Method and apparatus for deferred purchasing of marked digital media items

• US 8,001,011 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hayashi, Joe, Saul, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Amee A
• Application Number:
  US12/778,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/26.8
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Techniques for interacting with an online media store using a first device to identify a digital media item of interest to a user of the first device, using the first device to store an interest indicator for the digital media item of interest at the online media store, and subsequently interacting with the online media store using a second device to purchase or preview the digital media item of interest as identified by the interest indicator. Additionally, ring tones and graphics associated with the digital media item of interest can also be purchased.

Claims

1. A method for purchasing at least one digital media item of interest from an online media store, the at least one digital media item of interest marked for deferred purchase from a first device, said method comprising:

determining whether at least one digital media item of interest has been previously marked by an interest indicator;

receiving a request, from a second device, to purchase the at least one digital media item of interest that has been previously marked by the interest indicator;

processing, following receiving the request to purchase, a purchase for the at least one digital media item of interest identified by the interest indicator; and

subsequently downloading, to the second device, the at least one digital media item identified by the interest indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating a user of the second device, and

wherein the processing of the purchase for the at least one digital media item of interest identified by the interest indicator is permitted to be performed only if the user of the second device is able to be authenticated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing further comprises:

receiving a request to purchase the at least one digital media item of interest identified by the interest indicator.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequent downloading further comprises:

receiving a request to download the at least one purchased digital media item of interest; and

downloading the at least one digital media item identified by the interest indicator to the second device in response to the request to download the at least one purchased digital media item of interest.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading, to the second device, an additional digital media item that is associated with the at least one digital media item identified by the interest indicator as previously marked by the user of the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a request is over a low-bandwidth network, and the subsequently downloading is over a high-bandwidth network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the high-bandwidth network is a wide area network (WAN).

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising connecting to the high-bandwidth network using a gateway after connecting to the low-bandwidth network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the online media store, if a media management application is available for the second device;

downloading, from the online media store, a media management application; and

installing the media management application on the second device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital media item is a compilation of digital media items.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital media item is selected from the group consisting of a music single, a music video, an electronic book, and an art graphic.

12. A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for purchasing at least one digital media item of interest from an online media store, the at least one digital media item of interest marked for deferred purchase from a first device, the method comprising:

determining whether at least one digital media item of interest has been previously marked by an interest indicator;

receiving a request, from a second device, to purchase the at least one digital media item of interest that has been previously marked by an interest indicator;

processing, following receiving the request to purchase, a purchase for the at least one digital media item of interest identified by the interest indicator; and

subsequently downloading, to the second device, the at least one digital media item identified with the interest indicator.

13. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

authenticating a user of the second device, and

wherein the processing of the purchase for the at least one digital media item of interest identified by the interest indicator is permitted to be performed only if the user of the second device is able to be authenticated.

14. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the processing further comprises:

receiving a request to purchase the at least one digital media item of interest identified by the interest indicator.

15. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the subsequent downloading further comprises:

receiving a request to download the at least one purchased digital media item of interest; and

downloading the at least one digital media item identified by the interest indicator to the second device in response to the request to download the at least one purchased digital media item of interest.

16. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

downloading, to the second device, an additional digital media item that is associated with the at least one digital media item identified by the interest indicator as previously marked by the user of the first device.

17. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the receiving a request is over a low-bandwidth network, and the subsequently downloading is over a high-bandwidth network.

18. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, at the online media store, if a media management application is available for the second device;

downloading, from the online media store, a media management application; and

installing the media management application on the second device.

19. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the at least one digital media item is a compilation of digital media items.

20. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the at least one digital media item is selected from the group consisting of a music single, a music video, an electronic book, and an art graphic.