Method and arrangement for providing content to multimedia devices

• US 20080270242A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: CVON
• Inventors: Aaltonen, Janne
• Granted Patent: US 8,671,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Arrangement and method for providing content to multimedia devices, in particular mobile multimedia devices, wherein a content portal provides content to the devices in a form requiring a rights object to enable use thereof, a rights object portal provides rights objects to the devices and advertisements which are associated with the rights objects are also provided. Upon receipt of the rights object with an associated advertisement, the user is exposed to the advertisement in conjunction with use of the content.

Claims

1. An arrangement for providing content to multimedia devices, comprising:

a content portal for providing content to the devices, the content being provided in a form requiring a rights object (RO) to enable use thereof;

a rights object portal for providing RO'"'"'s to the devices; and

an advertisement system arranged to associate an advertisement with each RO being provided by said rights object portal,

whereby upon receipt of the RO with the associated advertisement, the user is exposed to the advertisement in conjunction with use of the content.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said advertisement system is arranged to enable advertisers to deliver advertisements to a database of advertisements managed by said advertisement system.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said advertisement system is arranged to maintain databases containing user profiles and enable advertisers to determine profiles of users to which their advertisements are to be delivered.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the content and RO with associated advertisement are provided to the devices via at least one communications network.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said advertisement system is arranged to include an advertisement in the RO.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a billing system coupled to said advertisement system for arranging for payment of the advertisements and the content.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said advertisement system comprises a mobile marketing server operated or managed by or on behalf of advertisers.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said rights object portal is arranged to generate RO'"'"'s which enable the user to use the content only once such that each time the user wants to use the same content, the user is required to obtain a new RO.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said advertisement system is arranged to associate a plurality of advertisements each with a respective RO and deliver all of the RO'"'"'s with associated advertisements to each device.

10. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the multimedia devices are portable mobile terminals.

11. A method for providing content to multimedia devices, comprising:

delivering content to a device in a form requiring a rights objects (RO) to enable use thereof;

associating an advertisement with each RO; and

delivering the RO with associated advertisement to the device,

whereby upon receipt of an RO with associated advertisement, a user of the device is exposed to the advertisement in conjunction with use of the content.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining profile or characteristic information about users of the devices; and

enabling advertisers to target their advertisements to users having specific profiles or characteristics.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

maintaining a balance set by each advertiser to pay for delivery of advertisements to the devices; and

prior to associating an advertisement from an advertiser with an RO, ascertaining whether the advertiser has available funds and only if so, associating an advertisement from that advertiser with an RO and then debiting a charge for delivery of the advertisement from the advertiser'"'"'s balance.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a request for an RO whenever the user wants to use the content;

checking whether the content is sponsored by one or more advertisers and if so, obtaining an advertisement from one of these advertisers; and

checking whether the user is authorized to receive an RO and if so, associating the obtained advertisement with an RO to be delivered to the device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a single RO is delivered to the user each time a request is made to use the content such that each time the user wants to use the same content, they require delivery of a new RO.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein a plurality of RO'"'"'s are delivered to the user such that each time a request is made to use the content, the device is arranged to check whether an RO is available therein.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

metering usage of a communications network used to deliver the content and RO;

metering usage for content being delivered to each device; and

arranging for payment from users based on their usage of the communications network and their delivered content.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the RO is delivered separate from the content.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of delivering content comprises enabling the user to access a content portal which provides access to different content and select which content the user wants to have delivered.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

notifying a mobile marketing server after the user has selected content to be delivered if the content is determined to be sponsored;

obtaining the advertisement from the mobile marketing server; and

then

generating an RO having the obtained advertisement associated therewith and delivering this RO and associated advertisement to the device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

providing information about the user to the mobile marketing server; and

determining which advertisement to associate with the RO based on the information about the user.

22. The method of claim 11, further comprising exposing the user to the advertisement before enabling use of the content via the RO.

23. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

whenever the user seeks to use the content,

verifying the presence of an RO for the content and its validity in the device;

generating a request in the device for a new RO if the device does not have a valid RO for the content;

receiving the new RO with associated advertisement; and

exposing the user to the advertisement,

whereby the user is able to use the content after exposure to the advertisement received with the new RO.

24. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

forming a database containing which advertisements have been delivered to the users; and

using the database to determine which advertisements to direct to each user.

25. The method of claim 11, further comprising regulating the cost to each advertiser for associating an advertisement with an RO.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the regulating step comprises assigning a charge for associating an advertisement with an RO for specific content which is only a portion of the entire delivery cost for the specific content such that multiple uses of the same content are required to cover or recoup the entire delivery cost.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the charge is a fixed charge.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the charge is a variable charge which is varied based on usage of the content.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising enabling the user to use the specific content without exposure to advertisements once the delivery cost is covered or recouped.

