Payment method and apparatus for use in digital distribution system

• US 20060282389A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aniruddha Gupte
• Original Assignee: Aniruddha Gupte
• Inventors: Gupte, Aniruddha
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method to distribute and monetize media content by associating media content with a cost stored in associated media information within a media package. The user can elect to pay all of the cost, a portion of the cost, or none of the cost. When the user does not pay all of the cost, informative messages paid for by sponsors can be presented as part of the presentation of media content.

Claims

1. A method to distribute and monetize media content consisting of the steps of:

a) storing the media content, and associated media information including a cost, as part of a media package;

b) obtaining the media package and storing it as stored media package on a storage device of an e-PVR;

c) using the media information to determine the cost to be paid so media content can be presented; and

d) obtaining at least one payment and then presenting the media content to a user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining the at least one payment includes presenting the cost to a user of the e-PVR and the user choosing one action from the list of agreeing to pay at least the cost, agreeing to pay a portion of the cost and agreeing to pay none of the cost.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining the at least one payment includes the e-PVR automatically choosing one of the choices based on a user preference stored in a user profile.

4. The method of claim 1 where the user pays less than the at least the cost and the e-PVR performs the steps of

a) charging the portion of the cost to be paid by the user to the users financial account;

b) obtaining informative messages in informative message packages onto the e-PVR, where each informative message package includes a payment and identifies a financial account of a sponsor from which the payment can be obtained;

c) identifying a group of informative messages that have a cumulative payment equal to or in excess of the cost;

d) presenting the media content with informative messages selected from the group; and

e) charging the payment related to each informative message to the financial account of the sponsor when it is presented while crediting the financial account of the user.

5. The method of claim 1 where the step of presenting an informative message includes the step of pausing the presentation of media content while the informative message is presented.

6. The method of claim 1 where the informative messages are chosen based at least in part on the user preferences/profile stored as part of e-PVR information on the storage device of the e-PVR.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of defining logical or physical sections in a media content and storing section data identifying where sections occur in the media content in media information, and presenting at least one of the group of informative messages after a specific section of media content has been presented.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of allowing a user of the e-PVR to indicate, after at least one informative message has been presented, that the user does not want to see additional informative messages, and the user agreeing to pay the difference between the cost and the sum of payments related to the informative messages already presented in order for the remaining portion of the media content to be presented.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the step of allowing a user of the e-PVR to terminate the presentation of the media content and the payments for any informative messages in the group of informative messages that have not been presented are not paid.

10. The method of claim 1 where the cost to present the media is debited from the same account as the payment for allowing presentation of informative messages.

11. The method of claim 1 where a user uses media editing, creation, or enhancement software to add an additional cost to the media information in the media package, so that when media content from that media package is presented to a different user, the different user must pay the sum of the cost and the additional cost.

12. The method of claim 1 where the cost paid by the user or the cumulative payment by sponsors for the media content may not be equal because the payments may be reduced by at least one of a transaction, fulfillment or distribution fee.

13. The method of claim 4 where the informative messages to be presented while presenting a specific media content are selected based on interpreting portions of media information associated with that media content in conjunction with portions of media information associated with the informative message.

14. The method of claim 7 where the informative message to be presented after a section is selected based on interpreting portions of section information of that section in conjunction with portions of media information associated with the informative message.

15. A method to distribute and monetize media content consisting of the steps of:

a) segmenting the media content into sections and storing section delineation information as section flags in media information;

b) storing section information including a cost for each section in media information with the media content as part of a media package;

c) transferring the media package to an e-PVR and storing it as stored media package using a storage device on the e-PVR;

d) using the media information to determine a cost to be paid to present the media content;

e) obtaining at least one payment related to the cost before the media content is presented and then presenting the media content to a user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of obtaining the at least one payment includes presenting the cost to a user of the e-PVR and the user choosing one action from the list of agreeing to pay at least the cost, agreeing to pay a portion of the cost and agreeing to pay none of the cost.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of obtaining the at least one payment includes e-PVR automatically choosing one of the choices based on a user preference stored in a user profile.

18. The method of claim 15 where the user pays less than the at least the cost and the e-PVR performs the steps of

a) charging the portion of the cost to be paid by the user to the users financial account;

b) obtaining informative messages in informative message packages onto the e-PVR, where each informative message package includes a payment and identifies a financial account of a sponsor from which the payment can be obtained;

c) identifying a group of informative messages that have a cumulative payment equal to or in excess of the cost;

d) presenting the media content with informative messages selected from the group; and

e) charging the payment related to each informative message to the financial account of the sponsor as it is presented while crediting the financial account of the user.

