Apparatus and associated method for downloading an application with a variable lifetime to a mobile terminal
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, via a wireless network from a mobile terminal having an associated user, a user-specified choice of a first application, the first application being one of a plurality of applications;
receiving from the mobile terminal via the wireless network a user-specified variable lifetime for the first application;
transmitting the first application via the wireless network to the mobile terminal associated with the user, the first application being configured to become unavailable for use on the mobile terminal upon expiration of the user-specified variable lifetime, wherein the user-specified variable lifetime comprises one of a time period specified by the user of the mobile terminal or a number of uses of the first application specified by the user of the mobile terminal;
receiving first payment for the first application;
receiving a subsequent re-choice of the first application;
determining whether time remains in the user-specified time period;
again transmitting the first application to the mobile terminal if the determining step results in a determination of time remaining in the user-specified time period; and
receiving additional payment for said again transmitting the first application, wherein the amount of said additional payment is reduced from the amount of the first payment.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus, and associated method, provides for downloading an application with a selectable lifetime from an application database to a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal user'"'"'s identification information and the selected lifetime for the application are stored in an application-license database. When the user seeks to download the same application on a subsequent occasion the user is able to download that application for a reduced fee if lifetime remains from when the application was first downloaded. In addition, the application may be configured to delete or uninstall itself from the mobile terminal when the selected lifetime for the application expires.
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Citations
71 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, via a wireless network from a mobile terminal having an associated user, a user-specified choice of a first application, the first application being one of a plurality of applications; receiving from the mobile terminal via the wireless network a user-specified variable lifetime for the first application; transmitting the first application via the wireless network to the mobile terminal associated with the user, the first application being configured to become unavailable for use on the mobile terminal upon expiration of the user-specified variable lifetime, wherein the user-specified variable lifetime comprises one of a time period specified by the user of the mobile terminal or a number of uses of the first application specified by the user of the mobile terminal; receiving first payment for the first application; receiving a subsequent re-choice of the first application; determining whether time remains in the user-specified time period; again transmitting the first application to the mobile terminal if the determining step results in a determination of time remaining in the user-specified time period; and receiving additional payment for said again transmitting the first application, wherein the amount of said additional payment is reduced from the amount of the first payment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method comprising:
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receiving from a user of a mobile terminal a choice of a first application, the first application being one of a plurality of applications; storing data regarding the user and the first application in an application license database; transmitting the first application via a network to the mobile terminal, the first application being configured to become unavailable for use on the mobile terminal upon either expiration of a time period specified by the user of the mobile terminal, or use of the first application a number of times specified by the user of the mobile terminal; determining whether the first application has been used less than the number of times specified by the user of the mobile terminal; and again transmitting the first application to the mobile terminal if the determining step results in a determination of use of the first application less than the number of times specified by the user of the mobile terminal. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method comprising:
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receiving, via a wireless network from a mobile terminal having an associated user, a user-specified choice of a first ringing tone, the first ringing tone being one of a plurality of ringing tones; transmitting the first ringing tone via the wireless network to the mobile terminal associated with the user, the first ringing tone being configured to become unavailable for use on the mobile terminal upon either expiration of a time period specified by the user of the mobile terminal, or use of the first ringing tone a number of times specified by the user of the mobile terminal; receiving first payment for the first ringing tone; receiving a subsequent re-choice of the first ringing tone; determining whether time remains in the user-specified time period; again transmitting the first ringing tone to the mobile terminal if the determining step results in a determination of time remaining in the user-specified time period; and receiving additional payment for said again transmitting the first ringing tone, wherein the amount of said additional payment is reduced from the amount of the first payment. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method comprising:
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receiving a user-specified choice of a first ringing tone, the first ringing tone being one of a plurality of ringing tones; storing data regarding the user and the first ringing tone in an application license database; transmitting the first ringing tone via a network to a mobile terminal associated with the user, the first ringing tone being configured to become unavailable for use on the mobile terminal upon either expiration of a time period specified by the user of the mobile terminal, or use of the first ringing tone a number of times specified by the user of the mobile terminal, determining whether time remains in the time period specified by the user of the mobile terminal; and again transmitting the first ringing tone to the mobile terminal if the determining step results in a determination of time remaining in the time period specified by the user of the mobile terminal. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. Apparatus comprising:
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a downloading server comprising a link to one or more databases; and a network infrastructure comprising a link to a mobile network, wherein the downloading server is configured to perform; receiving a user-specified choice of a first application, the first application being one of a plurality of applications stored in one of the databases, transmitting the first application via the mobile network to a mobile terminal, the first application being configured to become unavailable for use on the mobile terminal upon either expiration of a time period specified by a user associated with the mobile terminal, or use of the first application a number of times specified by the user associated with the mobile terminal, receiving first payment for the first application, receiving a subsequent re-choice of the first application, determining whether time remains in the user-specified time period, again transmitting the first application to the mobile terminal if the determining step results in a determination of time remaining in the user-specified time period, and receiving additional payment for said again transmitting the first application, wherein the amount of said additional payment is reduced from the amount of the first payment. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66)
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65. The apparatus of 64, wherein the data stored in the application-license database includes one of the user-specified time period and the user-specified number of times.
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67. Apparatus comprising:
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a downloading server comprising a link to an application license database; a network infrastructure comprising a link to a network, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform receiving a user-specified choice of a first application, the first application being one of a plurality of applications, storing data regarding the user and the first application in the application license database, transmitting the first application via the network to a mobile terminal associated with the user, the first application being configured to become unavailable for use on the mobile terminal upon either expiration of a time period specified by a user of the mobile terminal, or use of the first application a number of times specified by the user of the mobile terminal, determine whether time remains in the user-specified time period, and again transmit the first application to the mobile terminal if the determining step results in a determination of time remaining in the user-specified time period. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71)
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Specification