Retail point of sale (RPOS) apparatus for internet merchandising

Anonymous Internet transaction authorization system or other secure purchase to facilitate the transfer of ownership rights in itemized Internet merchandise or itemized downloadable media material objects, comprising:

• itemized Internet merchandise or itemized downloadable media material objects offered by a seller or other distributor on the Internet through an Internet connection;
• user access terminal means connected to the Internet, said user access terminal having an IP address;
• and
• means for payment or otherwise completing an Internet sale of said Internet merchandise or media from said seller or other distributor to the user of said user access terminal with no presently or previously required disclosures of user information from said user or said user access terminal other than said IP address.

A method of merchandise transfer on a computer network comprising at least one buyer computer on a network for operation by a user desiring to buy at least one product and at least one selling computer on said network operating for a purpose to sell said product, the method comprising the steps of:

• creating specific information that is a transaction location of said product, said product comprising networked merchandise or downloadable media material objects represented on said selling computer;
• specifying a price wherein said price is specific to said product on said selling computer;
• receiving payment of said price through an in person transaction with said user at a retail point of sale location wherein said payment amount is associated to said product;
• sending a payment message as a response to said in person transaction either directly or through other computers on said network to said selling computer on said network;
• causing an authorization message to be created on said selling computer in or as a result of said payment message that comprises at least said specification of said product and authentication based on cryptographic key(s), said selling computer being programmed to receive said authorization message for verification of said authentication;
• causing selling computer, as a result of said selling computer being programmed, to ensure that said authorization message was created using said cryptographic key(s);
• and
• causing transfer of ownership rights in said product to said user desiring to buy said product by granting access or rights to said user on said buyer computer either directly or through other computers on said network, as a result of said authorization message on said selling computer.