Method and system for automatic brokered transactions

• US 6,999,589 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Do, Phuc Ky, Cato, Robert Thomas, Maximilien, Eugene Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Morse, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US09/941,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20030044015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 705/53, 705 77- 78, 713/153, 380/270
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and system for brokering a transaction between a plurality of wireless communication devices is disclosed. The method and system includes enabling a plurality of wireless devices to communicate with one another, allowing a user to enter a request related to an object to be brokered into a first enabled wireless device, and exchanging the request with a plurality of enabled wireless devices. The system and method also includes receiving a response to the request by a third party facilitator from a user of a wireless device interested in completing the transaction. The third party facilitator will then complete the transaction between users of the first wireless device and the wireless device interested in completing the transaction. In another aspect of the present invention, at least one wireless broker device helps disseminate the request from the first wireless device to the wireless device interested in completing the transaction. The system and method includes concealing the identity of a user of the wireless device from which a broker device received the request, thereby preserving the broker device'"'"'s profit interests in the transaction, and distributing transaction proceeds to the at least one wireless broker devices.

Claims

1. A method for brokering a transaction between a plurality of wireless communication devices, comprising the steps of:

a) enabling each wireless device to transmit data directly to and receive data directly from other similarly enabled wireless devices over a wireless personal area network, wherein each wireless device is a client device associated with a user;

b) entering a request related to an object to be brokered into a first enabled wireless device;

c) transmitting the request directly from the first wireless device to other wireless devices over the wireless personal area network such that the users associated with each of the other enabled wireless devices are notified of the request;

d) receiving a response to the request by a third party facilitator from a user of a wireless device interested in completing the transaction; and

e) completing the transaction by the third party facilitator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices includes a transceiver that is compatible with IEEE 802.15 open standards for communication over the wireless personal area network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the enabling step (a) further comprises the steps of:

a1) loading a software application into the first wireless device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the software application instructs the first wireless device to automatically establish communications with the plurality of enabled wireless devices.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

f) determining whether the user of each one of the other wireless devices would like to receive the request prior to sending the request.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of providing the request as a transaction record for the object, wherein the transaction record includes an item description, price information, expiration time and date, contact information for the third party facilitator, and identifying information for the user of the first wireless device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third party facilitator is coupled to an Internet, the method further including the step of providing the contact information for the facilitator as a web address.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting the request further includes the steps of:

c1) transmitting automatically the request to a first plurality of enabled wireless devices;

c2) by each one of the plurality of enabled wireless devices receiving the request, modifying the request by concealing the identifying information of a user of the wireless device from which the request was received if the user of the enabled wireless device receiving the request is not interested in completing the transaction; and

c3) transmitting the modified request from each of the enabled wireless devices receiving the request directly to another plurality of enabled wireless devices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the modified request comprises the step of:

(c3i) determining whether the user of each one of the other enabled wireless devices would like to receive the modified request prior to sending the modified request.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of modifying the request (c2) further includes the steps of:

(c2i) modifying the transaction record by changing the price information to create a profit for the one enabled wireless device'"'"'s involvement in the transaction;

(c2ii) encrypting the identifying information for the user of the wireless device from which the request was received; and

(c2iii) appending to the modified transaction record unencrypted identifying information for the user of the one enabled wireless device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the request further includes the steps of:

c4) repeating steps (c2) and (c3) until the user of the wireless device receiving the request is interested in completing the transaction and responds to the request.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying information includes an address to a website of the user and a pointer to a public key associated with the user in the website.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein completing the transaction further includes the steps of:

e1) receiving a final transaction record from the user of the wireless device interested in completing the transaction, wherein the final transaction record includes final price information, the encrypted identifying information for the user of each wireless device that modified the transaction record, and the appended unencrypted identifying information for the user of the wireless device that transmitted the final transaction record to the wireless device associated with the interested user;

e2) decoding the encrypted identifying information for the user of each wireless device that modified the transaction record and for the user of the first wireless device;

e3) completing the transaction between the first wireless device'"'"'s user and the interested user; and

e4) distributing to the user of each wireless device that modified the transaction record and to the user of the first wireless device their appropriate shares of transaction proceeds.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the decoding step (e2), further includes the steps of:

