Purchase of electronic content after a trial or rental period of using content without access to an internet connection
AssigneeVizio Inc.
InventorsWilliam Wang, Timothy Elliott, William Pat Price
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A customer can rent and later buy digital content that is encoded onto rewritable media where the customer had selected at least one piece of content to be encoded on the media. The user has the ability to use the previously selected content and later purchase the content without the need to interact with the content seller indicating the desire to purchase the content. Purchased content is transferred to customer's local storage device. The rewritable media can also contain other digital content from which the user can temporary access after which he can rent or purchase the content.
Claims11
A computer-implemented method for purchasing digital content comprising:
- storing a database of customer information including digital content billing information on a first computer and also storing a database of digital content that can be rented and/or purchased;
- responsive to receiving a request for a specific item of digital content from said database, transferring data files indicative of said specific item of digital content data files onto a rewriteable media;
- physically delivering said rewritable media to a customer's address as indicated by said database;
- physically receiving said rewritable media after access by said customer;
- detecting a token that has been written on said rewritable media by said customer;
- and
- billing said billing information stored in said database of information responsive to said detecting a token having been written.
A method comprising:
- entering billing information into a database;
- at a customer location, selecting one or more digital files to be rented;
- referenced in said database, for rent;
- receiving rewritable media with said selected digital files physically at a customer location;
- playing said digital files at said customer location;
- receiving an option of purchasing said digital file just accessed by said customer;
- and
- allowing purchase of said digital file without accessing the internet.
A media player comprising:
- a computer module executing a software program contained on memory inside said media player;
- a first connector contained in or on said media player capable of receiving rewritable media that is inserted into said media player;
- said software program controlling said media player such that digital files can be read from said rewritable media connected to said media player through said connector;
- a playing layer, within said software program, allowing said digital files to be played;
- and
- a purchase option part, displaying a purchase message to a user, and allowing purchase of said digital files.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.