U.S. patent application number 09/897226 was filed with the patent office on 2003-01-02 for method and apparatus for privacy negotiation.
This patent application is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to McAuliffe, Kevin P., Szabo, Robert M., Toohey, James J..
Application Number | 20030004898 09/897226 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25407566 |
Filed Date | 2003-01-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030004898 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McAuliffe, Kevin P. ; et
al. |
January 2, 2003 |
Method and apparatus for privacy negotiation
Abstract
A method of negotiating an electronic commerce (e-commerce)
transaction for the sale of a selected good can include identifying
an asking price for the selected good and retrieving from memory
merchant business objectives (MBOs) and consumer privacy rules
(CPRs). The MBOs can specify incentive information corresponding to
a proposed exchange of consumer information and the CPRs can
specify asking prices corresponding to the proposed exchange of
consumer information. The MBOs can be compared to the CPRs to
determine if an agreement can be reached for the sale of the
selected good with an incentive based upon the proposed exchange of
consumer information. The e-commerce transaction for the sale of
the selected good with the incentive can be consummated if in the
comparing step it is determined that an agreement can be
reached.
Inventors: |
McAuliffe, Kevin P.;
(Cortlandt Manor, NY) ; Szabo, Robert M.; (Boca
Raton, FL) ; Toohey, James J.; (Boca Raton,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Gregory A. Nelson
Akerman Senterfitt
222 Lakeview Avenue, Fourth Floor
P.O. Box 3188
West Palm Beach
FL
33402-3188
US
|
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
25407566 |
Appl. No.: |
09/897226 |
Filed: |
July 2, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/80 ;
705/26.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20130101;
G06Q 30/0601 20130101; G06Q 50/188 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/80 ;
705/26 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/60; H04K
001/00; H04L 009/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of negotiating an electronic commerce (e-commerce)
transaction for the sale of a selected good comprising the steps
of: identifying an asking price for the selected good; retrieving
from memory merchant business objectives (MBOs) and consumer
privacy rules (CPRs), said MBOs specifying incentive information
corresponding to a proposed exchange of consumer information, said
CPRs specifying asking prices corresponding to said proposed
exchange of consumer information; comparing said MBOs to said CPRs
to determine if an agreement can be reached for the sale of the
selected good with an incentive based upon said proposed exchange
of consumer information; and consummating said e-commerce
transaction for the sale of the selected good with said incentive
if in said comparing step it is determined that an agreement can be
reached.
2. The method of claim 1, said consummating step further
comprising: providing agreed upon e-commerce transaction
information to an e-commerce processing system for processing said
e-commerce transaction.
3. The method of claim 1, said comparing step further comprising:
receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer specifying an
adjusted incentive.
4. The method of claim 1, said comparing step further comprising:
receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer specifying an
adjusted asking price corresponding to said proposed exchange of
consumer information.
5. The method of claim 1, said comparing step further comprising:
adjusting said incentive consistent with said MBOs.
6. The method of claim 1, said comparing step further comprising:
adjusting said asking price consistent with said CPRs.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said incentive is selected from
the group consisting of a discount, an additional good, cash, and a
cash equivalent.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said consumer privacy rules
further specify an acceptable incentive type for the exchange of
selected consumer information.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said comparing step is biased in
favor of a merchant.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said comparing step is biased in
favor of a consumer.
11. A method of negotiating an electronic commerce (e-commerce)
transaction for the sale of a selected good comprising the steps
of: identifying an asking price for the selected good; retrieving
from memory merchant business objectives (MBOs), said MBOs
specifying incentive information corresponding to a proposed
exchange of consumer information; receiving consumer privacy rules
(CPRs), said CPRs specifying asking prices corresponding to said
proposed exchange of consumer information; comparing said MBOs to
said CPRs to determine if an agreement can be reached for the sale
of the selected good with an incentive based upon said proposed
exchange of consumer information; and consummating said e-commerce
transaction for the sale of the selected good with said incentive
if in said comparing step it is determined that an agreement can be
reached.
12. The method of claim 11, said consummating step further
comprising: providing agreed upon e-commerce transaction
information to an e-commerce processing system for processing said
e-commerce transaction.
13. The method of claim 11, said comparing step further comprising:
receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer specifying an
adjusted incentive.
14. The method of claim 11, said comparing step further comprising:
receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer specifying an
adjusted asking price corresponding to said proposed exchange of
consumer information.
