Process for ordering a selection in advance, digital system and jukebox for embodiment of the process

• US 20060106676A1
• Filed: 11/07/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TouchTunes Music Corporation (The Octave Music Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TouchTunes Music Corporation (The Octave Music Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nathan, Guy, Mastronardi, Tony, Dion, Dominique
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/305 for record players
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/08 by using devices external to the driving mechanisms, e.g. coin-freed switch coin actuated mechanisms G07F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

This invention relates to a process for ordering a selection in advance, characterized in that it includes a step in which a menu is displayed followed by a selection in this menu, to make specific requests and particularly: a step displaying the event for which the advance order of a selection is made, and then selection of the event; a step displaying the identity of destination equipment on which the selection is to be played, and then selection of this equipment; a step displaying the date and time at which the selection is to be made on the destination equipment; a step in which particular requests are recorded and downloaded onto a file only after payment has been verified.

Claims

1. A method for ordering, in advance, from a user'"'"'s terminal connected to a host server via a communication network, a selection to be played on at least one destination equipment capable of being connected via the communication network to the host server, said destination equipment and said server each comprising a request processing module enabling the implementation of at least the following steps of:

displaying a menu on the user'"'"'s terminal, said menu containing a plurality of items including a selection to be played and specific requests, said specific requests including at least one of the selection to be played or the destination equipment on which the selection is to be played or both, wherein when selection is made in advance, the time and date at which the selection is to be played being chosen;

displaying the identity of the destination equipment on which the selection is to be played, and the selection;

displaying the date and time at which the selection is to be played on the destination equipment;

displaying an event for which the order of a selection is made in advance, and then displaying the selection of an event;

verifying receipt of a payment to authorize the generation of a special file containing the specific requests;

and either;

recording of said special file directly on the destination equipment, when the user'"'"'s terminal is the destination equipment on which the selection is to be played, or

recording of said special file on the server and downloading of said special file from the server to the destination, when the user'"'"'s terminal is distinct from the destination equipment, or

downloading of said special file from the user'"'"'s terminal to the server and then from the server to the destination equipment on which the selection is to be played, when the user'"'"'s terminal is a destination equipment connected to the server but distinct from the destination equipment on which the selection is to be played.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising choosing or saving a special message.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising saving a personal message.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising selecting a message from a plurality of messages.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the destination equipment is capable of being connected to the server via the communication network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of displaying are made by sending messages via the communication network to the terminal in order to display selection steps necessary for making selections, the selection steps comprising messages sent from the terminal to the server as a function of actions performed by the user on the user'"'"'s terminal to define the selection in advance.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising recording the messages and requests on the host server together with an address of the destination equipment.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising examining a special file containing recorded specific requests to determine if a current date and time on the equipment correspond to the date and time for execution of the advance request.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

9. A device for ordering, in advance, from a user'"'"'s terminal connected to a host server via a communication network, a selection to be played on at least one destination equipment, capable of being connected to the host server via the communication network, comprising:

means for displaying information on a screen of the user'"'"'s terminal, said means guiding the user in making specific requests, said specific requests comprising choosing destination equipment on which said selection is to be played, choosing a time and date at which the selection is to be played, and choosing an event for which a selection is made;

a request processing module for generating a special file containing these specific requests and for recording said special file either on the destination equipment or on the server operable to download said special file to the destination equipment;

means for periodically examining the contents of the special file recorded on the destination equipment to trigger execution of the selection at a given time and date, or to trigger downloading of the specific request on the destination equipment.

10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising means for remotely transmitting the specific requests to the destination equipment.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the means for displaying comprises object modules added in *.DJO files called by a WIN.DEF configuration file on the equipment, when necessary.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the special files are saved in a FILO.DJL module and program modifications necessary for operation and for use of this process will be downloaded in different modules.

13. The device according to claim 9, further comprising means for defining rules for execution of a queue of songs of the specific requests, thereby modifying behavior of a disc-jockey according to at least one of:

first file in is first out;

at random;

by selecting most popular songs first;

by eliminating a second consecutive song by the same artist;

any other rule;

or by a combination of the foregoing.

16. The device according to claim 9, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

14. A digital remote distribution network comprising:

a host server connected to the Internet and, through a second network to a set of equipment, each equipment of the set being identifiable by an identification number or address to enable a request processing module loading on said equipment of specific requests selected for an event from a user'"'"'s terminal connected to the host server via the Internet and to be played at a selected time and date on said equipment; and

means for scanning a file containing the specific request on each equipment to enable said specific requests to be executed when a local time and date of the equipment correspond to a selected time and date.