System and Method for Media Distribution

• US 20100324983A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Etchegoyen, Craig S.
• Application Number:
  US12/784,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20100324983A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• 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 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A method for media distribution executable on a computer readable medium that, if executed by a device, causes the device to perform steps for determining whether a usage license for a media is present on the device using a distribution application stored on the computer readable medium, soliciting for the purchase of the usage license based on the usage license determination, collecting financial information from a user of the device, generating a unique device identifier using one or more parameters of the device, sending the financial information, a media identifier, and a device identifier to a server, and receiving a license key that enables the media to be fully operational on the device.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining a license for use of a media on a device using a media distribution application stored on a portable medium, the method comprising:

determining whether a usage license for the media is present on the device using the media distribution application;

soliciting for the purchase of the usage license based on the usage license determination;

collecting financial information from a user of the device;

generating a unique device identifier using a combination of at least one user-configurable parameter and at least one non-user-configurable parameter of the device;

sending the financial information, a media identifier, and a device identifier to a server; and

enabling on the device full usage of the media based on a received license key.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to install and purchase a usage license of one or more media from a list of available media; and

allowing the device to have full functionality of one or more media in response to receiving the license key from the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identifier is generated by performing a hash function on the one or more device parameters, wherein the device parameters comprise information selected from the group consisting of device serial number, device model, machine ROM version, device bus speed, device manufacturer, device ROM release date, device ROM size, device UUID, and device service tag.

4. A method for media distribution on a remote device comprising:

receiving financial information of a user of the remote device, identification information of a media to be licensed for operation on the remote device, and identification information of the remote device;

generating a license key based on information received from remote the device;

determining whether the remote device is an originating device, wherein an originating device is a device that is first to purchase a full usage license of the media; and

rewarding an account owner of the originating device for a subsequent purchase of a full usage license of the media.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the rewarding step comprises providing the account owner with one or more of cash, credits, member points, and usage license of other media.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

tracking all remote devices that have purchased a full usage license of the media; and

rewarding an account owner of a second device that purchased a full usage license of the media prior to a very last purchase of a full usage license of the same media.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second device is one or more devices having purchased a full usage license prior to the very last purchase.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the media is selected from the group consisting of music, software applications, and books.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

enabling the user to install and purchase usage license of one or more media from a list of available media; and

allowing the device to have full functionality of one or more media in response to receiving the license key from the server.

9. A computer readable medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform a method comprising steps for:

determining whether a usage license for a media is present on the device using a distribution application stored on the computer readable medium;

soliciting for a purchase of the usage license based on the usage license determination;

collecting financial information from a user of the device;

generating a unique device identifier using a combination of at least one user-configurable parameter and at least one non-user-configurable parameter of the device;

sending the financial information, a media identifier, and a device identifier to a server; and

receiving a license key that enables the media to be fully operational on the device.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the device, cause the device to perform steps for:

tracking all remote devices that have purchased a full usage license of the media with a certain media identifier; and

rewarding an account owner of a second device that purchased a full usage license of the media prior to a very last purchase of the full usage license.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second device is one or more devices having purchased a full usage license prior to the very last purchase.

13. An apparatus for media distribution on a remote device comprising:

means for receiving financial information of a user of the remote device, an identification information of a media to be licensed for operation on the remote device, and an identification information of the remote device;

means for generating a license key based on information received from remote the device;

means for determining whether the remote device is an originating device, wherein an originating device is a device that is first to purchase a full usage license of the media; and

means for rewarding an account owner of the originating device for a subsequent purchase of a full usage license of the media.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein rewarding comprises giving the account owner one or more of cash, credits, member points, and usage license of other media.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for tracking all remote devices that have purchased a full usage license of the media with a certain media identifier; and

means for rewarding an account owner of a second device that purchased a full usage license of the media prior to a very last purchase of the full usage license.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the identification information of the remote device comprises a unique device identifier generated by the apparatus using a combination of at least one user-configurable parameter and at least one non-user-configurable parameter of the device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the device identifier is generated by performing a hash function on one or more of the device parameters.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the device parameters comprise information selected from the group consisting of device serial number, device model, machine ROM version, device bus speed, device manufacturer, device ROM release date, device ROM size, device UUID, and device service tag.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the media comprises one or more items selected from the list consisting of music, software applications, and books.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for enabling the account owner to install and purchase a usage license of one or more media from a list of available media; and

means for allowing the device to have full functionality of one or more media in response to receiving the license key from the server.