Method and system for supplying products from pre-stored digital data in response to demands transmitted via computer network

• US 7,174,362 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2000
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Knowledge Incorporated
• Original Assignee: JC Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Sungil
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/718,286
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/226, 709/227, 369/84, 369/85
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The present invention relates to a digital data duplication system that utilizes one or more computer networks to automate the process from order-taking to delivery, eliminating the need for human supervision. Customers enter requests for a given number of machine-readable articles containing digital data, typically compact disks. The requests are transferred to a website, which sends to a server electronic mails containing the details of the requests. Upon receiving an electronic mail, the server directs a printing device to produce mailing labels for shipment. The server has an internal archive of all data it uses to convert blank CD-Rs into the requested CDs, and is connected to a series of CD-R writing machines. The server schedules each request, downloads necessary data onto the CD-R writing machine that is assigned a particular request, and sends a write command. The CD-R writing machine subsequently transfers the data in its cache onto the pre-loaded CD-Rs. After the data transfer is complete, the CDs embodying the requested information are automatically placed in a bin for shipment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of digital data duplication comprising:

taking requests at one or more user interfaces;

transmitting said requests through a network to a computer;

assigning each of said requests to one of a plurality of output devices; and

executing the duplication process,

wherein said computer comprises;

at least one first module configured to create a task log based on incoming requests;

at least one second module configured to store all data necessary for executing said duplication process;

at least one third module configured to create a subset of said data stored in said second module, further configured to download said subset to one of said output devices, and further configured to command said output device to transfer said subset onto blank media; and

a connection through which said second module communicates with said first module and said third module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said data stored in said second module comprises:

an expandable indexed archive of digital data, said data representing contents available for request by customers; and

at least one resource file for each of said output devices in communication with said computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said data in each said resource file comprise:

name and type of said output devices;

network address of said output device;

number of drives in said output device;

availability of said output device;

number of blank recording mediums pre-loaded in said output device;

index of digital data that has been downloaded onto said output device; and

hard drive capacity remaining in said output device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first module is configured to send at least one signal to at least one printing device to create mailing address labels for each of said requests.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning said requests comprises:

grouping together requests for the same content;

directing said requests to the most immediately available output device that is capable of making the requested duplication onto the requested type of recording medium;

tracking the number of recording mediums remaining in each output device;

notifying an operator if more recording mediums need to be loaded;

finding the digital data that corresponds to the requested content;

sending a write command to said output device in the format that said output device understands;

waiting for the output device to perform the requested number of duplications;

repeating the above steps each time a new request is entered.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein finding the digital data comprises:

checking the cache of said output devices for data representing the requested content(s);

deleting enough pre-existing data in said cache to make room for said requested content; and

downloading said requested content from said computer onto said cache of said output device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each module that comprises said computer is responsive to electronic mail commands.

8. A system for duplication of data onto digital recording mediums, the system comprising:

a customer interface; and

a communication network connecting said customer interface to a server that schedules and process duplication;

wherein said server comprises;

first module for creating a log of customer requests;

second module for storing the data to be duplicated;

third module for scheduling the duplication of each request and directing each request to one of a plurality of output devices;

at least one printing device for producing mailing labels for each request; and

at least one output device for transferring the data requested by customers from an internal data storage onto digital recording mediums.