19. The method of claim 18 where the informative messages are chosen based at least in part on the characteristics of the user as recorded in a user profile on the storage device in the e-PVR.

20. The method of claim 15 where the cost is a numeric value greater than, less than or equal to zero, and when less than zero, the cost is credited to the user.

21. The method of claim 15 where the cost is a numeric value greater than, less than or equal to zero, and when less than zero, the cost is credited to the user

22. The method of claim 15 where the cost is determined at least in part from any combination of the steps of:

a) reading the cost as a numeric value in media information;

b) reading the cost as a link in media information used to retrieve a numeric value from a server;

c) reading the cost as determined by a set of rules in media information which are interpreted by the e-PVR;

d) reading the cost as a set of rules on a server which are interpreted by the e-PVR;

e) reading the cost as determined by a script or program which is executed on a server and linked from media information;

f) reading the cost as determined by a script or program executed on the e-PVR.

23. The method of claim 22 where the cost is determined based at least in part on selected variables stored on the e-PVR as part of e-PVR information or media information in media package or both and the cost varies based on the variables.

24. The method of claim 15 where the cost is determined at least in part from any combination of the steps of:

a) reading the cost as a numeric value in media information;

b) reading the cost as a link in media information used to retrieve a numeric cost from a server;

c) reading the cost as determined by a set of rules in media information which are interpreted by the e-PVR;

d) reading the cost as a set of rules on a server which are interpreted by the e-PVR

e) reading the cost as determined by a script or program which is executed on a server and linked from media information;

f) reading the cost as determined by a script or program executed on the e-PVR.

25. The method of claim 15 where the cost is determined based at least in part on selected variables stored on the e-PVR as part of e-PVR information or media information in media package or both and the cost varies based on the variables.

26. The method of claim 15 where the cost to present each section of the media content is debited from the same account as the payment for allowing presentation of informative messages.

27. The method of claim 15 where a user uses media editing, creation, or enhancement software to add an additional cost for the media content, so that when that section of media content is presented to a different user, the different user must pay the sum of the cost and the additional cost of the media content.

28. The method of claim 15 where the cost to present the media is debited from the same account as the credits from payment for allowing presentation of informative messages and proceeds of additional cost added by the media enhancer and paid by the user.

29. The method of claim 15 where the cumulative payment by sponsors and user for the media content may not be equal to the cost because the cost may include an additional amount for at least one of a transaction fee, fulfillment fee or distribution fee.

30. The method of claim 15 where the informative message to be presented after a section is selected based on interpreting portions of section information of that section in conjunction with portions of media information associated with the informative message.

31. A method to allow a user to purchase a permanent license for unlimited use of a media content by user including the steps of:

a) determining that a user has selected purchase of a permanent license;

b) sending a decryption request message including a user payment to a server,

c) obtaining from the server, a decryption message that enables decryption of a service encrypted program key, revealing the program key;

d) using locally available information to encrypt the program key as Locally Encrypted Program Key (LEPK) and creating associated local decryption information,

e) determining that the user has requested presentation of the media content,

f) decrypting LEPK to obtain program key, decrypting the media content using the program key and presenting the media content.

32. A method to allow a user to purchase a license for multiple uses of a media content including the steps of:

a) determining from media information and presenting to a user, multiple purchase costs and corresponding purchase choices from a list of at least a number of views, a time limit with a single view and a time limit with unlimited views, and the user selecting at least one choice to make a purchase;

b) sending a decryption request message including a user payment to a server;

c) obtaining from the server, a decryption message that enables decryption of service encrypted program key to reveal program key;

d) using locally available information to encrypt the program key as locally encrypted program key and creating associated local decryption information,

e) encrypting and storing the purchase choice in the form of digital rights rules in media information;

f) determining that the user has requested presentation of the media content,

g) decrypting locally encrypted program key to obtain program key;

h) decrypting digital rights rules and determining if the purchase choice is still valid, and if valid,

i) decrypting the media content using the program key and presenting the media content.

j) changing a counter in digital rights rules if necessary to represent that a presentation has been made to a user,

k) re-encrypting the digital rights rules and storing them in the media package to replace the previously stored digital rights rules.