Techniques for acquiring a media season of digital media assets

• US 20060248114A1
• Filed: 03/07/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Gautier, Patrice, Burkholder, Thomas, Anderson, Alexandrea, Shimizu, Debbie, Kondrk, Robert, d'Errico, Elizabeth, Meldrum, Colin
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Techniques to facilitate acquiring a media season, or a related series, of digital media assets from an on-line media store are disclosed. A user can view various media seasons that have been listed as available for purchase from the on-line media store. A user can choose to purchase a particular media season, either before or during the season. Subsequent to the purchase of the particular media season, digital media assets of the particular media season can be delivered to the user once the digital media assets become available. Since the monitoring is computerized and the delivery is electronic, once a digital media asset becomes available, delivery can be automatically processed.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring a related series of digital media assets from an on-line media store, said method comprising:

presenting a plurality of related series of digital media assets that are available for purchase on the on-line media store;

receiving a selection of one of the related series of digital media assets to be purchased;

initiating purchase of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets; and

permitting delivery of available ones of the digital media assets of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected one of the related series of digital media assets includes a plurality of episodes of a show.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected one of the related series of digital media assets pertains to a show.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the selected one of the related series of digital media assets consists of a predetermined number of consecutive episodes of the show.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the selected one of the related series of digital media assets includes those episodes of the show corresponding to a particular media season.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the show is a television show.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected one of the related series of digital media assets includes episodes containing audiovisual content pertaining to a show.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected one of the related series of digital media assets includes episodes containing audiovisual content regarding highlights of one or more events, shows, or programs.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the highlights correspond to a particular media season.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at the time the purchase is initiated, none or only a portion of the digital media assets of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets are available.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein when the related series of digital media assets are available on the on-line music store, the number of digital media assets to be included in the related series of digital media assets is known or estimated.

12. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the delivery is to a client device, and

wherein as one or more other of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets become available, the one or more other of the digital media assets are made available to or provided to the client device.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the delivery involves downloading to the client device.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at the time of purchase only a portion of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets are available.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein at the time of purchase, the cost applied to a user account is a pro-rata amount of a total series cost.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the pro-rata amount of the total series cost is determined dependent on (i) the number of digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets that are available at the time of purchase and (ii) the total number of digital media assets expected in the related series of digital media assets.

17. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein, as other of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets subsequently are made available, an additional portion of the total series cost is applied to the user account.

18. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the purchase of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets is at a total series cost, and

wherein the total series cost is less than the sum of the individual costs of all the digital media assets, including available and expected, within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

determining whether one or more other of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets have subsequently been made available; and

sending an electronic notification to the client device or its user that the one or more other of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets have subsequently been made available.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

subsequently receiving a request to cancel the purchase of a remaining portion of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein said method further comprises:

processing at least a partial refund for the related series of digital media assets so long as not all of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets have not been made available or delivered.

22. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital media assets include audiovisual content.

23. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the audiovisual content is a video or movie.

24. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the purchase is performed by an electronic payment.

25. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

processing at least a partial electronic payment for the purchase of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets after completion of delivery of one or more of the digital media assets of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets.

26. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for acquiring a related series of digital media assets from an on-line media store, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for presenting a plurality of related series of digital media assets that are available for purchase on the on-line media store;

computer program code for receiving a selection of one of the related series of digital media assets to be purchased;

computer program code for initiating purchase of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets; and

computer program code for permitting delivery of available ones of the digital media assets of the selected one of the related series of digital media assets.

27. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the selected one of the related series of digital media assets includes episodes containing audiovisual content regarding highlights of one or more events, shows, or programs.

28. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 27, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for determining whether one or more other of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets have subsequently been made available; and

computer program code for sending an electronic notification to the client device or its user that the one or more other of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets have subsequently been made available.

30. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 29,

wherein at the time of purchase only a portion of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets are available,

wherein at the time of purchase, the cost applied to a user account is a pro-rata amount of a total series cost, the pro-rata amount of the total series cost being determined dependent on (i) the number of digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets that are available at the time of purchase and (ii) the total number of digital media assets expected in the related series of digital media assets, and

wherein, as other of the digital media assets within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets subsequently are made available, an additional portion of the total series cost is applied to the user account.

31. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 30, wherein the total series cost is less than the sum of the individual costs of all the digital media assets, including available and expected, within the selected one of the related series of digital media assets.

32. A media server, comprising:

at least one data storage device, said data storage device storing (i) season product information that contains characteristics on a plurality of related series, (ii) related series information, the related series object relates a plurality of episodes to each of the plurality of related series, and (iii) the plurality of episodes or pointers thereto; and

a data processing unit operatively connected to said at least one storage device, said data processing unit performing a purchase process to enable users to select one or more of the related series for purchase, said processing unit further performing a fulfillment process to deliver, to the user that has purchased such, the episodes for the purchased one of more of the related series as they become available.

33. A media system as recited in claim 32, wherein said media server further comprises:

an import engine for receiving episodes from media content providers, the episodes include media content and descriptive information,

wherein using the descriptive information, each of the received episodes can be automatically added to the data storage device in a manner so as to correspond to the appropriate related series.