Method for providing automatic payment when making duplicates of copyrighted material

• US 6,842,740 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 01/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Angela K., Jeran, Paul L
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Vicent
• Assistant Examiner(s): KYLE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US09/468,256
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/13, 705/23, 705/40, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising the steps of: locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied/scanned; obtaining machine readable billing data by way of the billing mark; authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and duplicating the document.

Claims

1. A method, for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising the steps of:

locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

obtaining from the billing mark a network reference to a billing file at a remote location on a network;

communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

displaying a duplicating cost to said user for at least one duplicating option to print additional information stored at the remote location on the network when said document is duplicated and a duplicating cost for printing said additional information; and

providing said user with an opportunity to accept or reject printing of said additional information;

authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

duplicating said document.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said additional information displaying step comprises displaying an option to print additional information related to said document.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said additional information displaying step comprises displaying an option to print an executive summary of said document.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said additional information displaying step comprises displaying an option to print a bibliography.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said additional information displaying step comprises displaying an option to print at least one article that references said document.

6. A method, for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising the steps of:

locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

obtaining a network reference to a billing file at a remote location;

communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

duplicating said document,

wherein said obtaining billing data step comprises selecting billing data based on an ID of a location where said locating step is performed.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said selecting step comprises the step of selecting a lower cost if said ID of said location where said locating step is performed is an special licensing institution.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said locating a billing mark step comprises the step of locating a reference to a remote data location on the network;

and

further comprising the steps of downloading from said remote data location advertisements; and

displaying said advertisements.

9. A system for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising:

logic for locating a computer-readable billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be duplicated;

logic for obtaining a network reference to a billing file at a remote location;

logic for communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

logic for authorizing payment from a selected account to an account designated in said billing data; and

logic for duplicating said document;

wherein said logic for obtaining billing data selects billing data based on an ID of a location where said logic for locating a computer readable billing mark performs a locating operation.

10. A program product for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising machine-readable program code, which when executed, causes the machine to perform the following steps:

locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

obtaining a network reference to a billing file at a remote location;

communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

duplicating said document,

wherein said obtaining billing data step comprises selecting billing data based on an ID of a location where said locating step is performed.

11. A program product for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising machine-readable program code, which when executed, causes the machine to perform the following steps:

locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

obtaining from the billing mark a network reference to a billing file at a remote location on a network;

communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

displaying a duplicating cost to said user for at least one duplicating option to print additional information stored at the remote location on the network when said document is duplicated and a duplicating cost for printing said additional information; and

providing said user with an opportunity to accept or reject printing of said additional information;

authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

duplicating said document.

12. A system for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising:

logic for locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

logic for obtaining from the billing mark a network reference to a billing file at a remote location on a network;

logic for communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

logic for displaying a duplicating cost to said user for at least one duplicating option to print additional information stored at the remote location when said document is duplicated and a duplicating cost for printing said additional information;

logic for providing said user with an opportunity to accept or reject printing of said additional information;

logic for authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

logic for causing the duplication said document.

13. A computer implemented method, for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising the steps of:

locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

obtaining from the billing mark a network reference to a billing file at a remote location on a network;

automatically communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

duplicating said document.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, further comprising providing said user with an opportunity to accept or reject payment of the fee.

15. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the network is the Internet and the network reference is a URL.

16. A program product for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising machine-readable program code, which when executed, causes the machine to perform the steps:

locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

obtaining from the billing mark a network reference to a billing file at a remote location on a network;

automatically communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

duplicating said document.

17. The program product as defined in claim 16, wherein the network is the Internet and the network reference is a URL.

18. A system for providing payment when duplicating a document containing copyrighted material, comprising:

logic for locating and electronically reading a billing mark, if it exists, on a document to be copied or scanned;

logic for obtaining from the billing mark a network reference to a billing file at a remote location on a network;

logic for automatically communicating on the network to the remote location using the network reference and obtaining billing data from the billing file;

logic for authorizing payment of a fee to a copyright owner; and

logic for causing the duplication of said document.