Expedited acquisition of a digital item following a sample presentation of the item

• US 8,725,565 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryan, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US11/537,484
• Time in Patent Office: 2,783 Days
• Field of Search: 705 7-595
• US Class Current: 705/14.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

An electronic service provides a sample of a media item to a user, along with a prompt. The prompt gives the user the opportunity to receive an additional part of the item substantially without further interaction with the user. The streamlined acquisition of the additional part of the media item is enabled by the user'"'"'s establishment, in advance, of user identification information, payment information, and so on.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

establishing a user account that allows authorization to acquire parts of an electronic book;

providing a sample of the electronic book to an electronic book reader device of a user without receiving a request for the sample from the user, wherein the sample of the electronic book comprises a title and at least one of text from a body of the electronic book or text describing the body of the electronic book;

providing a prompt to the electronic book reader device of the user to access an additional part of the electronic book;

receiving an indication that the user has activated the prompt; and

providing, based at least in part on the receiving of the indication and the user account, the additional part of the electronic book to the electronic book reader device of the user, wherein the providing of the additional part of the electronic book requires no action by the user beyond the activating of the prompt by the user.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the providing of the additional part of the electronic book comprises an automatic purchase of the additional part based at least in part on pre-established user identification information and payment information associated with the electronic book reader device.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the sample of the electronic book is provided to the electronic book reader device of the user at least partly in response to determining that the electronic book is related to an electronic book previously accessed by the user.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the electronic book for which the sample is provided and the electronic book previously accessed by the user each comprise a respective electronic book from a collection of related electronic books.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 4, wherein the electronic book for which the sample is provided comprises an electronic book that is subsequent to the previously accessed electronic book in the collection of related electronic books.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 4, wherein the collection of related electronic books pertain to a particular author.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 4, wherein the collection of related electronic books pertain to a series of books.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 4, wherein the collection of related electronic books pertain to a particular publisher.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 4, wherein the collection of related electronic books pertain to a list-making entity.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the list-making entity is an organization in which the user is a participant or member.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform an act comprising selecting the sample for the electronic book, and wherein the sample is provided free of charge to the user.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

establishing a user account that allows authorization to acquire parts of an electronic book;

providing a sample of the electronic book to an electronic book reader device of a user, wherein;

the sample of the electronic book is provided to the electronic book reader device of the user free of charge and at least partly in response to determining that the electronic book and an electronic book previously accessed by the user are from a collection of related electronic books; and

the sample of the electronic book is provided without receiving a request for the sample of the electronic book from the electronic book reader;

providing a prompt for display on the electronic book reader device, the prompt inviting the user to access an additional part of the electronic book that is not currently stored on the electronic book reader;

receiving an indication that the user has activated the prompt displayed on the electronic book reader device; and

providing, at least partly in response to the receiving of the indication and the user account, the additional part of the electronic book to the electronic book reader device of the user,

wherein the providing of the additional part of the electronic book requires no action by the user beyond the activating of the prompt by the user, and

wherein the providing of the additional part of the electronic book comprises an automatic purchase of the additional part based at least in part on pre-established user identification information and payment information associated with the electronic book reader device.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein:

the sample of the electronic book, the prompt and the additional part of the electronic book are provided via a wireless connection with the electronic book reader device; and

the indication from the user is received via the wireless connection with the electronic book reader device.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform an act comprising:

associating the pre-established user identification information and the payment information with the user account; and

wherein the additional part of the electronic book is provided to the electronic book reader device based at least in part on the associating of the pre-established user identification information and the payment information with the user account and without substantial interaction with the user other than the activating of the prompt.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the electronic book for which the sample is provided comprises an electronic book that is subsequent to the previously accessed electronic book in the collection of related electronic books.

16. A server system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising

establishing a user account that allows authorization to acquire parts of an electronic book;

providing a sample of the electronic book to an electronic book reader device of a user without receiving a request for the sample from the user and without receiving a payment from the user;

receiving from the electronic book reader device, an indication that the user has activated a prompt used to indicate a request for an additional part of the electronic book; and

providing, based at least in part on the receiving of the indication, the additional part of the electronic book to the electronic book reader device of the user,

wherein the providing of the additional part of the electronic book is based on the established user account and requires no action by the user beyond the activating of the prompt by the user.

17. The server system of claim 16, wherein the providing of the additional part of the electronic book comprises an automatic purchase of the additional part based at least in part on pre-established user identification information in the established user account and payment information associated with the electronic book reader device.

18. The server system of claim 16, wherein the sample of the electronic book is provided to the electronic book reader device of the user at least partly in response to determining that the electronic book is related to an electronic book previously accessed by the user.

19. The server system of claim 18, wherein the electronic book for which the sample is provided and the electronic book previously accessed by the user each comprise a respective electronic book from a collection of related electronic books.

20. The server system of claim 19, wherein the electronic book for which the sample is provided comprises an electronic book that is subsequent to the previously accessed electronic book in the collection of related electronic books.