(e2i) contacting the website of the user of the wireless device that transmitted the final transaction record to the wireless device associated with the user interested in completing the transaction via the appended unencrypted identifying information;

(e2ii) requesting and receiving therefrom the unencrypted identifying information of the user of the wireless device from which the request was received; and

(e2iii) repeating steps (e2i) and (e2ii) until the identifying information for the user of the first wireless device is decoded.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the decoding step (e2), further includes the steps of:

(e2i) contacting the website of the user of the wireless device that transmitted the final transaction record to the wireless device interested in completing the transaction using the appended unencrypted identifying information;

(e2ii) accessing the associated public key via the pointer to decode encrypted identifying information, wherein the associated public key only decodes the identifying information for the user of the wireless device from which the request was received; and

(e2iii) repeating steps (e2i) and (e2ii) until the encrypted identifying information for the user of the first wireless device is decoded.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the completing step (e3) further includes the step of:

(e3i) notifying the user of the first wireless device of the transaction via electronic mail.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the completing step (e3) further includes the step of:

(e3ii) notifying the user of the first wireless device of the transaction via a bulletin board posting on a web site for the facilitator.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the transaction record further includes a counter for counting a number of times the transaction record has been modified, the method further comprising the step of:

f) terminating the transaction if the number of times the transaction record has been modified exceeds a preset value.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

f) terminating the transaction if an expiration time and date has expired.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein entering the request further comprises the step of:

b2) using a desktop computer system to create the transaction record, and transferring the transaction record to the enabled wireless device.

21. A system for brokering a transaction between a plurality of wireless communication devices comprising:

a first wireless device enabled to transmit data directly to and receive data directly from other enabled wireless devices over a wireless personal area network, wherein each of the first and the other enabled wireless devices is a client device associated with a user; and

a third party facilitator accessible to the user of the first wireless device and users of the plurality of enabled wireless devices after registration via a network;

wherein a request related to an object to be brokered is entered by the user into the first wireless device and transmitted directly from the first wireless device to other enabled wireless devices over the wireless personal area network such that the users associated with each of the other wireless devices are notified of the request;

wherein the user of one of the other wireless devices submits a response to the third party facilitator if the user is interested in completing the transaction, and the third party facilitator completes the transaction between the interested user and the user of the first wireless device.

22. The system of claim 21 further including a first broker device, wherein the first broker device receives the request from the first wireless device, modifies the request, and transmits the modified request to the one wireless device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first broker device modifies the request by changing price information to create a profit for the first broker device'"'"'s involvement in the transaction.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first broker device further modifies the request by encrypting identifying information related to a user of the wireless device from which the request was received, and by appending to the request the identifying information for the user of the first broker device, such that a wireless device receiving the modified request from the first broker device is aware of the first broker device'"'"'s user'"'"'s identity only.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first broker device transmits the modified request to a second broker device, wherein the second broker device similarly modifies the modified request and transmits the twice modified request to the one wireless device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the identifying information includes an address for a website for a user of a wireless device and a pointer to a public key associated with the user in the website.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the third party facilitator receives the response from the user of the one wireless device, the response including a final modified request, wherein the final modified request includes final price information, the encrypted identifying information for the user of the first broker device and the user of the first wireless device, and the unencrypted identifying information for the user of the second broker device that transmitted the final modified request to the one wireless device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the third party facilitator decodes the encrypted identifying information for the user of the first broker device by using the public key associated with the user of the second broker device.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the third party facilitator decodes the encrypted identifying information for the user of the first wireless device by using the public key associated with the user of the first broker device and notifies the first wireless device'"'"'s user of the transaction.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the third party facilitator collects payment for the object and distributes payment to the users of the first broker device, the second broker device and the first wireless device.

