Electronic purchase of goods over a communications network including physical delivery while securing private and personal information of the purchasing party

TLDR: In this article, a proxy software is provided for user computers, one or more proxy computers, or both, for users to communicate with vendors anonymously over the network, provide for delivery of an ordered good and provide for electronic payment, while securing the user's private information.

Abstract: E-commerce which secures private and personal information of purchaser/users. E-commerce which may include delivery of a good ordered or purchased over a network (e.g., the Internet) to a purchaser/user, and/or arranging for electronic payment of the good is accomplished while securing private and personal information of purchaser/users, which may include the user's identity and address (and those of the user's computer), and financial information. E-commerce transactions include the purchasing or otherwise ordering of goods electronically by user, who may be a consumer or retail customer, and for delivery of goods to a shipping or electronic address designated by the user or to a physical or virtual depot for pick-up by the user, while providing complete anonymity of the user with respect to an electronic vendor, who may be a merchant or retailer. Proxy software is provided for user computers, one or more proxy computers, or both, for users to communicate with vendors anonymously over the network, provide for delivery of an ordered good and provide for electronic payment, while securing the user's private information. Delivery of a good includes shipping from a vendor to a depot using the depot name and address, and then either re-shipping from the depot to an address designated by the user which is withheld from the vendor, or held at the depot for anonymous pick-up. The proxy software provides for a proxy party to deal with a vendor and arrange payment from a bank or credit card company to the vendor based on an account that the proxy party has with the bank. The proxy party is not required where the purchaser/user is provided with a transaction identity by a third party bank, for example, which masks the true identity of the purchaser who, however, is known to the bank, as is his, her or its shipping address.