INTERINSTITUTIONAL LOAN OF ELECTRONIC CONTENT

• US 20100262515A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lightning Source Incorporated (Ingram Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lightning Source Incorporated (Ingram Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brewer, Steven D.
• Application Number:
  US12/631,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20100262515A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An electronic content loan system is disclosed. The loan system includes a library server configured to store electronic content associated with a lending institution. The loan system further includes a user interface accessible to a requesting institution and configurable to display a listing of electronic content available on the library server, the electronic content including content for which limited-time access is available. The loan system also includes an order processing system configured to receive requests for limited-time access to the content and process payments associated with those requests.

Claims

1. An electronic content loan system comprising:

a library server configured to control access to electronic content affiliated with a lending institution;

a user interface accessible to a requesting institution, the user interface configurable to display a listing of electronic content available to the library server, the electronic content including content for which limited-time access is available;

an order processing system configured to receive requests for limited-time access to the content and process payments associated with those requests.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the order processing system allocates a portion of the payments to a publisher of the content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the order processing system allocates a portion of the payments to the lending institution.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the library server is unaffiliated with the lending institution.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the library server includes a database configured to support full text searching of the content affiliated with the lending institution.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the library server further includes a web server configured to display a catalog of descriptions of electronic content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is displayed on a computing system of a patron of the requesting institution.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the order processing system is further configured to validate that the requests are made by an administrative institutional user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the library server is further configured to allow limited-time access to content in response to the received requests for users affiliated with the requesting institution.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic content is stored on the library server.

11. A method of allowing access to electronic content, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a library server for limited-time access to electronic content from a requesting institution;

receiving payment from the requesting institution;

granting a patron affiliated with the requesting institution a limited-time access right to the electronic content from the library server;

disbursing at least a portion of the payment to a publisher affiliated with the content; and

disbursing at least a portion of the payment to a lending institution having access to the content.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising retaining a remaining portion of the payment.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving account information from the requesting institution.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein granting a patron affiliated with the requesting institution a limited-time access right to the electronic content comprises granting the limited-time access right to one patron.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein granting a patron affiliated with the requesting institution a limited-time access right to the electronic content comprises granting the limited-time access right to one patron at a time.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the request for limited-time access to electronic content includes an identifier of the electronic content and a time period for the access right.

17. An interinstitutional loan network comprising:

a library server configured to store electronic content affiliated with a lending institution, the library server including;

a user interface accessible to a patron associated with the requesting institution, the user interface configurable to display a listing of electronic content available for limited-time access from the lending institution; and

an order processing system configured to receive requests for limited-time access to the content.

18. The interinstitutional loan network of claim 17, further comprising a payment server configured to process payments associated with the requests for limited-time access to the content.

19. The interinstitutional loan network of claim 18, wherein the payment server is configured to allocate at least a portion of the payments to a content provider.

20. The interinstitutional loan network of claim 19, wherein the content provider is a publisher.

21. The interinstitutional loan network of claim 19, wherein the content provider is the lending institution.

22. The interinstitutional loan network of claim 17, wherein the library server is unaffiliated with the lending institution.

23. The interinstitutional loan network of claim 17, wherein the library server includes a loading server configured to process content received from a publisher and to reformat the content in a form manageable by the library server.

24. A library server comprising:

a memory configured to store electronic content and access right affiliations with a plurality of institutions; and

a programmable circuit operably connected to the memory, the programmable circuit configured to execute program instructions to;

receive a request for limited-time access to electronic content from a requesting institution;

receive payment from the requesting institution;

grant a patron affiliated with the requesting institution a limited-time access right to the electronic content;

disburse at least a portion of the payment to a publisher affiliated with the content; and

disburse at least a portion of the payment to a lending institution having access to the content.

25. An electronic content loan system comprising:

a user interface accessible to a requesting institution, the user interface configurable to display a listing of electronic content for which limited-time access is available; and

an order processing system operable on a library server, the order processing system configured to receive requests for limited-time access to the content and process payments associated with those requests;

wherein the order processing system allocates a portion of the payments to a publisher of the content.

26. The electronic content loan system of claim 25, wherein the order processing system is hosted by a library server.

27. The electronic content loan system of claim 26, wherein the library server is unaffiliated with the requesting institution.

28. An electronic content loan system facilitating interinstitutional access of electronic content between a lending institution and a requesting institution, the electronic content loan system comprising:

a library server communicatively connected to an interinstitutional loan network, the library server configured to control access to electronic content affiliated with a lending institution in the interinstitutional loan network, the library server including a programmable circuit configured to execute machine instructions to;

generate a user interface accessible to a requesting institution, the user interface configurable to display a listing of electronic content available to the library server, the electronic content including content for which limited-time access is available;

receive interinstitutional loan requests from a requesting institution;

provide access to the electronic content to the requesting institution from the lending institution;

a payment processing server communicatively connected to the library server, the payment processing server configured to process payments associated with the requests.

29. The electronic content loan system of claim 28, wherein the user interface is accessible to a plurality of requesting institutions.

30. The electronic content loan system of claim 28, wherein interinstitutional loan requests can be received at the library server from any of the plurality of requesting institutions.

31. A method of providing access to electronic content owned by a lending institution to a requesting institutions from among a plurality of possible requesting institutions, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requesting institution at a library server for limited-time access to electronic content, the electronic content owned by a lending institution separate from the library server;

receiving payment from the requesting institution at a payment processing server communicatively connected to the library server;

in response to receiving payment from the requesting institution, granting to a patron computing system affiliated with the requesting institution a limited-time access right to the electronic content from the library server;

disbursing at least a portion of the payment from the payment processing server to a publisher affiliated with the content; and

disbursing at least a portion of the payment from the payment processing server to a lending institution having access to the content.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising, upon expiration of the limited-time access right, preventing access to the electronic content by the patron computing system.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein granting to a patron computing system affiliated with the requesting institution a limited-time access right to the electronic content includes associating an identifier of the requesting institution with a record of the electronic content.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising transmitting a message to the patron computing system a message including a link configured to activate the limited-time access right.