Incentivizing software sharing thru incentive points

• US 7,216,156 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chatani, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US11/271,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/224, 709/217, 709/223, 705/26, 705/36, 713/201
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method for incentivizing sharing of a software product through awarding incentive points utilizing unique identifiers including removable storage identification, user console identification and user identification. The granting of access permissions and the awarding of incentive points are facilitated through a host server.

Claims

1. A method to incentivize sharing of a software product residing on a removable disc storage medium, comprising:

reading a storage medium identifier from the removable disc storage medium at a user console, the storage medium identifier being uniquely assigned to the removable disc storage medium and associated with an owner of the removable disc storage medium;

transmitting the uniquely assigned storage medium identifier from the user console to a server;

transmitting a uniquely assigned user console identifier associated with the user console to the server, wherein the user console identifier may be further associated with a user of the console;

determining whether the console is authorized to access the software product on the removable disc storage medium as identified by owner consent data, wherein the owner consent data may further identify authorization to transfer ownership in the removable disc storage medium to another user;

granting the user console access to the software product on the removable disc storage medium if the owner consent data authorizes access; and

assigning incentive points to an account of the owner of the removable disc storage medium, wherein the incentive points are a reward for sharing the software product with other users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the account of the owner is the account of the original owner of the removable disc storage medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the account of the owner is the account of a subsequent owner of the removable disc storage medium.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the account of the owner comprises owner consent data for at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining whether the storage medium identifier and the user console identifier match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein if the storage medium identifier and the user console identifier do not match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium, transmitting from the server an access refusal signal to the user console, the access refusal signal preventing execution of the software product residing on the removable disc storage medium.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein if the storage medium identifier and the user console identifier match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium, transmitting from the server an access permission signal to the user console, the access permission signal allowing for the execution of the software product residing on the removable disc storage medium.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a publishing server is associated with the storage medium identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the incentive points are assigned by the publishing server.

10. A method to incentivize sharing of a software product residing on a removable disc storage medium, comprising:

reading a storage medium identifier from a removable disc storage medium at a user console, the storage medium identifier being uniquely assigned to the removable disc storage medium and associated with an owner of the removable storage medium;

transmitting the uniquely assigned storage medium identifier from the user console to a server;

transmitting a uniquely assigned user identifier to the server;

determining whether the console is authorized to access the software product on the removable disc storage medium as identified by owner consent data, wherein the owner consent data may further identify authorization to transfer ownership in the removable disc storage medium to another user;

granting the user access to the software product on the removable disc storage medium if the owner consent data authorizes access; and

assigning incentive points to an account of the owner of the removable disc storage medium, wherein the incentive points are a reward for sharing the software product with other users.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user identifier is associated with a user of the removable disc storage medium.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user identifier is associated with a user of the user console.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the account of the user comprises owner consent data for at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the storage medium identifier and the user identifier match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein if the storage medium identifier and the user identifier do not match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium, transmitting from the server an access refusal signal to the user console, the access refusal signal preventing execution of the software product residing on the removable disc storage medium.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein if the storage medium identifier and the user identifier match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium, transmitting from the server an access permission signal to the user console, the access permission signal allowing for the execution of the software product residing on the removable disc storage medium.

17. A machine readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor to perform a method to incentivize sharing of a software product residing on a removable disc storage medium, the method comprising:

receiving a storage medium identifier read from the removable disc storage medium at a user console, the storage medium identifier being uniquely assigned to the removable disc storage medium and associated with an owner of the removable disc storage medium;

receiving a uniquely assigned user console identifier associated with the user console, wherein the user console identifier may be further associated with a user of the console;

determining whether the console is authorized to access the software product on the removable disc storage medium as identified by owner consent data, wherein the owner consent data may further identify authorization to transfer ownership in the removable disc storage medium to another user;

granting the user console access to the software product on the removable disc storage medium if the owner consent data authorizes access; and

assigning incentive points to an account of the owner of the removable disc storage medium, wherein the incentive points are a reward for sharing the software product with other user.

18. The machine readable storage medium of claim 17, the method further comprising determining whether the storage medium identifier and the user console identifier match owner consent data for at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium.

19. The machine readable storage medium of claim 18, the method further comprising transmitting an access refusal signal to the user console if the storage medium identifier and the user console identifier do not match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium.

20. The machine readable storage medium of claim 18, the method further comprising transmitting an access permission signal to the user console if the storage medium identifier and the user console identifier match the owner consent data for the at least one subsequent user of the removable disc storage medium.