Method and apparatus for purchasing upgraded media features for programming transmissions

• US 6,157,377 A
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Williams, Christopher D., Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Moore, Kenneth Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Chris
• Application Number:
  US09/183,587
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 348/3, 348/1, 348/12, 348/13, 348/7
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus for purchasing media features for programming transmissions. A selection is sent to a server system to buy an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission. The server system automatically coordinates purchasing the media feature from a programming transmission source and providing the media feature from the programming transmission source. In one embodiment, an entertainment system includes a user interface from which a viewer selects an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission, wherein the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature is provided to the entertainment system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a selection to buy an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission;

automatically coordinating purchase of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission; and

automatically coordinating provision of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission by instructing at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources to provide the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature to a client system that sent the selection, wherein the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources does one of modifies transmission of the programming transmission to the client system with the upgraded media feature and provides a token to a server system for modifying reception of the programming transmission at the client system with the upgraded media feature, wherein the server system provides the token to the client system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving comprises receiving the selection from an entertainment system, and the programming transmission is provided to the entertainment system with the upgraded media feature.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically coordinating the purchase of the upgraded media feature comprises:

billing a client for services performed by the server system; and

providing billing information about the client to at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the billing is one of performed individually for each billable transaction and performed according to a billing cycle for at least one billable transaction during the billing cycle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically coordinating the purchase of the upgraded media feature comprises:

billing a client for services performed by the server system and at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission; and

receiving a bill for the portion of the services performed by the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources at a later time.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the billing the client and receiving the bill are one of performed individually for each billable transaction and performed according to a billing cycle for at least one transaction during the billing cycle.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the receiving the bill comprises a charge to a credit account at one of the end of a billing cycle and at a time when the upgraded media feature is received.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the programming transmission comprises at least one of a movie, a documentary, an audio production, an interactive media event, a situation comedy, a news program, and a televised sports event.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the upgraded media feature comprises at least one of a video upgrade, an audio upgrade, a recordable version, and an increased access rate for an interactive event.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the programming transmission is received from one of a plurality of programming transmission sources and the plurality of programming transmission sources include at least one of cable television, antenna reception, satellite reception, mini-dish satellite reception, telephone dial-up service, and Internet access.

11. A machine readable storage medium having stored thereon machine readable instructions, execution of said machine readable instructions to implement a method comprising:

receiving a selection to buy an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission;

automatically coordinating purchase of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission; and

automatically coordinating provision of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission by instructing at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources to provide the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature to a client system that sent the selection, wherein the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources does one of modifies transmission of the programming transmission to the client system with the upgraded media feature and provides a token to a server system for modifying reception of the programming transmission at the client system with the upgraded media feature, wherein the server system provides the token to the client system.

12. The machine readable storage medium of claim 11, execution of said machine readable instructions to further implement:

billing a client for services performed by the server system; and

providing billing information about the client to at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission.

13. The machine readable storage medium of claim 12, execution of said machine readable instructions to further implement the billing as one of performed individually for each billable transaction and performed according to a billing cycle for at least one billable transaction during the billing cycle.

14. The machine readable storage medium of claim 11 execution of said machine readable instructions to further implement:

billing a client for services performed by the server system and at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission; and

receiving a bill for the portion of the services performed by the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources at a later time.

15. The machine readable storage medium of claim 14, execution of said machine readable instructions to further implement the billing the client and receiving the bill as one of performed individually for each billable transaction and performed according to a billing cycle for at least one transaction during the billing cycle.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a server system to receive a selection to buy an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission, automatically coordinate purchase of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission, and automatically coordinate provision of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission

the server system comprising;

a processing server to instruct at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources to provide the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature to a client system that sent the selection, wherein the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources does one of modifies transmission of the programming transmission to the client system with the upgraded media feature and provides a token to the processing server for modifying reception of the programming transmission at the client system, wherein the processing server provides the token to the client system; and

a billing processor to coordinate the purchase of the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive a selection from a client system to buy an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission;

a purchasing unit to automatically coordinate purchase of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission by instructing at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources to provide the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature to the client system, wherein the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources does one of modifies transmission of the programming transmission to the client system with the ungraded media feature and provides a token for modifying reception of the programming transmission at the client system with the upgraded media feature; and

a provision unit to automatically coordinate provision of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission and the token.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the purchasing unit further bills a client for services performed by the provision unit and provides billing information about the client to the at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission.

19. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a selection to buy an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission;

means for automatically coordinating purchase of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission; and

means for automatically coordinating provision of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission by instructing at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources to provide the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature to a client system that sent the selection, wherein the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources does one of modifies transmission of the programming transmission to the client system with the upgraded media feature and provides a token to the server system for modifying reception of the programming transmission at the client system with the upgraded media feature, wherein the server system provides the token to the client system.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the means for receiving comprises means for receiving the selection from an entertainment system, and the programming transmission is provided to the entertainment system with the upgraded media feature.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the means for automatically coordinating the purchase of the upgraded media feature comprises:

means for billing a client for services performed by the server system; and

means for providing billing information about the client to at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the means for billing comprises one of means for individually billing each billable transaction and means for billing according to a billing cycle for at least one billable transaction during the billing cycle.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the means for automatically coordinating the purchase of the upgraded media feature comprises:

means for billing a client for services performed by the server system and at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission; and

means for receiving a bill for the portion of the services performed by the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources at a later time.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the upgraded media feature comprises at least one of a video upgrade, an audio upgrade, a recordable version, and an increased access rate for an interactive event.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the programming transmission is received from one of a plurality of programming transmission sources and the plurality of programming transmission sources include at least one of cable television, antenna reception, satellite reception, mini-dish satellite reception, telephone dial-up service, and Internet access.

26. A system for providing an upgraded media feature to a client system from a server system, the system comprising:

a client system comprising;

a sending unit for sending a selection to a server system to buy an upgraded media feature for a programming transmission; and

a receiving unit to receive the programming transmission;

a server system comprising;

a receiver to receive the selection from the client system;

a purchasing unit to automatically coordinate purchase of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission by instructing at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources to provide the programming transmission with the upgraded media feature to the client system, wherein the at least one of the plurality of programming transmission sources does one of modifies transmission of the programming transmission to the client system with the upgraded media feature and provides a token for modifying reception of the programming transmission at the client system with the upgraded media feature; and

a provision unit to automatically coordinate provision of the upgraded media feature for the programming transmission and the token.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the purchasing unit further bills a client for services performed by the provision unit and provides billing information about the client to the at least one of a plurality of programming transmission sources that provided the programming transmission.