Methods, devices, or applications for accessing a service provided over the internet for connecting to another user or device, the service data mines transactions and information of its user

Abstract

Anonymous voice communication between a first station and a second station is facilitated by providing an interface that allows input of a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations. A reference code associated with the transaction is generated, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and the address of the second station for voice communication. The reference code is supplied to the first station, and a voice communication request and the reference code are received from the first station. The reference code is used to recover said address and a channel for voice communication is opened between said first and second stations. Voice communication can thereby be established between the first and second stations without providing the address of the second station to the first station. Client (e.g., a device, a station, or an application) for accessing an Internet-based service that data mines user information is herein disclosed and enabled. The service may facilitate a user of the client connecting to other users over the Internet. Data obtained from each transaction submitted through the service are data mined. The collected or obtained data may include private data, interests, intellectual property, and the like. The client may (1) provide, to the user, a proposed transaction specifying a transaction between the user and another user, which is based, at least in part, on data mining the user's history of transactions; (2) provide a reference code to the user related to the proposed transaction; and (3) receive a communication request from the user employing the reference code. The reference code may include text, image(s), video(s), audio, or communication link(s), and the proposed transaction may include an advertisement.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of facilitating anonymous communication between a first station and a second station, the second station having an address for communication, and each station being enabled to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the method comprising:
 providing a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations,   generating a reference code in response to the transaction specification, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and said address,   supplying the reference code to at least the first station,   receiving a communication request from the first station,   receiving the reference code from the first station,   using the reference code to recover said address, and   opening a channel for communication between said first and second stations,   whereby anonymous communication can be established between the first and second stations without providing said address to the first station.   
     
     
       2. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said address specifies a node on a circuit switched network. 
     
     
       3. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said address specifies a node on a packet switched network. 
     
     
       4. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said address specifies a node on a packet switched network, including Voice over IP. 
     
     
       5. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing the transaction specification includes inputting said transaction specification through a packet data network. 
     
     
       6. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein there is a first party at the first station and a second party at the second station, and the step of providing the transaction specification includes the first party posting an inquiry, the second party posting a response, and the first party accepting or rejection the response. 
     
     
       7. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing the transaction specification includes providing an interface that allows negotiation between parties at the first and second stations respectively regarding the transaction specification. 
     
     
       8. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing the transaction specification includes inputting said transaction specification through a packet data network, including one of wired or wireless Internet. 
     
     
       9. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising generating a connection instruction based on the transaction specification. 
     
     
       10. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising generating the reference code based on a connection instruction. 
     
     
       11. A method according to  claim 1 , including storing a database of user profiles including said address. 
     
     
       12. A method according to  claim 1 , including supplying the reference code to the first station over a packet data network. 
     
     
       13. A method according to  claim 1 , including supplying the reference code to the first station over a circuit switched network. 
     
     
       14. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising storing the reference code until after the transaction has been completed and then erasing the reference code. 
     
     
       15. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising supplying the reference code to both the first station and the second station. 
     
     
       16. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising connecting the first station and second station for voice communication over a circuit switched network. 
     
     
       17. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising connecting the first station and second station for voice communication over a packet data network. 
     
     
       18. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising connecting the first station and second station for voice communication through voice over IP. 
     
     
       19. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising verifying the communication request against at least one criterion specified in the transaction specification before opening the channel for communication. 
     
     
       20. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising rejecting the communication request if at least one criterion specified in the transaction specification is not satisfied. 
     
     
       21. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein there is a party at the second station and the method comprises verifying the identity of the party at the second station before opening the channel for communication. 
     
     
       22. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises generating a communication record including data regarding the transaction, including at least one of start time, end time, reference code, duration of communication, fee information, and billing information. 
     
     
       23. A method according to  claim 22 , wherein first and second identities are associated with the first and second stations respectively and the communication record includes at least one of the first identity and the second identity. 
     
     
       24. A method according to  claim 1 , comprising issuing a prompt to the first station to enter the reference code. 
     
     
       25. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein there is a first party at the first station and a second party at the second station, the first party is a purchaser of information and the second party is a seller of information, and the method comprises negotiating the transaction specification. 
     
     
       26. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein there is a first party at the first station and the method includes the first party initiating a request for communication. 
     
