Distribution of content

• US 20070038931A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brightcove Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Brightcove Incorporated
• Inventors: Mason, Robert, Allaire, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,973 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• 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 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Among other things, publishers of digital content are enabled each to define, for each of one or more digital content items, a style in which the digital content item is to be presented to a user and a condition under which the user may have the digital content item presented. The digital content items are stored in a content library, the styles and conditions associated with the digital content items are stored in a server. Each of the digital content items is enabled to be presented to users within presentation contexts that are accessible to the users and controlled by presentation context providers. The presentation of the digital content items includes obtaining the digital content items from the server and controlling the presentation to occur under the conditions and in the styles defined by the publishers.

Claims

1. A method comprising

enabling publishers of digital content each to define, for each of one or more digital content items, a style in which the digital content item is to be presented to a user and a condition under which the user may have the digital content item presented,

storing the digital content items in a content library,

storing the styles and conditions associated with the digital content items in a server, and

enabling each of the digital content items to be presented to users within presentation contexts that are accessible to the users and controlled by presentation context providers,

the presentation of the digital content items including obtaining the digital content items from the server and controlling the presentation to occur under the conditions and in the styles defined by the publishers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the publishers further comprises providing the publishers with a selection of predefined templates that can be customized by the publisher.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the publishers further comprises providing the publishers with the ability to create their own templates that can access the content library.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprises enabling the publishers to generate a package that includes one or more of the digital content items, wherein the package includes at least one of a rental, subscription, pay-to-own, and a discount applied to a bundle of content items including the media product.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprises enabling the publishers to generate a package that includes one or more of the digital content items, wherein the publisher pays the cost of distribution and delivery.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling each of the digital content items to be presented to users further comprises arranging the digital content items as streaming video or music.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling each of the digital content items to be presented to users further comprises arranging the digital content items in a downloadable file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the styles define a user experience.

9. A method comprising

enabling a party that controls a digital presentation context that is accessible to users to permit inclusion in the presentation context of a presentation content code,

the presentation content code being configured to present digital content items to the users within the presentation context, the presentation content code being configured to control the presentation of each of the digital content items in accordance with the defined style and condition, and

paying the party that controls the digital presentation context for permitting the inclusion of the presentation content code in the presentation context.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising delivering the digital content items to a user operating the presentation context in response to receiving the presentation content code.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the digital content is delivered such that to the user, the digital content appears to be originating directly from the presentation context.

12. A method comprising

enabling a user or an aggregator to aggregate sets of digital content items that are offered as publisher subscriptions by publishers, to form custom subscriptions,

deriving revenue from presentation of the custom subscriptions to users and distributing at least portions of the revenue to the publishers, and

adjusting the derivation and distribution of revenue to reflect volume discounts defined by the publishers with respect to volume of usage by the users for respective digital content items or respective publisher subscriptions.

13. The method of claim 12 in which at least one of the custom subscriptions spans at least two different publishers.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising pricing a custom subscription according to multiple pricing models that are linked to characteristics of different users who have purchased one or more digital content items of a custom subscription.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein characteristics include at least one of an interest in a particular topic, and a user'"'"'s impression of the quality of a publisher.

16. A method comprising

enabling a first user to electronically refer a digital content item to a second user, and

in connection with the referral, enabling a publisher of the digital content item to control a context in which and a financial condition under which the digital content item may be presented to the other user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising prompting the second user to register upon determining that the second user is not a registered member.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a context comprises sending a preview of the digital content item to the second user with instructions for purchasing the digital content item.

19. A method comprising

at a server maintaining information about rights of users to receive presentations of digital content items, and

enabling each of the users to receive presentations of the digital content items for which the user has rights, from the server at any time at any location and on any one of a variety of presentation devices including personal computers, notebook computers, portable video players, digital versatile disk players, and televisions.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing the users with customizable tools for viewing the presentations.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving a payment in exchange for the rights.

22. A method comprising

storing digital content items of publishers together with information, defined by the publisher that enables each of the content items to be presented to users through any one of a variety of presentation channels that each provides a presentation context under the control of a presentation context provider.

23. The method of claim 22 in which the channels include at least one of web browser, networked television, email, instant messaging, rich site summary, and short message service.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising indexing the content items using the information defined by the publisher to form a catalog index.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising providing a search tool for providing information in the catalog index to a user according to searching criteria defined by the user.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the information defined by the publisher includes at least one of:

a name, date of production, description of content and an identification number.

27. A method comprising

providing a central service that enables publishers to publish digital content items through the service directly at retail for presentation to users for compensation,

the central service also enabling the publishers to electronically establish relationships with affiliates to permit the publishers to publish the digital content items through the service and the affiliates indirectly at wholesale for presentation by the affiliates to the users for compensation.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising enabling the publishers to grant and restrict access to digital content items for affiliates.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising providing the affiliates with a list of digital content items that are available to them from each of the publishers.

30. The method of claim 27 further comprising enabling the affiliates to define packages of the digital content items, wherein the packages include at least one of a rental, subscription, purchase, and a discount applied to a bundle of media content items.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising enabling the affiliates to define packages of the digital content items, wherein the affiliate pays the cost of distribution and delivery and the publisher is compensated for the usage and viewing of the digital content items.

32. A method comprising

enabling a publisher to define custom digital content packages each including one or more digital content items, the definition of each of the digital content packages including the context and conditions under which the digital content package may be presented to a given user, and

controlling presentation of each of the digital content items to users based on the characteristics of the user or context in which the presentation is made and on the conditions for the presentation, and

passing compensation from the users to the publishers for the presentations, different packages being defined to enable the publisher to garner revenue, users, contexts, and conditions lying across a full range of a demand curve for the digital content items.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein enabling a publisher to define custom packages comprises enabling the publisher to define titles for the one or more digital content items, wherein the titles comprise metadata that provides information about at least one of a:

content, quality, and condition of the media product;

34. The method of claim 33 wherein enabling a publisher to define custom packages comprises enabling the publisher to organize the titles as a lineup

35. The method of claim 33 further comprising enabling the publisher to insert advertisements provided by advertising entities into the digital content package and garner revenue from the advertising entities.

36. A method comprising

enabling a presentation content provider that electronically provides a presentation context to users, to permit the presentation context to include a publicly available presentation content code that enables a presentation to users of digital content items that are controlled by one or more publishers, the presentation being made under financial conditions and in a presentation style that is defined by the publishers, and

compensating the presentation content provider for permitting the presentation content code to be included in the presentation context.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the presentation context includes advertisements that generate advertisement revenue.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein compensating the presentation content provider comprises sharing a portion of the advertisement revenue with the presentation content provider.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein compensating the presentation content provider further comprising sharing, with the presentation content provider, a portion of revenue collected from payments made by users to receive the digital content items.