Systems and methods for the selection and purchase of digital assets

• US 20050144091A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 2428392 Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trans World Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Sullivan, John J., Harper, Gregory W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• 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 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for enabling a customer to sample content and select content for purchasing while the customer is in a retail store. Advantageously, the customer may be given one or more options for the delivery of the content.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a customer in a retail store to purchase digital assets, comprising:

receiving at a terminal located within the retail store a virtual shopping cart identifier inputted by the customer;

transmitting the identifier from the terminal to a server system, which determines the status of the identified virtual cart;

after determining the status of the cart, transmitting a response to the terminal;

displaying to the customer at the terminal a user interface that enables the customer to select a digital asset for purchase;

receiving at the terminal input from the customer indicating that the customer desires to add the digital asset to the customer'"'"'s virtual cart;

transmitting from the terminal to the server system an asset identifier identifying the digital asset, wherein the server system associates the asset identifier with the cart identifier;

receiving at the terminal and from the customer an indication that the customer is ready to purchase the contents of the customer'"'"'s virtual cart;

transmitting to a fulfillment system an order message, wherein the order message includes information identifying one or more digital assets, each of which digital asset has an identifier associated with the cart identifier;

receiving an order response from the fulfillment system, wherein the order response includes an order confirmation code;

providing the order confirmation code to the customer; and

downloading from the fulfillment system to a customer device located outside of the store the one or more digital assets, wherein the downloading step includes;

inputting the confirmation code into the customer device; and

transmitting the confirmation code from the customer device to the fulfillment system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at a checkout terminal the virtual cart identifier;

transmitting from the checkout terminal to the server system the received cart identifier;

receiving from the server system purchase amount information;

receiving payment from the customer; and

providing a receipt to the customer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the order confirmation code is printed on or stored in the receipt.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloading step further comprises:

receiving by the fulfillment system the confirmation code transmitted from the customer device, wherein the fulfillment system comprises a storage device;

fetching from the storage device digital assets identified by digital asset identifiers associated with the confirmation code; and

transmitting the fetched digital assets from the fulfillment system to the customer device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fulfillment system comprises a database that associates the confirmation code with one or more digital asset identifiers, each identifier identifying a digital asset.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface that enables the customer to select a digital asset for purchase also enables the user to select for the digital asset a purchase mode from a set of available purchase modes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of available purchase modes includes a copy to disk purchase mode and a digital download purchase mode.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the digital assets associated with the cart identifier that have been selected for digital download by the customer, wherein this determining step occurs prior to transmitting the order message to the fulfillment system, and all of the digital assets identified in the order message have been selected for digital download by the customer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing in the store a plurality of shopping cards, each of which is associated with a virtual shopping cart identifier, wherein the shopping cards are placed in a location that is accessible to the customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of shopping cards has a virtual shopping cart identifier printed thereon and/or stored therein.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the customer obtains one of the shopping cards prior to inputting the virtual shopping cart identifier into the terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising instructing the customer to go to a checkout counter with the shopping card after receiving at the terminal the indication that the customer is ready to purchase the contents of the customer'"'"'s virtual cart and before providing the order confirmation code to the customer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving the shopping card from the customer after or upon the arrival of the customer at the checkout counter; and

inputting into a checkout terminal the virtual shopping cart identifier associated with the received shopping card.

14. A method for enabling a customer in a retail store to purchase digital assets, comprising:

receiving at a terminal located within the retail store an account identifier associated with the customer;

transmitting the identifier from the terminal to a server system, which determines whether a database coupled to the server system associates any digital asset identifiers with the account identifier;

after determining whether the database associates any digital asset identifiers with the account identifier, transmitting a response to the terminal;

displaying to the customer at the terminal a user interface that enables the customer to select a digital asset for purchase;

receiving at the terminal input from the customer indicating that the customer desires to purchase the digital asset;

transmitting from the terminal to the server system an asset identifier identifying the digital asset, wherein the server system uses the database to associate the asset identifier with the account identifier;

receiving at the terminal and from the customer an indication that the customer is ready to purchase the digital assets identified by the asset identifiers associated with the account identifier;

transmitting to a fulfillment system an order message, wherein the order message includes the account identifier and information identifying one or more digital assets, each of which digital asset has an identifier associated with the account identifier; and

downloading from the fulfillment system to a customer device located outside of the store the one or more digital assets, wherein the downloading step includes transmitting the account identifier from the customer device to the fulfillment system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the downloading step further comprises:

receiving by the fulfillment system the account identifier transmitted from the customer device, wherein the fulfillment system comprises a storage device;

fetching from the storage device digital assets identified by digital asset identifiers associated with the account identifier; and

transmitting the fetched digital assets from the fulfillment system to the customer device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the fulfillment system comprises a database that associates the account identifier with one or more digital asset identifiers, each identifier identifying a digital asset.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface that enables the customer to select a digital asset for purchase also enables the user to select a purchase mode for the digital asset from a set of available purchase modes.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the set of available purchase modes includes a copy to disk purchase mode and a digital download purchase mode.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining the digital assets associated with the account identifier that have been selected for digital download by the customer, wherein this determining step occurs prior to transmitting the order message to the fulfillment system, and all of the digital assets identified in the order message have been selected for digital download by the customer.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the customer device includes software that is configured to automatically download the one or more digital assets from the fulfillment system so that the customer need not manually download the one or more digital assets.

