Tracking locally broadcast electronic works
First Claim
1. A method for tracking distribution of an electronic work, comprising:
- detecting a localized broadcast of an electronic work from a first player to a second player;
accepting a distribution cookie from said first player at said second player with said broadcast of said electronic work;
updating said distribution cookie with tracking information about said broadcast of said electronic work to said second player; and
responsive to detecting a network connection, providing said distribution cookie to a tracking server, such that localized broadcast distribution of said electronic work is tracked through gathering and analyzing said distribution cookie at said tracking server.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system, and program for tracking locally broadcast electronic works are provided. According to one aspect of the invention, a sending player locally broadcasts an electronic work. In particular, the local broadcast may be a wireless broadcast creating an ad-hoc radio system. At least one recipient player receives the localized broadcast of the electronic work and accepts a distribution cookie for tracking distribution of the electronic work. The at least one recipient player updates the distribution cookie with tracking information about the broadcast of the electronic work, including ratings by users at the second player and purchase of the broadcast electronic work. Each of the at least one recipient players may in turn become a sending player that broadcasts the electronic work to other recipient players and requires the other recipient players to accept a copy of the distribution cookie updated by the second player. Then, responsive to detecting a network connection to a statistics server, the at least one recipient player provides the distribution cookie to the statistics server, such that localized broadcast distribution of the electronic work is tracked.
94 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method for tracking distribution of an electronic work, comprising:
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detecting a localized broadcast of an electronic work from a first player to a second player;
accepting a distribution cookie from said first player at said second player with said broadcast of said electronic work;
updating said distribution cookie with tracking information about said broadcast of said electronic work to said second player; and
responsive to detecting a network connection, providing said distribution cookie to a tracking server, such that localized broadcast distribution of said electronic work is tracked through gathering and analyzing said distribution cookie at said tracking server. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for tracking distribution of an electronic work, comprising:
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a second player detecting a first player locally broadcasting an electronic work;
said second player further comprising;
means for accepting a distribution cookie from said first player at said second player with said broadcast of said electronic work;
means for updating said distribution cookie with tracking information about said broadcast of said electronic work to said second player; and
means, responsive to detecting a network connection, for providing said distribution cookie to a tracking server enabled to analyze said distribution cookie. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer program product for tracking distribution of an electronic work, comprising:
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a recording medium;
means, recorded on said recording medium, for detecting a localized broadcast of an electronic work from a first player to a second player;
means, recorded on said recording medium, for accepting a distribution cookie from said first player at said second player with said broadcast of said electronic work;
means, recorded on said recording medium, for updating said distribution cookie with tracking information about said broadcast of said electronic work to said second player; and
means, recorded on said recording medium, for providing said distribution cookie to a tracking server, responsive to detecting a network connection. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for responding to distribution of a wirelessly broadcast electronic work, comprising:
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receiving at least one distribution cookie for an electronic work from a portable electronic player at which said electronic work was received during a wireless broadcast, wherein said distribution cookie identifies a distribution path of devices from an original supplier of said electronic work to said player;
calculating a rate of distribution of said electronic work from said original supplier to said player; and
identifying a rating for said wirelessly broadcast electronic work in comparison with a rate of distribution of at least one other wirelessly broadcast electronic work, such that by tracking a distribution of a wirelessly broadcast electronic work a rating for that work is identified. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for providing incentives to distribute an electronic work, comprising:
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distributing an electronic work to a user at a first player with a distribution cookie for tracking a wireless broadcast distribution path of said electronic work;
retrieving said distribution cookie from at least one player that received a wireless broadcast of electronic work along said wireless broadcast distribution path; and
providing said user at said first player with an electronic compensation based on the effectiveness of distribution of said electronic work by said user as recorded by said distribution cookie.
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38. A method for tracking responses to a wirelessly broadcast electronic work, comprising:
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distributing an electronic work to a first player with a distribution cookie for tracking a wireless broadcast distribution path of said electronic work and any responses by recipients of said electronic work along said wireless broadcast distribution path;
retrieving said distribution cookie from at least one player that received a wireless broadcast of said electronic work along said wireless broadcast distribution path; and
analyzing said distribution cookie to determine at least one from among a distribution rate of said electronic work, a region of distribution of said electronic work, a rating average for said electronic work from ratings by said recipients of said electronic work, a rating of reviews attached to said distribution cookie by any of said recipients of said electronic work, and any purchases of said electronic work made by any of said recipients of said electronic work. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40)
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41. A method for providing an incentive to review wirelessly broadcast electronic works, comprising:
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distributing an electronic work to a first player with a distribution cookie for tracking a wireless broadcast distribution path of said electronic work and any responses by recipients of said electronic work to a review of said electronic work, wherein one of said recipients adds said review of said electronic work to said distribution cookie;
retrieving said distribution cookie from at least one player that received a wireless broadcast of said electronic work along said wireless broadcast distribution path; and
analyzing said distribution cookie to determine a review rating for said review of said electronic work by said recipients; and
compensating said one of said recipients that added said review if said review contributed to a favorable level of distribution of said electronic work.
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Specification