Anonymous Matching of Assisting Agents With Bidirectional Contact Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Principal parties seeking transactional services, such as real estate agents, face challenges in obtaining qualified assisting agents without revealing personal information, leading to potential data exposure and unwanted communications, and lack assurance of fair value exchanges.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows principal parties to interact anonymously with assisting agents, using a standardized bid template to receive competitive offers while maintaining anonymity until a suitable agent is selected, ensuring data protection and fair value assessment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If principal parties submit personal information to seek assisting agents online, then they can access and evaluate agent offerings, but they face data exposure risks and unwanted communications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary platform that acts as a mediator between principal parties and assisting agents. The platform receives and processes service requests without requiring principal parties to directly share personal information with agents. The intermediary anonymizes communications and controls information flow, allowing principal parties to evaluate agent offerings while protecting their data from exposure and spam.
2Ease of operation
If principal parties reveal personal information to engage with assisting agents, then they can establish communication channels, but they lose control over subsequent communications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary actions by establishing communication protocols and boundaries before actual communication begins. The platform pre-configures communication channels through the intermediary system, setting rules that prevent endless communications. Principal parties can initiate contact through the platform without revealing personal information, and the system manages the communication flow to prevent spam and unwanted contact.
3Measurement precision
If principal parties directly interview assisting agents, then they can assess agent quality, but they must repeatedly relinquish personal data for each offering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal platform that serves multiple functions: it enables principal parties to assess multiple assisting agents, compare offerings, and maintain communication without repeatedly sharing personal information. The intermediary system handles all communications and data exchanges centrally, allowing principal parties to evaluate agent quality across multiple interactions while their personal information remains protected and is not repeatedly relinquished.
4Productivity
If principal parties submit identifying information to seek services, then they can be matched with qualified agents, but they have limited ability to evaluate fairness of offerings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information exchange process into distinct components. The intermediary platform separates personal identifying information from service offering evaluations. Principal parties can assess the fairness and quality of agent offerings (such as service terms, fees, and conditions) without their personal information being directly involved in the comparison. This segmentation allows efficient matching while preserving the ability to evaluate fairness independently.
Data Source
AI summary
An illustrative embodiment includes a system having a processor configured to receive transactional-service identifying information and a request for assistance from an agent pre-qualified to assist with the transactional-service. The system uses criteria pre-associated with qualified assisting agents to anonymously match candidate agents to a principal party submitting the request-maintaining bi-directional anonymity of contact information between the agents and principal party. Agents may use templated forms to submit competitive offerings that are conveyed, anonymously, to the principal party. Upon principal party agreement to one of the competitive offerings, the contact information may be bi-directionally exchanged in response to the agreement by the principal party. Withholding some or all contact information until an agreement is at least tentatively reached between agent and party can protect the personal data of the principal party, and/or agent, until a time when one or both parties may be willing to exchange such data.