the transactional purchase information is provided by the purchaser (134) using a first computing device of a computer-implemented purchasing system (12); and (c) transacting a purchase (26) between the purchaser and the retailer (16, 126) using the intermediary credit account information, thereby maintaining the anonymity of the purchaser (134). A method is also provided for the inexpensive sale of cash cards (40) to a retail outlet (126) and for funding the cash cards (40) upon purchase by a consumer (134). The cash cards (40) are not funded until cash or credit through other credit cards is received from the consumer (134). After the consumer (134) has purchased the cash card (40), the consumer (134) must activate the card, and the purchase intermediary (112) awards commissions.

Claims

1. A method for transacting an anonymous purchase using a computer-implemented purchasing system, the purchasing system having at least two computing devices interconnected by a network, comprising the steps of:

acquiring non-personalized intermediary credit account information from a purchasing intermediary by a process comprising buying a purchasing card from a retail establishment, the non-personalized intermediary credit account including pseudo purchase transactional information, where the intermediary credit account information is encapsulated on said purchasing card;

providing purchase transactional information, including at least some of the non-personalized intermediary credit account information, to a retailer, wherein the purchase transactional information is provided by a purchaser using a first computing device of the purchasing system; and

transacting a purchase between the purchaser and the retailer using said non-personalized intermediary credit account information, thereby maintaining the anonymity of the purchaser.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of acquiring intermediary credit account information further comprises:

providing purchaser credit account information from the purchaser to the purchasing intermediary; and

in response to receiving the purchaser credit account information, providing intermediary credit account information from the purchasing intermediary to the purchaser.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the intermediary credit account information further includes a credit limit which is not to be exceeded when transacting the purchase.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the purchaser credit account information is further defined as a valid credit card number and expiration data, such that the corresponding credit card account is debit an amount no less that the credit limit associated with the intermediary credit account information.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of activating the purchasing card by contacting the purchasing intermediary prior to transacting a purchase.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said intermediary credit account information includes an intermediary shipping address.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

sending a purchased good to the intermediary shipping address by the retailer; and

forwarding the purchased good to the purchaser by the purchasing intermediary, thereby maintaining the anonymity of the purchaser.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of acquiring intermediary credit account information further comprises providing discount coupons to the purchaser.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the pseudo purchase transactional information includes a name.

10. A computer-implemented purchasing system for transacting an anonymous purchase between at least two computing devices interconnected by a network, comprising:

a purchasing application residing on a first computing device, said purchasing application receptive of purchaser credit account information from a purchaser;

an intermediary application residing on a second computing device and being interconnected to said purchasing application by the network, said intermediary application being operative to provide non-personalized intermediary credit account information in response to receiving purchaser credit account information, the non-personalized intermediary credit account including pseudo purchase transactional information;

said purchasing application further being receptive of purchase transactional information from the purchaser, including the non-personalized intermediary credit account information; and

a retailer application residing on a third computing device and being interconnected to said purchasing application by the network, said retailer application receptive of the purchasing transactional information from the purchasing application and being operative to transact a purchase using the non-personalized intermediary credit account information, thereby preserving the anonymity of the purchaser.

11. The purchasing system of claim 10 wherein the pseudo purchase transactional information includes a name.

12. The purchasing system of claim 10 wherein the intermediary credit account information further includes a credit limit which is not to be exceeded when transacting the purchase.

13. The purchasing system of claim 12 wherein the purchaser credit account information is further defined as a valid credit card number and expiration data, such that the corresponding credit card account is debit an amount no less that the credit limit associated with the intermediary credit account information.

14. The purchasing system of claim 10 wherein said intermediary credit account information includes an intermediary shipping address.

15. The purchasing system of claim 10 wherein said intermediary application further capable of providing discount coupons to the purchaser.