Method for Facilitating Transactions Between Two or More Parties

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for facilitating a transaction between two or more parties. A server computer is used to determine whether a contact information and an identity validation information of a second party are accurate. Whenever the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate, one or more documents are modified by attaching and identity validation from a first party and the identity validation from the second party to the one or more documents.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computerized method for facilitating a transaction between two or more parties comprising:
 selecting, by the first party, at least one of two or more contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction that can be changed, modified or substituted by a second party;   locking all of the contractual terms and conditions, except for the selected contractual terms and conditions, against future changes;   pre-agreeing, by a first party, to all of the contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction and providing an identity validation from the first party indicating such agreement to the one or more electronic documents;   providing, by the first party, the one or more electronic documents, the identity validation of the first party, and an unrestricted description for the transaction on a server computer;   making the unrestricted description for the transaction available to others using the server computer;   receiving a request for the transaction, by a second party, at the server computer via a network from a client communications device of the second party;   receiving a contact information and an identity validation information for the second party at the server computer via the network from the client communications device of the second party;   transmitting the one or more electronic documents to the client communications device of the second party;   tracking changes, modifications or substitutions to the selected contractual terms and conditions of the one or more electronic documents by the second party;   determining whether the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate by the server computer checking the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party against data from a trusted-third party stored in one or more databases communicably coupled to the server computer; and   whenever the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate, automatically completing the transaction by attaching the identity validation from the first party and the identity validation from the second party to the one or more electronic documents by the server computer.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising receiving the one or more electronic documents on the server computer from the first party to the transaction. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more electronic documents further contain a contact information of the first party. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising providing the accepted one or more electronic documents to each party. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the identity validation comprises an electronic signature. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising modifying the one or more electronic documents by adding the contact information of the second party to the one or more electronic documents. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising receiving an acceptance of the one or more electronic documents by the server computer from the client communications device of the second party. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the selected contractual terms and conditions comprise one or more opt in or opt out provisions. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein tracking changes, modifications or substitutions to the selected contractual terms and conditions of the one or more electronic documents by the second party comprises the steps of:
 receiving one or more commands relating to a portion of the electronic documents from the second party, wherein the one or more commands include an acceptance of the portion of the one or more electronic documents, a change of the portion of the one or more electronic documents by the second party, a choice of the portion of the one or more electronic documents by the second party, a modification of the portion of the one or more electronic documents by the second party, or a substitution of the portion of the one or more electronic documents by the second party; and   displaying the acceptances, the changes, the choices, the modifications, the substitutions or the combinations thereof in a different visual format.   
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , further comprising modifying the one or more electronic documents by making one or more changes, choices, modifications, substitutions or combinations thereof requested by the second party to the one or more electronic documents. 
     
     
         11 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the transaction involves goods or services. 
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising providing the goods or services. 
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the transaction involves intellectual property comprising copyrightable material, ideas, patents, patent applications, trademarks, licenses or technology. 
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more electronic documents are selected by the first party from a list of standard agreements made available to the first party. 
     
     
         15 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more electronic documents are stored in a user profile assigned to the first party. 
     
     
         16 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the transaction involves a business opportunity in which the first party and the second party desire to enter into a binding relationship. 
     
     
         17 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the client communications device comprises a computer, a workstation, a personal data assistant, an Internet-enabled phone or a wireless communications device. 
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for facilitating a transaction between two or more parties, that when executed performs the steps comprising:
 selecting, by the first party, at least one of two or more contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction that can be changed, modified or substituted by a second party;   locking all of the contractual terms and conditions, except for the selected contractual terms and conditions, against future changes;   pre-agreeing, by a first party, to all of the contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction and providing an identity validation from the first party indicating such agreement to the one or more electronic documents;   providing, by the first party, the one or more electronic documents, the identity validation of the first party, and an unrestricted description for the transaction on a server computer;   making the unrestricted description for the transaction available to others using the server computer;   receiving a request for the transaction, by a second party, at the server computer via a network from a client communications device of the second party;   receiving a contact information and an identity validation information for the second party at the server computer via the network from the client communications device of the second party;   transmitting the one or more electronic documents to the client communications device of the second party;   tracking changes, modifications or substitutions to the selected contractual terms and conditions of the one or more electronic documents by the second party;   determining whether the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate by the server computer checking the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party against data from a trusted-third party stored in one or more databases communicably coupled to the server computer; and   whenever the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate, automatically completing the transaction by attaching the identity validation from the first party and the identity validation from the second party to the one or more electronic documents by the server computer.   
     
     
         19 . An apparatus for facilitating a transaction between two or more parties comprising:
 a server computer comprising a network interface and one or more processors communicably coupled to the network interface; and   a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, that when executed performs the steps comprising:
 selecting, by the first party, at least one of two or more contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction that can be changed, modified or substituted by a second party; 
 locking all of the contractual terms and conditions, except for the selected contractual terms and conditions, against future changes; 
 pre-agreeing, by a first party, to all of the contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction and providing an identity validation from the first party indicating such agreement to the one or more electronic documents; 
 providing, by the first party, the one or more electronic documents, the identity validation of the first party, and an unrestricted description for the transaction on the server computer; 
 making the unrestricted description for the transaction available to others using the server computer; 
 receiving a request for the transaction, by a second party, at the server computer via a network from a client communications device of the second party; 
 receiving a contact information and an identity validation information for the second party at the server computer via the network from the client communications device of the second party; 
 transmitting the one or more electronic documents to the client communications device of the second party; 
 tracking changes, modifications or substitutions to the selected contractual terms and conditions of the one or more electronic documents by the second party; 
 determining whether the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate by the server computer checking the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party against data from a trusted-third party stored in one or more databases communicably coupled to the server computer; and 
 whenever the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate, automatically completing the transaction by attaching the identity validation from the first party and the identity validation from the second party to the one or more electronic documents by the server computer. 
   
     
     
         20 . A system for facilitating a transaction between two or more parties comprising:
 a network;   one or more client communications devices communicably coupled to the a network;   one or more server computers communicably coupled to the network, each server computer having one or more processors; and   a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, that when executed by the one or more processors performs the steps comprising:
 selecting, by the first party, at least one of two or more contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction that can be changed, modified or substituted by a second party; 
 locking all of the contractual terms and conditions, except for the selected contractual terms and conditions, against future changes; 
 pre-agreeing, by a first party, to all of the contractual terms and conditions contained in one or more electronic documents for the transaction and providing an identity validation from the first party indicating such agreement to the one or more electronic documents; 
 providing, by the first party, the one or more electronic documents, the identity validation of the first party, and an unrestricted description for the transaction on the one or more server computers; 
 making the unrestricted description for the transaction available to others using the one or more server computers; 
 receiving a request for the transaction, by a second party, at the server computer via a network from a client communications device of the second party; 
 receiving a contact information and an identity validation information for the second party at the one or more server computers via the network from the client communications device of the second party; 
 transmitting the one or more electronic documents to the client communications device of the second party; 
 tracking changes, modifications or substitutions to the selected contractual terms and conditions of the one or more electronic documents by the second party; 
 determining whether the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate by the one or more server computers checking the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party against data from a trusted-third party stored in one or more databases communicably coupled to the one or more server computers; and 
 whenever the contact information and the identity validation information of the second party are accurate, automatically completing the transaction by attaching the identity validation from the first party and the identity validation from the second party to the one or more electronic documents by the one or more server computers.