Network-based purchase and distribution of media in accordance with priorities

• US 20040216108A1
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Robbin, Jeffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US10/775,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20040216108A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/2295 Parent-child type, e.g. where parent has control on child rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/42 Confirmation, e.g. check or permission by the legal debtor of payment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods and systems for prioritizing use of resources (e.g., network resources) at a client machine (e.g., computer) are disclosed. By prioritizing use of resources, user satisfaction is enhanced. The client machine typically executes a software program that permits a user of the client machine to browse, preview, purchase, or download media. The media can, for example, be audio, video, or image data. More particularly, in the case of a client machine that operates at least one application program that provides media-based actions, the methods and systems manage the use of limited network resources (e.g., network connection bandwidth) at the client machine so that different media-based actions are performed at different priority levels. For example, at the client machine, a second type of media-based action can be issued while a first type of media-based action is being processed. When the second type of media-based action has a higher priority level than the first type of media-based action, then the processing of the first type of media-based action can be suspended so that processing of the second type of media-based action is given preference.

Claims

1. A method for managing tasks performed on a computer capable of coupling over a network to a network-based media server, said method comprising:

receiving tasks to be performed from at least one client application operating on the computer, the tasks pertaining to one or more different media-based actions, and the tasks involving interaction with the media server over the network;

activating an operation at the computer to respond to each of the tasks; and

coordinating performance of the activated operations in accordance with priority levels associated with the different media-based actions of the tasks, the different ones of the different media-based actions having different priority levels.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the priority levels are provided on a per-computer basis or a per-user basis.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said coordinating operates to coordinate the execution of the activated operations pertaining to a particular user of the computer based on the priority levels.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the priority levels associated with the different media-based actions are user-modifiable.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the different media-based actions include at least:

previewing media, browsing media, purchasing media, and downloading media.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the media includes at least one of audio, video or images.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one client application is a client media player program.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one client applications is a client media player program.

9. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the media includes at least audio, and

wherein the different media-based actions of the media server include at least:

previewing music, browsing music, purchasing music, and downloading music.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the priority levels associated with the different media-based actions are user-modifiable.

11. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for managing tasks performed on a computer capable of coupling over a network to a network-based media server, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving tasks to be performed from at least one client application operating on the computer, the tasks pertain to one or more different media-based actions, and the tasks involving interaction with the media server over the network; and

computer program code for coordinating performance of the tasks in accordance with priority levels associated with the different media-based actions of the tasks, the different ones of the different media-based actions having different priority levels.

12. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the priority levels are provided on a per-computer basis or a per-user basis.

13. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer program code for coordinating operates to coordinate the performance of the tasks pertaining to a particular user of the computer based on the priority levels.

14. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the priority levels associated with the different media-based actions are user-modifiable.

15. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the different media-based actions include at least:

previewing media, browsing media, purchasing media, and downloading media.

16. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the media includes at least one of audio, video or images.

17. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the at least one client application is a client media player program.

18. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one client application is a client media player program.

19. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11,

wherein the media includes at least audio, and

wherein the different media-based actions of the media server include at least:

previewing music, browsing music, purchasing music, and downloading music.

20. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the priority levels associated with the different media-based actions are user-modifiable.

21. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer program code for receiving and said computer program code for coordinating are part the at least one application program.

22. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein said computer program code for receiving and said computer program code for coordinating are part an operating system program that operates on the computer.

23. A computer for presenting media to its user, said computer comprising:

at least one client media player program operable to enable the user to play, browse, preview, purchase or download present media items for the benefit of the user;

a network interface that permits said client media application program to interact with a media commerce server that stores or manages a plurality of media items that can be browsed, previewed, purchased or downloaded; and

a task manager that manages performance of at least browse, preview, purchase or download operations by assigning priority levels to each of the browse, preview, purchase or download operations, and managing performance of the browse, preview, purchase or download operations in accordance with the assigned priority levels.

24. A computer as recited in claim 23, wherein each of the browse, preview, purchase or download operations are executed by a different processing, and wherein said task manager causes the processing to be performed in accordance with the assigned priority levels.