30. The method of claim 11, wherein the multimedia devices are portable mobile terminals.

31. A method for sponsoring content delivery to multimedia devices, comprising:

delivering content to the devices in a form requiring a rights objects (RO) to enable use thereof;

assigning a charge for associating an advertisement with an RO for specific content which is only a portion of an entire delivery cost for the specific content;

providing access to a plurality of different advertisements; and

whenever a request for an RO for content is made by a user of a device, associating one of the advertisements with an RO and delivering the RO with associated advertisement to the device,

whereby upon receipt of an RO with associated advertisement, the user is exposed to the advertisement in conjunction with use of the content.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

obtaining profile or characteristic information about users of the devices; and

enabling advertisers to target their advertisements to users having specific profiles or characteristics.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

maintaining a balance set by each advertiser to pay for delivery of advertisements to the devices; and

prior to associating an advertisement from an advertiser with an RO, ascertaining whether the advertiser has available funds and only if so, associating an advertisement from that advertiser with an RO and then debiting a charge for delivery of the advertisement from the advertiser'"'"'s balance.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising checking whether the user is authorized to receive an RO and only if so, associating the obtained advertisement with an RO to be delivered to the user'"'"'s device.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein a single RO is delivered to the user each time a request is made to use the content such that each time the user wants to use the same content, they require delivery of a new RO.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein a plurality of RO'"'"'s are delivered to the user such that each time a request is made to use the content, the device is arranged to check whether an RO is available therein.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of delivering content comprises enabling the user to access a content portal which provides access to different content and selecting which content the user wants to have delivered.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising exposing the user to the advertisement before enabling use of the content via the RO.

40. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

forming a database containing which advertisements have been delivered to the users; and

using the database to enable different advertisements to be directed to each user.

41. The method of claim 31, wherein the charge is a fixed charge.

42. The method of claim 31, wherein the charge is a variable charge which is varied based on usage of the content.

43. The method of claim 31, further comprising enabling the user to use the specific content without exposure to advertisements once the delivery cost is covered or recouped.

44. The method of claim 31, wherein the multimedia devices are portable mobile terminals.

45. An arrangement for providing content to multimedia devices, comprising:

means for delivering content to a device in a form requiring a rights object (RO) to enable use thereof;

means for associating an advertisement with an RO; and

means for delivering the RO with associated advertisement to the device,

whereby upon receipt of an RO with associated advertisement, a user of the device is exposed to the advertisement in conjunction with use of the content.

46. The arrangement of claim 45, further comprising:

means for obtaining profile or characteristic information about users of the devices; and

means for enabling advertisers to target their advertisements to users having specific profiles or characteristics.

47. The arrangement of claim 45, further comprising:

means for generating a request for an RO whenever the user wants to use content;

means for checking whether the content is sponsored by one or more advertisers and if so, obtaining an advertisement from one of these advertisers; and

means for checking whether the user is authorized to receive an RO and if so, associating the obtained advertisement with an RO to be delivered to the device.

48. The arrangement of claim 45, further comprising:

means for metering usage of a communications network used to deliver the content and RO'"'"'s;

means for metering usage for content being delivered to each device; and

means for arranging for payment from users based on their usage of the communications network and their delivered content.

49. The arrangement of claim 45, further comprising means for forming a database containing which advertisements have been delivered to the users, the database being accessed to enable different advertisements to be directed to each user.

50. The arrangement of claim 45, further comprising means for regulating the cost to each advertiser for associating an advertisement with an RO.

51. The arrangement of claim 50, wherein the regulating means are arranged to assign a charge for associating an advertisement with an RO for specific content which is only a portion of the entire delivery cost for the specific content such that multiple uses of the same content are required to cover or recoup the entire delivery cost.

52. The arrangement of claim 51, wherein the charge is fixed or varied based on usage of the content.

53. The arrangement of claim 45, wherein the multimedia devices are portable mobile terminals.

54. A computer program resident on computer-readable media and arranged to manage delivery of content to multimedia devices by

establishing communications between a content portal having the content in a form requiring a rights object (RO) to enable use thereof, a rights objects portal having RO'"'"'s, and a mobile marketing server having a database of advertisement;

and

associating an advertisement from said mobile marketing server with an RO from said rights objects portal upon request for specific content from said content portal, and deliver the RO and associated advertisement to one of the devices such that upon receipt of the RO with associated advertisement, a user of the device is exposed to the advertisement in conjunction with use of the content.

55. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said program is further arranged to maintain databases containing user profiles, interface with advertisers to determine profiles of users to which their advertisements are to be delivered, and control which advertisements are provided by said mobile marketing server and delivered to the users of the devices to provide that the users to which advertisements from each advertiser are directed have a determined user profile for that advertiser.

56. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said program is further arranged to establish communications with or maintain a billing system which monitors which advertisements from which advertisers are delivered and controls payment from advertisers for delivered advertisements.

57. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said program is further arranged to monitor requests from devices for content from said content portal and provide content with an RO and associated advertisement only when the content is sponsored.

58. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said program is further arranged to direct said rights objects portal to provide an RO which allows the user to use the content only a single time such that each time the user subsequently wants to use the same content, the user is required to obtain a new RO from said rights objects portal, or to provide a plurality of RO'"'"'s at a single time such that the user can use the content multiple times without requiring a new RO from said rights objects portal.

59. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said program is further arranged to meter usage of a communications network used to deliver the content and RO to the devices, meter usage for content being delivered to each device, and arrange payment form users based on their usage of the communications network and their delivered content.

60. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said program is further arranged to provide a user of each of the devices with a possibility of selecting from multiple content from said content portal and coordinate delivery of the selected content to the user'"'"'s device.

61. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said program is further arranged to form and manage a database containing which advertisements have been delivered to the users and access the database to enable different advertisements to be directed to each user.

62. The computer program of claim 54, wherein said computer program is further arranged to regulate a cost to each advertiser for associating an advertisement with an RO.

63. The computer program of claim 62, wherein the regulation being performed by said program includes assigning a charge for associating an advertisement with an RO for specific content which is only a portion of the entire delivery cost for the specific content such that multiple uses of the same content are required to cover or recoup the entire delivery cost.

64. The computer program of claim 54, wherein the multimedia devices are portable mobile terminals.

65. A multimedia device, comprising:

means for receiving content in a form requiring a rights object (RO) to enable use thereof; and

means for receiving an RO having an associated advertisement; and

whereby upon receipt of an RO with associated advertisement, a user of the device is exposed to the advertisement in conjunction with use of the content.

66. The device of claim 65, wherein the device is a mobile terminal.

67. The device of claim 65, further comprising means for checking presence and validity of an RO in the device and requesting a new RO if there is not a valid RO in the device.

68. The device of claim 65, further comprising:

means for accessing a content portal to enable content to be requested; and

means for determining whether requested content requires an RO and if so, requesting an RO from a rights objects portal.

69. A multimedia device, comprising:

a communications unit arranged to receive content in a form requiring a rights object (RO) to enable use thereof and receive an RO having an associated advertisement; and

a content-play unit arranged to provide the content to a user of the device in an audio form or video form,

whereby upon receipt of content and an RO with associated advertisement via said communications unit, a user of the device is exposed to the advertisement via said content-play unit in conjunction with use of the content.

70. The device of claim 69, wherein the device is a mobile terminal.

71. The device of claim 69, further comprising an RO management unit arranged to check presence and validity of an RO in the device and direct said communications unit to request a new RO if there is not a valid RO in the device.

72. The device of claim 69, wherein said communications unit is arranged to access a content portal to enable content to be requested, further comprising an RO management unit arranged to determine whether requested content requires an RO and if so, direct said communications unit to request a new RO.

73. A method for distributing rights objects to multimedia devices, comprising:

delivering content to a first one of the devices in a form requiring a rights object (RO) to enable use thereof;

delivering the RO to the first device;

providing content to at least one other device; and

enabling the first device to communicate with the at least one other device to provide the at least one other device with the RO for the content provided thereto.

74. The method of claim 73, further comprising:

associating an advertisement with the RO; and

delivering the RO with the associated advertisement to the first device, the first device communicating with the at least one other device to provide the at least one other device with the RO for the content and associated advertisement;

whereby the user of each device is exposed to the advertisement when accessing the content.

75. The method of claim 73, wherein the step of providing the content to the at least one other device comprises delivering the content from the first device to the at least one other device.

76. The method of claim 73, wherein the step of providing content to the at least one other device comprises delivery of the content to the at least one other device from a source other than the first device.

77. The method of claim 73, wherein the step of providing content to the at least one other device comprises delivering the content with an associated advertisement to the at least one other device.

78. The method of claim 73, wherein the step of providing the RO to the at least one other device comprises delivering the RO with an associated advertisement to the at least one other device.

79. The method of claim 73, further comprising the step of delivering an advertisement to the at least one other device which is associated with at least one of the content and the RO.

80. The method of claim 79, wherein the step of delivering an advertisement to the at least one other device comprises delivering the advertisement with the content, with the RO, or separately from delivery of the content and RO.

81. The method of claim 73, wherein the step of enabling the first device to communicate with the at least one other device occurs without use of a communications network.

82. The method of claim 73, wherein upon receipt of the RO by the first one of the devices, the user of the first one of the devices is able to use the content delivered thereto, and wherein upon receipt of the RO by the at least one other device, the user of the at least one other device is able to use the content provided thereto.

83. The method of claim 73, wherein the content provided to the at least one other device is the same content delivered to the first one of the devices.

84. The method of claim 73, wherein the content provided to the at least one other device is different from the content delivered to the first one of the devices.