31. The system of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication devices includes a transceiver that is compatible with IEEE 802.15 open standards for communication over the wireless personal area network.

32. The system of claim 21, wherein the third party facilitator is a server coupled to a network.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein the third party facilitator is a server coupled to an Internet.

34. A method for brokering a transaction using a plurality of wireless devices comprising the steps of:

a) enabling a first wireless device to automatically transmit data directly to and receive data directly from other enabled wireless devices over a wireless personal area network, wherein each of the first and the other wireless devices is a client device associated with a user;

b) entering a request related to an object to be brokered into the first wireless device;

c) transmitting the request from the first wireless device directly to other wireless devices over the wireless personal area network such that the users associated with each of the other wireless devices are notified of the request;

d) responding to the request by a user interested in completing the transaction by submitting a response to a third party facilitator; and

e) completing the transaction by the third party facilitator.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first wireless device transmits the request to a first plurality of wireless devices and none of the users associated with the first plurality of enabled wireless devices are interested in completing the transaction, the method further including the steps of:

f) modifying the request in each one of the first plurality of enabled wireless devices; and

g) transmitting the modified request from each one of the first plurality of enabled wireless devices to a second plurality of enabled wireless devices, thereby increasing distribution exponentially.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the modifying step (f) further includes the steps of:

(f1) changing price information to create a profit for the one device'"'"'s involvement in the transaction;

(f2) encrypting data that identifies a user of the wireless device from which the request was received, thereby protecting the one device'"'"'s profit in the transaction; and

(f3) appending unencrypted identifying information for a user of the one device;

wherein by encrypting the data and appending the unencrypted identifying information, the second plurality of wireless devices is aware only of the one device'"'"'s user'"'"'s identity.

37. The method of claim 36 further including the step of:

h) repeating steps (f) and (g) until the user of the one wireless device is located.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising the step of:

i) terminating the transaction if a number of times the request has been transmitted exceeds a predetermined value and the user of the one wireless device has not been located.

39. The method of claim 37 further comprising the step of:

i) terminating the transaction if a preset expiration time and date has expired and the user of the one wireless device has not been located.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices includes a transceiver that is compatible with IEEE 802.15 open standards for communication over a wireless personal area network.

41. A method for facilitating a brokered transaction between a plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices includes a seller device and a buyer device, the method comprising the steps of:

a) enabling each wireless communication device to transmit data directly to and receive data directly from other similarly enabled wireless communication devices over a wireless personal area network, wherein each wireless communication device is a client device associated with a user;

b) providing a plurality of broker devices of the plurality of wireless communication devices that disseminate an offer for sale of an item propagated by a user of the seller device;

c) receiving in a facilitator a response from a user of the buyer device to the offer for sale received from at least two of the broker devices, the response including a final transaction record, wherein the final transaction record includes encrypted identifying information for all but one users of the at least two broker devices, encrypted identifying information for the user of the seller device, and identifying information for a user of one broker device;

d) decoding the encrypted identifying information; and

e) completing the transaction between the users of the at least two broker devices, the seller device, and the buyer device.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein identifying information includes a pointer to a public key associated with a user of a wireless device in a website for the user, the decoding step (d) further comprising the steps of:

d1) identifying the user of the one broker device;

d2) accessing the associated public key to decode the encrypted identifying information for the user of one other of the at least two broker devices; and

d3) repeating step (d2) until all the broker devices'"'"' users have been identified and the seller device'"'"'s user has been identified.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the completing step (e) further includes the steps of:

e1) notifying the user of the seller device of the transaction via electronic mail and via a bulletin board posting on a web site dedicated to the facilitator;

e2) collecting payment for the item; and

e3) distributing payment to the users of the at least two broker devices and the seller device.

44. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for brokering a transaction between a plurality of wireless communication devices, the instructions for:

a) enabling a first wireless device to transmit data directly to and receive data directly from other enabled wireless devices over a wireless personal area network, wherein each of the first and the other wireless devices is a client device associated with a user;

b) entering a request related to an object to be brokered into the first wireless device;

c) transmitting the request directly from the first wireless device to other enabled wireless devices over the wireless personal area network such that the users associated with each of the other enabled wireless devices are notified of the request;

d) receiving a response to the request by a third party facilitator from a user of one wireless device interested in completing the transaction; and

e) completing the transaction by the third party facilitator.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the enabling instruction (a) further comprising instructions for:

a1) loading a software application into the first wireless device.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 45, wherein the instruction for allowing the user to enter a request further includes the instruction for allowing the user to create a transaction record for the object, wherein the transaction record includes an item description, price information, expiration time and date, contact information for the third party facilitator, and identifying information for the user associated with the first wireless device.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 46, wherein the transmitting instruction (c) further includes the instructions for:

c1) transmitting automatically the request to a first plurality of enabled wireless devices;

c2) by each one of the plurality of enabled wireless devices receiving the request, modifying the request by concealing the identifying information for a user of the wireless device from which the request was received if the user of the enabled wireless device receiving the request is not interested in completing the transaction; and

c3) transmitting the modified request from each of the enabled wireless devices receiving the request directly to another plurality of enabled wireless devices.

48. The computer readable medium of claim 47 wherein the instruction for modifying the request (c2) further includes instructions for:

c2i) modifying the transaction record by changing the price information to create a profit for the one enabled wireless device'"'"'s involvement in the transaction;

c2ii) encrypting the identifying information for the user of the wireless device from which the request was received; and

c2iii) appending to the modified transaction record unencrypted identifying information for the user of the wireless device receiving the request.

49. The computer readable medium of claim 48, wherein the transmitting instruction (c) further includes the instructions for:

c4) repeating instructions (c2) and (c3) until the user of the wireless device receiving the request is interested in completing the transaction and responds to the request.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 49, wherein the transaction completing instruction (e), further includes instructions for:

e1) receiving a final transaction record from the wireless device associated with the user interested in completing the transaction, wherein the final transaction record includes final price information, the encrypted identifying information for the user of each wireless device that modified the transaction record, and the appended unencrypted identifying information for the user of the wireless device that transmitted the final transaction record to the wireless device associated with the interested user;

e2) decoding the encrypted identifying information for the user of each wireless device that modified the transaction record and for the user of the first wireless device;

e3) completing the transaction between the users of the first wireless device and the interested user; and

e4) distributing to the user of each wireless device that modified the transaction record and to the user of the first wireless device their appropriate shares of transaction proceeds.

51. The computer readable medium of claim 50, wherein the decoding instruction (e2), further includes instructions for:

(e2i) contacting the user of the wireless device that transmitted the final transaction record to the one wireless device associated with the interested user via the appended unencrypted identifying information;

(e2ii) requesting and receiving therefrom the unencrypted identifying information for the user of the wireless device from which the request was received; and

(e2iii) repeating steps (e2i) and (e2ii) until the identifying information for the user of the first wireless device is decoded.

52. The computer readable medium of claim 50, wherein the identifying information includes a pointer to a public key associated with a user of a wireless device in a user'"'"'s website, the decoding instruction (e2), further including instructions for:

(e2i) identifying the user of the wireless device that transmitted the final transaction record to the wireless device associated with the interested user using the appended unencrypted identifying information;

(e2ii) accessing the associated public key via the pointer to decode the encrypted identifying information for the user of the wireless device from which the request was received; and

(e2iii) repeating steps (e2i) and (e2ii) until the encrypted identifying information for the user of the first wireless device is decoded.

53. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the transaction record further includes a counter for counting a number of times the transaction record has been modified, and further comprising instructions for:

f) terminating the transaction if the number of times the transaction record has been modified exceeds a preset value.

54. The computer readable medium of claim 53, further comprising instructions for:

g) terminating the transaction if the expiration time and date has expired.