Trial access for media files from a media list

• US 7,702,590 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II; Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qayyum; Zeshan
• Application Number:
  US11/229,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for sharing media files. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, can be implemented as follows. The system includes a file sharing application configured to initiate a communication session with a file server, where the file server manages download requests for media files listed on a dynamic list. Use of the media files is subject to a trial period that corresponds to a period that the media files remain on the dynamic list. The system further includes trial period checking logic configured to retrieve a new dynamic list and check whether a trial period for a media file has expired by determining whether the media file is listed on the new dynamic list and offer presentation logic configured to offer a user a license for continued use of a media file that has an expired trial period. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A system for authorizing use of media files, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory connected to the processor, the memory storing instructions when executed cause the processor to perform steps of;

accessing by a user computer a dynamic list of media files stored on a file server;

downloading by the user computer at least one media file listed in the dynamic list;

receiving a first request by the user computer for access to the at least one media file;

accessing the at least one media file by the user computer based on the at least one media file listed in the dynamic list;

accessing by the user computer an undated dynamic list of media files stored on the file server;

receiving a second request by the user computer for access to the at least one media file; and

determining by the user computer that the at least one media file is not listed in the undated dynamic list and based on the determination denying by the user computer the second request for access to the at least one media file not listed in the undated dynamic list.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one media file includes one or more sound files.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

license payment logic configured to track a payment for a purchased license, wherein the license payment logic charges the account for a fee associated with the purchased license.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a portable media device operable to connect with a computer having the file sharing application and trial period checking logic, wherein connection of the portable media device to the computer triggers the trial period checking logic to check for expired trial periods on the portable media device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic list is organized by music genre.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the media file that is not listed in the dynamic list is made unavailable for download.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the file sharing application provides a list of media available for download, the list including media files listed in the dynamic list and excluding media files previously received by the file sharing application.

8. A method for authorizing use of media files, comprising:

accessing by a user computer a dynamic list of media files stored on a file server;

downloading by the user computer at least one media file listed in the dynamic list;

receiving a first request by the user computer for access to the at least one media file;

accessing the at least one media file by the user computer based on the at least one media file listed in the dynamic list;

accessing by the user computer an updated dynamic list of media files stored on the file server;

receiving a second request by the user computer for access to the at least one media file; and

determining by the user computer that the at least one media file is not listed in the undated dynamic list and based on the determination denying by the user computer the second request for access to the at least one media file not listed in the updated dynamic list.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

prompting a user to obtain a license for access to the at least one media file that is not contained on the updated dynamic list; and

granting access to the at least one media file by a user after the user obtains the license.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying a list of media files that are available for download by the user, the list of media files including media files contained on the dynamic list and excluding media files previously downloaded by the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the user is provided a grace period for responding to the prompting step.

12. The method of claim 9, farther comprising the step of:

configuring the media file to be inaccessible by a user if the user chooses not to obtain a license for the media file that has been removed from the dynamic list.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the prompting step is triggered by detecting expiration of a trial period for the downloaded media file, the trial period corresponding to a period of time that the downloaded media file is included on the dynamic list before the downloaded media file is removed from the dynamic list.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting connection of a portable media device to a computer that is used to download the media files from the dynamic list; and

checking trial periods of media files located on the portable media device and the computer.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamic list is organized by music genre.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the dynamic list is organized by a current popularity of the media files.

17. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform the steps of:

accessing by a user computer a dynamic list of media files stored on a file server;

downloading by the user computer at least one media file that is listed in the dynamic list;

receiving a first request by the user computer for access to the at least one media file;

accessing the at least one media file by the user computer based on the at least one media file listed in the dynamic list;

accessing by the user computer an updated dynamic list of media files stored on the file server;

receiving a second request by the user computer for access to the at least one media; and

determining that the at least one media file is not listed in the undated dynamic list and based on the determination denying by the user computer the second request for access to the at least one media file not listed in the updated dynamic list.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to perform the steps of:

detecting connection of a portable media device to the user computer that is used to download the media files from the dynamic list.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to perform the steps of:

enabling access to the at least one media file not listed in the dynamic list after the user obtains a license.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, comprising instructions to cause the processor to perform the steps of:

deleting the at least one media file from the user computer when a user chooses not to obtain a license for the at least one media file that has been removed from the dynamic list.