Trial access for media files from a media list

• US 20070067243A1
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale
• Granted Patent: US 7,702,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for sharing media files. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, can be implemented as follows. The system includes a file sharing application configured to initiate a communication session with a file server, where the file server manages download requests for media files listed on a dynamic list. Use of the media files is subject to a trial period that corresponds to a period that the media files remain on the dynamic list. The system further includes trial period checking logic configured to retrieve a new dynamic list and check whether a trial period for a media file has expired by determining whether the media file is listed on the new dynamic list and offer presentation logic configured to offer a user a license for continued use of a media file that has an expired trial period. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A system for authorizing use of media files, comprising:

a file sharing application configured to initiate a communication session with a file server, the file server managing download requests for media files listed on a dynamic list, use of the media files subject to a trial period that corresponds to a period that the media files remain on the dynamic list;

trial period checking logic configured to retrieve a new dynamic list and check whether a trial period for a media file has expired by determining whether the media file is listed on the new dynamic list; and

offer presentation logic configured to offer a user a license for continued use of a media file that has an expired trial period.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the media files include sound files.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

license payment logic configured to track a payment that is to be charged against an account of the user for a purchased license, wherein the license payment logic charges the account for a fee associated with the purchased license.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a portable media device operable to connect with a computer having the file sharing application and trial period checking logic, wherein connection of the portable media device to the computer triggers the trial period checking logic to check for expired trial periods on the portable media device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic list is organized by music genre.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a media file that is removed from the dynamic list is made unavailable for download.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the file sharing application provides a list of media available for download, the list including media from the dynamic list and excluding media previously downloaded by the user.

8. A method for authorizing use of media files, comprising the steps of:

retrieving a dynamic list of media files;

downloading a media file that is contained on the dynamic list;

detecting expiration of a trial period for the downloaded media file, the trial period corresponding to a period of time that the downloaded media file is included on the dynamic list before the downloaded media file is removed from the dynamic list; and

prompting a user to obtain a license for continued use of an expired media file that has been removed from the dynamic list.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

enabling the expired media file to be accessed for continued use by a user after the user obtains the license.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

displaying a list of media files that are available for download by the user, the list of media files including media files contained on the dynamic list and excluding media files previously downloaded by the user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the user is provided a grace period for responding to the prompting step.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

configuring a media file to be inaccessible by a user if the user chooses not to obtain a license for the media file that has been removed from the dynamic list.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the prompting step is triggered by the detecting step.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

detecting connection of a portable media device to a computer that is used to download the media files from the dynamic list; and

checking the trial periods of media files located on the portable media device and the computer, wherein the detecting connection step triggers the detecting expiration step.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamic list is organized by music genre.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the dynamic list is organized by the current popularity of the media files.

17. A computer readable medium having a computer program for authorizing use of media files, the program including instructions for performing the steps of:

retrieving a dynamic list of media files;

displaying a list of media files that are available for download by a user, the list of media files including media files contained on the dynamic list and excluding media files previously downloaded by the user

detecting expiration of a trial period for a downloaded media file from the dynamic list, the trial period corresponding to a period of time that the downloaded media file is included on the dynamic list before the media file is removed from the dynamic list; and

prompting the user to obtain a license for continued use of an expired media file that has been removed from the dynamic list.

18. The medium of claim 17, the program further including instructions for performing the step of:

detecting connection of a portable media device to a computer that is used to download the media files from the dynamic list, wherein the detecting connection step triggers the detecting expiration step.

19. The medium of claim 17, further including instructions for performing the step of:

enabling the expired media file to be accessed for continued use by the user after the user obtains the license.

20. The medium of claim 17, further including instructions for performing the step of:

configuring a media file to be inaccessible by the user if the user chooses not to obtain a license for the media file that has been removed from the dynamic list.