IP Library Granted Patent US 9,544,271
Granted Patent B2
US 9,544,271 · App. 13/610,246 · Granted Jan 10, 2017

Anonymous messaging conversation

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,544,271
App. No.
13/610,246
Granted
Jan 10, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

An anonymous communication module that provides full conversational anonymous messaging and voice/video communication between two or more parties interacting over a wireless/landline network. An anonymous messaging module accepts an anonymous initiation message to a public address to trigger the start of an anonymous voice/video conversation between a message originator and a message recipient. An anonymous communication module performs intercept and address substitution on a message and/or voice/video call transmitted between two or more parties via an anonymous communication service. The anonymous communication module substitutes a real address in the source field of an intercepted message and/or voice/video call, with an anonymous address mapped to that real address, and substitutes an anonymous address in the destination field of an intercepted message and/or voice/video call with a real address mapped to that anonymous address. The anonymous communication module then forwards the newly formatted message and/or voice/video call to an intended message/call destination.

Claims (29)

1. Apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another, comprising:

an anonymous digital communication module to form a digital packet gateway between an unregistered sender device and a registered recipient device of said at least two actively interacting digital communication devices, said anonymous digital communication module anonymizing said active two-way digital packet communication in real time, before delivery is completed to an anonymous addressed recipient user web page associated with said registered recipient device, by intercepting said active two-way digital packet communication and substituting for a real address associated with said unregistered sender device in source fields of digital packets associated with said active interaction passing therethrough with an anonymous address associated with said unregistered sender device, and substituting for an anonymous address associated with said registered recipient device in destination fields of digital packets associated with said active interaction passing therethrough with an affiliated real address associated with said registered recipient device, before said intercepted digital packet communication reaches its addressed destination;

wherein anonymity is maintained between said at least two individual user web pages vis-a-vis each other.

2. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said real address comprises:

a mobile directory number.

3. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said real address comprises:

an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

4. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said digital packet communication comprises:

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

5. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said digital packet communication comprises:

a short message.

6. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said digital packet communication comprises:

a multimedia message (MMS).

7. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said digital packet communication comprises:

an instant message (IM).

8. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an internal address mapping database to affiliate real addresses to at least one anonymous address, for each of said at least two individual user web pages.

9. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 8 , wherein:

said anonymous digital communication module intercepts said digital packet communication corresponding to said active two-way digital packet communication; queries said internal address mapping database to determine said anonymous source address to substitute in for said real source address supplied in said digital packet communication, queries said internal address mapping database to determine said real destination address to substitute in for said anonymous destination address supplied in said digital packet communication, and routes a newly, anonymously-addressed digital packet communication to an intended destination individual user web page.

10. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said anonymous digital communication module mathematically selects said anonymous address based on time of communication, date of communication, and type of communication.

11. The apparatus to anonymize at least two individual user web pages actively interacting in two-way digital packet communication with one another according to claim 1 , wherein said unregistered sender device engages in said active two-way digital packet communication in the absence of personal information uniquely identifying a user of said unregistered sender device, such that anonymity is maintained between said user of said unregistered sender device and said anonymous digital communication module.

12. A method of providing full conversational anonymous digital communication between two or more individual user web pages, comprising:

intercepting, in real time, before delivery is completed to an addressed one of a plurality of individual user web pages, an anonymously addressed digital packet transmitted from a first unregistered individual user web page of said plurality of individual user web pages;

substituting for a real source address associated with said digital packet with an anonymous source address, in said intercepted digital packet;

substituting for an anonymous destination address associated with said intercepted digital packet in a destination address field of said intercepted digital packet with a real destination address for an intended destination of a registered second individual user web page;

routing said intercepted digital packet to said real destination address associated with said registered second individual user web page.

13. The method of providing full conversational anonymous digital communication between two or more individual user web pages according to claim 12 , further comprising:

querying an internal address mapping database to affiliate said real destination address with said anonymous destination address; and

querying said internal address mapping database to affiliate said real source address with said anonymous source address.

Assignments (4)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS AT REEL 048104/FRAME 0080 Recorded Jun 19, 2024
From: CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.; COMTECH EF DATA CORP.; COMTECH MOBILE DATACOM LLC; COMTECH SATELLITE NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; COMTECH SYSTEMS, INC.; COMTECH XICOM TECHNOLOGY, INC.; MAPLE ACQUISITION LLC; TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 067780/0444 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 18, 2024
From: TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.
To: TCW ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY LLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 067776/0309 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 16, 2018
From: COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.; COMTECH EF DATA CORP.; COMTECH XICOM TECHNOLOGY, INC.; COMTECH SYSTEMS, INC.; COMTECH PST CORP.; COMTECH MOBILE DATACOM CORPORATION; ANGELS ACQUISITION CORP.; ARMER COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING SERVICES, INC.; COMTECH AEROASTRO, INC.; COMTECH ANTENNA SYSTEMS, INC.; COMTECH COMMUNICATIONS CORP.; COMTECH COMSTREAM, INC.; COMTECH SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.; COMTECH TOLT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; TIERNAN RADYNE COMSTREAM, INC.; COMTECH CPI ELECTRON DEVICES CORP.; COMTECH CPI MICROWAVE CORP.; TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.; NETWORKS IN MOTION, INC.; SOLVERN INNOVATIONS, INC.; MICRODATA, LLC; MICRODATA GIS, INC.; MAPLE ACQUISITION LLC; NEXTGEN COMMUNICATIONS, INC., A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND; NEXTGEN COMMUNICATIONS, INC., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA; OLIVE ACQUISITION LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 048104/0080 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 11, 2012
From: MCFARLAND, KEITH; JAIN, VISHAL
To: TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 028936/0883 →