System and method for third party logging server

• US 20020065779A1
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath
• Granted Patent: US 7,072,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

A system and method for a third party logging server to keep track of sales by online merchants of copyrighted works. Providers of copyrighted works, such as publishers and authors, register with the third party logging server and acquire an authentication mechanism to use the server, such as a username and password. The providers upload digital works and royalties corresponding to the works to the third party logging proxy server. Online merchants register with the third party logging proxy server and also acquire an authentication mechanism to use the server. The merchant downloads works and royalty rates to the merchant'"'"'s computer for online sales. The merchant also downloads software that informs the third party logging proxy server whenever the merchant makes a sale. The server keeps track of the sale. The server collects royalty payments from merchants. The server also calculates and sends providers their royalty payments.

Claims

1. A method of providing a third party logging proxy server, said method comprising:

obtaining one or more product identifiers from one or more providers, each product identifier corresponding to a product;

receiving a product sale identifier from a merchant;

identifying one of the product identifiers that corresponds to the product sale identifier; and

storing a sales record in response to receiving the product sale identifier.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a royalty rate corresponding with at least one of the product identifiers from one of the providers;

wherein the storing further includes;

calculating an account balance for the merchant.

3. The method as described in claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a payment from the merchant in response to receiving the product sale identifier,

wherein the payment is calculated based on the received royalty rate corresponding to the product sale identifier.

4. The method as described in claim 2 further comprising:

calculating an account balance for the provider corresponding with the identified product identifier.

5. The method as described in claim 4 further comprising:

transferring funds corresponding to the provider'"'"'s account balance to the provider; and

modifying the provider'"'"'s account balance in response to the transferring.

6. The method as described in claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a payment from the merchant corresponding to the merchant'"'"'s account balance; and

modifying the merchant'"'"'s account balance in response to receiving the payment.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the products include digital works, the method further comprising:

receiving one or more digital works from the providers;

storing the works on a nonvolatile storage device;

receiving a download request from a merchant computer corresponding to the merchant; and

downloading one of the digital works to the merchant computer in response to receiving the download request.

8. The method as described in claim 7 further comprising:

receiving one or more royalty rates from the providers corresponding to the digital works; and

providing the royalty rates to the merchant.

9. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

registering each provider with the third party logging proxy server prior to the obtaining; and

providing each provider with an access mechanism in response to the registering.

10. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

registering the merchant with the third party logging proxy server prior to the receiving; and

providing the merchant with an access mechanism in response to the registering.

11. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a merchant inquiry from one of the providers;

searching a data store in response to the inquiry;

preparing a search result in response to the searching; and

returning the search result to the provider.

12. The method as described in claim 11 wherein the search result includes whether one or more merchants are registered with the third party logging proxy server.

14. The information handling system as described in claim 13 further comprising:

means for receiving a royalty rate corresponding with at least one of the product identifiers from one of the provider computers;

wherein the means for storing further includes;

means for calculating an account balance for the merchant corresponding to the merchant computer.

15. The information handling system as described in claim 14 further comprising:

means for receiving a payment from the merchant in response to receiving the product sale identifier,

wherein the payment is calculated based on the received royalty rate corresponding to the product sale identifier.

16. The information handling system as described in claim 14 further comprising:

means for calculating an account balance for the provider corresponding with the identified product identifier.

17. The information handling system as described in claim 16 further comprising:

means for transferring funds corresponding to the provider'"'"'s account balance to the provider; and

means for modifying the provider'"'"'s account balance in response to the transferring.

18. The information handling system as described in claim 14 further comprising:

means for receiving a payment from the merchant corresponding to the merchant'"'"'s account balance; and

means for modifying the merchant'"'"'s account balance in response to receiving the payment.

19. The information handling system as described in claim 13 wherein the products include digital works, the information handling system further comprising:

means for receiving one or more digital works from the provider computers;

means for storing the works on the nonvolatile storage device;

means for receiving a download request from the merchant computer; and

means for downloading one of the digital works to the merchant computer in response to receiving the download request.