15. The method of claim 11, said comparing step further comprising:
adjusting said incentive consistent with said MBOs.
16. The method of claim 11, said comparing step further comprising:
adjusting said asking price consistent with said CPRs.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein said incentive is selected from
the group consisting of a discount, an additional good, cash, and a
cash equivalent.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said consumer privacy rules
further specify an acceptable incentive type for the exchange of
selected consumer information.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein said comparing step is biased
in favor of a merchant.
20. The method of claim 11, wherein said comparing step is biased
in favor of a consumer.
21. A method of configuring merchant business objectives
comprising: identifying an item of consumer information desired by
a merchant; specifying at least one incentive for said item of
consumer information to be offered to a consumer in exchange for
said item of consumer information; and storing an indication of
said item of consumer information and said corresponding incentive
in a data store.
22. A method of configuring consumer privacy rules comprising:
identifying an item of consumer information which a consumer will
provide to a merchant; specifying at least one incentive for said
item of consumer information in exchange for which said consumer
will provide said item of consumer information to a merchant; and
storing said item of consumer information and said minimum
incentive in a data store.
23. A privacy negotiation system for negotiating an electronic
commerce transaction involving a transfer of selected consumer
information items, said system comprising: a merchant objectives
data store comprising rules for offering incentives to a consumer
during said electronic commerce transaction, wherein said
incentives are conditioned upon said transfer of said selected
consumer information items from said consumer to a merchant; a
negotiation engine communicatively linked to said merchant
objectives data store wherein said negotiation engine mediates
between said merchant and said consumer to conclude said electronic
commerce transaction; and a merchant agent for negotiating said
electronic commerce transaction on behalf of said merchant, said
merchant agent communicating with said negotiation engine and said
merchant privacy rules data store.
24. The system of claim 23, further comprising: a consumer privacy
rules data store comprising rules for disclosing said selected
consumer information items; and a consumer agent for negotiating
said electronic commerce transaction on behalf of said consumer,
said consumer agent communicating with said negotiation engine and
said consumer privacy rules data store.
25. The system of claim 24, wherein said consumer privacy rules
data store includes said selected consumer information items.
26. The system of claim 23, further comprising: a transaction
processing system.
27. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer
program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine
for causing the machine to perform the steps of: identifying an
asking price for a selected good; retrieving from memory merchant
business objectives (MBOs) and consumer privacy rules (CPRs), said
MBOs specifying incentive information corresponding to a proposed
exchange of consumer information, said CPRs specifying asking
prices corresponding to said proposed exchange of consumer
information; comparing said MBOs to said CPRs to determine if an
agreement can be reached for the sale of the selected good with an
incentive based upon said proposed exchange of consumer
information; and consummating said e-commerce transaction for the
sale of the selected good with said incentive if in said comparing
step it is determined that an agreement can be reached.
28. The machine readable storage of claim 27, said consummating
step further comprising: providing agreed upon e-commerce
transaction information to an e-commerce processing system for
processing said e-commerce transaction.
29. The machine readable storage of claim 27, said comparing step
further comprising: receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer
specifying an adjusted incentive.
30. The machine readable storage of claim 27, said comparing step
further comprising: receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer
specifying an adjusted asking price corresponding to said proposed
exchange of consumer information.
31. The machine readable storage of claim 27, said comparing step
further comprising: adjusting said incentive consistent with said
MBOs.
32. The machine readable storage of claim 27, said comparing step
further comprising: adjusting said asking price consistent with
said CPRs.
33. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said
incentive is selected from the group consisting of a discount, an
additional good, cash, and a cash equivalent.
34. The machine readable storage of claim 33, wherein said consumer
privacy rules further specify an acceptable incentive type for the
exchange of selected consumer information.
35. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said
comparing step is biased in favor of a merchant.
36. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said
comparing step is biased in favor of a consumer.
37. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer
program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine
for causing the machine to perform the steps of: identifying an
asking price for a selected good; retrieving from memory merchant
business objectives (MBOs), said MBOs specifying incentive
information corresponding to a proposed exchange of consumer
information; receiving consumer privacy rules (CPRs), said CPRs
specifying asking prices corresponding to said proposed exchange of
consumer information; comparing said MBOs to said CPRs to determine
if an agreement can be reached for the sale of the selected good
with an incentive based upon said proposed exchange of consumer
information; and consummating said e-commerce transaction for the
sale of the selected good with said incentive if in said comparing
step it is determined that an agreement can be reached.