     
       27. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of supplying the transaction specification includes specifying a time or time interval for the communication request and the method includes determining whether the communication request is received from the first station at the specified time or time interval. 
     
     
       28. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of opening a communication channel includes attempting to establish a connection between the first and second stations, testing whether a connection is established, and, if not, scheduling a time for another attempt. 
     
     
       29. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises receiving from the second station specified times or time intervals at which a party is available at the second station for communication. 
     
     
       30. A method of establishing anonymous communication between a first station and a second station, the second station having an address for communication, and each station being enabled to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the method comprising:
 supplying a transaction specification as packet data over the packet data network from at least one of the first and second stations to a controller,   generating a reference code in response to the transaction specification at the controller, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and said address,   supplying the reference code from the controller to at least the first station,   making a communication request from the first station to so the controller,   supplying the reference code from the first station to the controller,   using the controller to recover said address from the reference code, and   opening a channel for communication between said first and second stations.   
     
     
       31. A method according to  claim 30 , wherein the method comprises making the communication request automatically by the first station contacting the controller unit. 
     
     
       32. A method according to  claim 30 , wherein there is a first party at the first station, and the method comprises making the communication request by the first party contacting the controller. 
     
     
       33. An apparatus for facilitating anonymous communication between a first party and a second party employing first and second stations respectively, each station being enabled to transmit and receive packet data and being connected directly to a packet data network, the second party having an address for communication, including
 a means for enabling negotiation of a transaction specification over the packet data network,   a means for generating a reference code, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and said address, and for supplying the reference code to at least the first party, a means for receiving a communication request from at least the first party and for receiving the reference code from at least the first party,   a means for using the reference code to recover said address, and   a means for opening a communication channel between said first party and said address without supplying said address to the first party.   
     
     
       34. An apparatus according to  33 , wherein the means for opening a communication channel includes a means to test whether a connection is established. 
     
     
       35. An apparatus according to  33 , further comprising means to verify the communication request against at least one criterion specified in the transaction specification before opening a communication channel between the first party and said address. 
     
     
       36. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the anonymous communication is voice communication being one of telephone, cellular and voice-over Internet protocol communication. 
     
     
       37. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the anonymous communication is data communication being one of email, chat, messaging and web publishing. 
     
     
       38. A method of connecting a first party, at a first station, with a second party, at a second station, over the Internet, each station being Internet enabled for connecting to the Internet and for accessing at least part of a controller operated, at least partly, over the Internet, the method comprising:
 receiving, at the first station from the controller, a request to verify identity of the first party or the first station;   transmitting the identity of the first party or the first station from the first station to the controller;   receiving, at the first station, from the controller and over the Internet, a reference code generated by the controller, the reference code being associated with a proposed first party transaction specification and having a relationship with the second party, the proposed first party transaction specification being created by the controller by employing, at least in part, data mined information on the first party collected by the controller, the data mined information collected by the controller being from a history of transactions involving one or more transactions, associated with the first party, over the Internet, and the proposed first party transaction specification specifying one or more of product information, service information, intellectual property information, content information, qualification information, interest information, or characteristic information, individually or in any combination, related to a proposed transaction between the first party and the second party, the receiving of the reference code, at the first station, is based on having transmitted the identity of the first party or the first station from the first station to the controller;   transmitting, from the first station to the controller, a connection request over the Internet from the first party at the first station for connecting to the second party at the second station, the connection request employing, at least in part, the reference code previously received from the controller; and   establishing a connection from the first station to the second station over the Internet, the establishing of the connection being subsequent to having transmitted the connection request from the first station to the controller,   wherein a connection between the first party and the second party over the Internet is made without requiring the first party, at the first station, to create the proposed first party transaction specification, specifying a transaction between the first party and the second party, and wherein the proposed first party transaction specification that is created by the controller and specifies a transaction between the first party and the second party, is not created by the first party at the first station and is not created by the second party at the second station.   
     
     
       39. The method according to claim 38, in which the reference code includes one or more letters, numbers, or symbols, individually or in any combination, and the reference code further includes one or more of an image, a graphic, or a video, individually or in any combination; and wherein the first station includes an interface display screen; and wherein the method further comprises displaying, at the interface display screen of the first station, the reference code received, from the controller, over the Internet. 
     
     
       40. The method according to claim 39, in which the first station includes one or more of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an Internet appliance, or a smart phone, individually or in any combination. 
     
