Advertising Supported Recorded and Downloaded Music System

• US 20070198660A1
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: W IL Investments I LLC
• Original Assignee: W IL Investments I LLC
• Inventors: Cohen, Marc S.
• Application Number:
  US11/676,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198660A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Music tracks are made available to users at no cost because advertisements are automatically intermixed between the tracks. Free music tracks, ads and machine readable instructions for playing the ads are downloaded from a central computing system to digital media players. Portable digital media players are well suited for practice of the invention. After a track is played the digital media player checks the ad-play instructions to determine if an ad is to be played. If so, the appropriate ad is played, if not, the next track chosen by the user is played. Logs of ad play and track play are maintained on the digital media player and uploaded to the central computing system. Wireless communication between the digital media player and the central computing system are well suited for practice of this invention. The data from the logs is aggregated by the central computing system and used to charge advertisers and compensate copyright holders in the music tracks.

Claims

1. An advertising supported music system comprising:

A digital media player;

a central computing system;

a first means for registering said digital media player with said central computing system;

advertisements that can be played on said digital media player in a user understandable output;

instructions that control when advertisements are played in relation to music tracks played on said digital media player;

a second means for transferring said advertisements and said instructions from said central computing system to said digital media player;

a log of advertisements played on said digital media player that is maintained on said digital media player;

a log of music tracks played on said digital media player that is maintained on said digital media player;

a third means for transferring said log of advertisements and said log of music tracks played on said digital media player to said central computing system;

a fourth means for compensating owners of rights in music tracks based on said log of music tracks played; and

a fifth means for charging advertisers based on said log of advertisements played;

whereby consumers, owners of copyrights in music and advertisers can benefit from advertising supported music tracks.

2. The transferring of the ads and instructions of claim 1, wherein the means for transferring ads and instructions are wireless.

3. The transferring of the advertisements played log and music tracks played log of claim 1, wherein the means for transferring the logs are wireless.

4. The advertisements of claim 1, wherein the advertisements are interactive.

5. The means for compensating owners of rights in music tracks of claim 1, wherein the means are in the form of advertising credits.

6. A method for compensating rights holders in music tracks played on a digital media player comprising:

determining, on the digital media player, music tracks that are not properly identified;

sampling, on the digital media player, a full or partial portion of the music track that is not properly identified;

transferring the sampled music track portion from the digital media player to a central computing system;

identifying the music track, based on the tagged portion, on the central computing system, and

compensating rights holders in the music track for playing of the music track after identification of the music track;

whereby rights holders in music tracks can be compensated for music tracks played on digital audio music players regardless of whether the music tracks included standard identification tags.

7. An advertising supported music method comprising:

registering a digital media player with a central computing system;

providing advertisements that can be played on said digital media player in a user understandable output;

transferring said advertisements from said central computing system to said digital media player;

providing instructions that control when advertisements are played in relation to music tracks played on said digital media player;

transferring said instructions from said central computing system to said digital media player;

maintaining on said digital media player a log of advertisements played on said digital media player;

transferring said log of advertisements played on said digital media player to said central computing system;

maintaining on said digital media player a log of music tracks played on said digital media player;

transferring said log of music tracks played on said digital media player to said central computing system;

compensating owners of rights in music tracks based on said log of music tracks played; and

charging advertisers based on said log of advertisements played;

whereby consumers, owners of rights in music and advertisers can benefit from advertising supported music tracks.

8. The transferring of the ads and instructions of claim 7, wherein the means for transferring ads and instructions are wireless.

9. The transferring of the advertisements played log and music tracks played log of claim 7, wherein the means for transferring the logs are wireless.

10. The advertisements of claim 7, wherein the advertisements are interactive.

11. The means for compensating owners of rights in music tracks of claim 7, wherein the means are in the form of advertising credits.