38. The machine readable storage of claim 37, said consummating
step further comprising: providing agreed upon e-commerce
transaction information to an e-commerce processing system for
processing said e-commerce transaction.
39. The machine readable storage of claim 37, said comparing step
further comprising: receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer
specifying an adjusted incentive.
40. The machine readable storage of claim 37, said comparing step
further comprising: receiving a counter-offer, said counter-offer
specifying an adjusted asking price corresponding to said proposed
exchange of consumer information.
41. The machine readable storage of claim 38, said comparing step
further comprising: adjusting said incentive consistent with said
MBOs.
42. The machine readable storage of claim 38, said comparing step
further comprising: adjusting said asking price consistent with
said CPRs.
43. The machine readable storage of claim 38, wherein said
incentive is selected from the group consisting of a discount, an
additional good, cash, and a cash equivalent.
44. The machine readable storage of claim 43, wherein said consumer
privacy rules further specify an acceptable incentive type for the
exchange of selected consumer information.
45. The machine readable storage of claim 38, wherein said
comparing step is biased in favor of a merchant.
46. The machine readable storage of claim 38, wherein said
comparing step is biased in favor of a consumer.
47. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer
program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine
for causing the machine to perform the steps of: identifying an
item of consumer information desired by a merchant; specifying at
least one incentive for said item of consumer information to be
offered to a consumer in exchange for said item of consumer
information; and storing an indication of said item of consumer
information and said corresponding incentive in a data store.
48. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer
program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine
for causing the machine to perform the steps of: identifying an
item of consumer information which a consumer will provide to a
merchant; specifying at least one incentive for said item of
consumer information in exchange for which said consumer will
provide said item of consumer information to a merchant; and
storing said item of consumer information and said minimum
incentive in a data store.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] This invention relates to the field of electronic commerce,
and more particularly, to negotiating the exchange of consumer
information with a merchant.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] The buying and selling of goods and services over the
Internet, commonly referred to as electronic commerce (e-commerce)
has continued to experience rapid growth as an industry. In the
face of ever increasing competition, some have tried to gain a
competitive advantage by modeling e-commerce transactions after
typical human interactions. This business strategy can attract
consumers by providing them with a method of attaining a favorable
price rather than paying a single fixed price. One such example is
the on-line auction format. Another example is U.S. Pat. No.
6,035,288 to Robert S. Solomon (the '288 patent). The '288 patent
provides a method and system which patterns an electronic
transaction after conventional merchant and consumer haggling in a
bazaar-like atmosphere. By successfully haggling with the merchant
and gauging the merchant's emotional state, the consumer can
negotiate a favorable price for a particular good or service. In
dealing with the consumer, however, the merchant can rely upon past
dealings with the consumer as well as solicited consumer
information to formulate suitable counter-offers. Though the
aforementioned systems allow consumers to deal for a favorable
product price, still, consumers are limited to making monetary
counter-offers. The consumers cannot offer the merchant anything of
value other than money.
[0005] Another important business strategy relating to e-commerce
is the acquisition of consumer information. The acquisition of
consumer information allows merchants to significantly increase
sales through targeted advertising and other sales techniques such
as cross-selling, up-selling, and data mining. Consequently, many
merchants generally have tried to obtain increasingly larger
amounts of consumer information. In fact, the sale of consumer
information has evolved into an industry in and of itself. The one
party that actually owns this information, however, namely the
consumer, is routinely excluded from participating in the sale of
this information. Moreover, consumers have little control over the
proliferation of their own information.
[0006] Many consumers have become increasingly sensitive to the
proliferation of private information, especially over the Internet.
While consumers can be willing to provide particular information
such as a name, address, and credit card information necessary to
complete a financial transaction, the giving of other private
information such as one's salary, insurance, or other personal
financial information is generally viewed as being non-essential to
the completion of a financial transaction. Oftentimes, the mere
inquiry into such private information can be viewed as an invasion
of privacy which can alienate the consumer from the merchant.
Accordingly, many consumers do not wish to disclose private
information.
[0007] Many e-commerce sites, however, not only ask consumers for
private information, but can predicate a transaction upon receiving
that information. In consequence, merchants can lose a sale by
demanding private consumer information for a given transaction.
