Audio distribution system

• US 20070011095A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andy Vilcauskas, Bryan Hunter
• Original Assignee: Andy Vilcauskas, Bryan Hunter
• Inventors: Hunter, Bryan, Vilcauskas, Andy
• Granted Patent: US 7,370,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

Audio, including content of a digital data stream, is distributed by a system that confirms an ownership interest in the audio content before an audio file is transferred.

Claims

1. A method of distributing audio comprising the steps of:

(a) storing data included in a data stream in at least one audio file on a server arranged to communicate with another computing device;

(b) selecting an audio unit for purchase, said audio unit comprising at least one audio file including said data;

(c) determining availability of an instance of ownership of said audio unit;

(d) transferring a copy of said audio file to said other computing device if at least one instance of ownership of said audio unit is available; and

(e) preventing transfer of a copy of said audio file if an instance of ownership of said audio unit is not available.

2. The method of distributing audio of claim 1 wherein the step of storing data included a data stream in at least one audio file on a server arranged to communicate with another computing device comprises the steps of:

(a) receiving a transmission comprising said data stream;

(b) recording said transmission; and

(c) storing said recorded transmission in at least one audio file.

3. The method of distributing audio of claim 1 wherein said transmission comprises a radio transmission.

4. The method of distributing audio of claim 1 wherein said transmission comprises a satellite radio transmission.

5. The method of distributing audio of claim 1 wherein said transmission comprises a television transmission.

6. The method of audio of claim 2 wherein the step of storing said recorded transmission in at least one audio file comprises the steps of:

(a) identifying at least one audio unit included in said data stream; and

(b) storing said audio unit in at least one audio file.

7. The method of distributing audio of claim 1 wherein the step of determining availability of an instance of ownership of said audio unit comprises the step of:

(a) determining a location of said other computing device seeking to acquire said audio unit; and

(b) determining whether an instance of ownership of said audio unit includes an interest transferable to another sited at said location of said other computing device.

8. The method of distributing audio of claim 1 wherein the step of transferring a copy of an audio file to another computing device if at least one instance of ownership of the audio unit is available comprises the steps of:

(a) tracking an identification and a location of said audio file;

(b) constructing a pointer file indicating said identification and said location of said audio file; and

(c) communicating said pointer file to a computing device arranged to download said audio file.

9. The method of distributing audio of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting return of an instance of ownership for a previously transferred audio unit; and

(b) making available an instance of ownership to enable a subsequent transfer of an audio file comprising an audio unit corresponding to said returned instance of ownership.

10. The method of distributing audio of claim 9 further comprising the step of requesting acknowledgement of deletion of an audio file comprising said previously transferred audio unit.