Licensed content purchasing and delivering

• US 8,751,329 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Kemery, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/544,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51- 59, 705 26- 272, 725 86-153
• US Class Current: 705/26.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0607 Regulated

Abstract

A content server enables one user to purchase licensed content for another user and, in response to the purchase, automatically delivers the content to the other user'"'"'s device. The content server further configures the other user'"'"'s device to receive and utilize the licensed content, thus enabling the other user to consume the content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling, by a content server, a purchase of licensed content by a first user of a first device for a second user of a second device, wherein the enabling includes enabling the first user to adjust a purchase price based on a total number of users covered by one or more licenses to the shareable, licensed content, a number of users allowed by the one or more licenses to consume the shareable, licensed content, and a number of users allowed by the one or more licenses to share the shareable, licensed content; and

automatically delivering, by the content server, the licensed content to the second device to enable consumption of the licensed content by the second user of the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the first user of the first device to purchase the licensed content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second devices are telecommunications devices and the content server is associated with a telecommunications service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the licensed content includes one or more of application(s), video(s), audio file(s), picture(s), and/or electronic book(s).

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the licensed content to both the first and second devices to enable the first and second devices to engage in a session for shared consumption of the licensed content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the license allows shared consumption between two or more devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a graphic user interface to facilitate users in selecting licensed content to purchase and/or in configuring purchased licensed content.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling, by the content server, the first user of the first device to configure the licensed content for the second user of the second device, the configuring includes restricting use of one or more features offered by the licensed content by modifying one or more configurable parameters of the licensed content.

8. A system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor and storing executable instructions that are configured to be operated by the processor to perform operations including;

enabling a purchase of sharable, licensed content by a first user of a first device for one or more second users of one or more second devices, including enabling the first user to adjust a purchase price based on a total number of users covered by one or more licenses to the shareable, licensed content, a number of users allowed by the one or more licenses to consume the shareable, licensed content, and a number of users allowed by the one or more licenses to share the shareable, licensed content; and

automatically delivering the sharable, licensed content to the second device to enable the second user to share the sharable, licensed content by engaging in a session associated with the sharable, licensed content between the second device and other device(s).

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sharable, licensed content includes one or more of application(s), video(s), audio file(s), picture(s), and/or electronic book(s).

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further include enabling the first user of the first device to configure the sharable, licensed content for the second users of the second devices, the configuring including restricting use of one or more features of the sharable, licensed content.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further include providing a graphic user interface to facilitate users in selecting sharable, licensed content to purchase and/or in configuring purchased sharable, licensed content.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further include facilitating an acquiring user in designating users that are parties to the licenses for the sharable, licensed content.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the session is peer-to-peer, with clients of the first and second devices establishing a data connection, or is client-server, with clients of the first and second devices interacting with each other through connections between each and the content server or another server.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions stored on the computer-readable storage media and configured to program a content server to perform operations including:

enabling a purchase of licensed content by a first user of a first device for a second user of a second device, wherein the enabling includes enabling the first user to adjust a purchase price based on a total number of users covered by one or more licenses to the shareable, licensed content, a number of users allowed by the one or more licenses to consume the shareable, licensed content, and a number of users allowed by the one or more licenses to share the shareable, licensed content; and

automatically delivering the licensed content to the second device to enable consumption of the licensed content by the second user of the second device.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, further comprising providing the licensed content to both the first and second devices to enable the first and second devices to engage in a session for shared consumption of the licensed content.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the license terms allow shared consumption between two or more devices.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, further comprising providing a graphic user interface to facilitate users in selecting licensed content to purchase and/or in configuring purchased licensed content.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, further comprising enabling the first user of the first device to configure the licensed content for the second user of the second device, the configuring including restricting use of one or more features offered by the licensed content by modifying one or more configurable parameters of the licensed content.