Additionally, if merchants persist in asking for sensitive consumer
information, or if the consumers are uneasy about the manner in
which the merchant uses acquired information, the consumer can
develop a distrust for the merchant and cease to visit the
e-commerce Web site.
[0008] Some aspects of consumer privacy relating to e-commerce have
been addressed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C has
developed the Platform for Privacy Preferences 1.0 (P3P1.0)
Specification, which is available at
<http://www.w3.org/TR/P3P/>. The P3P1.0 Specification
specifies an automated way in which users can gain more control
over the use of personal information by the Web sites that they
visit. Generally, P3P standardizes particular aspects of a privacy
policy of a Web site. A P3P enabled Web site can provide the
privacy policy information to a P3P enabled browser. Consequently,
the consumer can choose whether to interact with the Web site based
upon the published privacy policy. This implementation, however,
does not provide the consumer with an ability to negotiate or
otherwise alter the terms of the privacy policy of the Web
site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The invention concerns a method and system for automatically
negotiating the exchange of consumer information between a merchant
and a consumer during an electronic commerce (e-commerce)
transaction. In particular, during a potential e-commerce
transaction for the purchase of a good, which can include a good or
a service, the consumer and the merchant can modify the terms of
the transaction based upon an agreed upon exchange of private
consumer information items. In accordance with the inventive
arrangements disclosed herein, a consumer can specify items of
private consumer information which can be distributed to merchants,
in addition to assigning valuations to those items of
information.
[0010] The merchant can specify a series of rules comprising a
privacy policy and business objectives which can include particular
items of consumer information that the merchant desires.
Additionally, the merchant can specify various incentives to be
offered to the consumer in exchange for private consumer
information during a transaction. Accordingly, based upon the
identity of the consumer, the good identified for purchase, the
merchant objectives, and any other information previously known
about the consumer, the merchant can offer an incentive such as a
discount, money or other cash equivalent, as well as additional
goods to the consumer in exchange for the particular items of
consumer information. In consequence, a back-and-forth negotiation
can ensue. The invention disclosed herein, provides an automated
and a semi-automated method and a system for negotiating this
transaction.
[0011] One aspect of the present invention can be a method of
negotiating an e-commerce transaction for the sale of a selected
good. The method can include identifying an asking price for the
selected good and retrieving from memory merchant business
objectives (MBOs) and consumer privacy rules (CPRs). The MBOs can
specify incentive information corresponding to a proposed exchange
of consumer information; and the CPRs can specify asking prices
corresponding to the proposed exchange of consumer information.
Alternatively, the CPRs can be received as an input from the user.
Regardless, the MBOs can be compared with the CPRs to determine if
an agreement can be reached for the sale of the selected good with
an incentive based upon the proposed exchange of consumer
information. Notably, the incentive can be a discount, an
additional good, cash, or a cash equivalent. The CPRs can specify
an acceptable incentive type for the selected good.
[0012] The comparing step can include receiving a counter-offer
wherein the counter-offer can specify an adjusted incentive or an
adjusted asking price corresponding to the proposed exchange of
consumer information. Still, the comparing step can include
adjusting the incentive consistent with the MBOs or adjusting the
asking price consistent with the CPRs. It should be appreciated
that the comparing step can be biased in favor of a consumer or a
merchant. The e-commerce transaction for the sale of the selected
good with an incentive can be consummated if in the comparing step
it is determined that an agreement can be reached. The agreed upon
transaction information can be provided to an e-commerce processing
system for processing the e-commerce transaction.
[0013] Another aspect of the invention can include a method of
configuring MBOs. The method can include identifying an item of
consumer information desired by a merchant and specifying at least
one incentive for the item of consumer information. The incentive
can be offered to a consumer in exchange for the item of consumer
information. An indication of the item of consumer information and
the corresponding incentive can be stored in a data store.
[0014] Another aspect of the invention can include a method of
configuring CPRs. The method can include identifying an item of
consumer information which a consumer will provide to a merchant
and specifying at least one incentive for the item of consumer
information in exchange for which the consumer will provide the
item of consumer information to a merchant. The item of consumer
information and the minimum incentive can be stored in a data
store.
[0015] Another aspect of the invention can include a privacy
negotiation system for negotiating an electronic commerce
transaction involving a transfer of selected consumer information
items. The system can include a merchant objectives data store
comprising rules for offering incentives to a consumer during the
electronic commerce transaction. The incentives can be conditioned
upon the transfer of the selected consumer information items from
the consumer to a merchant. A negotiation engine can be included.
