Systems and method for selling content over a network

• US 10,163,087 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Nemetz, Thomas, Riegler, Andreas, Spechtler, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US14/980,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20160140531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets

Abstract

A method to generate revenue from supplied content is provided. Content is provided to a consumer via a network by providing a content service that allows the consumer to select and retrieve content as a package together with a clearing of the selectable content to an operator used by the consumer to select and retrieve the content via the network. Any content selected by the consumer is supplied directly to the consumer via the operator. The operator is charged for the supplied content.

Claims

1. A content service apparatus comprising:

one or more computers to perform a process comprising;

connecting to a data network of a network operator, the content service apparatus configured to enable consumer access, over the data network, to content available from a content provider;

providing, to a consumer device connected to the data network of the network operator, a content access client independent from the network operator, configured to receive a selection of content directly available from a selected content provider of a plurality of content providers and configured to enable the network operator to charge for access to the content, said content access client located logically between and connected to the network operator and the plurality of content providers;

receiving a selection of particular content available from the selected content provider via the consumer device;

providing to the network operator the selected content to supply to the consumer device via the data network without the selected content provider directly charging the consumer;

receiving payment from the network operator for the content supplied to the consumer device; and

sending a portion of payment received from the network operator to the selected content provider.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content is provided as a streaming and/or download service to the consumer device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content comprises audio content.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content comprises text content.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content comprises audiovisual content.