Re-Download Management of Previously Acquired Digital Media Assets

• US 20100185655A1
• Filed: 01/20/2009
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ward, Alan, Neumann, David, Mirrashidi, Payam, Mitsuji, Hiro, Meldrum, Colin, Patton, Neale
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• 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]

Abstract

Improved techniques that enable users to download digital media assets are disclosed. According to one aspect, digital media assets that a user has acquired from a remote media repository can be authorized for download multiple times. This, for example, allows a user to subsequently re-downloaded digital media assets that the user previously acquired. In one embodiment, digital media assets that a user previously downloaded to a user client device from a remote media repository can be made available to the user for subsequent re-download. Advantageously, a remote media repository can, in effect, provide users with a remote backup for previously acquired digital media assets.

Claims

1. A method for downloading a digital media asset from a network-based storage device to a client device via a network, said method comprising:

identifying a digital media asset of interest;

receiving an acquisition request for the identified media asset from a requestor operating the client device;

determining whether any re-downloads are available for the identified media asset;

informing the requestor of the available re-downloads for the identified media asset;

receiving a user input indicating whether the requester desires to initiate a re-download request or continue with the acquisition request in view of the available re-downloads for the identified media asset; and

processing the re-download request if the user input received indicates that the requestor desires to receive a re-download instead of continuing with the acquisition request.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

processing the acquisition request if the user input received indicates that the requestor desires to continue with the acquisition request.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein said processing of the acquisition request comprises:

initiating an acquisition transaction for the identified media asset;

making the identified media asset available for download by the requestor from the network-based storage device to the client device via the network.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein said processing of the acquisition request comprises:

determining a re-download allotment for the identified media asset; and

associating the re-download allotment to the identified media asset that has been acquired by the requester, the re-download allotment specifying a number of re-downloads of the identified media asset permitted by the requestor.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the re-download allotment for the identified media item is associated with a user account of the requester such that a re-download is permitted to any client device authorized for user by the requester.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein said processing of the re-download request comprises:

processing the re-download request such that the identified media asset is downloaded from the network-based storage device to the client device;

retrieving a re-download allotment for the identified media asset; and

reducing the re-download allotment based on the identified media asset being re-downloaded.

7. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein said processing of the download request comprises:

offering an opportunity to acquire additional assignable re-download allotments;

acquiring one or more additional assignable re-download allotments;

allocating at least one of the assignable re-download allotments to the identified digital media asset;

processing the re-download request such that the identified media asset is downloaded from the network-based storage device to the client device;

retrieving a re-download allotment for the identified media asset; and

reducing the re-download allotment based on the identified media asset being re-downloaded.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said informing comprises:

displaying a dialog on a display associated with the client device that requests the second user input.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said processing of the re-download request comprises:

processing the re-download request such that the identified media asset is downloaded from the network-based storage device to the client device; and

storing the identified media asset that has been downloaded to the client device.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said processing of the download request further comprises:

retrieving a re-download allotment for the identified media asset; and

reducing the re-download allotment based on the identified media asset being re-downloaded.

11. A method for downloading digital media assets from a network-based storage device to a client device via a network, said method comprising:

presenting information at the client device regarding re-download availability of one or more digital media assets;

receiving a re-download request for an identified one or more of the digital media assets having re-download availability; and

processing the re-download request such that the identified one or more of the digital media assets are made available to be downloaded from the network-based storage device to the client device.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said processing of the download request comprises:

retrieving a re-download allotment for the identified one or more of the digital media assets; and

reducing the re-download allotment based on the identified one or more of the digital media assets being re-downloaded.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said processing of the download request further comprises:

downloading the identified one or more of the digital media assets from the network-based storage device to the client device.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein said downloading the identified one or more of the digital media assets stores the identified one or more of the digital media assets on the client device.

15. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the identified one or more of the digital media comprises one or more movies or one or more televisions shows.

16. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said processing of the download request comprises:

offering an opportunity to acquire additional assignable re-download allotments.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said processing of the download request comprises:

acquiring one or more additional assignable re-download allotments; and

allocating at least one of the assignable re-download allotments to the identified one or more of the digital media assets.

18. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said processing of the download request comprises:

acquiring one or more additional assignable re-download allotments; and

allocating at least one of the assignable re-download allotments to the identified one or more of the digital media assets.

19. A method for re-downloading a digital media asset from a remote media repository to a client device via a network, said method comprising:

receiving a re-download information request from a requester via the client device;

determining those one or more digital media assets previously acquired by the requestor that are eligible for re-download by the requester;

sending information to the client device for presentation of information to the requestor regarding the determined one or more digital media assets that are eligible for re-download by the requester;

receiving a re-download request for a media asset selected from the one or more digital media assets that are eligible for re-download by the requester; and

processing the re-download request for the selected media asset.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said processing of the re-download request comprises:

processing the re-download request such that the selected media asset is re-downloaded from the remote media repository to the client device;

reducing a re-download allotment for the selected media asset based on the identified media asset being re-downloaded.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein said processing of the re-download request comprises:

storing the selected media asset that has been re-downloaded to the client device.

22. A system for managing re-download of digital media assets, said system comprising:

user accounts established for a plurality of account holders;

a media storage device configured to store a plurality of digital media assets;

a server device for providing online access to browse or acquire one or more of the digital media assets; and

a re-download manager configured to manage availability of re-downloads for qualifying ones of the digital media assets in accordance with said user accounts with respect to a particular account holders.

23. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein the quantity of re-downloads available for each of the qualifying ones of the digital media assets is limited.

24. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein, for at least one of the particular account holders, said re-download manager is further configured to at least:

accesses re-download allocation information for at least a plurality of the digital media assets, the re-download allocation information being dependent on the particular account holder;

determines the ones of the digital media assets that qualify for one or more re-downloads to the particular account holder based on the re-download allocation information;

facilitate presentation of information to the particular account holder regarding re-download availability of one or more media assets;

receive a re-download request for an identified one or more of the digital media assets that qualify for one or more re-downloads; and

process the re-download request such that the identified one or more of the media assets are made available to be downloaded from said media storage device to a client device associated with the particular user account.

25. A computer readable storage medium including at least computer program code stored thereon that can be used by a computer to download digital media assets from a network-based storage device to a client device via a network, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for presenting information at the client device regarding re-download availability of one or more digital media assets;

computer program code for receiving a re-download request for an identified one or more of the digital media assets having re-download availability; and

computer program code for processing the re-download request such that the identified one or more of the digital media assets are made available to be downloaded from the network-based storage device to the client device.