The negotiation engine can be communicatively linked to the
merchant objectives data store wherein the negotiation engine can
mediate between the merchant and the consumer to conclude the
electronic commerce transaction. Also, a merchant agent for
negotiating the electronic commerce transaction on behalf of the
merchant can be included. The merchant agent can communicate with
the negotiation engine and the merchant objectives data store.
[0016] The system further can include a consumer privacy rules data
store comprising rules for disclosing the selected consumer
information items. The consumer privacy rules data store can
include selected consumer information items. A consumer agent for
negotiating the electronic commerce transaction on behalf of the
consumer also can be included. The consumer agent can communicate
with the negotiation engine and the consumer privacy rules data
store. Still, the system can include a transaction processing
system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] There are shown in the drawings embodiments which are
presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the
invention is not so limited to the precise arrangements and
instrumentalities shown.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of an exemplary system
for use with the invention disclosed herein.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary
privacy negotiation system.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary
privacy negotiation system.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for
negotiating the exchange of private consumer information.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] The invention concerns a method and system for negotiating
an exchange of consumer information between a merchant and a
consumer during an electronic commerce (e-commerce) transaction.
For example, during an e-commerce transaction concerning the sale
of a good, the merchant and consumer can negotiate modified terms
for the transaction predicated upon an agreed upon exchange of
private consumer information items. The term goods, as used herein,
can refer to both goods and services.
[0023] In accordance with the inventive arrangements disclosed
herein, both merchants and consumers can specify a series of rules
comprising a privacy policy. The consumer can specify which
consumer information can be freely distributed to a merchant. Also,
the consumer can determine privacy rules for disclosing sensitive
or private information to the merchant. For example, though a name,
address, and credit card can be freely given during an e-commerce
transaction, the consumer can specify that other more personal
information is not to be transferred to the merchant unless the
merchant provides compensation of at least a particular value. By
comparison, the merchant objectives can specify the value of
particular items of consumer information. For example, the merchant
can specify goods, discounts, cash, or other cash equivalents which
can be offered as incentives in exchange for particular consumer
information items.
[0024] During the e-commerce transaction, the merchant and the
consumer can negotiate a mutually satisfactory transaction through
the use of intelligent agents which can negotiate through a
facilitator. The transaction can include an exchange of goods for
an incentive such as a discounted price. For example, the
discounted price can be based upon the type of private consumer
information provided by the consumer to the merchant. If an
agreement is reached, the transaction terms and conditions can be
forwarded to an e-commerce processing system. If no agreement is
reached, the merchant and the consumer can be so informed.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of an exemplary system
including servers 110 and 120, a consumer computer system 130, and
a merchant computer system 140, each communicatively linked through
a computer communications network 100. For example, the computer
communications network 100 can be the Internet where communication
can be facilitated using TCP/IP, HTTP, and FTP protocols, each well
known in the art. Alternatively, communication can be facilitated
through direct network access, a local area network, a wide area
network, an Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) connection,
or a series of direct dial up connections initiated by the merchant
and consumer computer systems 130 and 140 respectively. Any
suitable method of connecting computers in a computer
communications network can be used as well as any suitable network
protocol for information exchange such as electronic data
interchange (EDI) as is commonly used in business applications.
[0026] Server 110 can include an privacy negotiation system 200 and
server 120 can include an e-commerce storefront 260 (e-commerce
site). Servers 110 and 120 can be application servers, commerce
servers, database servers, or any other server that can operate on
the Internet. The e-commerce site 260 can be a Web site for
example, configured to sell items or otherwise conduct commerce via
the Internet. Using consumer computer system 130, a consumer can
visit the e-commerce site 260 via the Internet to purchase items
being offered for sale, as well as interact with the privacy
negotiation system 200 to specify consumer privacy rules and
conditions for the exchange of consumer information items. The
merchant computer system 140 can be used by a merchant to access
the e-commerce site 260 as well as the privacy negotiation system
200 to perform administrative functions such as administering
merchant business objectives and privacy policies.
