Method for allowing a customer to preview, acquire and/or pay for information and a system therefor

• US 20030163724A1
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accessify, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Amad Tayebi, Ashish K. Mithal
• Inventors: Tayebi, Amad, Mithal, Ashish K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,316,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00826 wherein a spoiler signal is added to degrade the signal quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence

Abstract

A method for controlling distribution and access to an information product, said method comprising the steps of: superposing a utility-reducing masking effect on said information product; controlling the presence, absence and/or permanence of said masking effects by the outcome of an interactive communication between a provider and a receiver of said information product. The term information product includes books, video recordings, audio recordings, music, images and multimedia works. The masking effects described in the present invention are of a generally interfering nature and can be superposed on the information object as an overlay, interruption, interference, discontinuity, disturbance or disorientation. The purpose of imposing a masking effect is to derive a masked version of the information product for preview purposes that can be readily distributed to interested customers in an unrestricted manner. The masking effect is removable after conditions for purchase and/or other authorization criteria are met.

Claims

1. A method for reducing the utility of an information product, for distribution control purposes, said method comprising the steps of:

creating said information product in an original and intended form,

superposing a utility-reducing masking effect on said information product;

said utility-reducing masking effect being adapted to interfere with at least one of sending, receiving, storing and recreation of said information product in said original and intended form,

controlling at least one of—

presence, absence, duration of application and permanence of said utility-reducing masking effect, superposed on said information product, in accordance with the outcome of an interactive communication between a provider of said information product and a receiver of said information product.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said information product is selected from a group consisting of printable matter, video recordings, audio recordings, movies, songs, images, software programs, interactive games and multimedia works.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said masking effect is adapted to cause at least one of an interruption of—

, a discontinuity of—

, an interference with—

, a disorientation of—

, an overlay on—

, a blurring effect on—

, an overlay window on—

, a screen on—

, a noise signal on-, and a veil on—

said information product.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said masking effect is in the form of at least one perceptible overlay block;

said overlay block containing an electronic content comprising at least one of—

a written text, an image, a video recording, an audio recording, a movie, a song, a software program, a commercial message, an interactive game and a multimedia work.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein said overlay block is adapted to be stationary.

6. A method as in claim 4, wherein said overlay block is adapted to be dynamic.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein said information product is a multimedia work having both audio content and visual content, and said masking effect is in the form of an audio-visual interference having an audio-interference component and a visual-interference component;

said audio-visual interference being manifested during a playback of said multimedia work on a visual display device and a speaker.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein said visual-interference component of said audio-visual interference is targeted to only a portion of the display region on said visual display device during said playback of said multimedia work.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein said audio-interference component of said audio-visual interference is applied intermittently at pre-selected intervals and for pre-selected durations during the playback of said multimedia work.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein said utility-reducing masking effect is superposed only on selected portions of said information product.

11. A method as in claim 1, wherein said permanence of said utility-reducing masking effect is forced upon said information product upon detection of tampering with said utility-reducing masking effect.

12. A method for reducing the utility of an information product, for distribution control purposes, said method comprising the steps of:

creating said information product in an original and intended form,

superposing a plurality of utility-reducing masking effects on selected portions of said information product, said utility-reducing masking effects causing an interference with at least one of sending, receiving, storing and recreation of said information product in said original and intended form,

controlling at least one of the presence, absence, duration of application and permanence of said utility-reducing masking effects in accordance with the outcome of an interactive communication between a distributor of said information product and a receiver of said information product.

13. A method for marketing an information product, said method comprising the steps of:

having said information product available for sale in an original, intended and unmasked form,

creating a masked version of said information product by superposing at least one utility-reducing masking effect on at least a portion of said information product;

said utility-reducing masking effect being adapted to interfere with the recreation of said information product in said original, intended and unmasked form,

allowing unrestricted previewing access to said masked version of said information product having said utility-reducing masking effect,

including at least one commercial message with said masked version of said information product having said utility-reducing masking effect;

said one commercial message being directed at purchase of said information product in said original, intended and unmasked form.

