Smart book

• US 7,156,309 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Zlatsin, Alexander, Sabath, Mariusz, Sedivy, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech; Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US11/299,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20060091198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.07, 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 705/59, 705/57, 705/52, 707/2, 707/101, 707/102
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A method and system that permits the purchase of a license to make a limited number of copies of a book. At the time of purchase, the purchaser or user is given a key that contains the ability to obtain the limited number of copies on demand. The key contains a web address that can be used to obtain the authorized copies. In some embodiments, the key is a label in a machine readable form that is readable by a label reader, such as a bar code reader or a magnetic reader. In other embodiments, the key is merely a web address that the user may contact. At the point of sale, the key or record is formed, affixed to the book and also sent to copy tracker. The copy tracker then keeps track of the copies as made and processes each request to make a copy. If permitted, a database is enabled to send an electronic image of the requested copy to the user.

Claims

1. A smart book comprising:

a book; and

a semiconductor device affixed to said book, wherein said semiconductor device includes a memory that contains a record, and wherein the record includes a plurality of members of the group consisting of;

a title of said book, a web address of a copy tracker for said book, an identity of said order, a first number of copies of said entire book that are permitted to be made, a second number of copies of pages of said book that are permitted to be made and a third number of copies of pictures of said book that are permitted to be made.

2. The smart book of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor device includes a controller that keeps track of the number of copies made, and wherein said controller responds to a request of a user to make a copy of at least one page of said book to determine if said copy is permitted, and, if permitted, enables an electronic image of said copy to be presented to the user.

3. The smart book of claim 1, wherein said controller enables said electronic image to be presented to said user from a database that contains said electronic image via the world wide web.

4. The smart book of claim 1, wherein said memory contains said electronic image, and wherein said controller prevents said electronic image from being presented to said user if said copy is not permitted.

5. A system that makes a copy of one or more pages or images contained in a book comprising:

a reader for reading information encoded in a label that is located on said pages or images or on a cover of said book;

a processor for determining from said information a copy tracker and an identity of a right to make said copy, for sending to said copy tracker a request to make said copy, said request including said identity and an identification of said pages or images, and for receiving from said copy tracker an electronic image of said pages or images; and

a copier for making a human readable copy of said electronic image.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said label is a bar code and said reader is a bar code reader.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said label is a watermark and said reader is a watermark reader.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said processor determines a web address from said information, and wherein said means for sending sends said request to said web address.

9. The system of claim 5, further comprising a storage area for storing updateable information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said updateable information includes counts data specifying a number of copies that can be authorized.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said counts data further specifies a number of copies of said book, and/or copies of pages in said book, and/or copies of graphics in said book that can be authorized.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said counts data can be reduced in dependence on requested and authorized copies.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein said information further comprises a user or license identity.

14. The system of claim 5, further comprising a controller that, in response to a request for one or more copies of part or all of said book, authorizes the requested copies if the retrieved information indicates that the requested copies are authorized.