Lending digital items to identified recipients
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system comprising:
- one or more processors;
memory; and
one or more computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;
identifying a first computing device that is associated with a lender, wherein the first computing device has access to a copy of a digital item and a digital rights management token that authorizes consumption of the digital item by the lender, the digital rights token specifying a limit on a first number of times the digital item is authorized to be loaned;
identifying potential borrowers of the digital item;
ranking the potential borrowers of the digital item based upon a lending metric associated with individual ones of the potential borrowers, the lending metric based at least in part upon (1) a difference between a second number of times the potential borrower has loaned one or more first digital items and a third number of times the potential borrower has borrowed one or more second digital items and (2) a demand for the one or more first digital items;
selecting a highest ranked potential borrower of the potential borrowers;
verifying that a fourth number of times the digital item has been loaned is less than the limit on the first number of times the digital item is authorized to be loaned;
initiating, on behalf of the lender, lending of the digital item to the highest ranked potential borrower for a lending period;
revoking the digital rights management token from the first computing device during the lending period; and
providing the digital rights management token to a second computing device associated with the highest ranked potential borrower during the lending period.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Digital items may be lent from one user to another. A lending system may facilitate matching users that have a digital item to lend with users that wish to borrow a digital item. Each user may have a reputation associated with his or her lending behavior that is represented as a lending metric. The lending metric may show whether a given user is primarily a lender or borrower of digital items. Heavy borrowers that do not engage in commensurate lending may be penalized. Multiple users that lend and borrow digital items from one another may be connected in a social network. The nature of a relationship in the social network may and the lending metrics of users are factors used to make lending decisions.
79 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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one or more processors; memory; and one or more computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising; identifying a first computing device that is associated with a lender, wherein the first computing device has access to a copy of a digital item and a digital rights management token that authorizes consumption of the digital item by the lender, the digital rights token specifying a limit on a first number of times the digital item is authorized to be loaned; identifying potential borrowers of the digital item; ranking the potential borrowers of the digital item based upon a lending metric associated with individual ones of the potential borrowers, the lending metric based at least in part upon (1) a difference between a second number of times the potential borrower has loaned one or more first digital items and a third number of times the potential borrower has borrowed one or more second digital items and (2) a demand for the one or more first digital items; selecting a highest ranked potential borrower of the potential borrowers; verifying that a fourth number of times the digital item has been loaned is less than the limit on the first number of times the digital item is authorized to be loaned; initiating, on behalf of the lender, lending of the digital item to the highest ranked potential borrower for a lending period; revoking the digital rights management token from the first computing device during the lending period; and providing the digital rights management token to a second computing device associated with the highest ranked potential borrower during the lending period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15)
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6. A method comprising:
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receiving, from a user device associated with a first user, an indication of a first digital item that the first user desires to borrow and one or more second digital items that the first user is able to lend; identifying one or more second users that are able to lend the first digital item and that indicate a desire to borrow a second digital item of the one or more second digital items; determining that a first number of times that the first digital item has been loaned is below a first threshold amount; determining that a second number of times that the second digital item has been loaned is below a second threshold amount; ranking the one or more second users based at least in part upon a lending metric associated with individual ones of the one or more second users, the lending metric based at least in part upon (1) a difference between a third number of times the one or more second users have loaned the first digital item and a fourth number of times the one or more second users have borrowed the second digital item and (2) a demand for the first digital item; facilitating lending of the first digital item to the first user and lending of the second digital item to a highest ranked second user of the one or more second users; making the first digital item unavailable to the highest ranked second user during a lending period; and making the second digital item unavailable to the first user during the lending period. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17)
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18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:
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receiving, from a first computing device associated with a first user, an indication of a digital item that is available to lend; receiving an indication that a plurality of second users desire to borrow the digital item; ranking the plurality of second users based at least in part upon a lending metric associated with individual ones of the plurality of second users, the lending metric based at least in part upon (1) a difference between a first number of times individual ones of the plurality of second users have loaned one or more first digital items and a second number of times the individual ones of the plurality of second users have borrowed one or more second digital items and (2) a demand for the one or more first digital items; determining that a third number of times the digital item has been loaned is less than a limit on a fourth number of times the digital item is authorized to be loaned; initiating lending of the digital item to a second computing device associated with a highest ranked second user of the plurality of second users and causing the digital item to be available for consumption on the second computing device; and causing the digital item to be unavailable for consumption on the first computing device. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification