Automatic broker tools and techniques

• US 6,547,134 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: John W.L. Ogilvie
• Inventors: Ogilvie, John W. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/010,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20020125312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 235/381, 235/380, 235/434, 235/375, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/454, 235/371, 705/26, 705/51, 705/4, 705/27, 705/53, 705/37, 705/54, 705/75, 705/57, 705/77, 705/80, 705/2, 705/7, 902/8, 902/30, 902/41, 379/144, 379/112, 379/113, 380/4, 380/5, 380/281
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The invention provides sampling, escrowing, and other tools and techniques for facilitating transactions that involve digital goods. Transactions may be of the goods-for-payment type, or they may be barter transactions that exchange goods for goods. Digital goods may be escrowed with an automatic broker. The broker may also create and distribute samples of the goods, which are created by techniques such as distorting or burdening part or all of a copy of the goods. In some cases the broker may accept and act on approval or disapproval notices from the parties to a transaction, to cancel or complete a transaction. In other cases, the broker'"'"'s participation is limited to providing and/or authenticating samples.

Claims

1. A sample of digital content produced by a process for facilitating a transaction involving digital content, the sample provided to a sample-receiving party over a computer network, the process comprising the steps of:

an automatic broker tool receiving a copy of the digital content; and

the automatic broker tool creating the sample from the digital content;

wherein the sample is characterized in that it contains useful information about the digital content without containing a complete and accurate copy of the digital content, thereby preventing an unauthorized use of the digital content by the sample-receiving party.

2. The sample of claim 1, wherein the process that produced the sample comprises the step of distorting a copy of at least a portion of the digital content.

3. The sample of claim 1, wherein the process that produced the sample comprises the step of changing the order of data in a copy of at least a portion of the digital content.

4. The sample of claim 1, wherein the process that produced the sample comprises the step of adding steganographic data to a copy of at least a portion of the digital content.

5. The sample of claim 1, wherein the process that produced the sample comprises the step of adding spurious data to a copy of at least a portion of the digital content.