Media content delivery systems and methods

• US 8,271,341 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Music Choice
• Original Assignee: Music Choice
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Jeremy C., Yurman, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAQ, NAEEM U
• Application Number:
  US11/401,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20060184431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,351 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/26.2, 705/26.25, 705/26.3, 705/26.35, 705/26.4, 705 2641- 2644, 705/26.5, 705 2661- 2664, 705/26.7, 705/26.8, 705/26.81, 705/26.82, 705/26.9, 705/27.1, 705/27.2
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for enabling a consumer to acquire media content items.

Claims

1. A media content delivery method, comprising:

using a first device to receive and process broadcasted media content;

while the first device is receiving and processing the broadcasted media content, using the first device to transmit to a server a request for a media content item associated with the broadcasted media content, wherein

the request for the media content item includes a device identifier associated with the first device and/or a user identifier associated with a user of the first device, and

the server is configured such that after receiving the request, the server (a) uses the device identifier and/or the user identifier that was included in the request for the media content item to select a delivery address to which to send a response, wherein the selected delivery address is associated with a second device that is different than the first device and (b) sends to the selected delivery address the response, wherein the response comprises (i) a message comprising a link associated with the media content item and/or (ii) the media content item itself.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes the message comprising the link, and the response is transmitted via e-mail.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

using a third device to view the message;

activating the link, thereby initiating the downloading of the media content item associated with the link to the third device; and

after activating the link, receiving the item at the third device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes the message comprising the link, and the link is a direct link to the item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes the message comprising the link, and the link is a link to a server that has access to the item.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, in response to activating the link, a third device transmits a second request to a server and the server responds to the second request by transmitting a second response to the second device, wherein the second response prompts the user of the third device to enter an access code.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second response is an HTML document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasted media content is a track from a CD and the media content item is digital file containing the track from the CD.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasted media content is a music video and the media content item is digital file containing the song from the music video.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an e-mail message and the media content item is attached to the e-mail message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device processes the broadcasted media content by playing the received broadcasted media content for a user of the first device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is configured such that the server selects the delivery address by using the device identifier and/or the user identifier to retrieve from a database an address associated with the device identifier and/or the user identifier.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected delivery address is not an address belonging to said first device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is configured such that the server uses the device identifier and/or the user identifier to select the delivery address by obtaining from a database a set of information that is associated with the device identifier and/or the user identifier.

15. A media content delivery method, comprising:

transmitting media content simultaneously to a plurality of remote devices;

while transmitting the media content to the plurality of remote devices, receiving from one of the plurality of remote device a request for a media content item associated with the transmitted media content, wherein the request for the media content item includes a device identifier associated with said one of the plurality of remote devices and/or a user identifier associated with a user of said device; and

after receiving the request, (a) using the device and/or user identifier to select a delivery address to which to send a response, wherein the selected delivery address is associated with a second device that is different than said one of the plurality of remote devices; and

(b) sending to the selected delivery address the response, the response comprising (i) a message comprising a link associated with the media content item and/or (ii) the media content item.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the media content is an audio track and the media content item is a digital file containing the audio track.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the media content is a music video and the media content item is a digital file containing the audio from the music video.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the media content is a music video and the media content item is a digital file containing the music video.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the response includes the message comprising the link and the link is a direct link to the item.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the response includes the message comprising the link and the link is a link to a server that has access to the item.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, in response to a user activating the link, a server receives a second request and responds to the second request by transmitting a second response to the device that transmitted the second request, wherein the second response prompts the user of the device to enter an access code.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the second response is an HTML document.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the selected delivery address is not an address belonging to said one of the plurality of remote devices.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of using the device and/or user identifier to select a delivery address comprises using the device and/or user identifier to obtain from a database a set of information that is associated with the device identifier and/or the user identifier.

25. A media content delivery method, comprising:

receiving at a user device a set of identifiers transmitted from a media-on-demand system, each identifier identifying a different media content item;

enabling the user to select one of the media content items;

in response to the user selecting one of the media content items, transmitting from the user device to the media-on-demand system an identifier identifying the selected media content item;

after transmitting the identifier to the media-on-demand system, receiving from the media-on-demand system the selected media content item and meta-data associated with the selected media content item, wherein the user device upon receiving the media content item plays the media content item for the user, and wherein the meta-data indicates that the media content item, or a version thereof, may be acquired by the user;

storing the media content item and meta-data received from the media-on-demand system in a storage device contained within or directly connected to the user device;

retrieving from the storage device the stored media content item and meta-data in response to a command from a user;

playing the retrieved media content item for the user of the user device;

while playing the retrieved media content item, receiving at the user device an indication from the user that the user desires to acquire the item or a version thereof; and

in response to receiving the indication, transmitting a message to a fulfillment system, wherein

the message includes a device identifier associated with the user device and/or a user identifier associated with a user of said device, and

in response to receiving the message transmitted to the fulfillment system, the fulfillment system uses the device and/or user identifier to determine a delivery address associated with the device and/or user identifier and delivers the media content item, or a version thereof, to the delivery address.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the delivery address is not an address belonging to the user device.

26. The method of 25, further comprising displaying on a display of the user device an indication that the media content item, or a version thereof, is available to be acquired.

27. The method of 25, wherein the step of delivering the item to the delivery address comprises transmitting the item to the delivery address.

28. The method of 25, wherein the step of delivering the item to the delivery address comprises transmitting to the delivery address an message that includes the item and/or a link to the item.

29. The method of 28, wherein the message is an e-mail message or a text message.

31. A media content delivery method, comprising:

transmitting media content to a remote device, wherein audio data is associated with the transmitted media content;

storing a plurality of media files corresponding to the transmitted media content, wherein each of said media files stores a different version of the audio data that is associated with the transmitted media content;

while transmitting the media content to the remote device, receiving from the remote device a message, wherein the message includes a device identifier associated with said remote device and/or a user identifier associated with a user of said device; and

upon receiving the message, (a) using the device and/or user identifier to retrieve from a database information associated with the identifier, wherein the information includes a delivery address;

(b) selecting from among the plurality of media files a single one of the media files, wherein the selection is based on information in the message and/or at least some of the retrieved information, and (c) transmitting to the delivery address the selected media file and/or a link to the selected media file, wherein the message further includes a format identifier and the step of selecting one of the media files comprises selecting from the plurality of media files a media file that contains a version of the audio data that matches the format identified by the format identifier.