[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of
the invention including the privacy negotiation system 200 in
conjunction with the e-commerce site 260 of FIG. 1. Although the
components of FIG. 2 can be distributed across multiple computer
systems within a computer network, the privacy negotiation system
200 and the e-commerce site 260 can be located within a single
computer system. The merchant computer system 140 (not shown) and
the consumer computer system 130 can communicate with both the
privacy negotiation system 200 as well as the e-commerce site 260.
The privacy negotiation system 200 and the e-commerce site 260 can
include suitable security protocols preventing unauthorized access
to the computer systems. For example, the merchant can be provided
secure access to the privacy negotiation system 200 and the
e-commerce site 260 for administering merchant data, while the
consumer can be provided secure access to the privacy negotiation
system 200 for administering consumer data. The computer
communications network has been omitted from FIG. 2 for purposes of
illustration only.
[0028] The e-commerce site 260, similar to a conventional
e-commerce Web site, can be programmed with a product data store,
an electronic shopping cart or other method of selecting items for
purchase, as well as the necessary functionality for processing
financial transactions. The privacy negotiation system 200 can
include a negotiation engine (NE) 210, a consumer privacy rules
data store 220, a merchant business objectives data store 230, as
well as a consumer agent 250 and a merchant agent 240. The consumer
privacy rules data store 220 can include a plurality of rules and
conditions specifying consumer privacy preferences. These rules can
prioritize consumer information such as the consumer's name,
address, credit card information or other financial account
information, as well as demographic data including family
information and household income according to user designated
sensitivity or privacy levels. Thus, the consumer can prioritize
and classify items of consumer information from the minimal items
of consumer information required for the completion of a financial
transaction up to the most sensitive or most private items of
consumer information.
[0029] The consumer privacy rules data store 220 further can
include rules specifying the conditions, if any, upon which
consumer information designated as sensitive can be provided to a
merchant. Such conditions can establish the minimum compensation
amount necessary for providing sensitive items of consumer
information to the merchant on a per item basis. As mentioned, the
compensation can be provided to the consumer in the form of goods,
discounts, cash, or other cash equivalents. For example, the rules
can specify a minimal valuation which can be specified in dollars
in exchange for which the consumer will agree to provide a
particular item of consumer information such as the consumer's
annual income. The rules further can specify whether the minimum
can be met with goods, discounts, cash, or other cash equivalents
which can be greater than or equal to the specified valuation. The
rules also can specify that particular items are not to be provided
to a merchant under any circumstances.
[0030] The merchant business objectives data store 230 can include
a plurality of rules specifying business objectives and the privacy
policy of the merchant. The merchant business objectives data store
230 can include rules defining required consumer information on a
per transaction basis, in addition to specifying required consumer
information for the purchase of a particular good or service.
Additionally, the rules can specify incentives such as goods,
discounts, cash, or other cash equivalents which the merchant is
willing to provide the consumer in exchange for particular items of
consumer information. The merchant can designate particular stocked
items which the merchant can use for negotiating the exchange of
consumer information. For example, the merchant can require a name,
address, and credit card information for processing a transaction.
The rules can specify that additional information such as the
consumer's annual income is worth approximately $5.00. Accordingly,
should the consumer provide that item of information, the merchant
objectives can provide for a $5.00 discount, a good valued at
approximately $5.00, or provide cash or a cash equivalent.
[0031] The invention also can include an optional consumer agent
250. The consumer agent 250 can be a conventional intelligent agent
or bot, as is known in the art. The consumer agent 250 can be a
program that can regularly gather information and perform a service
without immediate supervision by the consumer. Specifically, the
consumer agent 250 can access and utilize previously provided
information, such as the information stored within the consumer
privacy rules data store 220, to negotiate with the merchant
through the negotiation engine. Also, past purchase behavior can be
recorded by the consumer agent 250. The consumer agent 250 can be
programmed to accept, reject, or make counter-offers regarding
merchant offers of incentives consistent with consumer specified
rules.
[0032] In one embodiment of the present invention, in addition to
serving as an advocate for the consumer, the consumer agent 250 can
provide the consumer with an interface for accessing the privacy
negotiation system 200. In particular, the consumer agent 250 can
enable the consumer to administer and update the rules contained
within the consumer privacy rules data store 220. The invention,
however, is not limited in this regard and can include a separate
interface component (not shown) for providing the consumer access
to the privacy negotiation system 200. For example, the user can
access the consumer privacy rules data store 220 via a Web page
interface to a server side program for administering the consumer
privacy rules.
