Federated download of digital content to wireless devices

• US 20050071418A1
• Filed: 03/04/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Lee, Richard M., Azure, Joseph W., Liang, Sheng, Kjellberg, Rikard M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• 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: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A content descriptor is received at a download server on a network from a remote content server, which is coupled to the download server through a computer network. The content descriptor is indicative of a selection by a user transmitted from a wireless client device to the remote content server and relating to a digital product hosted by the remote content server. The content descriptor is used by the download server to obtain the digital product from the remote content server. The digital product is then downloaded from the download server to the wireless client device via a wireless network. The content descriptor may include information such as a reference for use by the download server in locating the digital product, information describing the digital product, price information relating to the digital product, and/or information specifying a licensee of the digital product.

Claims

1. A method of operating a download server on a network, the method comprising:

receiving at the download server a content descriptor from a remote content server which is coupled to the download server through a computer network, the content descriptor being indicative of a selection by a user transmitted from a wireless client device to the remote content server and relating to a digital product hosted by the remote content server;

using the content descriptor to obtain the digital product from the remote content server; and

downloading the digital product from the download server to the wireless client device via a wireless network.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content descriptor in encoded in a product catalog hosted by the remote content server.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a redirect of the wireless client device to the download server, the redirect being a consequence of the remote content server receiving the selection.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the redirect initiated by the remote content server.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the redirect is initiated by a gateway processing system located logically between the wireless client device and the remote content server.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the redirect is initiated by a download agent embedded in the wireless client device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content descriptor is received from the remote content server as a consequence of the remote content server receiving the selection.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital product is described in a product catalog hosted by the remote content server, and wherein at least a portion of the product catalog is provided by the remote content server to the wireless client device prior to the selection by the user, to enable the selection.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content descriptor includes a reference to the digital product, for use by the download server to obtain the digital product from the remote content server.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content descriptor includes price information relating to the digital product.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising using the content descriptor to determine a payment status in relation to the user and the selection.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, further comprising processing a payment transaction in relation to the user and the selection if the payment status represents an unpaid status.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content descriptor includes information for use by the download server to perform digital rights management (DRM) in relation to the selection.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising using the content descriptor in the download server to determine a licensing status of the digital product in response to the selection.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising storing digital rights management (DRM) information in the download server for a plurality of wireless services subscribers, wherein said using the content descriptor to determine a licensing status for the digital product comprises using the DRM information.

16. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the information in the content descriptor for use by the download server to perform DRM includes information specifying a licensee of the digital product.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content descriptor includes:

a reference for use in locating the digital product;

information describing the digital product;

price information relating to the digital product; and

information specifying a licensee of the digital product.

18. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a subscriber database in the download server containing information on a plurality of subscribers of wireless services; and

authenticating the user in the download server by using information from the subscriber database.

19. A download server on a network, comprising:

means for receiving at the download server a content descriptor from a remote content server which is coupled to the download server through a computer network, the content descriptor being indicative of a selection by a user transmitted from a wireless client device to the remote content server and relating to a digital product hosted by the remote content server;

means for using the content descriptor to obtain the digital product from the remote content server; and

means for downloading the digital product from the download server to the wireless client device via a wireless network.

20. A server comprising:

a personal vault containing information associated with a plurality of subscribers of wireless services in relation to a plurality of digital products hosted on a plurality of remote content servers;

a digital rights manager to respond to purchases by the subscribers of rights to the digital products, by issuing charges to a billing system, and to record rights of the subscribers to the digital products in the personal vault in response to the purchases, and further to provide the subscribers with access to the personal vault for repeated download of the digital products to which the subscribers have rights, and to track usage of the digital products; and

a delivery manager to select a delivery channel for each of the digital products from a plurality of possible delivery channels, and to deliver each purchased product via the selected delivery channel to a corresponding user.

21. A server as recited in claim 20, wherein the server receives a content descriptor from a remote content server, the content descriptor being indicative of a selection by a user transmitted from a wireless client device to the remote content server and relating to a digital product hosted by the remote content server.

22. A server as recited in claim 21, wherein the content descriptor in encoded in a product catalog hosted by the remote content server.

23. A server as recited in claim 22, wherein the server receives a redirect of the wireless client device as a consequence of the remote content server receiving the selection.

24. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the redirect initiated by the remote content server.

25. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the redirect is initiated by a gateway processing system located logically between the wireless client device and the remote content server.

26. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the redirect is initiated by a download agent embedded in the wireless client device.

27. A server as recited in claim 21, wherein the content descriptor includes a reference to the digital product, for use by the download server to obtain the digital product from the remote content server.

28. A server as recited in claim 21, wherein the content descriptor includes price information relating to the digital product.

29. A server as recited in claim 28, wherein the digital rights manager uses the content descriptor to determine a payment status in relation to the user and the selection.

30. A server as recited in claim 21, wherein the content descriptor includes:

a reference for use in locating the digital product;

information describing the digital product;

price information relating to the digital product; and

information specifying a licensee of the digital product.

31. A method of operating a download server on a network, the method comprising:

receiving a redirect of a wireless client device to the download server, the redirect being a consequence of a remote content server receiving a selection by a user of the wireless client device, the remote content server being coupled to the download server through a computer network, the selection relating to a digital product hosted by the remote content server;

receiving at the download server a content descriptor indicative of the selection, wherein the content descriptor includes;

a reference for use in locating the digital product,

information describing the digital product,

price information relating to the digital product, and

license information relating to the digital product;

using the license information in the download server to perform digital rights management (DRM) with respect to the digital product in response to the selection;

using the content descriptor in the download server to determine a payment status in relation to the user in response to the selection;

processing a payment transaction in relation to the user and the selection if the payment status represents an unpaid status;

obtaining the digital product from the remote content server; and

downloading the digital product from the download server to the wireless client device via a wireless network.

32. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein the content descriptor is encoded in a product catalog hosted by the remote content server.

33. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein the redirect initiated by the remote content server.

34. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein the redirect is initiated by a gateway processing system located logically between the wireless client device and the remote content server.

35. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein the redirect is initiated by a download agent embedded in the wireless client device.

36. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein the digital product is described in a product catalog hosted by the remote content server, and wherein at least a portion of the product catalog is provided by the remote content server to the wireless client device prior the selection by the user, to enable the selection.

37. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein said using the license information to perform DRM comprises using the license information to identify a licensee of the digital product in response to the selection.

38. A method as recited in claim 31, further comprising:

maintaining a subscriber database in the download server containing information on a plurality of subscribers of wireless services; and

authenticating the user in the download server by using information from the subscriber database.

39. A method of operating a content server on a network, the method comprising:

hosting in the content server a digital product available for download to a plurality of wireless client devices;

receiving from a wireless client device a selection by a user of the wireless client device, the selection relating to the digital product, the wireless client device contacting a remote download server which is coupled through a computer network to the content server after the selection;

sending a content descriptor indicative of the selection from the content server to the remote download server; and

sending the digital product from the content server to the remote download server, to be downloaded from the download server to an end user.

40. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein the end user is the user of the wireless client device.

41. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein the end user is not the user of the wireless client device.

42. A method as recited in claim 39, further comprising:

hosting in the content server a product catalog containing information descriptive of a plurality of digital products, including said digital product; and

providing at least a portion of the product catalog to the wireless client device prior to the selection by the user, to enable the selection.

43. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein the content descriptor includes a reference to the digital product, for use by the remote download server to obtain the digital product from the remote content server.

44. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein the content descriptor includes price information relating to the digital product.

45. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein the content descriptor includes information for use by the remote download server to perform digital rights management (DRM) in relation to the selection.

46. A method as recited in claim 45, wherein the information for use by the remote download server to perform DRM includes information specifying a licensee of the digital product.

47. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein the content descriptor includes:

a reference for use in locating the digital product;

information describing the digital product;

price information relating to the digital product; and

information specifying a licensee of the digital product.