Method for transmitting an anonymous request from a consumer to a content or service provider through a telecommunication network

• US 8,401,867 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Lagadec, Roger, Taddei, Christophe, Durand, Didler
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US12/537,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00

Abstract

A method and associated arrangement allows a content or service provider to establish an anonymous profile of a consumer using at least one request sent by the consumer through a communication network. The request sent by the consumer includes identification data of the consumer. The identification data is substituted in the network with an alias so as to anonymize the request. The identification data is not accessible to the content or service provider and there is a one-to-one and immutable correspondence between the identification data and the alias.

Claims

1. A method allowing a content or service provider to own an anonymous profile of a consumer, comprising the steps of:

using at least one request sent by the consumer through a communication network,

including in the request sent by the consumer identification data of the consumer, and

substituting the identification data in the network with an alias so as to anonymize the request vis-a-vis said content or service provider, wherein

the identification data is not accessible to the content or service provider and there is a one-to-one and immutable correspondence between the identification data and the alias, and wherein

said profile is established by said content or service provider, and in that said profile is updated each time a request is received from said consumer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the consumer is a mobile consumer and wherein the communication network is a mobile telecommunication network.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the request is entered in a mobile communication device and transmitted as unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) through the mobile network.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said request is included in a short message system (SMS) message.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said consumer is a fixed consumer, said telecommunication network is an integrated services digital network (ISDN) network, and said request is sent as a SS7 signaling message over said ISDN network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content or service provider sends a single or multiple-part response that includes the alias to the consumer, within the communication network the alias being substituted with the identification data, and the response being then forwarded to the consumer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the consumer or the service provider on behalf of its customer can define preferences for the response, the possible options including choices among mobile networks messages, USSD, synthesized voice message, fax, e-mail, a link to an Internet or WAP site, or postal delivery.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the request received by the content or service provider contains a location of the consumer, and wherein said response depends on the location.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the request received by the content or service provider contains information about a mobile station used by said consumer, and wherein said response depends on said information.

10. The method according claim 6, wherein the content and/or the format of said response depends on at least one of the following:

sending time of the request,

external events,

preceding requests from other consumers,

consumer profile,

accreditation level of the consumer.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said alias is computed by encrypting at least said identification data by means of an immutable encryption algorithm.

12. The method according to claim 7, including at least one step during which the consumer defines his preferences with the content or service provider through an Internet web session or with said mobile station and by identifying himself by sending a registration request through the communication network, said registration request being valid during a limited period of time.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said preferences include said consumer'"'"'s language.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of customers use a shared content or service provider which they access through an Internet business portal to define responses that are to be offered to the requests.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of customers use a common content or service provider for establishing a common profile of said consumers using a plurality of said requests sent by said consumer for different said customers through said communication network.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein a shared content or service provider relays said requests to a plurality of external systems depending on said request.

17. An arrangement for interacting with a communication consumer identified through identification data unique to the consumer, the arrangement including:

a content or service provider including a profile about the consumer, wherein

the profile is established at least partially on the basis of a request sent over a communication network by the consumer, without requiring said consumer to register himself toward said arrangement, wherein

the profile of the consumer contains an alias insufficient to directly identify the consumer, and a communication network containing a logic unit allowing the request to be routed between the consumer and the content or service provider, the identification data being not accessible to the content or service provider, wherein

there is a one-to-one and immutable correspondence between the identification data and the alias, wherein

said profile is established by said content or service provider and in that said content or service provider updates said profile each time a request is received from said consumer.

18. The arrangement according to claim 17, wherein the logic unit includes:

a first interface to receive the request emanating from the consumer, wherein the request includes the identification data of the consumer, an encoder for substituting the identification data in the request with an alias so as to anonymize the request, and

a second interface for transmitting the anonymous request to the content or service provider, wherein the identification data is substituted according to a one-to-one and immutable correspondence.

19. The arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the second interface receives a response from the content or service provider, the encoder substitutes an alias in the response with the corresponding identification data, and the response is forwarded to the consumer.

20. The arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the various parts of the response can be forwarded through any of the following channels:

SMS messages, USSD, voice message, fax, e-mail, a link to an Internet or WAP site, or postal delivery.

21. The arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the encoder uses an immutable encryption algorithm for substituting the identification data with the alias.