Buy once play anywhere

• US 20080243694A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fowler, J. Clinton Paul, Krishnamoorthy, Shyam, Hook, Jerry P., Johnson, Jerry Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

An on-line service manages downloads of purchased digital content. Information regarding the digital content items that are purchased by each user and the terms of use of those purchased items is maintained. Information regarding the formats of digital content items that each device is adapted to receive is maintained. Upon determining that a user wishes to download a digital content item, the requested digital content is downloaded in an appropriate format for a particular digital device provided the recorded information indicates the content item has been purchased by the user and the download is within the quantity of downloads authorized by the terms of the purchase.

Claims

1. A method of managing downloads of digital content implemented at least in part on a computing system, comprising:

receiving a request from a user to purchase a digital content item;

determining the digital content item is to be downloaded to a first device;

identifying for the first device a first download format of the digital content item;

downloading the digital content item in the first download format to the first device;

determining the digital content item is to be downloaded to a second device;

identifying for the second device a second download format of the digital content item; and

downloading the digital content item in the second download format to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying for the first device a first download format of the digital content item comprises identifying a format of the digital content item suitable for use on the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying for the second device a second download format of the digital content item comprises identifying a format of the digital content item suitable for use on the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request from a user to purchase a digital content item comprises receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content item.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a quantity of devices comprises receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a single device to which the user may download the digital content item;

and

wherein downloading the digital content item in the second download format to the second device comprises prompting the user to purchase an additional license prior to downloading the digital content item.

6. The method of claim 4,

wherein receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a quantity of devices comprises receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining an unlimited number of devices to which the user may download the digital content item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein

identifying for the first device a first download format of the digital content item comprises referring to a database of information relating to devices to identify a download format for the first device, and

identifying for the second device a second download format of the digital content item comprises referring to a database of information relating to devices to identify a download format for the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

determining the digital content item is to be downloaded to a first device comprises identifying the user wishes to download the digital content item to the first device, and

determining the digital content item is to be downloaded to a second device comprises identifying the user wishes to download the digital content item to the second device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

identifying the user wishes to download the digital content item to the first device comprises receiving a request from the first device specifying to download the digital content item to the first device, and

identifying the user wishes to download the digital content item to the second device comprises receiving a request from the second device specifying to download the digital content item to the second device.

10. A method of downloading digital content implemented at least in part on a computing system, comprising:

receiving a request from a user to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content item;

determining the digital content item is to be downloaded to a first device;

downloading the digital content item to the first device in a first format usable by the first device if downloading the digital content item is consistent with the terms defining the quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein downloading the digital content item to the first device in a first format usable by the first device comprises downloading the digital content item in a format optimized for the first device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining the digital content item is to be downloaded to a second device;

downloading the digital content item to the second device in a second format usable by the second device if download the downloading the digital content item is consistent with the terms defining the quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content.

13. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein

determining the digital content item is to be downloaded to a first device comprises receiving an indication the first device is available to receive the digital content item.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein

receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content item comprises receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a single device to which the user may download the digital content item, and

downloading the digital content item to the second device comprises prompting the user to purchase additional rights to download the digital content item, and receiving a request to purchase additional rights to download the digital content item, prior to downloading the digital content item to the second device.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein

receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content item comprises receiving a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining an unlimited number of devices to which the user may download the digital content item.

16. A system for managing downloads of purchased digital content, comprising:

a store of digital content items;

a user database comprising records of users authorized to download items from the store of digital content items, the database comprising for each authorized user an identification of digital content items purchased by the user, and for each purchased digital content item by each user terms an identification of a quantity of devices to which the digital content item may be downloaded; and

servers comprising computer instructions to;

receive requests from users to download digital content items from said store to digital devices,

determine if information in the user database indicates a requesting user has purchased a requested digital content item under terms that allow for downloading, and

download the requested digital content item in a format usable by a requested device upon determining that the requesting user purchased requested digital content item under terms that allow for downloading.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a database of devices comprising for each device information specifying a format for digital content useable on each particular device, and

wherein said computer instructions to download the requested digital content item in a format usable by a requested device comprises instructions to query said database of devices for a format.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said servers further comprise instructions to

receive a request to purchase a digital content item under terms defining a quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content item, and

update said user database to reflect the user that made the request, the requested digital content item, and the terms defining a quantity of devices to which the user may download the digital content item.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said user database comprises entries for a user indicating the user purchased a first digital content item under terms allowing for the first digital content item to be downloaded to a plurality of devices.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said store of digital content items comprises a plurality of different media types.