Online purchase of digital media bundles having interactive content

• US 20060123052A1
• Filed: 10/10/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Gautier, Patrice, Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David, Wiese, Mike, Verosub, Ellis M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Techniques for interacting with an online media store to obtain a media asset bundle, such as a digital boxset, are disclosed. These techniques involve, for instance, browsing for a media asset bundle that includes at least one interactive playable media asset, purchasing the media asset bundle, obtaining the media assets contained in the media asset bundle, determining if a presentation request has been made for a media asset in the media asset bundle, and presenting the requested media asset.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining a media asset bundle, comprising:

(a) browsing for a media asset bundle, wherein the media asset bundle comprises a plurality of media assets and wherein at least one of the media assets in the media asset bundle is an interactive media asset;

(b) purchasing the media asset bundle; and

(c) obtaining the media assets contained in the media asset bundle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive media asset is an interactive multimedia presentation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchasing (b) of the media asset bundle is done at an online media store.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) determining if a request has been made for a media asset in the media asset bundle; and

(e) presenting the requested media asset.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the presenting (e) of the requested media asset is accomplished using a media management application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) determining if a request has been made for the interactive media asset in the media asset bundle; and

(e) presenting the requested interactive media asset.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said presenting (e) of the requested interactive media asset produces an interactive multimedia presentation.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the interactive multimedia presentation is presented using a multimedia application.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the multimedia application is one of QuickTime®

or Macromedia Flash®

.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the multimedia application is incorporated into a media management application.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the multimedia application is spawned by a media management application.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the presenting (e) comprises receiving a user interaction input with respect to the requested interactive media asset while the requested interactive media asset is being presented.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the media assets in the media asset bundle is a non-playable media asset.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting (e) further comprises:

(e)(1) determining whether the requested media asset is a non-playable media asset; and

(e)(2) viewing the non-playable media asset in a non-playable media asset viewer when said determining (e)(1) determines that the requested media asset is a non-playable media asset.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the non-playable media asset is selected from the group consisting of a portable document format (PDF) file, a graphics file, a multi-media file and a text file.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the presenting of (e) further comprises:

(e)(3) determining whether the requested media asset is a playable media asset; and

(e)(4) playing the playable media asset in a playable media asset viewer when said determining (e)(3) determines that the requested media asset is a playable media asset.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the presenting of the non-playable media asset is accomplished using a media management application.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the playable media assets are selected from the group consisting of audio files, video files and multimedia files.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the playable media assets are selected from the group consisting of songs, music videos, audio books, and interactive multimedia presentations.

20. A method for obtaining a media asset bundle, comprising:

(a) receiving a client request to purchase a media asset bundle, wherein the media asset bundle comprises a plurality of media assets and wherein at least one of the media assets in the media asset bundle is an interactive playable media asset;

(b) authorizing a payment for the request to purchase the media asset bundle;

(c) obtaining the media assets of the media asset bundle; and

(d) making the media asset bundle available to the requesting client.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the purchasing (b) of the media asset bundle is done at an online media store.

22. The method of claim 20;

wherein the making available of (d) further comprises sending the media assets of the media asset bundle to the client.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the making available of (d) further comprises sending a media access response to the client.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the making available of (d) further comprises storing a deferred download request.

25. A method for presenting a media asset bundle, wherein the media asset bundle comprises at least one interactive playable media asset and at least one non-interactive playable media asset, the method comprising;

(a) receiving a selection of a media asset in the media asset bundle;

(b) determining whether the media asset in the media asset bundle is interactive or non-interactive;

(c) if the media asset is determined to be interactive, playing the media asset and receiving a user interaction with the media asset being played; and

(d) else, if the media asset is determined to be non-interactive, playing the media asset without any user interaction.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the user interaction with the media asset being played influences the playing of the media asset.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the non-interactive playable media asset is an audio file or a video file.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the interactive playable media asset is a multimedia file that when presented produces an interactive multimedia presentation.

29. A method for obtaining a media asset bundle, comprising:

(a) receiving a client request to purchase a media asset bundle, wherein the media asset bundle comprises a plurality of media assets, including at least one playable file comprising music and at least one interactive multimedia asset;

(b) authorizing a payment for the request to purchase the media asset bundle;

(c) obtaining the media assets of the media asset bundle;

(d) making the media asset bundle available to the requesting client;

(e) selecting a media asset in the media asset bundle;

(f) determining whether the media asset in the media asset bundle is interactive or non-interactive;

(g) if the media asset is determined to be interactive, playing the media asset and receiving a user interaction with the media asset being played; and

(h) else, if the media asset is determined to be non-interactive, playing the media asset without any user interaction.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the media asset bundle further comprises one or more non-playable files.