Data vending system

• US 20010027357A1
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Published: 10/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Benjamin Grobler
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Grobler
• Inventors: Grobler, Benjamin Filmalter
• Granted Patent: US 6,799,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/232
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action

Abstract

The invention provides a data vending system 10 including the storing data. such as digitised music and/or video and/or computer programs on one or more main computer i.e. the data depot 12 and dispensing the data to a uniquely identifiable data carrier 30. The data on the data depot 12 includes a database which maintains owner and/or possessor records for each said data carrier 30, the data being selected from the group including ownership or possession history of the data carrier, personal details of the past and present owner and/or possessor of the data carrier, demographic data about the user/owner of the data carrier, data recorded onto the data carrier at an authorised data dispensing device (either cumulatively or periodically, by title, by artist, etc), data rented and the rental period (either cumulatively or periodically, by title, by artist, etc), the user'"'"'s normal requirements, the user'"'"'s payment records, royalties paid to the copyright owner by the user, and favourite data of the user.

Claims

1. A data vending system including:

a data depot for storing one or more data type selected from the group comprising digitised or analogue music, video, games, information, and computer programs;

a data dispensing device in communication with the data depot;

a uniquely identifiable recordable data carrier configured for recording data from the data dispensing device; and

a database for keeping a record of the data recorded by a user onto said data carrier, at least a part of which database is stored remotely from said data carrier.

2. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the database also maintains owner and/or possessor records for each said data carrier selected from the group including ownership or possession history of the data carrier, personal details of the past and present owner and/or possessor of the data carrier, demographic data about the user/owner of the data carrier, data recorded onto the data carrier at an authorised data dispensing device (either cumulatively or periodically, by title, by artist, etc), data rented and the rental period (either cumulatively or periodically, by title, by artist, etc), the user'"'"'s normal requirements, the user'"'"'s payment records, royalties paid to the copyright owner by the user, and favourite data of the user.

3. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the database links the record of the user to any number of said data carriers and to the data recorded onto said data carriers thereby to collate all data recorded by the user onto any number of data carriers.

4. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the data depot is indexed by one or more indexing keys selected from an index number, name of author, name of producer, title, content, cost, duration, theme, or the like and wherein the index is searchable from the data dispensing device.

5. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 4

, wherein the index is searchable from the data carrier.

6. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the data dispensing device is in the form of a computer terminal in data transfer communication with the data depot by means of one or more data transfer means selected from the group comprising of dedicated data lines, optic fibre cables, telephone lines, satellite link-up, radio transmission, or broadband cable.

7. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 6

, wherein the computer terminal is provided with data writing means for writing data to a data carrier and includes payment means for processing payment of a transaction amount for the data vending transaction.

8. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 7

, wherein a royalty payment to the copyright owner and/or licensee is included in the transaction amount.

9. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 8

, wherein the royalty payment is transferred automatically to the copyright owner and/or licensee

10. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the data carrier is a multiple use recordable data carrier which includes key means for activating and/or deactivating the data carrier for receiving data and/or releasing data, wherein the key means includes a hardware and/or software key linked to a microprocessor operatively associated with the data carrier.

11. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 10

, wherein the data dispensing device is provided with a verification mechanism for verifying the authenticity of the key means.

12. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein a key means is located on the data dispensing device, or is located remotely from the data dispensing device but in data communication with the data dispensing device, and a code is required to be inputted into the data dispensing device to authenticate a user prior to data being transferred from the data dispensing device to the data carrier.

13. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the recordable data carrier is configured to receive data only from a data dispensing device authorised for a particular data carrier or a particular class of data carrier.

14. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the recordable data carrier is configured to be read only by a data carrier reader authorised for a particular data carrier or a particular class of data carrier.

15. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the recordable data carrier is configured to permit or prohibit the reading of data recorded thereon or the recording of data thereon by a code which is altered periodically when the data carrier is in data communication with the data depot or the data dispensing device.

16. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein the recordable data carrier is configurable, through the data recorded thereon or otherwise, to permit reading of the data stored thereon for a predetermined period of time only, whereafter the data is either marked as stale and later deleted, or deleted immediately, or scrambled.

17. A data vending system as claimed in

claim 16

, wherein the marking of the data as stale and/or the deletion and/or scrambling thereof is initiated from a remote location by radio, satellite, data or telephone cable, or the like.

18. A vending booth for use with the data vending system as claimed in

claim 1

, the vending booth including a data dispensing device in communication with a data depot, the data dispensing device being configured for dispensing data to an authorised recordable data carrier configured for recording data from the data dispensing device and for exchanging data regarding the dispensed data with a database for storing user information for each recordable data carrier.

19. A vending booth as claimed in

claim 18

, wherein the booth includes electronic payment means in the form of a card or token reader configured to debit an account of a user responsive to the dispensing of data from the data dispensing device on the recordable data carrier.

20. A vending booth data vending system as claimed in

claim 18

, wherein the data dispensing device is in the form of a computer terminal having a user interface, a data writer configured for use with the data carrier, and a communication device for permitting data transfer communication with the data depot by means of one or more data transfer means selected from the group comprising of dedicated data lines, optic fibre cables, telephone lines, satellite link-up, radio transmission, or broadband cable.