Intellectual property brokerage system and method

• US 7,949,606 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William Sweet
• Original Assignee: William Sweet
• Inventors: Sweet, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURDOUGH, JOSHUA A
• Application Number:
  US10/847,662
• Time in Patent Office: 2,562 Days
• Field of Search: 705/52
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Intellectual property is sold to buyers through a kiosk. The kiosk provides users with the ability of located desired content on a seller'"'"'s computer. When a user located the desired intellectual property, a payment transaction is initiated. When the payment transaction is complete, the seller transmits the intellectual property to the kiosk. The kiosks also preferably include production facilities that transfer the owner'"'"'s intellectual property onto a permanent medium and/or presentation facilities that present the owner'"'"'s intellectual property on a one-time basis.

Claims

1. A system for the distribution of digital content through a communications computer network, said network comprising:

a plurality of computers connected to each other including at least a first computer, a second computer and a third computer each employing an open architecture programmed to provide a peer to peer communications capability;

said first, second and third computers of said computer network each being identified in said network by a unique digital certificate,

said third computer of said plurality of linked computers of said network being programmed to function in said computer network as an administration server for said computer network;

a descriptor record, said descriptor record listing digital content associated with said first computer available for sale to said other computers of the plurality,

wherein said third computer is programmed to receive said descriptor record from said first computer and to authorize said first machine to offer the content listed in said descriptor record over the network, to generate a registry listing the authorized content from said descriptor record received from said first computer, and to propagate said registry to at least said second computer of the plurality;

wherein said third computer is further programmed to receive a request from said second computer to download content listed in said registry associated with said first computer described in said registry;

to determine if said request for content from said second computer is authorized; and

to authorize the transfer of digital content associated with said first computer to said second computer.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said administration server computer is programmed to generate, assign, and authenticate the digital certificates for said plurality of computers in the computer network.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said second computer of the network is programmed to search, select, view and download digital content associated with said first computer listed in a registration database.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein said third computer is programmed to receive descriptor records associated with a plurality of computers on the network;

and to generate a registration database based on the plurality of descriptor records received from said plurality of computers on the network and to propagate the registration database to a plurality of computers on the network.

5. The computer system of claim 4 wherein said third computer is programmed to update said registration database in real time.

6. The computer system of claim 3 wherein said second computer is a kiosk.