Electronic content distribution and exchange system

• US 9,607,328 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIASZEK, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/964,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,301 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

An electronic content distribution and exchange system provides authenticated, reliable content downloads and tracking capabilities. Content is distributed to users through the invention'"'"'s architecture. A user registers for the purchase of content through an interface on a client system or via a Web site. The purchase is for a license to the content, not for the content itself. A list of available content is displayed to the user through the client system or the Web site. The invention'"'"'s central servers log the purchase of the content into a license database. The user accesses content through the client system'"'"'s user interface where the user plays the content and controls its playback.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

registering, by a server, purchases of licenses, on a license database, for licensed content in association with each client system in a plurality of client systems based on purchase requests of the licenses requested by corresponding client systems, the plurality of client systems having downloaded the licensed content over one or more networks and stored the licensed content on storage devices;

based on the license database, automatically verifying, for a particular client system, that proper content is resident on the particular client system, the automatically verifying comprising;

determining that a particular electronic content resides on the particular client system;

determining, by the server, that the registered purchases of the licenses in the license database do not include a purchase of a license for the particular electronic content associated with the particular client system;

responsive to, while automatically verifying that proper content is resident on the particular client system, determining that the registered purchases of the licenses in the license database do not include a purchase of a license for the particular electronic content associated with the particular client system, sending, by the server, over a first network, to the particular client system, an instruction to remove the particular electronic content from the particular client system, receipt of the instruction causing the particular client system to remove the particular electronic content from the particular client system in response to the instruction;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an offer for sale of a license for the particular electronic content to the particular client system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that proper content is resident on the particular client system further comprises automatically sending a new copy of a given content item to the particular client system in response to determining that a given license for the given content item is associated with the particular client system, and that the given content item is not resident on the particular client system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the particular client system is a new client system that has been newly registered to a user, wherein the given content item was previously resident on an old client system that was registered to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some time prior to the verifying, a registered purchase of a license for the particular electronic content had been associated with the particular client system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically verifying is responsive to a request to transfer a license for the particular electronic content from the particular client system to another client system.

3. A system comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to register, by a server, purchases of licenses, on a license database, for licensed content in association with each client system in a plurality of client systems, based on a purchase requests of the licenses requested by corresponding client systems;

a plurality of client systems, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to download the licensed content over one or more networks, store the licensed content on storage devices, and play the licensed content from the storage devices;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to, based on the license database, automatically verify, for a particular client system of the plurality of client systems, that proper content is resident on the particular client system, the automatically verifying comprising;

determining that a particular electronic content resides on the particular client system and determining, by the server, that the registered purchases of the licenses in the license database do not include a purchase of a license for the particular electronic content associated with the particular client system;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to, responsive to, while automatically verifying that proper content is resident on the particular client system, determining that the registered purchases of the licenses in the license database do not include a purchase of a license for the particular electronic content associated with the particular client system, send, by the server, over a first network, to the particular client system, an instruction to remove the particular electronic content from the particular client system;

wherein the plurality of client systems includes the particular client system, configured to remove the particular electronic content from the particular client system in response to the particular client receiving the instruction from the server.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, further comprising a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that causes sending an offer for sale of a license for the particular electronic content to the particular client system.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein verifying that proper content is resident on the client system further comprises automatically sending a new copy of a given content item to the particular client system in response to determining that a given license for the given content item is associated with the particular client system, and that the given content item is not resident on the particular client system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the particular client system is a new client system that has been newly registered to a user, wherein the given content item was previously resident on an old client system that was registered to the user.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein at least some time prior to the verifying, a registered purchase of a license for the particular electronic content had been associated with the particular client system.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the automatically verifying is responsive to a request to transfer a license for the particular electronic content from the particular client system to another client system.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause:

registering, by a server, purchases of licenses, on a license database, for licensed content in association with each client system in a plurality of client systems based on purchase requests of the licenses requested by corresponding client systems;

downloading the licensed content over one or more networks, to the plurality of client systems;

storing the licensed content on storage devices at the plurality of client systems;

playing the licensed content from the storage devices at the plurality of client systems;

based on the license database, automatically verifying, for a particular client system of the plurality of client systems, that proper content is resident on the particular client system, the automatically verifying comprising;

determining that a particular electronic content resides on the particular client system;

determining, by the server, that the registered purchases of the licenses in the license database do not include a purchase of a license for the particular electronic content associated with the particular client system;

responsive to, while automatically verifying that proper content is resident on the particular client system, determining that the registered purchases of the licenses in the license database do not include a purchase of a license for the particular electronic content associated with the particular client system, sending, by the server, over a first network, to the particular client system, an instruction to remove the particular electronic content from the particular client system;

responsive to receiving, at the particular client system, the instruction to remove the particular electronic content, removing the particular electronic content from the particular client system.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause sending an offer for sale of a license for the particular electronic content to the particular client system.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein verifying that proper content is resident on the particular client system further comprises automatically sending a new copy of a given content item to the particular client system in response to determining that a given license for the given content item is associated with the particular client system, and that the given content item is not resident on the particular client system.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the particular client system is a new client system that has been newly registered to a user, wherein the given content item was previously resident on an old client system that was registered to the user.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein at least some time prior to the verifying, a registered purchase of a license for the particular electronic content had been associated with the particular client system.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the automatically verifying is responsive to a request to transfer a license for the particular electronic content from the particular client system to another client system.