Apparatus and methods for a client server system

• US 20020002510A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Seligman, Kym, Pneumaticos, George, Sharp, Jonathan, Thomas, Graham
• Application Number:
  US09/893,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20020002510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3267 In-app payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• 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: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

This invention relates to a system for downloading new in-game data onto a handheld electronic device (31) having a transceiver, the system comprising: a server (41) for storing said new in-game data and for making said new in-game data available for downloading therefrom, said new in-game data being made available to a content enabler by a content provider, monitoring means for monitoring the downloading of said new in-game data from said server to provide at least one parameter indicative of the number of downloads of said new in-game data, accounting means for computing, responsive to said at least one parameter, a payment to be made whereby said first party remunerates said second party.

Claims

1. A method for downloading content from a server to a mobile phone, said method comprising:

a content provider providing original content for storage on and use by the mobile phone, a content provider providing adaptation data for adapting the original content stored on a mobile phone, making said adaptation data available for downloading onto the mobile phone from the server, monitoring the downloading of the adaptation data from the server and computing a payment to be made to the content provider, whereby the content provider is remunerated for the original content and the adaptation data substantially by said computed payments.

2. A system for downloading content from a server to a mobile phone, wherein original content is provided for storage on and use by the mobile phone by a content provider, and adaptation data for adapting the original content stored on a mobile phone is provided by the content provider and is made available for downloading onto the mobile phone from a server, wherein monitoring and accounting means monitor the downloading of the adaptation data from the server for computing a payment to be made to the content provider wherein the content provider is remunerated for the original content and the adaptation data substantially by said computed payments.

3. An electronic commerce system wherein

a first party provides content for a handheld electronic device having a transceiver,

a second party receives said content from said first party and makes said content available for downloading from a server,

the arrangement being such that said second party makes payment to said first party in accordance with the occurrences of said content being downloaded from said server.

4. An electronic commerce system according to claim 3, wherein a third party downloads said content from said server, and said downloading is registered in a monitoring means associated with the server.

5. A system for downloading content onto a handheld electronic device having a transceiver, the system comprising:

a server for storing said content and for making said content available for downloading therefrom, said content being made available to a first party by a second party,

monitoring means for monitoring the downloading of said content from said server to provide at least one parameter indicative of the number of downloads of said content,

accounting means for computing responsive to said at least one parameter, a payment to be made whereby said first party remunerates said second party.

6. A method for electronic commerce comprising

a content enabler obtaining content from a content provider and storing said content on a server,

the content enabler responsive to downloads of said content from said server issuing a payment to said content provider.

7. A data processing system for downloading content onto a handheld electronic device having a transceiver, the system comprising:

storage means for storing content,

control means for downloading content from said server,

monitoring means for monitoring the level of downloads of said content from said server,

processing means for computing a payment to be made in dependence on said monitored level of downloads.

8. A data processing system according to claim 7, wherein said processing means computes a payment comprising an aggregate figure of the number of downloads of said content.

9. Method for downloading content comprising:

a first party providing mobile phone content upgrade,

a second party obtaining said content upgrade from said first party and providing said content upgrade for downloading onto a mobile phone and making a payment to said first party in dependence upon the volume of downloads of said content upgrade.

10. An client-server system in which

content is provided by a first party,

said content is stored on the server by a second party so as to make it retrievable from said server by a client,

and said second party remunerates said first party in dependence on the number of times said content is downloaded by a client.

11. A handheld electronic device having a transceiver and adapted to download content from a server, the device having a memory, and a controller, the memory storing original and/or adapted content provided by a content provider, the controller being operable to transmit a request for adaptation data, the request comprising an identifier of the original and/or adapted content, the transceiver receiving said adaptation data from a server, and the controller storing said data on said memory, the transceiver in response to said storing of the adaptation data transmitting an acceptance signal whereby a payment is computed to be made to the content provider and whereby the content provider is remunerated for the original content and the adaptation data substantially by said computed payments.

12. A system for downloading adaptation data onto a handheld electronic device having a transceiver, the system comprising:

a server for storing said adaptation data and for making said adaptation data available for downloading therefrom, said adaptation data being made available to a content enabler by a content provider,

monitoring means for monitoring the downloading of said adaptation data from said server to provide at least one parameter indicative of the number of downloads of said adaptation data,

accounting means for computing, responsive to said at least one parameter, a payment to be made whereby said first party remunerates said second party.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the content enabler embeds original content on said device, and the content provider produces further new adaptation data.

14. A system or method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to accompanying drawings.