US 2001/0034723 A1 · System and method for providing anonymous internet transactions

Abstract

A privacy agent programmatically monitors and maintains transactional anonymity between users on an Internet web site. Each user on the web site is required to provide identifying information to establish an account on the web site. The identifying information is validated before the account is generated. Then, users are permitted to post messages on the web site to initiate and to negotiate transactions. Initial messages may be viewed on a public message board, while responses and subsequent message interactions are posted to a private area. All messages are monitored programmatically to prevent unauthorized disclosure of a an actual identity of a user. Each user is permitted to gradually reveal an actual identity to other users through private message postings.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for anonymous Internet transactions, the system comprising:

a web portal, the web portal having a connection with the Internet;
a plurality of web servers for hosting transactions between users, each web server in network communication with the web portal;
a plurality of data stores for storing the transactions wherein a data store is associated with each web server;
and
a privacy agent for programmatically maintaining transactional anonymity between users on the web servers

2 more elements

A method for allowing anonymous Internet negotiations, the method comprising:

prompting a user on a web server to establish an account on the web server;
validating an actual identity of the user before registering the user and creating the account on the web server;
allowing the registered user to submit transactional information to the web site;
monitoring the transactional information programmatically using a privacy agent;
and
interfering temporarily with transmission of the transactional information if the privacy agent detects information corresponding to the actual identity of the registered user.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for providing anonymous internet transactions

Life of this patent

System and method for providing anonymous internet transactions

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20