Apparatus, methods and systems for anonymous communication
First Claim
1. A method of facilitating anonymous communication between a first station and a second station, the second station having an address for communication, and each station being enabled to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the method comprising:
- providing a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations, generating a reference code in response to the transaction specification, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and said address, supplying the reference code to at least the first station, receiving a communication request from the first station, receiving the reference code from the first station, using the reference code to recover said address, and opening a channel for communication between said first and second stations, whereby anonymous communication can be established between the first and second stations without providing said address to the first station.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Anonymous voice communication between a first station and a second station is facilitated by providing an interface that allows input of a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations. A reference code associated with the transaction is generated, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and the address of the second station for voice communication. The reference code is supplied to the first station, and a voice communication request and the reference code are received from the first station. The reference code is used to recover said address and a channel for voice communication is opened between said first and second stations. Voice communication can thereby be established between the first and second stations without providing the address of the second station to the first station.
-
Citations
57 Claims
-
1. A method of facilitating anonymous communication between a first station and a second station, the second station having an address for communication, and each station being enabled to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the method comprising:
-
providing a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations, generating a reference code in response to the transaction specification, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and said address, supplying the reference code to at least the first station, receiving a communication request from the first station, receiving the reference code from the first station, using the reference code to recover said address, and opening a channel for communication between said first and second stations, whereby anonymous communication can be established between the first and second stations without providing said address to the first station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 36, 37)
-
-
30. A method of establishing anonymous communication between a first station and a second station, the second station having an address for communication, and each station being enabled to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the method comprising:
-
supplying a transaction specification as packet data over the packet data network from at least one of the first and second stations to a controller, generating a reference code in response to the transaction specification at the controller, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and said address, supplying the reference code from the controller to at least the first station, making a communication request from the first station to the controller, supplying the reference code from the first station to the controller, using the controller to recover said address from the reference code, and opening a channel for communication between said first and second stations. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
-
-
33. An apparatus for facilitating anonymous communication between a first party and a second party employing first and second stations respectively, each station being enabled to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the second party having an address for communication, including
a means for enabling negotiation of a transaction specification over the packet data network, a means for generating a reference code, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and said address, and for supplying the reference code to at least the first party, a means for receiving a communication request from at least the first party and for receiving the reference code from at least the first party, a means for using the reference code to recover said address, and a means for opening a communication channel between said first party and said address without supplying said address to the first party.
-
38. A method of facilitating voice communication between a first station and a second station, the first and second stations being connected to voice communication networks and at least the first station having a user interface device, the first station being able to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the method comprising:
-
receiving at least a first transaction specification from the first station the transaction specification specifying parameters of a transaction involving voice communication between at least the first and second stations, generating by a controller a reference code associated with the transaction specification, the reference code including one or more of an image and a video, sending the reference code by the controller to the user interface device of the first station, receiving a request for voice communication by the controller from the first station employing at least in part the reference code, the reference code having been previously sent by the controller to the user interface of the first station, and opening a channel for voice communication by the controller between at least the first and second stations, the channel for voice communication including at least the packet data network that is connected directly to the first station. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
-
-
43. An apparatus facilitating voice communication between a first station and a second station, the first and second stations being connected to voice communication networks and at least the first station having a user interface device, the first station being able to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the apparatus comprising:
-
at least a first storage component, and one or more devices, including a controller, connected to the packet data network for receiving and storing in the at least a first storage component, at least a first transaction specification from the first station, the transaction specification specifying parameters of a transaction involving voice communication between at least the first and second stations, generating a reference code associated with the transaction specification, the reference code including one or more of an image and a video, storing the reference code in the at least a first storage component, sending to the first station the reference code for output on the user interface device of the first station, receiving a request for voice communication from the first station employing at least in part the reference code, the reference code having been previously sent by the apparatus to the user interface of the first station, and opening a channel for voice communication between at least the first and second stations, the channel for voice communication including at least the packet data network that is connected directly to the first station. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46)
-
-
47. A method of facilitating voice communication between a first station and a second station, the first station being connected to a circuit-switched telephone network and packet data network, and the first and second stations being enabled to transmit and receive packet data, and being connected directly to a packet data network, the second station having an address for communication, the second station having a second party operating the second station and the address relating to the second station or the second party, the method comprising:
-
receiving a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations via the packet data network, generating by a controller a reference code associated with the transaction specification, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and the address, supplying the reference code by the controller to at least one of the first and second stations, receiving a communication request by the controller from the first station via the circuit-switched network, employing at least in part the reference code, using the reference code by the controller to recover the address, and opening a channel for voice communication by the controller from the first station via the circuit-switched network and over the packet data network to the second station, the channel for voice communication including voice over Internet protocol and at least the packet data network that is connected directly to the second station. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51)
-
-
48. A method of 47 in which at least one of the first and second stations is connected to a wireless or cellular network.
-
52. An apparatus facilitating voice communication between a first station and a second station, the first station being connected to a circuit-switched telephone network and a packet data network, and the first and second stations being enabled to transmit and receive packet data, and being connected directly to a packet data network, the second station having an address for communication, the second station having a second party operating the second station and the address relating to the second station or the second party, the apparatus comprising:
-
at least a first storage component, and one or more devices, including a controller, accessible to the circuit-switched telephone network and the packet data network for receiving on the packet data network and storing in the at least a first storage component a transaction specification from at least the first and second stations communicating via the packet data network, generating a reference code associated with the transaction specification, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and the address, storing the reference code and the address in the at least a first storage component, supplying the reference code to at least one of the first and second station, receiving a communication request from the first station via the circuit-switched network, employing at least in part the reference code, using the reference code to recover the address for communication of the second station, and opening a channel for voice communication from the first station via the circuit-switched network and over the packet data network to the second station, the channel for voice communication including voice over Internet protocol and at least the packet data network that is connected directly to the second station. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
-
Specification