14. A method for controlling distribution of and granting access to an information product, by a distributor of said information product, said method comprising the steps of:

creating said information product in an original and intended form,

superposing a utility-reducing masking effect on said information product;

said utility-reducing masking effect being adapted to interfere with the recreation of said information product in said original and intended form,

establishing specific authorization criteria for granting access, to said information product in said original and intended form without said utility-reducing masking effect, to a receiver of said information product,

initiating an interactive communication between said distributor of said information product and said receiver of said information product,

providing access to said information product having said utility-reducing masking effect for preview purposes,

processing a request for access to said information product, in said original and intended form, initiated by said receiver of said information product,

determining whether the receiver has met said specific authorization criteria for gaining access to said information product in said original and intended form,

removing said utility-reducing masking effect from said information product, thereby granting access to said information product in said original and intended form to said receiver, upon satisfactory completion and fulfillment of said specific authorization criteria for gaining access to said information product by said receiver.

15. A method as in claim 14 wherein said specific authorization criteria for granting access to said information product in said original and intended form being a specified purchase price for said information product further requiring satisfactory completion of a purchase transaction between said distributor and said receiver of said information product.

16. A method for controlling distribution and transmittal of a digital work by a distributor of said digital work and a receiver thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

creating said digital work in an original and intended form,

superposing a masking effect on said digital work thereby creating masked digital work;

said masking effect being of a utility-reducing character and adapted to interfere with at least one of the aspects of the digital work including—

content, display, audio, clarity, playback quality, resolution of said digital work and the functionality of said digital work for its intended purposes,

establishing a first set of criteria for persistence of said masking effect on said digital work,

establishing a second set of criteria for removal of said masking effect from said masked digital work,

initiating an interactive communication between said distributor of said digital work and said receiver of said digital work,

evaluating whether the outcome of said interactive communication, between said distributor and said receiver satisfies said first or said second set of criteria,

controlling persistence of said masking effect on said digital work and transmitting masked digital work to said receiver upon satisfactory completion of said first set of criteria,

removing said masking effect on said digital work and transmitting said digital work in said original and intended form upon satisfactory completion of said second set of criteria.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said first set of criteria includes a fee-based subscription with said distributor and said second set of criteria requires purchase of said digital work.

18. A method of distributing a plurality of information products derived from a main information product, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a main information in an original and intended form,

providing a plurality of masking layers adapted to be superposable on said main information product to obtain said plurality of information products;

said plurality of information products having specifically tailored utility for and corresponding to a plurality of audience groups,

processing a request for access to a specific information product by at least one audience group amongst said plurality of audience groups,

selecting a masking layer from said plurality of masking layers that corresponds to said audience group amongst said plurality of audience groups,

superposing said masking layer, selected from said plurality of masking layers, on said main information product to derive said specific information product,

transmitting said specific information product with said selected masking layer to said audience group.

19. A system for transmitting an information product, to a customer by a distributor, over a network comprising:

means for superposing an electronic mask on said information product to create a masked information product,

means for processing a request, from said customer, for previewing said information product,

means for providing access and transmitting said masked information product to said customer for making a purchase decision,

means for processing a purchase transaction between said customer and said distributor,

means for providing access and transmitting said information product to said customer upon satisfactory completion of said purchase transaction between said customer and said distributor.

20. A digital mask reversibly superposed over an information product by a distributor thereof for distribution control purposes;

said digital mask being in the form of at least one of—

an interference with—

, a discontinuity of—

, a distortion of—

, a disturbance of—

, an interruption of— and

an overlay on—

said information product and further characterized by its ability to substantially reduce the utility of said information product for purposes other than enabling a user to make a purchase decision regarding said information product;

said digital mask being removable from said information product after satisfactory completion of a set of specific criteria established by said distributor.

21. A digital mask as in claim 20, wherein said digital mask is in the form of an audio-visual noise signal and said information product having an audible content portion and a visually-perceptible content portion;

said audio-visual noise signal having an audio-noise component and a visual-noise component;

said audio-noise component and said visual-noise component, of said audio-visual noise signal, being adapted for interfering respectively with said audible content portion and said visually-perceptible content portion of said information product.

22. A digital mask irreversibly and permanently superposed over an information product for creating a masked version of said information product;

said digital mask being in the form of at least one of an interference with—

, a discontinuity of—

-, a distortion of—

, a disturbance of—

, an interruption of— and

an overlay on—

said information product and further characterized by its ability to substantially reduce the utility of said information product for purposes other than enabling a user to make a purchase decision regarding an unmasked version of said information product.