[0033] The merchant agent 240 is similar to the consumer agent 250,
with the exception that the merchant agent 240 acts as an advocate
for the merchant and can provide the merchant with an interface to
the merchant business objectives data store 230. Similar to the
above-mentioned description, the privacy negotiation system 200 can
include a separate interface component for providing the merchant
access to the merchant business objectives data store 230 for
performing administrative functions and updating the data
store.
[0034] While the consumer agent 250 and the merchant agent 240 are
depicted as separate programs existing within the privacy
negotiation system 200, those skilled in the art will appreciate
that due to the autonomous nature of agents, the consumer agent 250
and the merchant agent 240 can be located at any of a variety of
locations within the computer communications network. For example,
the agents can exist within a proxy server, the privacy negotiation
system 200, or another location on the computer communications
network. The merchant agent 240 can be located within the
e-commerce site 260 or the merchant computer system. The consumer
agent 250 can be located within the consumer's Internet service
provider or within the consumer computer system. Similarly, it
should be appreciated that although the privacy negotiation system
200 and the e-commerce site 260 are shown as separate systems
located within separate servers, the two systems can be combined
into a single larger, more complex system.
[0035] The NE 210 can be programmed to communicate with the
consumer agent 250 and the merchant agent 240. In particular, the
NE 210 can mediate between the two agents to automate the
negotiation process between the consumer and the merchant. The NE
210 can analyze the consumer privacy conditions and rules via the
consumer agent 250 as well as the merchant business objectives and
policies via the merchant agent 240 to determine whether a
transaction can be performed. If so, the NE 210 can determine the
terms and conditions of that transaction based upon the rules and
policies accessed via the consumer and merchant agents. Notably, in
the case wherein the agents do not provide interface functionality
to the privacy negotiation system 200, the NE 210 can include such
functionality.
[0036] Though the NE 210 can be a neutral mediator between the
consumer and the merchant, in another embodiment of the invention,
the NE 210 can be programmed with a bias towards either the
merchant or the consumer. For example, the party installing the
privacy negotiation system can bias the system towards that party's
objectives. Thus, if the privacy negotiation system was installed
by a consortium of merchants, the privacy negotiation system can be
biased in favor or the merchants.
[0037] In operation, a consumer using consumer computer system 130
can visit the e-commerce site 260. The consumer can decide to
purchase one or more items. Accordingly, during the consumer's
shopping experience, during check-out, or in response to a
check-out request, the merchant and the consumer can be logged
into, or otherwise be identified by the privacy negotiation system
200. Having identified the each party, reference can be made to the
consumer privacy rules data store 220 as well as the merchant
business objectives data store 230. The NE 210 can consult the two
data stores to determine whether additional consumer information
can be provided to the merchant as well as the cost of such
consumer information. For example, the consumer can be enticed with
a discount or the offering of a particular merchant designated
good. Similarly, the consumer can demand a particular item in
return for which the consumer can provide the merchant with
additional consumer information. Still, the merchant can waive
certain information requirements if the consumer purchases a
minimum amount of goods.
[0038] After analyzing the preferences of both the merchant and the
consumer, the NE 210 can determine whether a transaction can be
completed. If so, the NE 210 can provide the finalized transaction
terms and conditions to a financial transaction processing system.
If not, the NE 210 can notify the parties that no agreement was
reached.
[0039] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating another
embodiment of the privacy negotiation system 200 of FIG. 1. As
shown in FIG. 3, the privacy negotiation system 200 can include a
merchant business objectives data store 230, an NE 210, and a
merchant agent 240. In this embodiment, the privacy negotiation
system 200 can exclude the consumer agent and the consumer privacy
rules data store. The embodiment disclosed in FIG. 3 functions
substantially the same as the embodiment of FIG. 2, with the
exception that the consumer can interact directly with the NE 210.
Accordingly, the consumer can specify the terms and conditions of
the transaction as well as provide consumer information via
keyboard or voice interactions. Thus, the consumer can negotiate
the transaction and decide upon which consumer information items to
provide to the merchant in exchange for particular incentives.
Notably, the NE 210 can be configured to interact directly with the
consumer rather than through a consumer agent.
[0040] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of
negotiating the exchange of private consumer information between a
merchant and a consumer using the negotiation system of FIG. 2. The
method can begin in a state wherein the consumer has specified
rules within the consumer privacy rules data store. Additionally,
the merchant also can have specified one or more rules in the
merchant business objectives data store. The consumer can visit an
e-commerce storefront and can identify one or more goods to be
purchased.
