METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING ON A DATA-STORAGE MEDIUM CUSTOMIZED CONTENT COMPRISING SELECTED ASSETS

• US 20070150891A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alan Shapiro
• Original Assignee: Alan Shapiro
• Inventors: Shapiro, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/162 Delete operations erasing in storage systems G06F3/0652
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

An apparatus and method for obtaining a storage medium with a deeply customizable set of installed content. Soft assets (e.g., programs, songs, videos, etc.) that form the content are selected from among a much larger set of preinstalled soft assets previously stored on storage media, such as disk drives. In some embodiments, based on a user'"'"'s selections, the non-selected assets are permanently erased from a storage medium, while the remaining assets are available as installed (wherein substantially no further processing is required to install them). In some embodiments, a new device uses the storage medium to provide its user with a fully functional device without the need to separately install the soft assets from a plurality of sources (e.g., from program-distribution CDROMS and the like). Some embodiments include the storage medium having the soft assets installed, and including a program that elicits selections from a user and erases non-selected assets.

Claims

1. A programmed method for installing and distributing customized content, the method comprising:

installing a collection of initially available installed content into a storage medium;

receiving selection data that distinguishes a user-selected portion of the initially available content to be kept from an extraneous portion of the initially available content to be removed; and

removing the extraneous portion.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the removing of the extraneous content, coupling the storage medium with a device so as to enable interaction of the device with the selected content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coupling the storage medium with a device for subsequent use of the storage medium by the device, wherein the removing of the extraneous content is performed subsequent to the coupling of the storage medium.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coupling the storage medium with a device;

removing of the extraneous content; and

delivering the device to the user, such that the selected portion is operative with the device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coupling the storage medium with a device for subsequent use of the storage medium by the device, wherein the removing of the extraneous content is performed subsequent to the coupling of the storage medium; and

eliciting and receiving the selection data by use of the device with the storage medium operatively coupled to the device but with usability of the collection of available content withheld from the user pending receipt of the selection data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coupling the storage medium with a device for subsequent use of the storage medium by the device, wherein the removing of the extraneous content is performed subsequent to the coupling of the storage medium, and wherein the removal of extraneous content is directed via a network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the network is wireless.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

incorporating data, specific to the user, into the selected portion of the available content.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing additional content not in the collection of initially available content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the installing includes modification of registry data;

wherein the removing also requires modification of the registry data.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

after the removing, defragmenting the storage medium.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein removing the extraneous content is performed using fast, secure erasure whereby substantially all relevant metadata referencing such content is modified.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein installing comprises:

storing the collection of initially available content onto a master storage medium; and

copying the collection from the master storage medium to the storage medium.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein installing comprises:

executing one or more installation scripts associated with respective portions of the available content.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein removing comprises:

executing one or more removal scripts associated with the extraneous portion of the available content.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the removing of the extraneous portion of the available content, copying the desired portion from the storage medium to a final storage medium.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the final storage medium has insufficient capacity to store the entirety of the collection of available content.

18. The method of claim 6, further comprising activating the device, wherein the activation is performed at a retail establishment.

19. A soft asset dispenser comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium storing a predetermined collection of simplex digital assets capable of being coupled to the processor in a manner such that the processor can process soft assets stored within the storage medium;

a collection customizer that is operatively coupled to the storage medium and operable to remove non-selected simplex soft assets from the collection such that a user-specified part of the soft assets are retained, and are thus dispensed as substantially ready-to-use.

20. The digital asset dispenser of claim 19, wherein desired simplex soft assets are chosen by a human user.

21. The digital asset dispenser of claim 19, wherein desired soft assets are automatically selected based on one or more characteristics of an end-user.

22. The digital asset dispenser of claim 19, wherein desired soft assets are automatically selected based on one or more characteristics of the end-user, and wherein the one or more characteristics include one or more selected from the group consisting of rank, function, and geographic location of the end-user in an organization.

23. The digital asset dispenser of claim 19, wherein desired soft assets are automatically selected based on one or more characteristics of the end-user, and wherein the one or more characteristics include one or more selected from the group consisting of school, year of matriculation, set of classes selected, and position in an educational institution.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a functional container that includes;

a storage medium that stores, reads and writes soft assets;

an interface operable to couple the storage medium to an information-processing appliance;

and

a superset collection of individually accessible, simplex soft assets, such that the functional container, prior to coupling to an end-user information-processing appliance, serves as both a user-selectable inventory and a vehicle to deliver a selected subset of the simplex soft assets.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein functional container contains only those soft assets that remain after the removal of soft assets not purchased.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

the information-processing appliance, wherein the appliance is operatively coupled to the functional container, such that the appliance is customized and ready-to-use.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a functional container that includes;

means for storing, reading and writing soft assets;

means for coupling the means for storing, reading and writing soft assets to an information-processing appliance;

and

a vast collection of individually accessible, simplex soft assets, such that the functional container serves as both a user-selectable inventory and a vehicle to sideload the simplex soft assets.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein functional container contains only those soft assets that remain after the removal of soft assets not purchased.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

the information-processing appliance, wherein the appliance is operatively coupled to the functional container, such that the appliance is customized and ready-to-use.