Downloadable multimedia content and method for accounting

• US 7,555,537 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Gargiulo, Michael, Beghtol, Justin Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Philip C
• Application Number:
  US09/746,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,114 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/200, 709/232, 705/14, 705/26, 705/30, 705/35, 705/75, 455/419, 707/1
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A novel system to deliver and reproduce personalizing ringing tune data or other such multimedia content to a wireless handset'"'"'s browser is provided. Additionally, a novel system is provided that allows a consumer to preview the multimedia content (e.g. ring tune, bit-map) and either approve or decline being billed for the particular multimedia message content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

requesting a ring tune by sending a message with a header including a mobile identification number from a mobile station;

receiving a file with said ring tune requested, a reply Universal Resource Locator (URL) identifying a server, and a transaction identification at said mobile station;

verifying a format of said file;

temporarily saving said file within said mobile station based on the format of said file;

previewing said ring tune on said mobile station;

sending a primitive with said mobile identification number from said mobile station to said server identified by said reply URL upon acceptance of said ring tune;

creating a usage record from said primitive;

receiving, at the mobile station, permission to save said ring tune in response to receipt of the primitive at said server;

permanently saving said ring tune within said mobile station only when the permission to save has been received from said server;

reporting and updating said usage record upon use of said ring tune employing said reply URL; and

receiving credit on a bill for compensating the use of said ring tune.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said file with said ring tune requested, said reply URL and said transaction identification conforms to a Multimedia Internet Mail Extension (MIME) format.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising sending a message from said mobile station to said server to update said usage record employing said reply URL when said mobile station uses said ring tune.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving the bill indicating the use of said ring tune by said mobile station.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further includes a secure connection between said mobile station and said server.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving the file with said ring tune requested comprising a plurality of content files, at least one content file having a class different from a class of another content file.

6. A method comprising:

requesting a ring tune deck from a media server by entering a Universal Resource Locator (URL) thereof;

providing a media deck corresponding to said ring tune deck to a mobile station;

receiving a selection of a category from said media deck;

providing specific links to ring tunes based on said category selected from said media deck;

receiving a selection of a ring tune from said specific links to said ring tunes;

generating a transaction number based on selecting said ring tune and sending a file with said ring tune selected and a reply URL to said mobile station;

verifying a format of said file and temporarily storing said file within said mobile station;

providing for a preview of said ring tune on said mobile station;

generating a primitive including a mobile identification number of the mobile station, the primitive being generated using said reply URL upon acceptance of said ring tune and sending an acceptance message to said media server;

creating a usage record from said acceptance message;

transmitting a confirmation reply message to said mobile station in response to receipt of the primitive at the media server;

permanently storing said ring tune within said mobile station only when permission to save has been received from the media server;

reporting and updating said usage record upon use of said ring tune employing said reply URL; and

receiving credit on a bill for compensating the use of said ring tune.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said URL is selected from a pre-stored list of URLs.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising viewing a plurality of URLs on a special menu of a display of said mobile station.

9. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising pressing a selected URL on a special menu of a display of said mobile station to invoke a browser thereof.

10. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said request includes a header with a mobile identification number of said mobile station.

11. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein a carrier network routes said request to said media server through an Internet via a wireless application protocol gateway.

12. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said specific link to said ring tunes is shown on a display of said mobile station.

13. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said selection of said ring tune is performed by scrolling through said specific links to said ring tunes using a scroll key and softkeys or depressing a key of said mobile station.

14. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said reply URL is programmably generated by said media server.

15. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said generating said transaction number also includes generating a database record associated with said transaction number.

16. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said file further includes said transaction number and a label tag.

17. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising discarding said file, listening to said ring tune or accepting said file following said act of verifying.

18. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising storing said usage record on a transaction server.

19. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising providing the credit based on said selection of said ring tune.

20. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising updating the bill for said mobile station based upon said usage record.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a processor in communication with a memory device and configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

request a ring tune by sending a message with a header including a mobile identification number of the apparatus;

receive a file including the requested ring tune, a reply Universal Resource Locator (URL) identifying a server, and a transaction identification;

verify a format of said file;

temporarily save the file in the memory device based on the format of said file;

preview the requested ring tune at the apparatus;

send a primitive with the mobile identification number to the server identified by the reply URL upon acceptance of said ring tune;

receive, at the apparatus, permission to save the requested ring tune in response to receipt of the primitive at the server;

permanently save the ring tune within the memory device only when the permission to save has been received from the server;

report and update a usage record created at the server upon use of said ring tune employing said reply URL; and

wherein the use of the ring tune is compensated by receiving credit on a bill.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the file including the ring tune, the reply URL and the transaction identification conforms to a Multimedia Internet Mail Extension (MIME) format.

23. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive a request from a mobile station for a ring tune deck identified by a Universal Resource Locator (URL) of the ring tune deck;

provide a media deck corresponding to the ring tune deck to the mobile station;

receive a selection of a category from the media deck;

provide specific links to ring tunes based on the received category selection from the media deck;

receive a selection of a ring tune from the specific links to the ring tunes;

generate a transaction number based on the selection of the ring tune and send a file with said ring tune selected and a reply URL to the mobile station;

receive a primitive including a mobile identification number of the mobile station and including the reply URL indicating acceptance of the ring tune by the mobile station following a previewing of said ring tune selected at the mobile station;

create a usage record from the received primitive indicating the acceptance of the ring tune;

transmit a confirmation reply message to the mobile station to thereby grant permission for the mobile station to permanently store the ring tune within the mobile station; and

receive a report and update of the usage record upon use of the ring tune employing the reply URL; and

provide credit on a bill for compensating the use of the ring tune.

24. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a mobile station for a ring tune deck identified by a Universal Resource Locator (URL) of the ring tune deck;

providing a media deck corresponding to the ring tune deck to the mobile station;

receiving a selection of a category from the media deck;

providing specific links to ring tunes based on the received category selection from the media deck;

receiving a selection of a ring tune from the specific links to the ring tunes;

generating a transaction number based on the selection of the ring tune and sending a file with said ring tune selected and a reply URL to the mobile station;

receiving a primitive including a mobile identification number of the mobile station and including the reply URL indicating acceptance of the ring tune by the mobile station following a previewing of the ring tune at the mobile station;

creating a usage record from the received primitive indicating the acceptance of the ring tune;

transmitting a confirmation reply message to the mobile station to thereby grant permission for the mobile station to permanently store the ring tune within the mobile station;

receiving a report and update of the usage record upon use of the ring tune employing the reply URL; and

providing credit on a bill for compensating the use of the ring tune.

25. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a request from a mobile station for a ring tune deck identified by a Universal Resource Locator (URL) of the ring tune deck;

means for providing a media deck corresponding to the ring tune deck to the mobile station;

means for receiving a selection of a category from the media deck;

means for providing specific links to ring tunes based on the received category selection from the media deck;

means for receiving a selection of a ring tune from the specific links to the ring tunes;

means for generating a transaction number based on the selection of the ring tune and sending a file with said ring tune selected and a reply URL to the mobile station;

means for receiving a primitive including a mobile identification number of the mobile station and including the reply URL indicating acceptance of the ring tune by the mobile station following a previewing of the ring tune at the mobile station;

means for creating a usage record from the received primitive indicating the acceptance of the ring tune;

means for transmitting a confirmation reply message to the mobile station to thereby grant permission for the mobile station to permanently store the ring tune within the mobile station;

means for receiving a report and update of the usage record upon use of the ring tune employing the reply URL; and

means for providing credit on a bill for compensating the use of the ring tune.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for requesting a ring tune by sending a message with a header including a mobile identification number from a mobile station;

means for receiving a file with said ring tune requested, a reply Universal Resource Locator (URL) identifying a server, and a transaction identification at said mobile station;

means for verifying a format of said file;

means for temporarily saving said file within said mobile station based on the format of said file;

means for previewing said ring tune requested on said mobile station;

means for sending a primitive with said mobile identification number from said mobile station to said server identified by said reply URL upon acceptance of said ring tune;

means for receiving permission to save said ring tune requested in response to receipt of the primitive at the server;

means for permanently saving said ring tune within said mobile station only when the permission to save has been received from the server;

means for reporting and updating a usage record created at the server upon use of said ring tune employing said reply URL; and

wherein the use of the ring tune is compensated by receiving credit on a bill.