Method of selling and distributing articles associated with live events

• US 6,920,428 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2001
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Friday Group LLC
• Inventors: Greene, Shawn Buchanan
• Primary Examiner(s): CUFF, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US09/992,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/16
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method comprises the steps of: providing an opportunity for prospective event ticket purchasers to pre-purchase one or more copies of a recording of at least a portion of a live event; conducting said live event; recording at least a portion of said live event; determining a number of copies of said recording pre-purchased; calculating a desirable number of copies of said recording to be manufactured; manufacturing said desirable number of copies of said recording; and distributing at least some of the manufactured copies of said recording to those that pre-purchased them. The opportunity for pre-purchasing copies of the recording occurs at a point of sale of tickets for the live event to be recorded before the live event occurs.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

providing, at a point-of-sale of tickets for a live performance event before said live performance event occurs, an opportunity for prospective event ticket purchasers to pre-purchase one or more copies of a recording of at least a portion of said live performance event;

conducting said live performance event;

recording at least a portion of said live performance event;

manufacturing a desirable number of copies of said recording; and

distributing at least some of the manufactured copies of said recording to those that pre-purchased them.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said live performance event comprises at least one of a live musical performance, a live choreographic performance, a live dramatic performance, a live oration and a live sporting event.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said point-of-sale of tickets for said live performance event comprises at least one of a ticket box office that sells tickets for said live performance event, a telephone system adapted to permit a transaction over the telephone between a prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event, a mail delivery system adapted to permit a transaction to take place by mail between a prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event, and a user interface connected to a computer network and adapted to permit an electronic transaction to take place via said computer network between a remote prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said recording comprises at least one of an audio recording, a video recording and a transcript.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said copies comprise at least one of phonograph records, audio cassettes, compact discs, mini-discs, digital audio tapes, video cassettes, DVDs, downloadable digital files, electronic documents and printed documents.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining a number of copies of said recording pre-purchased at said point-of-sale of tickets for said live performance event; and

calculating the desirable number of copies of said recording to be manufactured.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of calculating a desirable number of copies of said recording to be manufactured includes calculating said desirable number of copies based on a function of the determined number of copies of said recording pre-purchased at said point-of-sale of tickets for said live performance event.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said desirable number of copies is at least as large as a number of copies of said recording pre-purchased at said point-of-sale of tickets for said live performance event.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for purchasers to pre-purchase copies includes providing the purchasers with an option to pre-purchase one or more copies at the ticket box office that sells tickets for said live performance event before said live performance event occurs.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for purchasers to pre-purchase copies includes providing a telephone system adapted to permit a transaction over the telephone between a prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event before said live performance event occurs.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for purchasers to pre-purchase copies inoludes providing a mail delivery system adapted to permit a transaction to take place by mail between a prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event before said live performance event occurs.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for purchasers to pre-purchase copies includes providing a user interface for a computer network adapted to permit an electronic transaction to take place via said computer network, before said live performance event occurs, between remote prospective event ticket purchasers and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event before said live performance event occurs.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for purchasers to pre-purchase copies of a recording of at least a portion of said live performance event requires the purchasers to purchase a ticket for said live performance event.

14. A method comprising the steps of:

providing, at a point-of-sale of tickets for a live performance event before said live performance event occurs, an opportunity for prospective event ticket purchasers to purchase one or more copies of a recording of said live performance event before a specified cut-off date;

conducting said live performance event;

recording said live performance event;

manufacturing a desirable number of copies of said recording; and

distributing at least some of the manufactured copies of said recording to those that purchased them before said specified cut-off date.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the specified cut-off date occurs after the live performance event has occurred.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said live performance event comprises at least one of a live musical performance, a live choreographic performance, a live dramatic performance, a live oration and a live sporting event.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said point-of-sale of tickets for said live performance event comprises at least one of a ticket box office that sells tickets for said live performance event, a telephone system adapted to permit a transaction over the telephone between a prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event, a mail delivery system adapted to permit a transaction to take place by mail between a prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event, and a user interface connected to a computer network and adapted to permit an electronic transaction to take place via said computer network between a remote prospective event ticket purchaser and a remote prospective event ticket seller that sells tickets for said live performance event.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said copies comprise at least one of phonograph records, audio cassettes, compact discs, mini-discs, digital audio tapes, video cassettes, DVDs, downloadable digital files, electronic documents and printed documents.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for purchasers to purchase one or more copies before a specified cut-off date includes giving the purchasers information regarding the price for each of said copies and the destination to which payment should be forwarded before said specified cut-off date.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

determining a number of copies of said recording purchased before said specified cut-off date; and

calculating the desirable number of copies of said recording to be manufactured based on a function of the determined number of copies of said recording purchased before said specified cut-off date.

21. A method comprising the steps of:

providing, at a point-of-sale of tickets for a live performance event, before said line performance event occurs an opportunity for attendees of the live performance event to purchase one or more copies of a recording of said live performance event;

conducting said live performance event;

recording at least a portion of said live performance event;

manufacturing copies of said recording; and

distributing at least some of the copies of said recording to attendees of the live performance event that purchase them.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of manufacturing copies of said recording occurs on site at the venue.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the step of distributing at least some of the copies of said recording to attendees of the live performance event that purchase them occurs before the purchasing attendees exit the venue.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for attendees of the live performance event to purchase one or more copies of a recording of said live performance event is performed at least in part after the live performance event has started.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of providing an opportunity for attendees of the live performance event to purchase one or more copies of a recording of said live performance event is performed at least in part after the live performance event is concluded.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of manufacturing copies of said recording includes copying said recording to compact discs, wherein each compact disc contains at least one copy of said recording.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of manufacturing copies of said recording includes copying said recording to a computer, said computer being connected to a global computer network, and wherein the step of distributing copies of said recording includes distributing electronic copies by broadcasting the recording over the global computer network for post-event viewing by attendees of the live performance event that purchase a right to view said broadcast.

28. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of:

determining a number of copies of said recording purchased by attendees of the live performance event; and

calculating a desirable number of copies of said recording to be manufactured based on a function of the determined number of copies of said recording purchased by attendees of the live performance event;

wherein the step of manufacturing copies of said recording includes manufacturing said desirable number of copies.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of manufacturing copies of said recording occurs on site at the venue, the step of distributing at least some of the copies of said recording to attendees of the live performance event that purchase them occurs before the purchasing attendees exit the venue, the step of providing an opportunity for attendees of the live performance event to purchase one or more copies of a recording of said live performance event is performed at least in part after the live performance event is concluded, and the step of manufacturing copies of said recording includes copying said recording to compact discs, wherein each compact disc contains at least one copy of said recording.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein said point-of-sale of tickets for the live pefformance event is located at the venue where the live performance is performed.