Entertainment content purchase via advertising viewing credit

• US 8,955,006 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Fang, Nicholas, Bowra, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US12/057,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,511 Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The purchase of entertainment content online via advertising credits is disclosed herein. One disclosed embodiment comprises providing an advertising content item to a user over a network, and awarding an amount of advertising viewing credit to the user based upon the advertising content item provided to the user. Next, a request is received from the user to view an entertainment content item. In response, the entertainment content item is provided to the user, and at least a portion of the advertising viewing credit is deducted in exchange for providing the entertainment content item.

Claims

1. On a computing device, a method of providing audio and/or video entertainment content to a user over a network, comprising:

providing an advertising content item to the user;

awarding an amount of advertising viewing credit to the user based upon the advertising content item being viewed by the user;

receiving a request from the user to view an entertainment content item;

verifying that the user has sufficient previously-earned advertising viewing credit to pay for the entertainment content item before sending the entertainment content item to the user;

if the user has sufficient previously-earned advertising viewing credit to pay for the entertainment content item, then sending the entertainment content item without interspersed advertising to the user, and deducting at least a portion of the previously-earned advertising viewing credit in exchange for the entertainment content item; and

if the user does not have sufficient previously-earned advertising viewing credit to pay for the entertainment content item, then prior to sending the entertainment content item to the user, then

providing an option of sending a first portion of the entertainment content item without interspersed advertising in exchange for the previously-earned advertising viewing credit and sending a second portion of the entertainment content item with interspersed advertising, and

providing another option of presenting one or more additional advertising content items to the user and awarding additional advertising viewing credit to the user based on the additional advertising content items viewed by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before providing the advertising content item to the user, presenting to the user a choice of whether to earn advertising viewing credit or to view entertainment content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting payment from the user in a form other than advertising viewing credit or providing only a fractional portion of the entertainment content item in exchange for a fractional payment of advertising credit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a plurality of advertising content items to the user, and awarding advertising viewing credit for each advertising content item provided to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entertainment content item provided to the user is configured to enable playback of the entertainment content item in a manner uninterrupted by advertising content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking an amount of advertising viewing credit earned by each user of a plurality of users.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the advertising content item provided to the user based upon a profile of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising content item is selected by a viewer for viewing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of advertising viewing credit awarded is greater if the demographics of the user correspond to demographics associated with the advertising content item than if the demographics of the user do not correspond to demographics associated with the advertising content.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein demographics of the user include an age of the user, and wherein selecting an amount of advertising viewing credit comprises increasing the amount if the age of the user corresponds to an age range of likely purchasers associated with the advertising content.

11. A computing device comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the computing device to present content by:

receiving a request from a user for transmission of an entertainment content item;

sending a request to the user regarding whether the user desires to pay for the entertainment content item via previously-earned advertising viewing credit or via another form of payment;

receiving confirmation from the user to pay for the entertainment content item via the previously-earned advertising viewing credit;

verifying that the user has sufficient previously-earned advertising viewing credit to pay for the entertainment content item before sending the entertainment content item to the user;

if the user has sufficient previously-earned advertising viewing credit to pay for the entertainment content item, then sending the entertainment content item without interspersed advertising to the user, and deducting at least a portion of the previously-earned advertising viewing credit in exchange for the entertainment content item; and

if the user does not have sufficient previously-earned advertising viewing credit to pay for the entertainment content item, then prior to sending the entertainment content item to the user, then

providing an option of sending a first portion of the entertainment content item without interspersed advertising in exchange for the previously-earned advertising viewing credit and a second portion of the entertainment content item with interspersed advertising, and

providing another option of presenting one or more additional advertising content items to the user and awarding additional advertising viewing credit to the user based on the additional advertising content items viewed by the user.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executable to track an amount of advertising viewing credit earned by each user of a plurality of users.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executable to allow the user to play the entertainment content item in a manner uninterrupted by advertising content.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executable to send a request to the user regarding whether the user desires to build advertising credit or view entertainment content when the user initially logs onto the computing device.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executable to send to the user a list of entertainment content items available for purchase before receiving the request from the user for transmission of the entertainment content item.

16. A computer-readable device comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing device obtain entertainment content from a server for playback, the instructions comprising:

code executable to receive an advertising content item and to present the advertising content item;

code executable to receive an input selecting an entertainment content item for playback and to send a request for the entertainment content item selected to an entertainment content server;

code executable to receive an alert of insufficient advertising viewing credit to purchase the entertainment content item;

code executable to receive an input to pay for the entertainment content item with a combination of payment options including partial payment with advertising viewing credit earned via presentation of the advertising content item and partial payment with a form of payment for the entertainment content item other than advertising viewing credit;

code executable to receive the entertainment content item from the entertainment content server;

code executable to play the entertainment content item without interspersed advertising if the combination of payment options is received and covers a total cost of the entertainment content item; and

code executable to, prior to playing the entertainment content item, provide the user an option of playing a first portion of the entertainment content item without interspersed advertising in exchange for the previously-earned advertising viewing credit and playing a second portion of the entertainment content item with interspersed advertising, and provide another option of presenting one or more additional advertising content items to the user and awarding additional advertising viewing credit to the user based on the additional advertising content items viewed by the user.

17. The computer-readable device of claim 16, further comprising code executable to display an option of viewing entertainment content or advertising content, and to receive an input from the user selecting to view entertainment content or advertising content.

18. The computer-readable device of claim 16, further comprising code executable to receive an input selecting the advertising content item for viewing from a list of available advertising content items.