Systems and Methods for Facilitating the Acquisition of Content

• US 20100136951A1
• Filed: 02/09/2010
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Music Choice
• Original Assignee: Music Choice
• Inventors: Yurman, Ronald M., Rosenberg, Jeremy C., Behta, Siamak, Ellis, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for acquiring content (e.g., a ring tone or a ring view) for a communication device.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring content for a communication device, comprising:

receiving, at the communication device, transmitted content;

receiving at the communication device information identifying the content and information identifying a remote system, wherein the information identifying the content and the information identifying the remote system are transmitted with the content;

playing the received content for a user of the communication device;

while the communication device is playing the content, enabling the user of the communication device to indicate that the user desires to acquire related content related to the transmitted content, but different than the transmitted content;

after the user indicates a desire to acquire the related content, transmitting, from the communication device, a message to the identified remote system, wherein the remote system receives the message and, after receiving the message, selects related content based, at least in part, on information included in the message and transmits the selected related content to the communication device;

receiving the related content at the communication device; and

in response to receiving the related content, storing the received related content in a storage unit of the communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an identifier identifying the transmitted content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises information identifying capabilities of the communication device and/or an identifier identifying a type of content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted content comprises digital music.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted content is streamed to the communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted content is multicast to a plurality of communication devices such that each of the plurality of communication devices is operable to receive and play the transmitted content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted content is unicast to the communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message transmitted to the remote system includes the information identifying the content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of transmitting the message to a remote system comprises transmitting the message to the identified remote system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein

the communication device is a mobile phone, and

the transmitted content is not a ring tone preview or a ring tone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the message to the remote system comprises transmitting the message immediately in response to the user indicating the desire to acquire the related content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the message to the remote system comprises transmitting the message when the communication device is finished playing the content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the message to the remote system comprises transmitting the message at a future point in time after the communication device is finished playing the content.

14. A method for acquiring content for a communication device, comprising:

receiving, at the communication device, a transmission comprising content and a pointer to a page;

playing the received content for a user of the communication device;

while the communication device is playing the content, enabling the user to indicate that the user desires to acquire related content corresponding to the content; and

if the user indicates a desire to acquire the related content, then, after receiving the indication, automatically downloading to the communication device the page pointed to by the pointer and displaying the page to the user, wherein the page is configured so that the user can use the page to obtain the related content.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the content is received at the communication device without the user having to previously request the content.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the content is not a ring tone preview or a ring tone.

17. A method for acquiring content for a communication device, comprising:

receiving, at the communication device, a transmitted stream comprising program data and non-program data;

in response to receiving the stream, (1) playing, at the communication device, the received program data so that a user of the communication device can consume the program data and (2) storing the received non-program data in a storage unit of the communication device;

while playing the received program data;

(a) informing the user of the communication device, through an output device of the communication device, that related content corresponding to the program data is available to be acquired;

(b) enabling the user to indicate that the user would like to acquire the related content; and

(c) waiting for an indication from the user that indicates the user would like to acquire the related content, wherein

the non-program data comprises the related content and/or a link to a product information page for the related content

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the non-program data comprises the related content and the method further comprises moving the related content from the storage unit to a second storage unit after the indication is received.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first storage unit is volatile storage unit and the second storage unit is a non-volatile storage unit.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting, from the communication device, a message to a remote system after the indication is received.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving, at the communication device, a reply message transmitted in response to the message transmitted to the remote system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of receiving the reply message occurs prior to the step of moving the related content.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the reply message comprises a license that enables the communication device to play the related content.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the non-program data stored in the storage unit comprises the related content, and the method further comprises configuring the communication device or related content so that the stored related content can not be played by the communication device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

transmitting, from the communication device, a message to a remote system after the indication is received;

receiving, at the communication device, a reply message transmitted in response to the message transmitted to the remote system; and

, if the reply message indicates that the related content may be acquired, configuring the communication device or the stored related content so that the communication device can play the stored related content.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the non-program data stored in the storage unit comprises the related content, which is protected by a digital rights management (DRM) scheme, and the method further comprises receiving a license after the indication is received, which license enables the communication device to play the DRM protected related content.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

transmitting, from the communication device, a message to a remote system after the indication is received;

receiving, at the communication device, a reply message transmitted in response to the message transmitted to the remote system, wherein the reply message includes the license.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the non-program data comprises the link and the method further comprises using a browser executing in the communication device to download the product information page to the communication device.

29. The method of claim 17, further comprising separating the non-program data from the program data prior to storing the non-program data in the storage unit.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the non-program data and the program data are interleaved when received at the communication device.

31. The method of claim 17, wherein prior to receiving the program data the method comprises:

receiving an indication that the user desires to consume unicast program data;

enabling the user to specify a type of program data or a profile;

receiving information identifying a type of program data or a profile;

transmitting a message, from the communication device, to a remote system, wherein the message includes the received information and the remote system uses the information to select program data, and wherein the remote system transmits the selected program data to the communication device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the remote system transmits the non-program data with the selected program data.

33. The method of claim 17, further comprising deleting the non-program data from the storage unit if the indication is not received within a predetermined amount of time or prior to the occurrence of a predetermined event.