20. The information handling system as described in claim 19 further comprising:

means for receiving one or more royalty rates from the providers corresponding to the digital works; and

means for providing the royalty rates to the merchant.

21. The information handling system as described in claim 13 further comprising:

means for registering each provider computer with the third party logging proxy server prior to the means for obtaining; and

means for providing each provider computer with an access mechanism in response to the registering.

22. The information handling system as described in claim 13 further comprising:

means for registering the merchant computer with the third party logging proxy server prior to the means for receiving; and

means for providing the merchant computer with an access mechanism in response to the registering.

23. The information handling system as described in claim 13 further comprising:

means for receiving a merchant inquiry from one of the provider computers;

means for searching the nonvolatile storage device in response to the inquiry;

means for preparing a search result in response to the searching; and

means for returning the search result to the provider computer.

24. The information handling system as described in claim 23 wherein the search result includes whether one or more merchants are registered with the third party logging proxy server.

26. The computer program product as described in claim 25 further comprising:

means for receiving a royalty rate corresponding with at least one of the product identifiers from one of the providers;

wherein the means for storing further includes;

means for calculating an account balance for the merchant.

27. The computer program product as described in claim 26 further comprising:

means for receiving a payment from the merchant in response to receiving the product sale identifier,

wherein the payment is calculated based on the received royalty rate corresponding to the product sale identifier.

28. The computer program product as described in claim 26 further comprising:

means for calculating an account balance for the provider corresponding with the identified product identifier.

29. The computer program product as described in claim 25 further comprising:

means for transferring funds corresponding to the provider'"'"'s account balance to the provider; and

means for modifying the provider'"'"'s account balance in response to the transferring.

30. The computer program product as described in claim 26 further comprising:

means for receiving a payment from the merchant corresponding to the merchant'"'"'s account balance; and

means for modifying the merchant'"'"'s account balance in response to receiving the payment.

31. The computer program product as described in claim 25 wherein the products include digital works, the computer program product further comprising:

means for receiving one or more digital works from the providers;

means for storing the works on a nonvolatile storage device;

means for receiving a download request from a merchant computer corresponding to the merchant; and

means for downloading one of the digital works to the merchant computer in response to receiving the download request.

32. The computer program product as described in claim 31 further comprising:

means for receiving one or more royalty rates from the providers corresponding to the digital works; and

means for providing the royalty rates to the merchant.

33. The computer program product as described in claim 25 further comprising:

means for registering each provider with the third party logging proxy server prior to the obtaining; and

means for providing each provider with an access mechanism in response to the registering.

34. The computer program product as described in claim 25 further comprising:

means for registering the merchant with the third party logging proxy server prior to the receiving; and

means for providing the merchant with an access mechanism in response to the registering.

35. The computer program product as described in claim 25 further comprising:

means for receiving a merchant inquiry from one of the providers;

means for searching a data store in response to the inquiry;

means for preparing a search result in response to the searching; and

means for returning the search result to the provider.

36. The computer program product as described in claim 35 wherein the search result includes whether one or more merchants are registered with the third party logging proxy server.

13. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

a network interface connecting the information handling system to a computer network;

a nonvolatile storage device accessible by the processors; and

a logging tool, the logging tool including;

means for obtaining one or more product identifiers from one or more provider computers connected to the computer network, each product identifier corresponding to a product;

means for receiving a product sale identifier from a merchant computer connected to the computer network;

means for identifying one of the product identifiers that corresponds to the product sale identifier; and

means for storing a sales record in response to receiving the product sale identifier.

25. A computer program product for providing a third party logging proxy server, said computer program product comprising:

means for obtaining one or more product identifiers from one or more providers, each product identifier corresponding to a product;

means for receiving a product sale identifier from a merchant;

means for identifying one of the product identifiers that corresponds to the product sale identifier; and

means for storing a sales record in response to receiving the product sale identifier.