Patent ID: 7814009

Claim:
A method for a customer to anonymously purchase goods or services from an on-line merchant, said method comprising the steps of: a customer depositing an amount of cash with an account seller, the account seller being independent of said customer such that the identity of said customer remains anonymous; the account seller electronically notifying a central computer server of the amount of cash received from the customer; the central computer server transferring an amount of electronic currency corresponding to the amount that the account seller received from the customer from a bank account of the account seller to a central bank account having one or more account numbers; the central computer server generating, storing and issuing to the account seller one or more anonymous and randomly-generated serial numbers corresponding to said one or more account numbers; the account seller providing the serial number information to the customer; the customer submitting at least one serial number to the on-line merchant to purchase goods or services, said on-line merchant being unable to identify said customer during said purchase; the on-line merchant, upon receipt of said at least one serial number submitted by said customer, transmitting said at least one serial number to the central computer server for authentication; the central computer server authenticating said at least one serial number; and the central computer server transferring an amount of said electronic currency corresponding to said at least one serial number to an account of said on-line merchant.