Services that are provided, at least partly, over the internet for data mining user information
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, andopening 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.
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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. An Internet-based service system for data mining user information is herein disclosed and enabled. The disclosed service may facilitate users posting information, advertising products or services, connecting to other users, and making transactions over the Internet. Data obtained from each transaction submitted through the service are data mined. The collected data may include personal information, private data, interests, intellectual property, and the like. To create transactions, the service system may create a proposed transaction specifying a transaction between a first and a second parties based, at least in part, on data mining the first party'"'"'s history of transactions. The service system may transmit a reference code to the first party related to the proposed transaction, and wait to receive a communication request from the first party employing the reference code. The reference code may include text, image(s), video(s), audio, or communication link(s), and the proposed transaction may be an advertisement.
176 Citations
58 Claims
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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:
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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)
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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:
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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)
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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.
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38. A method of connecting a first party with a second party over the Internet based, at least in part, on data mining user information, the first party and the second party operating respectively a first station and a second station, each station being enabled for transmitting and receiving packet data, and each station being connected directly to a packet data network, the method comprising:
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obtaining, by a controller, one or more transaction specifications over the Internet associated with the second party, the one or more transaction specifications specifying one or more of product information, service information, intellectual property information, content information, interest information, qualification information, or characteristic information, individually or in any combination, related to one or more transactions associated with the second party over the Internet; data mining information on the first party, by the controller, based, at least in part, on data collected by the controller from a history of transactions involving one or more transactions associated with the first party over the Internet; verifying, by the controller, identity of the first party or the first station; creating, by the controller, a proposed first party transaction specification, the proposed first party transaction specification specifying at least a proposed transaction between the first party and the second party, the creating of the proposed first party transaction specification employing, at least in part, the data mining information on the first party collected by the controller; generating, by the controller, a reference code for supplying to the first party at the first station, the reference code being associated with the proposed first party transaction specification, and the reference code having a relationship with the one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party and obtained by the controller; supplying, by the controller, the reference code to the first party at the first station over the packet data network, the supplying of the reference code being based on the controller having verified the identity of the first party or the first station; and receiving, by the controller, a connection request, over the packet data network, from the first party for connecting to the second party, the connection request from the first party employing, at least in part, the reference code previously supplied to the first party at the first station by the controller; and opening, by the controller, a channel for communication, between the first party and the second party over the packet data network, the opening of the channel is based on the controller having received the connection request from the first party; and wherein, the channel for communication between the first party and the second party over the packet data network is made without requiring the first party at the first station to provide a transaction specification to the controller specifying a transaction between the first party and the second party prior to the controller creating the proposed first party transaction specification, and wherein the proposed first party transaction specification that is created by the controller is not created by the first party at the first station and is not created by the second party at the second station. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. An apparatus for connecting a first party with a second party over the Internet based on data mining user information, the first party and the second party operating respectively a first station and a second station, each station being an Internet-enabled device, the apparatus including:
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one or more data storage units; one or more processors operating at a network node over the Internet, and software executable, at least in part, by the one or more processors of the apparatus to; obtain, by the apparatus over the Internet and from the second station, a second party transaction specification related to the second party; verify, by the apparatus over the Internet, identity of the first party or the first station; obtain, by the apparatus over the Internet, one or more transaction specifications over the Internet associated with the first party, the one or more transaction specifications specifying one or more of product information, service information, intellectual property information, content information, qualification information, characteristic information, or interest information, individually or in any combination, related to one or more transactions associated with the first party; data mine information on the first party based, at least in part, on data collected by the apparatus from a history of transactions involving the one or more transactions associated with the first party over the Internet; create a proposed first party transaction specification, the proposed first party transaction specification specifying at least a proposed transaction between the first party and the second party, the creating of the proposed first party transaction specification being based, at least in part, on the data mining information collected on the first party by the apparatus; generate a reference code for supplying to the first party, the reference code being associated with the proposed first party transaction specification, and the reference code having a relationship with the second party transaction specification obtained from the second station; supply the reference code to the first party at the first station over the Internet, the supplying of the reference code being subsequent to having verified the identity of the first party or the first station; and receive a connection request from the first party at the first station over the Internet for connecting to the second party, the connection request from the first party employing, at least in part, the reference code previously supplied to the first party at the first station over the Internet; and wherein the one or more data storage units are accessible by the software and the software is executable by the one or more processors for storing at least part of the user information that includes information related to the first party and the second party; and wherein a connection between the first party and the second party over the Internet is made without requiring the first party at the first station to provide a transaction specification that specifies a transaction between the first party and the second party to the apparatus, prior to the apparatus supplying the reference code to the first party at the first station. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A non-transitory storage medium containing a software program executable by at least one processor of a service system for data mining user information associated with the service system operating at least partly over the Internet, for connecting a first party with a second party over the Internet, the first party and the second party operating respectively a first station and a second station, each station being Internet-enabled for accessing the service system operating at least partly over the Internet, the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the following:
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obtain one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party, the one or more transaction specifications specifying one or more of product information, service information, intellectual property information, content information, qualification information, interest information, or characteristic information, individually or in any combination, related to one or more transactions associated with the second party over the Internet; collect information on the first party based on one or more transactions associated with the first party over the Internet; data mine the information collected on the first party, the data mining being based, at least in part, on data collected by the at least one processor from a history of transactions involving the one or more transactions associated with the first party over the Internet; generate a reference code for supplying to the first party at the first station, the reference code specifying at least a proposed transaction between the first party and the second party, and the generating of the reference code employing, at least in part, the data mined information collected, by the at least one processor, from the first party, and the reference code having a relationship with the one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party; supply, at least part of, the reference code to the first party at the first station over the Internet; receive a connection request from the first party at the first station over the Internet for connecting to the second party, the connection request from the first party employing, at least in part, the reference code previously supplied to the first party at the first station; and establish, in response to having received the connection request from the first party, a connection between the first party and the second party over the Internet without requiring the first party at the first station to create a proposed first party transaction specification specifying at least a proposed transaction between the first party and the second party. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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Specification