Method, system and computer program product for identifying and implementing collected privacy policies as aggregate privacy policies in electronic transactions

• US 7,206,758 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kuehr-McLaren, David G., Powers, Calvin S., Presler-Marshall, Martin, Shoriak, Timothy, Walczyk, John H. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D.
• Application Number:
  US10/706,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/80
• US Class Current: 705/26.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

Parties involved in transacting business in an E-marketplace (E-marketplace participants) each identify and submit to the E-marketplace relevant characteristics related to their privacy policy needs. When it is determined that two or more participants are collaborating in a transaction (e.g., a supplier and a shipper; two suppliers; three buyers), the privacy policies of the collaborative group are aggregated to produce a single policy that represents the primary policies of the collaborative transaction being presented by the collaborative group.

Claims

1. A method of conducting electronic commerce transactions among participants in an E-marketplace, comprising the steps of:

obtaining privacy-use information for each participant;

identifying collaborative groups of two or more participants who are presenting a collaborative transaction to the E-marketplace;

creating an aggregate privacy policy for each collaborative transaction, based on privacy-use information from each participant in each collaborative group; and

presenting to the E-marketplace the aggregate privacy policy for each collaborative transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said privacy information comprises a P3P policy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of obtaining privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least the steps of:

requesting each participant to submit said privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

storing all of said submitted privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of obtaining privacy-use information for each participant comprises at least the steps of:

requiring each participant to submit said privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

storing all of said submitted privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of sharing the privacy-use information comprises at least the step of:

said E-marketplace making available all of said stored privacy-use information to all participants upon request.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of sharing the privacy-use information comprises at least the step of:

said E-marketplace making available to participants in a particular transaction the stored privacy-use information of all participants in said particular transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

creating an individual privacy policy for each non-collaborative transaction, based on privacy-use information from the individual participant in said non-collaborative transaction; and

presenting to the E-marketplace the individual privacy policy for each non-collaborative transactions.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

displaying to a particular participant only information pertaining to transactions that have privacy policies corresponding to their privacy-use information.

9. A computer program product recorded on computer readable medium for conducting electronic commerce transactions among participants in an E-marketplace, comprising:

computer-readable means for obtaining privacy-use information for each participant;

computer-readable means for identifying collaborative groups of two or more participants who are presenting a collaborative transaction to the E-marketplace;

computer-readable means for creating an aggregate privacy policy for each collaborative transaction, based on privacy-use information from each participant in each collaborative group; and

computer-readable means for presenting to the E-marketplace the aggregate privacy policy for each collaborative transaction.

10. The program product of claim 9, wherein said privacy information comprises a P3P policy.

11. The program product of claim 9, wherein said computer-readable means for obtaining privacy-use information for each participant comprises:

computer-readable means for requesting each participant to submit said privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

computer-readable means for storing all of said submitted privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

12. The program product of claim 9, wherein said computer-readable means for obtaining privacy-use information for each participant comprises:

computer-readable means for requiring each participant to submit said privacy-use information to the E-marketplace as part of a registration procedure for the E-marketplace; and

computer-readable means for storing all of said submitted privacy-use information by the E-marketplace.

13. The program product of claim 12, wherein said computer-readable means for sharing the privacy-use information comprises:

computer-readable means for making available via said E-marketplace all of said stored privacy-use information to all participants upon request.

14. The program product of claim 12, wherein said computer-readable means for sharing the privacy-use information comprises:

computer-readable means for making available to participants in a particular transaction, via said E-marketplace, the stored privacy-use information of all participants in said particular transaction.

15. The program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer-readable means for creating an individual privacy policy for each non-collaborative transaction, based on privacy-use information from the individual participant in said non-collaborative transaction; and

computer-readable means for presenting to the E-marketplace the individual privacy policy for each non-collaborative transactions.

16. The program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer-readable means for displaying to a particular participant only information pertaining to transactions that have privacy policies corresponding to their privacy-use information.