System and method for providing access to electronic works

• US 7,376,581 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal Music Group Incorporated (Universal Music Group NV)
• Original Assignee: Universal Music Group Incorporated (Universal Music Group NV)
• Inventors: Park, James, Callahan, Brian, Oliphant, Michael, Knott, John P., Van Zoest, Alexander T., Costello, George Matthew, Moore, James Martin, Dimeo, Matthew John, Story, David M, Sismondo, Charles Lawrence, Barnum, Tristan Anne, DeRose, John William, Degenhardt, Brian Mason, Stephens, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Champagne; Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US10/062,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,296 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/57, 696/15, 695/91, 369/53.21, 380/201, 709/217, 709/232
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for providing access to electronic works over a network. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention offers a user access to electronic copies of works, such as songs, albums, movies, or music videos, over a network. The user responds to the offer by requesting to access to a particular work. Before such a request is granted, the present invention may verify that the user is authorized to access to the work. In one embodiment, the user verifies that they are authorized to access an electronic copy of the work by demonstrating that they possess a physical copy of the work. In another embodiment, the user verifies that they are authorized to access an electronic copy of the work by demonstrating that they ordered or purchased a copy of the work. If a user'"'"'s authorization is verified, the user may then be provided with access to an electronic copy of the work by such techniques as downloading or streaming.

Claims

1. A method for providing electronic works over a network, comprising the steps of:

offering electronic works over the network,

receiving a request for at least one of the electronic works from a user,

verifying the user is authorized to access the requested electronic work; and

providing the requested electronic work to the authorized user over the network in response to said verifying;

wherein said verifying includes

receiving data corresponding to a physical version of the requested electronic work, and

comparing track offset information from the data corresponding to the physical version and track offset information from the stored electronic version.

2. The method of claim 1, said verifying further comprising:

identifying a title of the physical version based on the data received.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein when the physical version is a compact disc, and a flexible range of values is used for each track offset to account for manufacturing or other inconsistencies.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said comparing includes comparing a plurality of track offsets.

5. The method of claim 1, said verifying further comprising the steps of:

receiving a block of data corresponding to a predetermined portion of the physical version;

comparing audio characteristics of the received block of data and audio characteristics of a corresponding block of data from the stored electronic version.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said comparing audio characteristics includes a comparison of frequency characteristics by Fast Fourier Transform.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said verifying includes:

acquiring identification information from the physical work, and

identifying the requested electronic work for comparison with the identification information.

8. A method for online delivery of electronic works, comprising:

offering electronic works over a network,

receiving a request for at least one of the electronic works over the network;

sending a request to obtain data corresponding to at least a portion of a physical work corresponding to the electronic work requested;

receiving data corresponding to the at least a portion of the physical work;

comparing the at least a portion of the physical work with a corresponding portion of a stored electronic version of the physical work including phase shifting either the at least a portion of the physical work or the corresponding portion of the at least one electronic work; and

providing the requested electronic work over the network if it is determined by said comparing that the at least a portion of the physical work matches the corresponding portion of the stored electronic version.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the stored electronic version of the physical work is the requested electronic work.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said comparing includes determining a correlation between the at least a portion of the physical work and the corresponding portion of the stored electronic version of the physical work.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

increasing a size of the at least one portion of the physical work or the corresponding portion of the stored electronic version of the physical work prior to said comparing.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said comparing includes a Fast Fourier Transform analysis on the at least one portion of the physical work and the corresponding portion of the stored electronic version of the physical work.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said comparing includes comparing time domain samples from the at least one portion of the physical work.

14. The method of claim 8, where the step of comparing accommodates a margin of error allowance.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

requesting data corresponding to the at least one portion of the physical work; and

repeating said receiving and said comparing.

16. An apparatus for providing electronic works, comprising:

a server for offering electronic works to a user over a network, wherein when the server receives a request for access to at least one of the electronic works, the server verifies that the user is authorized to access the requested electronic work by receiving data of a physical version of the requested electronic work;

wherein the data of the physical version of the requested electronic work is compared to data of the requested electronic work at a location of the server wherein the data of the physical version comprises track offset data for a compact disk; and

wherein when the comparison indicates a correlation, the server provides the requested electronic work to the user over the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the electronic works are stored at a location of the server.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server provides the requested electronic work only when the correlation is an exact match between the data of the physical version and the requested electronic work.

19. A method for providing selective access to an electronic work, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for the electronic work from a user, the request demonstrating that the user is authorized to receive the requested electronic work; and

providing the electronic work over a network;

wherein the demonstrating is based on information relating to a physical version of the requested electronic work;

wherein the information comprises data read from the physical version of the requested electronic work;

wherein the data read from the physical version is track offset data of a compact disk, and wherein the track offset data is compared to corresponding track offset data of the requested electronic work to determine whether the user is authorized to receive the requested electronic work.