System and method for previewing and purchasing ring tones for a mobile device

• US 7,343,179 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Danger Research Inc (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Myles, Phillip A., Theis, Ronald L. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Wesley
• Application Number:
  US10/640,896
• Time in Patent Office: 1,672 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/414.1, 455/412.2, 705/26, 705/40, 705/51, 704/275, 709/246, 709/203
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations

Abstract

Described herein is a ring tone delivery system and method for previewing and/or buying a ring tone from a wireless service directly through a wireless data processing device. The method comprises: allowing a user to play a ring tone preview; receiving a purchase request from the device; and causing the ring tone associated with the preview to be stored on the device. The system comprises: a ring tone preview module for transmitting a ring tone preview directly from a wireless service to a device; a ring tone catalog application for allowing a user to play back the ring tone preview on the device; and a ring tone purchase/download module to receive a ring tone purchase request directly from the device; wherein the ring tone purchase/download module and/or the ring tone catalog application causes a ring tone associated with the preview to be stored on the device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

requesting a ring tone preview from an internet site by a wireless service in response to a ring tone preview request by a wireless data processing device;

receiving at the wireless service the ring tone preview from the internet site;

transmitting the ring tone preview directly from the wireless service to the wireless data processing device in response to the ring tone preview request;

storing the ring tone preview in a ring tone gallery on the wireless data processing device, the ring tone gallery accessible by other applications executed on the data processing device;

allowing a user of the wireless data processing device to play back the ring tone preview stored on the wireless data processing device with any application a specified number of times prior to purchasing the ring tone, the wireless data processing device automatically locking the ring tone preview from being played or automatically deleting the ring tone preview upon the ring tone preview having been played back the specified number of times by a combination of applications;

receiving a ring tone purchase request at the wireless service transmitted directly from the wireless data processing device;

upon receiving the ring tone purchase request, causing an actual ring tone associated with the ring tone preview to be stored within a ring tone gallery on the data processing device, the ring tones within the ring tone gallery accessible by applications executed on the data processing device;

wherein the method also includes;

forwarding request for data to a second internet site on behalf of a portal device;

receiving said data from said second internet site on behalf of said portal device;

converting said requested data to bytecodes which an interpreter module on said portal device can convert into native program code which a processor on said portal device can process;

discarding portions of said requested data which said portal device is incapable of processing; and

,

transmitting said bytecodes to said portal device, wherein, said interpreter module comprises a modular networking interface for communicating over a wireless network according to a specified network protocol, and wherein,

converting said requested data further comprises;

determining said portal device'"'"'s graphical capabilities;

said converting said requested data to a particular bytecode format based on said graphical capabilities, said interpreter module converting said particular bytecode format into a video format directly processable by said processor.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein, prior to the purchase of the ring tone, the ring tone preview may be played back only from within a ring tone catalog application executed on the data processing device.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the specified number of times is a unlimited number of times.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein the ring tone preview is acoustically equivalent to the actual ring tone.

5. The method as in claim 4 wherein the ring tone preview is processed and maintained by a specified application executed on the wireless data processing device, and wherein, in response to the purchase request, the specified ring tone application causes the ring tone preview to be stored within a ring tone gallery, the ring tone gallery accessible by other applications executed on the data processing device.

6. The method as in claim 4 wherein the ring tone preview is initially stored within a ring tone gallery on the wireless data processing device, and wherein, prior to the purchase request, the ring tone preview is only accessible by a specified one or more applications and wherein, in response to the ring tone purchase request, the ring tone is made accessible to other applications executed on the wireless data processing device.

7. The method as in claim 4 wherein the ring tone preview is initially stored within a ring tone gallery on the wireless data processing device, and wherein, prior to the purchase request, the ring tone preview may only be played back a specified number of time and wherein, in response to the ring tone purchase request, the ring tone may be played back an unlimited number of times.

8. The method as in claim 1 wherein causing an actual ring tone associated with the ring tone preview to be stored within a ring tone gallery on the data processing device comprises transmitting the actual ring tone from the service to the data processing device.

9. A ring tone preview and portal system comprising:

a ring tone preview module for transmitting a ring tone preview directly from a wireless service to a wireless data processing device in response to a ring tone preview request, wherein the wireless service requests the ring tone preview from an internet site in response to receiving the ring tone preview request from the wireless data processing device and further wherein the wireless service receives the ring tone preview from the internet site;

a ring tone catalog application for allowing a user of the wireless data processing device to play back the ring tone preview on any device application on the wireless data processing device a specified number of times prior to purchasing the ring tone, wherein the ring tone preview is stored within the ring tone catalog application, and further wherein the wireless data processing device automatically locks the ring tone preview from being played or automatically deletes the ring tone preview upon the ring tone preview having been played back the specified number of times by a combination of applications;

a ring tone purchase/download module to receive a ring tone purchase request at the wireless service transmitted directly from the wireless data processing device;

wherein the ring tone purchase/download module and/or the ring tone catalog application causes an actual ring tone associated with the ring tone preview to be stored within a ring tone gallery on the data processing device upon the data processing device receiving the actual ring tone in response to the ring tone purchase request, the ring tones within the ring tone gallery accessible by applications executed on the data processing device;

a portal device comprising a processor for processing native program code and an interpreter module for interpreting bytecodes and converting the bytecodes into the native program code for processing by the processor;

a portal server to forward a request for data to a second internet site on behalf of a said portal device and receive said data from said second internet site on behalf of said portal device;

the portal server comprising a content conversion module to convert said requested data to bytecodes which said interpreter module on said portal device can convert into native program code and discard portions of said requested data which said portal device is incapable of processing;

the portal server to transmit said bytecodes to said portal device, wherein said interpreter module comprises a modular networking interface for communication over a wireless network according to a specified network protocol, and wherein, converting said requested data further comprises;

determining said portal device'"'"'s graphical capabilities, and converting said requested data to a particular bytecode format based on said graphical capabilities, said interpreter module converting said particular bytecode format into video format directly processable by said processor.

10. The system as in claim 9 wherein the specified number of times is a unlimited number of times.

11. The system as in claim 9 wherein the ring tone preview is acoustically equivalent to the actual ring tone.

12. The system as in claim 11 wherein in response to the purchase request, the ring tone catalog application causes the ring tone preview to be stored within a ring tone gallery, the ring tone gallery accessible by other applications executed on the data processing device.

13. The system as in claim 11 wherein the ring tone preview is initially stored within a ring tone gallery on the wireless data processing device, and wherein, prior to the purchase request, the ring tone preview is only accessible by the ring tone catalog application and wherein, in response to the ring tone purchase request, the ring tone is made accessible to other applications executed on the wireless data processing device.

14. The system as in claim 11 wherein the ring tone preview is initially stored within a ring tone gallery on the wireless data processing device, and wherein, in response to the ring tone purchase request, the ring tone may be played back an unlimited number of times.

15. The system as in claim 9 wherein causing an actual ring tone associated with the ring tone preview to be stored within a ring tone gallery on the data processing device comprises transmitting the actual ring tone from the service to the data processing device.