Web-based music distribution system and method therefor

• US 20050066048A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Young, Bruce
• Application Number:
  US10/646,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066048A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention is a method and system for distributing archival content. Streaming content may be broadcast to a list of users. When a user desires to store a particular piece of content, the particular piece of content in an archival format may be delivered to a storage media of the user. Each user may register for customized service in which the registration lists the user'"'"'s content preferences. Content in conformity with the user'"'"'s preferences may be broadcast in a streaming content format to the user. This may allow the user to purchase and/or store desirable content selections in an easier fashion as all of the content selections broadcast to the user may be in conformity with the user'"'"'s preferences.

Claims

1. A method for distributing content, comprising:

transmitting content in a streaming content format;

receiving a request to store a particular piece of the content; and

delivering said particular piece of the content in an archival format to a storage media of a user when request to store said particular piece of the content is received;

wherein said streaming content format prevents storage of the content;

wherein said archival format allows storage of the content; and

wherein said request and delivering of the particular piece of the content in said archival format occurs in real-time of transmission of the content in said streaming content format.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said streaming content format is copy protected.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said archival format is copy protected.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising authorizing a payment for said request to store said particular piece of the content.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein authorizing said payment for said request includes debiting a charge against a prepayment for the content.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content transmitted in said streaming content format is in conformity with a list of preferences of said user.

7. A system for distributing content, comprising:

means for transmitting content in a streaming content format;

means for receiving a request to store a particular piece of the content; and

means for delivering said particular piece of content in an archival format to a storage media of a user when said request to store said particular piece of the content is received;

wherein said streaming content format prevents storage of the content;

wherein said archival format allows storage of the content; and

wherein said request and delivery of said particular piece of the content in said archival format occurs in real-time of transmission of content in said streaming content format.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said streaming content format is copy protected.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said archival format is copy protected.

10. The system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising means for authorizing a payment for said request to store said particular piece of the content.

11. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the content transmitted in said streaming content format is in conformity with a list of preferences of said user.

12. A method for distributing content, comprising:

retrieving a list of preferences of a particular user;

transmitting content in conformity with said list of preferences in a streaming content format to said particular user;

receiving a request to store a particular piece of the content; and

delivering the particular piece of content in an archival format to a storage media of said particular user when said request to store said particular piece of the content is received;

wherein said streaming content format prevents storage of the content;

wherein said archival format allows storage of the content; and

wherein said request and delivering of the particular piece of the content in said archival format occurs in real-time of transmission of the content in said streaming content format.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said streaming content format is copy protected.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said archival format is copy protected.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising authorizing a payment for said request to store said particular piece of the content.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein authorizing said payment for said request includes debiting a charge against a prepayment for the content.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said particular piece of the content is a song.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said archival format includes MP3 format.