METHOD FOR ALLOWING A CUSTOMER TO PREVIEW, ACQUIRE AND/OR PAY FOR INFORMATION AND A SYSTEM THEREFOR
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for controlling distribution and access to an information product, said method comprising the steps of: superposing a utility-reducing masking effect on said information product; controlling the presence, absence and/or permanence of said masking effects by the outcome of an interactive communication between a provider and a receiver of said information product. The term information product includes books, video recordings, audio recordings, music, images and multimedia works. The masking effects described in the present invention are of a generally interfering nature and can be superposed on the information object as an overlay, interruption, interference, discontinuity, disturbance or disorientation. The purpose of imposing a masking effect is to derive a masked version of the information product for preview purposes that can be readily distributed to interested customers in an unrestricted manner. The masking effect is removable after conditions for purchase and/or other authorization criteria are met.
83 Citations
40 Claims
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1-15. -15. (canceled)
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16. A method for controlling distribution and transmittal of a digital work, said method comprising the steps of:
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superposing a masking effect on an original and unmasked form of said digital work thereby creating a masked digital work;
said masking effect being adapted to interfere with at least one of the aspects of said digital work including—
content, display, audio, clarity, playback quality, resolution of said digital work and the functionality of said digital work for its intended purposes,establishing a first set of criteria for persistence of said masking effect on said digital work, establishing a second set of criteria for removal of said masking effect from said masked digital work, initiating an interactive communication between a distributor of said digital work and a receiver of said digital work, determining whether the outcome of said interactive communication, between said distributor and said receiver satisfies said first or said second set of criteria, and controlling persistence of said masking effect on said digital work and transmitting said masked digital work to said receiver upon satisfactory completion of said first set of criteria, or removing said masking effect on said digital work and transmitting said digital work in said original and unmasked form upon satisfactory completion of said second set of criteria. - View Dependent Claims (17, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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18-22. -22. (canceled)
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31. A method for controlling distribution and transmittal of an information product, said method comprising the steps of:
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superposing a masking effect on an original and unmasked form of said information product thereby creating a masked version of said information product;
said masking effect being adapted to interfere with at least one of viewing, hearing, displaying and playing of said information product in said original and unmasked form,establishing a first set of criteria for transmitting said masked version of said information product, establishing a second set of criteria for transmitting said information product in said original and unmasked form, initiating an interactive communication between a distributor of said information product and a receiver of said information product, determining whether the outcome of said interactive communication, between said distributor and said receiver satisfies said first or said second set of criteria, and transmitting said masked version of said information product upon satisfactory completion of said first set of criteria, or transmitting said information product in said original and unmasked form upon satisfactory completion of said second set of criteria. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification