Trial Access for Media Files from a Media List

• US 20110099641A1
• Filed: 01/03/2011
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale
• Granted Patent: US 9,558,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A portable media device includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores instructions that when executed cause the processor to access a media file stored in the portable media device based on a trial access term for the media file, determine that a trial period within the trial access term for the media file has expired, and set the media file as inaccessible to the portable device in response to determining that the trial period within the trial access term has expired.

Claims

1. A portable media device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory connected to the processor, the memory storing instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of;

accessing a media file stored in the portable media device based on a trial access term for the media file, wherein the trial access term indicates that the media file is on a dynamic list;

determining that a trial period within the trial access term for the media file has expired, wherein the trial period has expired in response to the media file not being listed in a new dynamic list; and

setting the media file as inaccessible to the portable device in response to determining that the trial period within the trial access term has expired.

2. The portable media device of claim 1 wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of:

prompting a user to obtain a license for access to the media file that has the trial period within the trial access term that has expired; and

granting access to the media file in the portable media device if the license is obtained.

3. The portable media device of claim 2 wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of:

configuring the media file to be inaccessible by the portable media device if the license in not obtained.

4. The portable media device of claim 1 wherein the trial access term is stored with the media file in the portable media device.

5. The portable media device of claim 1 wherein the trial access term indicates that the media file is available to be played a specific number of times during a specific amount of time.

6. The portable media device of claim 1 wherein the dynamic list is organized by a current popularity of the media files.

7. The portable media device of claim 1 wherein the media file is selected from a group consisting of a sound file, a video file, and an audio-video file.

8. A portable media device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory connected to the processor, the memory storing instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of;

accessing a media file stored in the portable media device based on a trial access term for the media file, wherein the trial access term indicates that the media file is on a dynamic list;

detecting, by the portable media device, that the portable media device is connected to a user device;

checking a trial period within the trial access term for the media file in response to detecting that the portable media device is connected to the user device;

determining that the trial period within the trial access term for the media file has expired, wherein the trial period has expired in response to the media file not being listed in an updated dynamic list; and

setting the media file as inaccessible to the portable device in response to determining that the trial period within the trial access term has expired.

9. The portable media device of claim 8 wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of:

prompting a user to obtain a license for access to the media file that has the trial period within the trial access term that has expired; and

granting access to the media file in the portable media device if the license is obtained.

10. The portable media device of claim 9 wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of:

configuring the media file to be inaccessible by the portable media device if the license in not obtained.

11. The portable media device of claim 8 wherein the dynamic list is organized by a current popularity of the media files.

12. The portable media device of claim 8 wherein the media file is selected from a group consisting of a sound file, a video file, and an audio-video file.

13. A user device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory connected to the processor, the memory storing instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of;

downloading a media file listed in a dynamic list of media files to the user device;

accessing the media file stored in the user device;

detecting an event trigger for accessing the dynamic list of media files wherein the event trigger indicates that the media file is not listed in an updated dynamic list; and

setting the media file as inaccessible to the user device in response to detecting the event trigger.

14. The user device of claim 13 wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of:

detecting a connection of a portable media device to the user device; and

transferring the media file to the portable media device in response to the detecting the connection of the portable media device.

15. The user device of claim 13 wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of:

prompting a user to obtain a license for access to the media file in response to detecting the event trigger; and

granting access to the media file in the user device if the license is obtained.

16. The user device of claim 15 wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform the steps of:

configuring the media file to be inaccessible by the user device if the license in not obtained.

17. The user device of claim 13 wherein a trial access term for the media file is stored with the media file in the user device.

18. The user device of claim 17 wherein the trial access term indicates that the media file is available to be played a specific number of times during a specific amount of time.

19. The user device of claim 13 wherein the dynamic list is organized by a current popularity of the media files.

20. The user device of claim 13 wherein the media file is selected from a group consisting of a sound file, a video file, and an audio-video file.