Mobile device that uses removable medium for playback of content

• US 8,014,761 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kelly, Declan P., Van Gassel, Jozef P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US10/539,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20060121878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,825 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/419, 455/558, 455/420, 455/414.1, 455/466, 705/14, 705/57, 705 141- 15
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A service that provides playback of media content, that may include advertising content, to a user. The system comprises device, that may be a portable wireless device, where the wireless device has a media drive and an application that reads content from a medium inserted in the media drive. The system further comprises a service that communicates with the wireless device via a wireless network. The service provides control commands to the application program for controlling playback of content from the medium when inserted in the media drive. The service may also provide advertising content to the user based on a user profile. A fee may be paid for the delivery of the content and/or the advertising to the user.

Claims

1. A method of enabling an electronic transaction, the method comprising:

providing storable electronic content to a user via a removable storage medium;

providing an electronic application to the user, wherein the electronic application is (i) pertinent to the removable storage medium via an identification (ID) of the removable storage medium and (ii) restricts user access to the storable electronic content of the removable storage medium; and

subsequent to the user being provided with the storable electronic content, providing electronic advertising content to the user accessible via a remote service, the electronic advertising content comprising control commands that are receivable from a party other than the user and that are generated via the remote service,

wherein the storable electronic content and the electronic application are stored on a portable wireless device,

wherein providing the control commands comprises connecting the portable wireless device to a server and transmitting the control commands from the server to the portable wireless device,

wherein the storable electronic content contains a plurality of electronic content portions and wherein corresponding control commands are required to be separately provided each time the electronic application renders one of the plurality of electronic content portions,

wherein the remote service uses one of (a) a user identification (User ID), (b) the removable storage medium ID, and (c) both the User ID and the removable storage medium ID, as an identifier to customize, for the user, particular portions of the electronic content for playback, and

wherein responsive to the user selecting and playing the electronic advertising content, the control commands enable the electronic application to render the particular portions of electronic content of the storable electronic content accessible to the user for playback;

wherein the control commands are separately transmitted each time the electronic application renders the particular portions of electronic content accessible to the user, the method further comprising maintaining a count of a number of times that the control commands for rendering the particular portions of electronic content accessible to the user are transmitted from the remote service to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the denying the transmittal of the control commands if the count exceeds a given number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic application is only enabled to render the electronic content while the portable wireless device is connected to the server.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the user identification at the server from the user each time the portable wireless device is connected to the server, and maintaining a count of a number of times the user identification is received from the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic content contains a plurality of electronic content portions and wherein a corresponding control command is required to be separately provided each time the electronic application renders one of the plurality of electronic content portions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic advertising content is renderable by the electronic application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic application renders the electronic content and the electronic advertising content in a determined order.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the playing of the electronic advertising by the electronic application renders the electronic content accessible to the user.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic advertising is provided together with the electronic content.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a geographic region where the portable wireless device is located;

identifying electronic advertising for the determined geographic region; and

transmitting the control commands and the identified electronic advertising from the server to the portable wireless device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the control commands control at least one of the selection and order of rendering the electronic content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic content is at least one of audio content and video content.

13. A method of enabling an electronic transaction, the method comprising:

providing storable electronic content to a user via a removable storage medium;

providing an electronic application to the user, wherein the electronic application is (i) pertinent to the removable storage medium and (ii) restricts user access to the storable electronic content of the removable storage medium; and

subsequent to the user being provided with the storable electronic content, providing electronic advertising content to the user accessible via a remote service, the electronic advertising content comprising control commands that are receivable from a party other than the user and that are generated via the remote service upon the user selecting and playing the electronic advertising content, the control commands enabling the electronic application to render electronic content of the storable electronic content accessible to the user for playback of the electronic content from the removable storage medium;

wherein the control commands are separately transmitted each time the electronic application renders the electronic content accessible to the user, the method further comprising maintaining a count of a number of times that the control commands for rendering the electronic content accessible to the user are transmitted from the remote service to the user,

wherein the storable electronic content and the electronic application are stored on a portable wireless device, and wherein providing the control commands comprises connecting the portable wireless device to a server and transmitting the control commands from the server to the portable wireless device,

wherein the electronic content contains a plurality of electronic content portions and wherein corresponding control commands are required to be separately provided each time the electronic application renders one of the plurality of electronic content portions, the method further comprising;

transmitting a particular control command in response to a request from the user containing a user identification, wherein the request is for the particular control command; and

maintaining a count of a number of times each particular control command is transmitted to the user from the server.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing unrequested keys determined from the count of the number of times each particular control command is transmitted to the user from the server.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing the electronic advertising content determined from the count of the number of times each particular control command is transmitted to the user from the server, wherein the electronic advertising content is renderable by the electronic application.

