System for anonymous communication via interactive surface

• US 7,918,405 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2010
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul, Lapstun, Jacqueline Anne, Scott, Paul Quentin
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert; Ella
• Application Number:
  US12/765,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20100202704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/462.08, 235/462.31, 235/492, 235/494, 235/179, 235/487, 235/454, 382/187, 382/188, 382/306, 382/314, 705/1, 705/21, 705/35, 705/39, 705/40, 705/34, 705/53, 705/56, 705/58, 705/62, 705/67, 705/70, 705/72, 705/77, 705/79
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42

Abstract

A system for anonymous communication between a user and a software application is provided, via interaction of an optical imaging device with an interactive surface to generate interaction data. The device has a unique identity which is associated with the user'"'"'s identity. The interaction data includes data on the application and device identities. The system has a computer system which receives the interaction data generated by the optical imaging device, identifies the application and the device from the identity data included in the received interaction data, translates the identified application and device identities into an alias identity, sends the alias identity and interaction data to the identified application, receives information from the identified application addressed to the alias identity, and forwards the information from the application to the user via the alias identity.

Claims

1. A system for anonymous communication between a user and a software application, the system comprising:

a printer for printing an interactive surface including coded data encoding an application identity;

an optical imaging device for sensing the coded data and for generating interaction data, the optical imaging device having a unique identity which is associated with an identity of the user, the interaction data including data on the application identity and the unique identity of the optical imaging device; and

a computer system configured to;

receive the interaction data generated by the optical imaging device via said interaction with the interactive surface;

identify the application and the optical imaging device from the identity data included in the received interaction data;

translate the identified application and optical imaging device identities into an alias identity;

send the alias identity and interaction data to the identified application;

receive information from the identified application, the information being addressed to said alias identity; and

forward the information from the application to the user via the alias identity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction data further includes a digital signature of the user, the computer system identifying the user identified by the digital signature.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a first server which performs said translation.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first server is a registration server.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first server performs said sending step.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive surface has an identifier.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the identifier is a unique product item identifier.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the unique product item identifier is an electronic product code.