Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Multiple computer communication using cryptography – Particular communication authentication technique
Patent
1998-07-02
2000-05-09
Peeso, Thomas R.
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Multiple computer communication using cryptography
Particular communication authentication technique
713169, 713170, 713176, 380255, 380258, G09C 300
Patent
active
060617896
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention lies in the field of computer network management, it specifically concerns the technical implementation of a business process in a computer network environment. The processes addressed here are of the type where two or more parties legitimately want to communicate anonymously, often before they discuss a deal or close a business. The invention does not concern a business process by itself, but underlying technical methods used to execute one or the other business process. In particular, the invented method may be used for anonymous bidding or auctioning in electronic commerce.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Obviously, both the importance and the proliferation of electronic commerce continue to grow; the Internet is a striking example. In such an environment--analogous to the traditional "non-electronic" commerce--consumer privacy is becoming a major concern.
However, the mere fact that electronic commerce is conducted over an existing open network infrastructure such as the Internet runs counter to the privacy of the consumer. Often, there are legitimate reasons for a party to remain anonymous at least during an initial stage of a developing (business) relationship with another party. But it becomes very difficult or even impossible for a party to protect or hide his/her identity when he/she addresses another party over an open network. And, of course, this anonymity issue becomes even more complex when both communicating parties want to stay anonymous.
This is essentially due to the end-to-end nature of application protocols that are mainly used as a vehicle for electronic commerce: World Wide Web (WWW), Electronic Mail, File Transfer (FTP), and others.
PRIOR ART
The anonymity issue mentioned above was already addressed before: U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,055 to Dunne et al. is an example, though in a different environment as the present invention and thus only of limited relevance. The Dunne patent discloses an electronic brokerage system in a communication network connecting traders dealing in financial instruments. In this computerized system, anonymous price quotes are distributed selectively in accordance with previously established credit limits. This system includes a so-to-speak central instance that that has all the information available, but communicates only part of it to the connected parties.
Already from the outset, this is quite different from the goal of the present system which is to provide a secure method that allows one party, e.g. a user, a consumer, or a bidder, to obtain quotes/bids/offers from another party, e.g. a prospective merchant, over an open network without sacrificing his/her privacy, i.e. while remaining anonymous.
Another specific approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,926 to Low et al. This patent describes techniques for performing credit-card transactions without disclosing the subject matter of the transaction to the institution providing the credit card. The techniques include the use of an intermediary, called communication exchange, for the exchange of information and funds without the destination for the transfer knowing the source of the information or funds. Public key encryption is used so that each party to the transaction and the communications exchange can read only the information the party or the exchange needs for its role in the transaction.
Though the Low patent describes a method for hiding transaction details from the parties concerned, it focuses on the goal to restrict each of the corresponding parties from getting more than the minimum amount of information required for executing the transaction. This is, in general, relevant to the present invention, however, the techniques proposed in the Low patent do not solve the anonymous bidding problem, which requires the exchange of sufficient detail information between two or more parties with only a minimum of intermediary action to solve the anonymity issue.
Another example for a technology that addresses the issue of privacy and anonymity of "electronic consumer
REFERENCES:
patent: 4870591 (1989-09-01), Cicciarelli et al.
patent: 4961224 (1990-10-01), Yung
patent: 4962532 (1990-10-01), Kasiraj et al.
patent: 5884270 (1999-03-01), Walker et al.
Hauser Ralf Ch.
Tsudik Gene
International Business Machines - Corporation
Peeso Thomas R.
Woods Gerald R.
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