16. A method of enabling an electronic transaction, the method comprising the acts of:

providing storable electronic content to a user via a removable storage medium;

providing an electronic application to the user, wherein the electronic application is (i) pertinent to the removable storage medium via an identification (ID) of the removable storage medium and (ii) restricts user access to the storable electronic content of the storage medium; and

subsequent to the user being provided with the storable electronic content, determining electronic advertising, via a remote service, based on a personal profile for the user and providing control commands in the form of the determined electronic advertising to the user, via the remote service, that are receivable from a party that desires the determined electronic advertising be provided to the user,

wherein the storable electronic content and the electronic application are stored on a portable wireless device,

wherein providing the control commands comprises connecting the portable wireless device to a server and transmitting the control commands from the server to the portable wireless device,

wherein the storable electronic content contains a plurality of electronic content portions and wherein corresponding control commands are required to be separately provided each time the electronic application renders one of the plurality of electronic content portions,

wherein the remote service uses one of (a) a user identification (User ID), (b) the removable storage medium ID, and (c) both the User ID and the removable storage medium ID, as an identifier to customize, for the user, particular portions of the electronic content for playback, and

wherein responsive to the selecting and playing of the electronic advertising by the user, initiating the operation of the control commands enables the electronic application to render the particular portions of electronic content of the storable electronic content accessible to the user for playback;

wherein the control commands are separately transmitted each time the electronic application renders the particular portions of electronic content accessible to the user, the method further comprising maintaining a count of a number of times that the control commands for rendering the particular portions of electronic content accessible to the user are transmitted from the remote service to the user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring user selection of electronic content; and

providing an update to the personal profile based on a result of the monitoring.

18. A system for controlling access to content comprising:

a wireless device having a media drive;

an application that accesses electronic content from a removable storage medium inserted in the media drive, wherein the application is (i) pertinent to the removable storage medium via an identification (ID) of the removable storage medium and (ii) restricts user access to the electronic content of the removable storage medium; and

a service separate from the device that provides control commands to the application for controlling access to content from the removable storage medium when inserted in the media drive;

wherein the control commands are generated via the service,

wherein the electronic content and the application are stored on the wireless device,

wherein providing the control commands comprises connecting the wireless device to a server and transmitting the control commands from the server to the wireless device,

wherein the electronic content contains a plurality of electronic content portions and wherein corresponding control commands are required to be separately provided each time the application renders one of the plurality of electronic content portions,

wherein the remote service uses one of (a) a user identification (User ID), (b) the removable storage medium ID, and (c) both the User ID and the removable storage medium ID, as an identifier to customize, for the user, particular portions of the electronic content for playback, and

wherein responsive to by the selecting and playing of advertising content by the user on the device, the control commands enable the application to render the particular portions of electronic content of the removable storage medium accessible to the user for playback; and

wherein access to content is restricted by the application in the absence of the control commands; and

wherein the control commands are separately transmitted each time the application renders the particular portions of electronic content of the removable storage medium accessible to the user, further wherein the service maintains a count of a number of times that the control commands for rendering the particular portions of electronic content accessible to the user are transmitted from the service to the device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the device further comprises a portable wireless device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the portable wireless device is a mobile phone.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the media drive is an optical disc drive.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the control commands are provided wirelessly to the device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the service provides the control commands wirelessly to the device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the content is audio and/or video content.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the control commands determine the order in which the content portions are accessed.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein access to content is controlled by rendering of the advertising on the device.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the service collects user feedback about the content.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the user feedback is collected via user manipulation of the device.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the control commands incorporate the user feedback.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the insertion of the medium into the media drive initiates a communication between the device and the service.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein the provision of control commands is dependent on a constant communication between the device and the service.

32. The system of claim 18, wherein the control commands control the number of times that content is accessed from the medium.