[0041] In step 400, the negotiation system can identify the parties
involved in the potential transaction. For example, the consumer
can be identified through conventional methods known in the art
such as a login process or through the use of identifiers placed on
the consumer's system such as cookies. If the negotiation system
functions as a component of the e-commerce site, the merchant
automatically can be identified. In an alternative embodiment,
wherein the negotiation system functions as a third-party system,
the merchant can initiate communications with the negotiation
system through a login process. In that case, the e-commerce
storefront can provide the negotiation system with consumer
information as well as the transaction information such as the
particular goods the consumer has identified for purchase.
[0042] In step 410, the consumer rules can be accessed from the
consumer privacy rules data store. For example, after having
identified the parties and proposed transaction, the consumer agent
can consult the consumer rules to determine whether the proposed
transaction and any other incentives are consistent with the
consumer specified privacy rules.
[0043] In step 420, the merchant objectives can be accessed from
the merchant business objectives and policies data store. For
example, the merchant agent can consult the merchant objectives to
determine which incentives to offer the consumer based upon desired
consumer information, the consumer's identity, as well as the
subject goods of the transaction.
[0044] In step 430, through the negotiation engine, the parties can
negotiate a transaction through their respective agents. For
example, the consumer agent can be programmed to begin asking for
incentives with monetary values at the upper limit of the range
specified in the consumer privacy rules. In contrast, the merchant
agent can be programmed to begin offering incentives with a
valuation at the lower limit of the merchant specified objectives.
Through the negotiation engine, the agents can barter back and
forth to determine whether an agreement can be reached.
[0045] It should be appreciated that the merchant objectives data
store can be expanded to include information about prior
transactions involving the consumer. Accordingly, the merchant
objectives can be configured to favor frequent consumers. Also, the
merchant objectives can be configured to disfavor, or provide less
favorable transaction terms to consumers with poor payment
histories or credit histories.
[0046] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the consumer
can deal directly with the merchant through the negotiation engine
without a consumer agent. In that case, the consumer can provide
responses to the negotiation engine directly. For example, the
consumer can type, speak, or respond to graphically presented
prompts and controls to accept, reject, or make counter-offers to
the merchant. Notably, the consumer can interact directly with the
negotiation engine or via the e-commerce site wherein the consumer
responses can be provided to the negotiation engine. In either
case, however, due to the exclusion of the consumer agent, this
embodiment of the invention need not include a consumer privacy
rules data store. Because the consumer can interact with the
negotiation system on his own behalf, and therefore, specify which
terms are or are not acceptable, the consumer privacy rules data
store need not be included. It should be appreciated however, that
some types of consumer information can be stored. For example, past
transactions with the consumer as well as previously acquired
consumer demographic information can be stored on the merchant side
of the negotiation system to aid the merchant agent in responding,
accepting, rejecting, or making counter-offers to the consumer.
[0047] In step 440, a conclusion to the transaction can be reached.
Specifically, as a result of the negotiations between the consumer
and the merchant, the parties can determine that either the
proposed transaction can continue and be processed, or that no
agreement was reached. Consequently, in step 450, based upon the
conclusion, a further determination can be made whether to continue
with the transaction. If so, the method can continue to step 470.
If not, the method can continue to step 460.
[0048] In step 460, the parties can be notified that no agreement
was reached. After completion of step 460, the method can end. The
method, however, can be repeated as necessary for other proposed
transactions between different parties or between the same parties
concerning a different proposed transaction.
[0049] In step 470, a determination has been made to proceed with
the proposed transaction. In that case, the negotiated terms of the
proposed transaction can be provided to a financial processing
system to complete the transaction. After completion of step 470,
the method can end. As mentioned, the method can be repeated as
necessary for subsequent parties or transactions.
[0050] The present invention can be realized in hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software. A method and system in
accordance with the inventive arrangements disclosed herein can be
realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system, or in a
distributed fashion where different elements are spread across
several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer
system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods
described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and
software can be a general purpose computer system with a computer
program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer
system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The
present invention also can be embedded in a computer program
product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
[0051] Computer program in the present context means any
expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of
instructions intended to cause a system having an information
processing capability to perform a particular function either
directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to
another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different
material form.
* * * * *
References