ONLINE PURCHASE OF DIGITAL MEDIA BUNDLES

• US 20110106665A1
• Filed: 01/12/2011
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Heller, Ellis M. Verosub, Jeffrey L. Robbin, Mike Wiese, Patrice Gautier
• Original Assignee: David Heller, Ellis M. Verosub, Jeffrey L. Robbin, Mike Wiese, Patrice Gautier
• Inventors: Gautier, Patrice, Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David, Wiese, Mike, Verosub, Ellis M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Techniques for interacting with an online media store to obtain a media asset bundle, such as a digital boxset, are disclosed. These techniques involve, for instance, browsing for a media asset bundle that includes at least one non-playable media asset, purchasing the media asset bundle, obtaining the media assets contained in the media asset bundle, determining if a presentation request has been made for a media asset in the media asset bundle, and presenting the requested media asset. Further, these techniques involve playing the media assets in a media asset bundle by selecting a media asset in the media asset bundle, determining whether the media asset is playable or non-playable, presenting the media asset using an appropriate media asset viewer if it is playable, not playing (skipping) the media asset if it is non-playable, and selecting/playing other media assets in the media asset bundle until no more media assets are available to be played.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for obtaining a media asset bundle, comprising:

(a) browsing for a media asset bundle, wherein the media asset bundle comprises a plurality of media assets and wherein at least one of the media assets in the media asset bundle is a non-playable media asset;

(b) purchasing the media asset bundle; and

(c) obtaining the media assets contained in the media asset bundle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchasing (b) of the media asset bundle is done at an online media store.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) determining if a request has been made for a media asset in the media asset bundle; and

(e) presenting the requested media asset.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presenting of the requested media asset is accomplished using a media management application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting of (e) further comprises:

(e)(1) determining whether the requested media asset is a non-playable media asset; and

(e)(2) viewing the non-playable media asset in a non-playable media asset viewer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the non-playable media asset is selected from the group consisting of a portable document format (PDF) file, a graphics file, a multi-media file and a text file.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the non-playable media asset file contains digital rights management information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the presenting of (e) further comprises:

(e)(3) determining whether the requested media asset is a playable media asset; and

(e)(4) playing the playable media asset in a playable media asset viewer.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the presenting of the non-playable media asset is accomplished using a media management application.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the playable media assets are selected from the group consisting of audio files and video files.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio file comprises media content selected from the group consisting of a song and a spoken-word performance.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the playable media assets are selected from the group consisting of songs, music videos, and audio books.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the text file comprises embedded graphics.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the non-playable media asset viewer is selected from the group consisting of a PDF viewer, a text editor, a web browser, an e-book reader, and an XML browser.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the non-playable media asset viewer is incorporated into a media management application.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the non-playable media asset viewer is spawned by a media management application.

17. A method for obtaining a media asset bundle, comprising:

(a) browsing for a media asset bundle, wherein the media asset bundle comprises a plurality of media assets, wherein the plurality of media assets includes at least one media asset of a first media asset type and at least one media asset of a second media asset type;

(b) purchasing the media asset bundle; and

(c) obtaining the media assets contained in the media asset bundle.

18. The method of claim 19, wherein the purchasing (b) of the media asset bundle is done at an online media store.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

(d) determining if a request has been made for a media asset in the media asset bundle; and

(e) presenting the requested media asset.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the presenting of (e) further comprises:

(e)(1) determining whether the requested media asset is a non-playable media asset; and

(e)(2) viewing the non-playable media asset in a non-playable media asset viewer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-playable media asset is selected from the group consisting of a portable document format (PDF) file, a graphics file, a multimedia file and a text file.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the playable media assets types are selected from the group consisting of audio files, video files, and graphics files.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein audio files comprise media content selected from the group consisting of songs, interviews, and spoken-word performances.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein video files comprise media content selected from the group consisting of videos and motion pictures.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein graphics files comprise media content selected from the group consisting of pictures, drawings, and text.