21. A method for enabling a customer in a retail store to purchase digital assets, comprising:

providing the customer with a shopping card having a virtual shopping cart identifier printed thereon or stored therein;

placing a terminal in the retail store, the terminal having a reader for reading virtual shopping cart identifiers printed on or stored in shopping cards;

transmitting from the terminal to a server system the virtual shopping cart identifier after the reader reads the virtual shopping cart identifier, which server system determines whether a database coupled to the server system associates any digital asset identifiers with the cart identifier;

after determining whether the database associates any digital asset identifiers with the cart identifier, transmitting a response to the terminal;

displaying to the customer at the terminal a user interface that enables the customer to select a digital asset for purchase;

receiving at the terminal input from the customer indicating that the customer desires to purchase the digital asset;

transmitting from the terminal to the server system an asset identifier identifying the digital asset, wherein the server system associates the asset identifier with the cart identifier;

receiving at the terminal and from the customer an indication that the customer is ready to purchase the digital assets identified by the asset identifiers associated with the cart identifier;

transmitting to a fulfillment system an order message, wherein the order message includes information identifying one or more digital assets, each of which digital asset has an identifier associated with the cart identifier;

receiving an order response from the fulfillment system, wherein the order response includes an order confirmation code;

providing the order confirmation code to the customer; and

downloading from the fulfillment system to a customer device located outside of the store the one or more digital assets, wherein the downloading step includes;

inputting the confirmation code into the customer device; and

transmitting the confirmation code from the customer device to the fulfillment system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the reader comprises at least one of a barcode scanner, magnetic strip reader, and an RFID reader.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving at a checkout terminal the virtual cart identifier;

transmitting from the checkout terminal to the server system the received cart identifier;

receiving from the server system purchase amount information;

receiving payment from the customer; and

providing a receipt to the customer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the order confirmation code is printed on or stored in the receipt.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the downloading step further comprises:

receiving by the fulfillment system the confirmation code transmitted from the customer device, wherein the fulfillment system comprises a storage device;

fetching from the storage device digital assets identified by digital asset identifiers associated with the confirmation code; and

transmitting the fetched digital assets from the fulfillment system to the customer device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the fulfillment system comprises a database that associates the confirmation code with one or more digital asset identifiers, each identifier identifying a digital asset.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising instructing the customer to go to a checkout counter with the shopping card after receiving at the terminal the indication that the customer is ready to purchase the digital assets identified by the asset identifiers associated with the cart identifier and before providing the order confirmation code to the customer.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving the shopping card from the customer after or upon the arrival of the customer at the checkout counter; and

inputting into a checkout terminal the virtual shopping cart identifier associated with the received shopping card.

29. A method for enabling a customer in a retail store to purchase digital assets, comprising:

receiving at a terminal located within the retail store an account identifier associated with the customer or a virtual shopping cart identifier;

associating the account or cart identifier with a set of one or more audio encoding formats;

transmitting the account or cart identifier from the terminal to a server system;

transmitting an audio recordings identifier from the terminal to the server system, wherein the audio recordings identifier identifies a set of audio recordings;

determining the set of audio encoding formats associated with the account identifier or cart identifier;

determining whether an audio recording included in the set of audio recordings is available for purchase in at least one of the audio encoding formats in included in the set;

receiving from the server system the title of the audio recording;

displaying the title to the customer;

displaying an indication to the customer that the audio recording is available for purchase only if it was determined that the audio recording is available for purchase in at least one of the audio encoding formats included in the set;

receiving at the terminal input from the customer indicating that the customer desires add the audio recording to a virtual shopping cart;

transmitting from the terminal to the server system an asset identifier identifying the audio recording, wherein the server system uses the database to associate the asset identifier with the account or cart identifier;

receiving at the terminal and from the customer an indication that the customer is ready to purchase the audio recording;

transmitting to a fulfillment system an order message, wherein the order message includes the asset identifier; and

downloading the audio recording from the fulfillment system to a customer device located outside of the store.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising receiving a confirmation code from the fulfillment system prior to downloading the audio recording from the fulfillment system.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of downloading the audio recording includes the step of transmitting the confirmation code to the fulfillment system from the customer device.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of downloading the audio recording includes the step of transmitting the account identifier to the fulfillment system from the customer device.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the audio recordings identifier identifies a set of one or more audio recordings released together on a compact disc or phonograph record.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the audio recordings identifier identifies a set of one or more audio recordings recorded by the same artist.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the customer device includes software that is configured to automatically download the audio recording from the fulfillment system so that the customer need not manually download the audio recording.