Method and apparatus for delivery of selected electronic works and for controlling reproduction of the same

• US 6,633,877 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2000
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Edward H., Chang, Hsiao-Shih, Brockhouse, Douglas B., Saigh, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/669,134
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/104, 709/217, 380/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval
• 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: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816

Abstract

An information distribution system, in accordance with one form of the present invention, includes a central information bank and a central transactional data base coupled to point-of-sale delivery systems. Information flows between each point-of-sale delivery system and the central information bank and central transactional data base via a communication network such as the telephone network, a satellite network, or any other network suitable for the transfer of information. The point-of-sale delivery systems may take one of many forms including a point of purchase delivery system, a point of rental delivery system, a “book bank” subsystem, a promotional delivery system, or any combination of such systems.

Claims

1. Apparatus for facilitating delivery of electronic works, comprising:

a storage device having electronic works stored therein;

a processor connected to said storage device, said storage device further having stored therein a program for controlling said processor, said processor operative with the program to;

receive a request for a selected electronic work;

receive a user identification associated with the request for the selected electronic work; and

output encrypted the selected electronic work if the user identification is valid and authorized accesses of the selected electronic work is not exceeded.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor is further operative with the program to time encode the selected electronic work so as to limit a period of time during which access by the user to the selected electronic work is authorized.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor is further operative with the program to encrypt the selected electronic work utilizing an identifier associated with the user.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising at least one local unit communicatively coupled to said processor, said local unit comprising a memory for storing, in electronic form, electronic works transmitted to said unit from said processor, and a local unit processor for controlling transfer of electronic works stored in said unit of electronic storage media of system users, said local unit configured to encrypt the electronic works when the electronic works are to be transferred to the electronic storage media, said local unit configured to encrypt the electronic works utilizing information stored on said user'"'"'s storage media.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein the information stored on the user'"'"'s storage media comprises a personal signature code number and serial number.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said local unit is configured to perform at least some point-of-sale functions including transferring information received from said processor to the user storage media.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the electronic works comprise texts of books, and said processor is further operative with the program to track the number of output copies of the text of a book.

8. A method for operating a computer to obtain an electronic work, comprising:

inputting into the computer an electronic work selection request;

inputting into the computer a user identification associated with the electronic work selection request; and

outputting encrypted the selected electronic work if the user identification is valid and authorized accesses of the selected electronic work is not exceeded.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of time encoding the outputted selected electronic work so as to limit a period of time during which access by the user to the selected electronic work is authorized.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of encrypting the selected electronic work utilizing an identifier associated with the user.

11. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the electronic works comprise texts of books, said method further comprising the step of tracking the number of output copies of the text of a book.

12. A method for operating a process communicatively coupled to a network to obtain an electronic work, the network being coupled to a memory storage having stored therein a plurality of electronic works, said method comprising:

inputting into the processor an electronic work selection request, the electronic work selection request corresponding to the at least one of the electronic works in the memory storage;

inputting into the processor a user identification associated with the electronic work selection request; and

outputting encrypted the selected electronic work if the user identification is valid and authorized accesses of the selected electronic work is not exceeded.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising the step of time encoding the outputted text of the selected book so as to limit a period of time during which access by the user to the text is authorized.

14. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising the step of encrypting the text of the selected book utilizing an identifier associated with the user.

15. Apparatus for facilitating delivery of electronic works, said method comprising:

a storage device having stored therein a plurality of electronic works;

a processor connected to said storage device, said storage device further having stored therein a program for controlling said processor, said processor operative with the program to;

receive an electronic work selection request;

receive a user identification associated with the electronic work selection request; and

dynamically encrypt the selected electronic work if the user identification is valid and authorized accesses of the selected electronic work is not exceeded, the dynamic encryption performed using a user identifier as the electronic work is outputted.

16. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein said apparatus is communicatively coupled to a communications network.

17. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein said processor is further operative with the program to time encode the selected electronic work so as to limit a period of time during which access by the user to the electronic work is authorized.

18. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein said processor is further operative with the program to encrypt the selected electronic work utilizing an identifier associated with the user.

19. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15, further comprising at least one local unit communicatively coupled to said processor, said local unit comprising a memory for storing, in electronic form, information transmitted to said unit from said processor, and a local unit processor for controlling transfer of information stored in said unit to electronic storage media of system users, said local unit configured to encrypt the information when the information is to be transferred to the electronic storage media, said local unit configured to encrypt the information utilizing information stored on said user'"'"'s storage media.