Music purchasing and playing system and method

• US 7,672,873 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pandora Media LLC (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pellouchoud, Philip Mansiel, Kogan, Michael J., Kindig, Bradley D., Clegg, Nathan Lavar, Joshlin, Sean Cornell, Kleemann, Robert F., Laffoon, Mark Alan, Sullivan, Sean Robert, Abed, Ameen Hikmat, Baird, Daniel Davidson, Doron, Amir, Sitze, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US10/938,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20050197906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

An online music purchasing system and method is disclosed, in which a radio service operates on a user'"'"'s computer and is configured for receiving and playing digital radio representations of media content in near real-time in a radio session. A content server is configured for serving the digital radio representations of media content to the radio service, and a radio sequence server is configured for serving a sequential list of currently-playing and previously-played media content of the radio session to the radio service. An account server is configured for receiving a signal indicative of a user'"'"'s desire to purchase a file of one of a currently-playing or previously-played media content. A download manager is configured for downloading the file to the user'"'"'s computer according to the signal indicative of the user'"'"'s desire to purchase the file.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a radio sequence generator that determines a sequence of media content to be transmitted to a user device for a radio session at the user device;

a content server that serves the media content for the radio session in accordance with the sequence determined by the radio sequence generator;

a radio sequence server that serves a content list to be displayed in a radio session portion of a user interface at the user device, the content list comprising entries corresponding to currently-playing and previously-played media content of the radio session, each entry is selectable to indicate a desire to purchase the radio session media content corresponding to the entry;

an account server that receives a signal to purchase a selected one of the radio session media content having an entry in the content list;

the content server that further downloads the selected radio session media content to the user device according to the signal to purchase the selected radio session media content; and

at least one user interface server that serves the user interface for display at the user device, the user interface comprising the radio session portion, a search portion to receive user input indicative of a request to search for media content independent of the radio session and to display search results including at least one indicia selectable to purchase media content other than the radio session media content, and at least one portion to receive user input indicative of a request to experience media content other than the radio session media content.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a license server, in communication with the account server, that obtains at least one license for the selected radio session media content.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a payment processor, in communication with the account server, that processes the user'"'"'s credit card information for the purchase of the selected radio session media content before the selected radio session media content is downloaded.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1, the user interface further comprising a graphical representation of the radio session.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the integrated user interface includes a portion to display a folder structure that includes a file containing purchased media content downloaded by the content server to the user device, the portion of the integrated user interface further including controls to receive user input indicative of a request to navigate through the folder structure to access the downloaded and saved file containing the purchased media content.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the content server operates concurrently with providing the radio session.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the user interface includes media player controls.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the media player controls include a forward control for accessing a next digital radio representation of media content from the content server.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the next digital radio representation of media content is determined by the radio sequence server in accordance with the determined sequence.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the media content is a music track.

11. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the radio sequence generator, the content server, the radio sequence server, the account server and the at least one user interface server are implemented as one server.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the radio sequence generator, the content server, the radio sequence server, the account server and the at least one user interface server are implemented as two or more servers.

13. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

the account server that receives a signal to purchase a selected one of the media content other than the radio session media content; and

the content server that downloads to the user device the selected other media content purchased by the user.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the radio sequence generator, the content server, the radio sequence server, the account server and the at least one user interface server are implemented as one server.

15. A system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the radio sequence generator, the content server, the radio sequence server, the account server and the at least one user interface server are implemented as two or more servers.

16. A method executed by at least one server computer, each server computer having at least one processor and memory, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the at least one server computer and in accordance with a determined sequence, media content to a user device for a radio session at the user device;

transmitting, by the at least one server computer, a user interface and information to be used to display a content list in a radio session portion of the user interface at the user device, the content list comprising entries corresponding to currently-playing and previously-played media content of the radio session, each entry is selectable at the user device to purchase the radio session media content corresponding to the entry, the user interface further comprising a search portion to receive user input indicative of a request to search for media content independent of the radio session and to display a set of search results, the search results including at least one indicia selectable to purchase media content other than the radio session media content and at least one portion to receive user input indicative of a request to experience media content other than the radio session media content;

receiving, by the at least one server computer, a signal to purchase a selected one of the radio session media content; and

causing a download, from a content server to the user device, of the selected radio session media content purchased by the user according to the signal to purchase the media content.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, further comprising making suggestions of media content other than the radio session media content and purchased radio session media content to receive and play.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16, further comprising receiving credit card information for purchasing the selected radio session media content before downloading the selected radio session media content.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising validating the received credit card information before downloading the selected radio session media content.

20. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein receiving the signal to purchase the selected radio session media content includes:

receiving a signal corresponding to a displayed buy button in the user interface and information identifying the selected radio session media content.

21. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein downloading the selected radio session media content purchased by the user occurs such that the selected radio session media content is to be received at the user device while the user device is receiving and playing media content.

22. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the media content is a music track.

23. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the at least one server computer comprises the content server.

24. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the at least one server computer comprises a plurality of separate server computers.

25. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the at least one server computer comprises a single server computer.

26. A method in accordance with claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one server computer, a signal to purchase selected media content other than the radio session media content; and

causing a download, from a content server to the user device of the selected media content purchased by the user.

27. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the at least one server computer comprises the content server.

28. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the at least one server computer comprises a plurality of separate server computers.

29. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the at least one server computer comprises a single server computer.

30. A user interface visibly displayed at a display of a user computing device, the visibly displayed user interface comprising:

a radio control window to experience media content in a radio session occurring at the user computing device in accordance with a determined sequence;

a radio session sequence window displaying a content list comprising entries corresponding to currently-playing and previously-played media content of the radio session at the user computing device, each entry is selectable via a corresponding purchase control button displayed in the radio session sequence window to purchase the radio session media content corresponding to the entry, the user interface further comprising a search portion to receive user input indicative of a request to search for media content independent of the radio session and to display search results on the display that include at least one indicia selectable to purchase media content other than the radio session media content, and at least one portion to receive user input indicative of a request to experience media content other than the radio session media content.

31. The user interface of claim 30, further comprising an artist window displaying artist information corresponding to media content made available via the user interface.

32. The user interface of claim 30, further comprising a folder window displaying a plurality of folders to indicate a particular folder to which purchased radio session media content is to be stored.