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

• US 20040098625A1
• Filed: 11/10/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• 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, Durand, Didier, Taddei, Christophe
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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 (16) to own an anonymous profile (26) of a consumer (14) using at least one request sent by the consumer through a communication network (22),

wherein the request sent by the consumer includes identification data of the consumer,

wherein the identification data is substituted 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.

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

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the consumer (14) is a mobile consumer and wherein the communication network (22) is a mobile telecommunication network.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the request is entered in a mobile communication device (12) and transmitted as USSD through the mobile network.

4. Method according to claim 2, wherein said request is included in a SMS.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein said consumer is a fixed consumer, said telecommunication network is an ISDN network, and said request is sent as a SS7 signaling message over said ISDN network.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the content or service provider (16) sends a single or multiple-part response that includes the alias to the consumer (14), within the communication network the alias being substituted with the identification data, and the response being then forwarded to the consumer (14).

7. A 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. Method according to one of the claims 6 or 7, wherein the request received by the content or service provider (16) contains a location of the consumer, and wherein said response depends on the location.

9. A method according to one of the claims 6 to 8, wherein the request received by the content or service provider (16) contains information about the mobile station used by said consumer, and wherein said response depends on said information.

10. Method according to one of the claims 6 to 9, 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. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 10, wherein said alias is computed by encrypting at least said identification data by means of an immutable encryption algorithm.

12. Method according to one of the claims 7 to 11, including at least one step during which the consumer defines his preferences with the content or service provider (16) 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. Method according to claim 12, wherein said preferences include said consumer'"'"'s language.

14. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 13, wherein a plurality of customers (28) use a shared content or service provider (16) which they access through an Internet business portal (40) to define the responses that are to be offered to the requests.

15. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 14, wherein a plurality of customers (28) use a common content or service provider (16) for establishing a common profile of said consumers (14) using a plurality of said requests sent by said consumer for different said customers (28) through said communication network (22).

16. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 15, wherein a shared content or service provider (16) relays said requests to a plurality of external systems depending on said request.

17. Method according to claim 1, wherein the content or service provider (16) authenticates the anonymous consumer (14) in order to verify whether the real identity of the anonymous consumer from which the content and service provider only receives an alias is always the same during subsequent interaction, comprising the following steps:

the content or service provider (16) communicates a registration label to the consumer (14),

the consumer prepares a registration request including the registration label and transmits it to a logic unit (20),

the logic unit (20) identifies the consumer (14) and substitutes identification data of the consumer with the alias, and

the alias and the registration label are checked.

18. An arrangement (10) for interacting with a communication consumer (14) identified through identification data unique to the consumer, the arrangement including:

a content or service provider (16) including a profile (26) 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 (22) containing a logic unit (20) allowing the request to be routed between the consumer and the content or service provider (16),

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.

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

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the logic unit (20) includes a first interface (32) to receive the request emanating from the consumer, wherein the request includes the identification data of the consumer, an encoder (34) 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.

20. An arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the second interface receives a response from the content or service provider, the encoder (34) substitutes an alias in the response with the corresponding identification data, and the response is forwarded to the consumer.

21. An arrangement according to claim 20, 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.

22. An arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the encoder uses an immutable encryption algorithm for substituting the identification data with the alias.

23. Method allowing a mobile consumer (14) to define via Internet his preferences for an anonymous service in a mobile telecommunication network (22), including the following steps:

a registration label is communicated by the provider (16) of said service to said mobile consumer via Internet,

a request containing this registration label is prepared by said mobile consumer on his mobile station (12) and transmitted through a mobile communication network (22) to said provider,

said provider obtains in said request an alias corresponding one-to-one to said mobile consumer (14) and thus determines which set of preferences it must adapt with the instructions received via Internet.

24. Method according to claim 23, further comprising a step of sending a message over a mobile network to said provider in order to further define said preferences.

25. Method according to claim 23, wherein said preferences include the e-mail address of said consumer.