Patent ID: 6807530
Filing Date: 2004-10-19
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A method of conducting commercial transactions while preserving customer anonymity and without disrupting merchant distribution channels, comprising the steps of:establishing protocols among potential participants in said transactions, said protocols including an Anonymous Customer Protocol; and executing said transactions in accordance with said protocols, wherein said protocols provide that no participant except the customer has complete information necessary to link said customer to said merchant, wherein said execution step further comprises the steps of: anonymously verifying payment to a merchant for goods ordered by a customer; and anonymously shipping said goods from said merchant to a receiving address provided by said customer, and wherein said verifying step further comprises the steps of: issuing to said customer by a payment agency of control numbers, including a customer number and a transaction private number; ordering said goods by said customer from said merchant, wherein said customer provides said merchant with said customer number, said transaction private number and the identity of said payment agency; confirming by said merchant with said payment agency that funds for delivery of said goods are available, said confirmation using said customer number and said transaction private number, and wherein said confirming step is accomplished via a first clearing house, whom said merchant contacts and provides with said customer number and said transaction private number, and wherein said shipping step further comprises the steps of: providing by said customer to said payment agency said receiving address for said goods; generating by said payment agency a first bank order number and a second bank order number, said bank order numbers being associated by said payment agency with said receiving address; providing said first bank order number to said merchant, and providing said second bank order number to a second clearing house; packaging by said merchant of said goods in such a manner that neither the identity of said merchant nor the identity of said goods can be recognized; applying by said merchant of said first bank order number to said packaging; delivering said package to said second clearing house, who replaces on said package said first bank order number with said second bank order number; and delivering said package to said receiving address, said receiving address being determined from said second bank order number.