System and method for providing publicly vended content via a wireless network

• US 7,644,018 B1
• Filed: 04/04/2000
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Ken, Eubanks, Gina C., Yukie, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US09/542,139
• Time in Patent Office: 3,563 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system and method for vending digitized content over an Internet network path, at least a portion of which is wireless, such as an SDMA high data rate directional wireless path. Content in the form of IP packets is provided to a user terminal via a connect server in response to user requests, which can be real-time requests or which can be requests embodied in a user-defined or system-defined user profile. The user is billed using one or more of several billing paradigms, including by the content piece, by the number of IP packets sent to the user, by the length of time the user accesses the system, by the subscription, and so on.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a computer network path, at least a portion of which is wireless;

at least one user terminal in the path;

at least one connect server communicating with the user terminal, the connect server receiving requests for content generated from the user terminal, the connect server accessing a database of publicly vended content to fulfill the requests; and

at least one billing module accessible to the connect server for generating accounting data based on at least one of;

each request for content received, each piece of content delivered to the user terminal, a content subscription, a type of user terminal, and a number of IP packets delivered to the user terminal.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the network path is a directional wireless path.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the directional wireless path has no telephony switches therein.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the content is provided to the user terminal over the network path in packets.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the packets are in IP protocol format.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the subscription is established at least in part by a user profile.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the billing module generates accounting data based at least in part on at least one time period.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the network path has a data transmission rate of at least one Mbps.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the user terminal is established by a device type, the server detecting the device type and providing content according thereto.

10. A method for vending content, comprising the acts of:

rendering the content in a digitized format;

making the content available on a computer network;

establishing at least one network path between the network and a user terminal, at least a portion of the path being a private wireless path;

sending the content to the user terminal via the network path; and

generating accounting data representative of the provision of content to the user terminal;

wherein the accounting data is based on at least one of;

a number of packets delivered to the user terminal; and

a type of the user terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the private wireless path is a directional path.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the private wireless path is an SDMA path.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless path has no telephony switches therein.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the content is provided to the user terminal over the network in packets.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the packets are in IP protocol format.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the accounting data is generated based at least in part on at least one time period.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the network path has a data transmission rate of at least one Mbps.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the user terminal is established by a device type, the device type dictating the content provided thereto.

19. A computer program device comprising:

a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing apparatus; and

a program on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing apparatus, the program comprising;

computer readable code means for billing a user for the provision of digitized packetized audio or video content from the Internet via a wireless network path to a user terminal associated with the user, including at least one of;

means for receiving a request for a piece of content from the user, the means for billing generating accounting data based at least in part on the request;

means for generating accounting data based at least in part on a number of packets sent to the user via the path;

means for generating accounting data based at least in part on a content subscription for content;

and means for generating accounting data based at least in part on a type of user terminal;

wherein the means for billing generates accounting data based at least in part on a number of packets sent to the user via the path.

20. The computer program device of claim 19, wherein the subscription is based at least in part on a user profile.

21. The computer program device of claim 19, wherein the network path has a data transmission rate of at least one Mbps.

22. The computer program device of claim 19, further comprising computer readable code means for determining a user terminal device type, the device type dictating the content provided to the user terminal.