Music distribution systems

• US 9,252,898 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zarbana Digital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Zarbana Digital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hunter, Charles Eric, Hebrank, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US12/249,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20090099968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,671 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/33 via the broadcast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/17 on recording information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/98 Physical distribution of media, e.g. postcards, CDs or DVDs

Abstract

Music is blanket transmitted to each customer'"'"'s computer-based user station. Customers preselect from a list of available music in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay only for music that they choose to have recorded for unlimited playback. An antipiracy “ID tag” is woven into the recorded music so that any illegal copies therefrom may be traced to the purchase transaction. Music is transmitted on a fixed schedule or through an active scheduling process that monitors music requests from all or a subset of satellite receivers and adjust scheduling according to demand for various CD'"'"'s. In those instances where transmission interruptions result in data loss, the system downloads the next transmission of the requested CD and uses both transmissions to produce a “good copy”. In conjunction to the blanket transmission, an automated CD manufacturing facility may be provided to manufacture CD'"'"'s and distribute them by ground transportation.

Claims

1. A user station for use in a music distribution system for distributing music to consumer locations at which user stations may be situated, wherein the music distribution system includes a data transmission system configured to blanket transmit a plurality of music content items to remote consumer locations in digital form, said user station comprising:

a storage medium configured to store music content items;

a pre-selection mechanism configured to enable a consumer to pre-select from the blanket transmission a plurality of music content items for storage in the storage medium of the user station, wherein the user station is at a location which is remote from the music distribution system;

a selection mechanism configured to enable said consumer to select for making a permanent copy any one of the pre-selected music content items stored in the storage medium;

a mechanism configured to receive pricing information for the music content items stored in the storage medium and to store said pricing information in the user station; and

a mechanism configured to transmit pricing information for a music content item stored in the storage medium to the music distribution system in response to the user station receiving a consumer request to make a permanent copy of the music content item stored in the storage medium.

2. A user station as recited in claim 1, further comprising an access mechanism configured to enable the user station to access a content library comprising said pre-selected music content items.

3. A user station as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a play list mechanism configured to enable a consumer to construct a play list; and

a playing mechanism configured to play said play list in any sequence at any time.

4. A user station as recited in claim 3, wherein said play list mechanism comprises an ordering mechanism configured to order said sequence including continuous playback, shuffle, sort-by-artist, sort-by-title or sort-by-category.

5. A user station as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a portion of a high capacity storage medium dedicated to recording pre-selected music selections.

6. A user station as recited in claim 5, wherein said high capacity storage medium is a hard drive.

7. A user station as recited in claim 1, wherein said pre-selection mechanism comprises a menu driven, graphical user interface with simplified controls providing music selection by artist, title and category.

8. A user station as recited claim 1, wherein said pre-selection mechanism comprises a consumer preference selection mechanism configured to enable selection of consumer preferred music styles by a consumer at said remote consumer location.

9. A user station as recited in claim 8, wherein said consumer preference selection mechanism comprises a graphical user interface with a music style preferences list.

10. A user station as recited in claim 8, wherein said consumer preference selection mechanism comprises a graphical user interface with music style, subgroup and artist preferences lists for selection by said consumer.

11. A user station as recited claim 1, wherein the storage medium connected to a permanent storage medium.

12. A user station as recited in claim 1, wherein the central controller system comprises a general population cluster preference database;

a consumer catalog generator module;

an individual consumer preference information storage module; and

a payload scheduler;

wherein said individual consumer preference information storage module comprises an information collection mechanism configured to obtain said consumer preferred music styles of each consumer; and

wherein said user station further comprises a mechanism configured to provide information concerning said consumer preferred music styles to the central controller system.

13. A user station as recited in claim 12, further comprising a mechanism configured to read ID headers on the pre-selected music content items and to select for recording only those that are indicated by said individual consumer catalog as being desirable to the consumer.

14. A user station as recited in claim 1, further comprising a download module configured to decode pricing information and said transmitted music content items.

15. A user station as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an access mechanism configured to enable the user station to access a content library comprising said pre-selected music content items;

a play list mechanism configured to enable a consumer to construct a play list; and

a playing mechanism configured to play said play list in any sequence at any time.

16. A user station as recited in claim 15, wherein said play list mechanism comprises an ordering mechanism configured to order said sequence including continuous playback, shuffle, sort-by-artist, sort-by-title or sort-by-category;

wherein said user station comprises a portion of a high capacity storage medium dedicated to recording pre-selected music selections;

wherein said pre-selection mechanism comprises a menu driven, graphical user interface with controls providing music selection by artist, title and category, and a consumer preference selection mechanism configured to enable selection of consumer preferred music styles by a consumer at said remote consumer location;

wherein said consumer preference selection mechanism comprises a graphical user interface with a music style preferences list;

wherein said consumer preference selection mechanism comprises a graphical user interface with music style, subgroup and artist preferences lists for selection by said consumer.

17. A user station as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a high capacity storage medium connected to a permanent storage medium;

a mechanism configured to read ID headers on the pre-selected music content items and to select for recording only those that are indicated by said individual consumer catalog as being desirable to the consumer; and

a download module configured to decode pricing information and said transmitted music content items.

18. A method for use at consumer locations of a music distribution system, comprising:

receiving, at a user station employed at a remote consumer location, a blanket transmission of a plurality of music content items;

receiving, at said consumer location, information identifying available music content items;

recording, in a storage medium of said user station, a pre-selected music selection;

transmitting a signal from said user station to verify to a controller system that the pre-selected music selection has been recorded at said consumer location, wherein said user station is at a location which is remote from said controller system;

receiving, at said consumer location, pricing information for the music content item stored in the storage medium and storing said pricing information in the user station;

transmitting said pricing information for the music content item stored in the storage medium to a billing system in response to receiving, at the user station, a consumer request to make a permanent copy of the music content item stored in the storage medium, wherein the billing system is configured to bill the consumer for making the permanent copy in accordance with the pricing information transmitted to the billing system; and

receiving, at the consumer location, billing information relating to the copied music content item.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising employing a pre-selection mechanism at the consumer location to pre-select and record desired music selections included in the blanket transmission of a plurality of music content items.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the pre-selection mechanism comprises a content library, said content library comprising said pre-selected music selections.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising employing a playback mechanism to playback recorded music selections according to a consumer created play list, said play list being arranged to play said recorded music selections in any sequence at any time.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the playback mechanism includes a menu driven, graphical user interface with simplified controls for user selection of said music.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said blanket transmission is direct broadcast satellite data transmission accomplished with a high power transponder, thereby increasing effective transponder capacity.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising selecting consumer preferred music styles by using a graphical user interface having a musical style preferences list.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising selecting consumer preferences of music subgroup and artist by using said graphical user interface having a subgroup preferences list and an artist preferences list.