     
       41. The method according to claim 40, in which the first station includes at least part of a software program for connecting to a service provided, at least in part, by the controller over the Internet, and wherein each station is further enabled to transmit and receive packet data and is connected directly to a packet data network. 
     
     
       42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the method further comprises:
 obtaining, at the first station, an initial transaction specification from the first party specifying at least one parameter related to the proposed transaction between the first party and the second party over the Internet;   receiving, at the first station and from the controller, the reference code, wherein the reference code is associated, at least in part, with the proposed first party transaction specification, and wherein the proposed first party transaction specification matches, at least partly, the at least one parameter specified in the initial transaction specification; and   displaying, at least part of, the reference code visually at the interface display screen included in the first station.   
     
     
       43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising:
 obtaining, by a software program and via a hardware component at the first station and from the first party, an indication of elect in or elect out of a suggestion by the controller; and   receiving, by the first station and from the controller, a suggestion for connecting with the second party, the receiving of the suggestion from the controller is based on the software program having obtained the indication of elect in from the first party, and   wherein the suggestion, received from the controller at the first station, is based, at least in part, on the controller having matched the data mined information related to the first party with one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party.   
     
     
       44. The method according to claim 43, wherein, subsequent to obtaining the indication of elect in of the suggestion at the first station, the method further comprises:
 receiving, at the first station, from the controller and over the Internet, the reference code generated by the controller, the reference code having a relationship with the second party, and wherein the data mined information on the first party, which is collected by the controller, matches the one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party.   
     
     
       45. An Internet-enabled device for connecting a first party with a second party over the Internet, the second party operating a second station that is Internet enabled for connecting to the Internet, the Internet-enabled device having a connection to the Internet for accessing at least part of a controller operating, at least partly, as a service over the Internet, the Internet-enabled device including:
 at least one processor configured to execute a software program to:
 receive, at the Internet-enabled device, at least part of a proposed first party transaction specification from the controller, the proposed first party transaction specification being created by the controller is based, at least in part, on data mined information collected on the first party by the controller from a history of transactions involving one or more transactions associated with the first party over the Internet, and the proposed first party transaction specification includes one or more of product information, service information, intellectual property information, content information, qualification information, interest information, or characteristic information, individually or in any combination, related to the second party; 
 receive, at the Internet-enabled device, a reference code from the controller, the reference code being associated with the proposed first party transaction specification and having a relationship to the second party; 
 implement, at the Internet-enabled device, a connection request for connecting to the second party at the second station, the implementation of the connection request employing, at least in part, the reference code received from the controller at the Internet-enabled device; 
 transmit, from the Internet-enabled device to the controller, the connection request for connecting to the second party over the Internet; and 
 establish, a connection from the Internet-enabled device to the second station over the Internet based, at least in part, on having transmitted the connection request from the Internet-enabled device to the controller; and 
   a display screen, at the Internet-enabled device, configured to visually display the reference code received from the controller; and   wherein a connection between the first party and the second party over the Internet is made without requiring the first party, at the Internet-enabled device, to provide a transaction specification specifying a transaction with the second party via the Internet-enabled device prior to the controller supplying the reference code to the first party at the Internet-enabled device.   
     
     
       46. The Internet-enabled device according to claim 45 in which the reference code includes one or more of an image, a graphic, or a video, individually or in any combination. 
     
     
       47. The Internet-enabled device according to claim 45 in which the Internet-enabled device includes a smart phone or an Internet appliance, individually or in any combination. 
     
     
       48. The Internet-enabled device according to claim 45 in which the Internet-enabled device includes at least part of a software program for connecting to the service over the Internet, and wherein the second station and the Internet-enabled device are further enabled to transmit and receive packet data and are connected directly to a packet data network. 
     
     
       49. The Internet-enabled device according to claim 48, in which the Internet-enabled device further includes at least part of a software program executable by the at least one processor to:
 obtain, via a hardware component included in the Internet-enabled device and from the first party, an indication of elect in or elect out of a suggestion to be provided by the controller; and   receive, by the Internet-enabled device and from the controller, a suggestion, for connecting with the second party, the receiving of the suggestion from the controller is based on the software program having obtained the indication of elect in from the first party, and   wherein the suggestion, received from the controller, is based, at least in part, on the controller having matched the data mined information related to the first party with one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party.   
     
