RENT-TO-OWN MEDIA

• US 20090327031A1
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Kamal
• Application Number:
  US12/146,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327031A1
• 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: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

The described implementations relate to rent-to-own media. One technique provides digital rights restricted media to a consumer on a rent-to-own basis. The technique also removes the digital rights restrictions from the media upon completion of the rent-to-own basis.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an activity module configured to track use of media on a media player device; and

,

a digital rights management module configured to adjust a digital rights management status applied to the media on the media player device based at least in part on the tracked use, wherein the adiustinci comprises removing digital rights restrictions on the media in an instance when the tracked use satisfies a predefined threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activity module is configured to track use as spins of the media on the media player device.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a fee module configured to charge for the use on a per spin basis for a predefined number of spins.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the digital rights management module is configured to change the status of the digital rights management applied to the media after the predetermined number of spins is reached.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the digital rights management module is configured to remove the digital rights management applied to the media after the predefined number of spins is reached.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a fee module configured to charge a flat fee for the media and to refund a portion of the flat fee when the use is below the predefined threshold after a predetermined period of time.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the flat fee is one dollar, the predefined threshold is twenty spins and the predetermined period of time is one year such that the fee module refunds five cents for each spin under twenty spins at the end of the year.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the digital rights management module is further configured to remove the media from the media player device when the fee module issues the refund.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the activity module and the digital rights management module reside on the media player device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the activity module and the digital rights management module reside on a computing device from which the media was obtained.

9. (canceled)

12. A computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to perform acts, comprising:

offering a song to a consumer for a trial period;

tracking consumer usage of the song during the trial period;

determining consumer satisfaction with the song by comparing the consumer usage with a predefined usage threshold

13. The computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the offering comprises offering the song for purchase with a no questions return policy during the trial period or a rent-to-own basis during the trial period.

15. The computer-readable storage media of claim 12, further comprising charging the consumer on a per use basis until the consumer usage equals the redefined usage threshold.

17. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the charging comprises refunding the consumer a difference between a purchase price paid by the consumer at the beginning of the trial period and a number of uses during the trial period at a flat rate per use.

14. (canceled)

16. The computer-readable storage media of claim 14, further comprising in an instance where the trial period expires without the consumer usage equaling the predefined usage threshold then charging the consumer for a number of uses during the trial period and deleting the song.

18. A computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to perform acts, comprising:

providing digital rights restricted media to a consumer on a rent-to-own basis; and

,

removing the digital rights restrictions from the media upon completion of the rent-to-own basis.

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the providing comprises downloading the digital rights restricted media to a media player belonging to the consumer.

20. The computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the removing comprises removing the digital rights restrictions upon use of the media a predefined threshold number of times within a predetermined period of time.