Platform for providing generic e-content

• US 10,296,878 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hu, Luhui, Pande, Aditya Balwant, Berezhnyy, Oleksandr Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Qayyum, Zeshan
• Application Number:
  US13/171,160
• Time in Patent Office: 2,884 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• 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 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255

Abstract

A platform for obtaining digital items provides consumers access to digital item from multiple sources such as other consumers, libraries, rental services, and stores. The platform may be implemented as a cloud-based system accessible over the Internet. The platform transforms digital items into different formats when needed for compatibility with a computing device of the end consumer and transfers digital rights management (DRM) restrictions across different DRM schema. Consumers may store personal information in association with a digital item for later re-association with other copies of the same digital item. Consumers may also comment on a digital item and the platform may make those comments available to other consumers that have accessed the same digital item. The platform may also mediate instant messaging between consumers that are both associated with the same digital item. Computing devices of the consumers may receive widgets from the platform that provide additional functionality.

Claims

1. A computing system for accessing digital content items across multiple formats, the computing system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory accessible by the one or more processors;

one or more modules maintained in the memory, which when executed by the one or more processors;

identify a first digital content item from a lender community having digital content items indicated as available for borrowing responsive to a query associated with a user device, the first digital content item having a first format that is incompatible with the user device;

generate a second digital content item based at least in part on the first digital content item, the second digital content item being in a second format that is compatible with the user device;

append to the second digital content item a widget providing messaging functionality that the user device previously lacked, the messaging functionality between the user device and another user device; and

send the second digital content item and the widget to the user device.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first digital content item and the second digital content item comprise an electronic book and the user device comprises a dedicated electronic book reader.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are further executed to search across at least one of a digital content item library, a digital content item rental service, or a digital content item store.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are further executed to receive an indication of DRM restrictions in a first DRM format associated with the first digital content item and apply the DRM restrictions in a second DRM format to the second digital content item.

5. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising a personal data storage that is configured to store an annotation associated with a user account and with a specified portion of the second digital content item.

6. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising a public data storage configured to store a comment that relates to the second digital content item and that has access permissions received from the user device.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the widget further includes instructions executable by the user device to:

collect an annotation to the second digital content item that is associated with a specified portion of the second digital content item, or

collect a review of the second digital content item.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the query associated with the user device is received from a user interface on the user device and the user interface is configured to present multiple browsing categories to identify the second digital content item.

9. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory accessible by the one or more processors;

a search module stored in the memory, which when executed by the one or more processors, identifies a first digital content item from a lender community responsive to a query associated with a user device, the first digital content item having a first format that is incompatible with the user device;

a format translation module stored in the memory, which when executed by the one or more processors, generates a second digital content item based at least in part on the first digital content item, the second digital content item being in a second format that is compatible with the user device;

a tunneling module stored in the memory, which when executed by the one or more processors, appends a widget to the second digital content item, wherein the widget provides functionality that the user device previously lacked to collect a comment related to the second digital content item; and

a provisioning module stored in the memory, which when executed by the one or more processors, provides the second digital content item in the second format and the widget to the user device.

10. The computing device as recited in claim 9, wherein the widget further provides specific functionality to:

enable messaging between the user device and another user device;

or

collect an annotation to the second digital content item that is associated with a specified portion of the second digital content item.

11. The computing device as recited in claim 9, wherein the search module further searches across at least one of a lender community having digital content items indicated as available for borrowing, a digital content item library, a digital content item rental service, or a digital content item store.

12. The computing device as recited in claim 9, further comprising a digital rights management (DRM) translation module stored in the memory, which when executed by the one or more processors, receives an indication of DRM restrictions in a first DRM format associated with the first digital content item in the first format and applies the DRM restrictions in a second DRM format to the second digital content item in the second format.

13. The computing device as recited in claim 9, further comprising a personal store that stores an annotation associated with the user device and with a specified portion of the second digital content item.

14. The computing device as recited in claim 9, further comprising a public store in the memory for storing a comment generated by the user device, the comment relating to the second digital content item and having one or more access permissions specified by the user device.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with specific executable instructions,

identifying a first digital content item from a lender community responsive to a query associated with a user device, the first digital content item having a first format that is incompatible with the user device;

generating a second digital content item based at least in part on the first digital content item, the second digital content item being in a second format that is compatible with the user device;

appending a widget to the second digital content item, wherein the widget provides a messaging functionality that the user device previously lacked, the messaging functionality between the user device and another user device; and

sending the second digital content item and the widget to the user device.

16. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein the widget further includes instructions executable by the user device to:

collect an annotation to the second digital content item that is associated with a specified portion of the second digital content item, or

collect an annotation related to the second digital content item.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an indication of one or more digital rights management (DRM) restrictions associated with the first digital content item in the first format; and

applying the DRM restriction to the second digital content item in the second format.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, further comprising receiving an identifier of one or more digital content items that the lender community makes available for lending.