     
       50. The Internet-enabled device according to claim to claim 49, wherein, subsequent to obtaining the indication of elect in of the suggestion at the Internet-enabled device, the software program is further executable by the at least one processor to:
 receive, at the Internet-enabled device, from the controller and over the Internet, the reference code generated by the controller, the reference code having a relationship to the second party, and wherein the data mined information on the first party, which is collected by the controller, matches the one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party.   
     
     
       51. The Internet-enabled device according to claim 48 in which the Internet-enabled device further includes at least part of a software program executable by the at least one processor to:
 receive, at the Internet-enabled device and from the controller, a request to verify identity of the first party or the Internet-enabled device; and   transmit the identity of the first party or the Internet-enabled device from the Internet-enabled device to the controller; and   wherein the proposed first party transaction specification being created by the controller is further based, at least in part, on data mined information collected on the second party by the controller from a history of transactions involving one or more transactions associated with the second party over the Internet.    
     
     
       52. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium containing a software program executable by at least one processor for connecting a first party with a second party over the Internet, the first party and the second party operating a first station and a second station, respectively, each station being at least an Internet-enabled device with Internet connection for accessing at least part of a controller operating, at least partly, as a service over the Internet, the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the following at the first station:
 verify the identity of the first party operating the first station for connection to the service;   receive a reference code from the controller, the reference code being associated with a proposed first party transaction specification and having a relationship to the second party, the proposed first party transaction specification being created by the controller by employing, at least in part, data mined information collected by the controller on the first party from a history of transactions involving one or more transactions associated with the first party over the Internet, the proposed first party transaction specification specifying at least a proposed transaction between the first party and the second party and including one or more of product information, service information, intellectual property information, content information, interest information, qualification information, or characteristic information, individually or in any combination, related to the second party;   visually display the received reference code over a display screen at the first station;   transmit a connection request from the first station to the controller for connecting to the second party over the Internet, the connection request from the first station employing, at least in part, the received reference code; and   establish, a connection from the first station to the second station over the Internet based, at least in part, on having transmitted the connection request from the first station to the controller, and   wherein a connection between the first party and the second party is made over the Internet without requiring the first party at the first station to create the proposed first party transaction specification specifying at least a proposed transaction between the first party and the second party.   
     
     
       53. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 52, wherein the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the following at the first station:
 obtain an initial transaction specification from the first party specifying at least one parameter associated with a proposed transaction; and   subsequent to having obtained the initial transaction specification from the first party, receive the reference code from the controller, the reference code being associated with the proposed first party transaction specification and having a relationship to the second party, wherein the proposed first party transaction specification further matches, at least partly, the at least one parameter specified in the initial transaction specification.   
     
     
       54. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 52, wherein the reference code includes one or more of an image, graphics, or a video, individually or in any combination, and wherein the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, visually displays the reference code over the display screen at the first station, and wherein each station is further enabled to transmit and receive packet data and is connected directly to a packet data network. 
     
     
       55. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 52, wherein the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the following at the first station:
 connect the first station to the service operated, at least in partly, by the controller over the Internet, and wherein the second station and the first station are further enabled to transmit and receive packet data and are connected directly to a packet data network.   
     
     
       56. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 52, wherein the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the following at the first station:
 obtain, via a hardware component at the first station, an indication of elect in or elect out of a suggestion to be provided by the controller; and   receive, by the first station and from the controller, a suggestion, for connecting with the second party, the receiving of the suggestion from the controller is based on the first station having obtained the indication of elect in from the first party, and   wherein the suggestion, received from the controller, is based, at least in part, on the controller having matched the data mined information related to the first party with one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party.   
     
     
       57. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 56, wherein, subsequent to obtaining the indication of elect in of the suggestion at the first station, the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the following at the first station:
 receive, at the first station, from the controller and over the Internet, the reference code generated by the controller, the reference code having a relationship to the second party, and wherein the data mined information on the first party, which is collected by the controller, matches the one or more transaction specifications associated with the second party.   
     
     
       58. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 57, wherein the software program, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the following at the first station:
 receive, at the first station and from the controller, a request to verify identity of the first party or the first station; and   transmit the identity of the first party or the first station from the first station to the controller; and   wherein the proposed first party transaction specification, being created by the controller, is further based, at least in part, on data mined information collected on the second party by the controller from a history of transactions involving one or more transactions associated with the second party over the Internet.