Data storage and access systems

• US 9,471,910 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smartflash LLC
• Original Assignee: Smartflash LLC
• Inventors: Racz, Patrick Sandor, Hulst, Hermen-ard
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/918,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492, 235/382, 235/451, 235/486, 235/487
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/61 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/065 for conductive marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0457 the tickets being sent electronically
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/351 Virtual cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 : about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 : Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 : by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 : the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 : the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 : Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

Data storage and access systems enable downloading and paying for data such as audio and video data, text, software, games and other types of data. A portable data carrier has an interface for sending and receiving data, data memory for storing received content data, and payment validation memory for providing payment validation data to an external device. The carrier may also store a record of access made to the stored content, and content use rules for controlling access to the stored content. Embodiments store further access control data and supplementary data such as hot links to web sites and/or advertising data. A complementary data access terminal, data supply computer system, and data access device are also described. The combination of payment data and stored content data and use rule data helps reduce the risk of unauthorized access to data such as compressed music and video data, especially over the Internet.

Claims

1. A method of providing an item of multimedia content data to a handheld multimedia terminal, the method comprising:

sending a request for identifier data from said handheld multimedia terminal to a content data supply server, wherein said identifier data identifies one or more items of multimedia content data available for downloading to the handheld multimedia terminal;

responsive to said request for identifier data, communicating said identifier data from said content data supply server to said handheld multimedia terminal;

receiving, at said handheld multimedia terminal, said identifier data identifying said one or more items of multimedia content data available for downloading to said handheld multimedia terminal;

sending a request for content information from said handheld multimedia terminal to a server, wherein said content information comprises one or more of description data and cost data pertaining to said one or more items of multimedia content data identified by said identifier data;

responsive to said request for content information, communicating said content information pertaining to said one or more items of multimedia content data from said server to said handheld multimedia terminal;

receiving, at said handheld multimedia terminal, said content information;

presenting said content information pertaining to said one or more items of multimedia content data on a display of said handheld multimedia terminal;

responsive to a user selection of one or more of said items of multimedia content data,

transmitting payment data for said selected one or more items of multimedia content data to a payment system;

processing said payment data and generating payment validation data defining if said payment data has been validated;

receiving, at said handheld multimedia terminal, said payment validation data defining if said payment data has been validated;

responsive to said payment validation data confirming said payment data has been validated, requesting said selected one or more items of multimedia content data from a content data supply server;

receiving, at a content data supply server, a request for said selected one or more items of multimedia content data; and

responsive to said request for said selected one or more items of multimedia content data, receiving said selected one or more items of multimedia content data from a multimedia content store and providing said selected one or more items of multimedia content data to said handheld multimedia terminal.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said receiving and providing said one or more items of multimedia content data is further responsive to confirming, at said content data supply terminal, validation of said payment data for said selected one or more items of multimedia content data.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said payment data comprises a request for payment.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said payment data comprises user data identifying a user of said handheld multimedia terminal.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said payment data comprises a user password.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising communicating supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said supplementary data comprises advertising data.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said payment validation data consists of user identification data.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selected one or more items of multimedia content data comprises one or more of music, films, TV programs, text, software, or games software.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said item of multimedia content data comprises additional content for games software.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to said payment validation data validating said payment data, transmitting at least one access rule to said handheld multimedia terminal,

wherein said at least one access rule specifies at least one condition for accessing said selected one or more items of multimedia content data.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one condition is dependent upon an amount of payment for said selected one or more items of multimedia content data.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

writing partial use status data to said handheld multimedia terminal when only part of said selected one or more items of multimedia content data has been accessed.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising communicating user-specific supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising communicating to said handheld multimedia terminal a link to additional data as supplementary data.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein communicating supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal comprises communicating user-specific supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

writing partial use status data to said handheld multimedia terminal when only part of said selected one or more items of multimedia content data has been accessed.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising communicating user-specific supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising communicating to said handheld multimedia terminal a link to additional data as supplementary data.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein communicating supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal comprises communicating user-specific supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving said selected one or more items of multimedia content data at said handheld multimedia terminal using a wireless interface of said handheld multimedia terminal.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting supplementary data via a network interface to said handheld multimedia terminal.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein said supplementary data comprises advertising data.

24. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

writing partial use status data to said handheld multimedia terminal when only part of said selected one or more items of multimedia content data has been accessed.

25. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising communicating user-specific supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal.

26. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising communicating to said handheld multimedia terminal a link to additional data as supplementary data.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein communicating supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal comprises communicating user-specific supplementary data to said handheld multimedia terminal.