System and method for movie transaction processing

• US 6,240,401 B1
• Filed: 06/05/1998
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Video Express LP
• Inventors: Oren, Joseph Eugene, McQueen, Kevin S., Walko, Lisa S., Schumann, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hayes, John W.
• Application Number:
  US09/092,177
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 705/44, 705/5, 705/26, 705/30, 705/32, 705/34, 705/1, 705/42, 705/400, 705/51, 705/52, 705/53, 705/54, 705/57, 705/59, 348/1, 348/10, 348/3, 348/7, 345/327, 725/1, 725/2, 725/4, 725/5
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A system and method for tracking and processing transactions for such purposes as creating billing record and detecting possible fraudulent activities. The system and method relates to processing transactions associated with viewing movies, e.g. a video content distributed digitally on a digital video disc (DVD) in an scrambled format, where the video content is only viewable in conjunction with the use of a specially designed and enabled player. This method of distributing and billing movie content provides an alternative to current methods such as viewing via video tapes, open format DVDs, pay-per-view, or cable service. The system and method permits a user to establish, via a single authorization, multiple access to a service during a period of time, where each event of access is not individually billed. The system and method does not create a billable charge for a user authorization if the user does not actually access the service. Furthermore, the system and method requires a user to initiate a new authorization after the original authorization has expired, in order to re-access the service. Additionally, the system and method provides one or a plurality of devices local to the user, electronically linked to a remote host, in order to create, store and transmit records of authorization and access to a remote central processor in a secure manner.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing transactions, including authorization transactions and access transactions for service, comprising the steps of:

creating and storing authorization transactions and access transactions on a user device, each of said authorization transactions and said access transactions having corresponding timestamp information and duration information;

transmitting records of said authorization transactions and said access transactions from said user device to a remote host processing device;

analyzing said authorization transactions and said access transactions at said host processing device to match a specific authorization transaction with a specific access transaction based on said timestamp information and duration information; and

creating a billing record based at said host processing device on said matched authorization transactions and access transactions.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of detecting indicia of fraud based on the results of the step of analyzing said authorization transactions and said access transactions.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said indicia includes numerous access transactions during a predetermined short time duration on said user device or simultaneous access for the same service on multiple said user devices.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said host processing device maintains a database of said authorization transactions and said access transactions, and further comprising the step of updating said database based on the results of the step of analyzing authorization transactions and access transactions.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting said records to said host processing device occurs periodically.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of securing said records of authorization transactions and access transactions.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step of securing is performed prior to and during the step of transmitting said records of authorization transactions and access transactions.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of providing multiple access transactions to a service over a prescribed time interval under a single authorization transaction.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of creating a single billing event for said multiple access transactions.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said access transactions may occur anytime during the time span of said authorization transaction.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of analyzing and creating are performed for a plurality of said user devices.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting records comprises transmitting said records in any chronological order.

13. A system for processing transactions, including authorization transactions and access transactions comprising:

a user device having an interface and an associated service access device which services only the associated user device, said associated service access device being contained within said user device;

a remote transaction processing system for receiving and processing transactions from the user device and for generating transactions and billing records;

wherein

the user device and remote transaction processing system are electronically linked, and

the remote transaction processing system comprises a journal receiver, a journal distributor, a disc database update processor, a security processor, and interfaces to a fraud detection subsystem and to a billing records subsystem.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the service access device comprises a digital video disc player subsystem.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the user device further comprises memory for storing authorization transactions and access transactions.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein

the user device further comprises a data input for inputting authorization requests and access requests.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the user device comprises a user device security processor for securing records of authorization transactions and access transactions.

18. A system for processing transactions, including authorization transactions and access transactions comprising:

a user device having an interface and an associated service access device which services only the associated user device, said associated service access device being contained within said user device;

a remote transaction processing system for receiving and processing transactions from the user device and for generating transactions and billing records;

wherein

the user device and remote transaction processing system are electronically linked, and

the remote transaction processing system comprises a disc database update processor for matching authorization transactions and access transactions based on timestamp information and duration information and for creating billing records based on the matched transactions.

19. A plurality of memory devices for storing computer-readable instructions and for processing transactions, comprising:

instructions for creating and storing authorization transactions and access transactions on a user device, each of said authorization transactions and said access transactions having corresponding timestamp information and duration information;

instructions for transmitting the authorization transactions and the access transactions from a user device to a remote host processing device;

instructions for analyzing the authorization transactions and the access transactions on the host processing device to match a specific authorization transaction with a specific access transaction based on said timestamp information and duration information; and

instructions for creating a billing record on the host processing device based on the matched authorization transactions and access transactions.

20. The memory devices according to claim 19 further comprising instructions for detecting indicia of fraud based on the results of the step of analyzing authorization transactions and access transactions.

21. The memory devices according to claim 20, wherein said indicia includes numerous access transactions during a predetermined short time duration on said user device or simultaneous access for the same service on multiple said user devices.

22. The memory devices according to claim 19 further comprising instructions for updating a database based on the results of the step of analyzing authorization transactions and access transactions.

23. The memory devices according to claim 19 further comprising instructions for periodically transmitting transactions.

24. The memory devices according to claim 19 further comprising instructions for securing said records of authorization transactions and access transactions.

25. The memory devices according to claim 24, wherein said instructions for securing is performed prior to and during the step of transmitting said records of authorization transactions and access transactions.

26. The memory devices according to claim 19 further comprising instructions for providing multiple access transactions to a service over a prescribed time interval under a single authorization transaction.

27. The memory devices according to claim 26 further comprising instructions for creating a single billing event for said multiple access transactions.

28. The memory devices according to claim 19, wherein said instructions for access transactions may occur anytime during the time span of said authorization transaction.

29. The memory devices according to claim 19, wherein said instructions for wherein said instruction of analyzing and creating are performed for a plurality of said user devices.

30. The memory devices according to claim 19, wherein said instructions for transmitting records comprises transmitting said records in any chronological order.