US 2021/0319418 A1Published application

Shared purchases

AssigneeApple Inc.

InventorsThomas Alsina, Augustin J. Farrugia, Edward T. Schmidt, Gianpaolo Fasoli, Sean B. Kelly

Life of this patent

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Abstract

One or more user accounts can be linked together to form a group of linked user accounts to access content items assigned to the other user accounts in the group of linked user accounts. Prior to completing a purchase for a content item, a requesting user can be alerted that a member of the group of linked user accounts has access to the content item. Content items assigned to a member of a group of linked user accounts can be downloaded by one or more other members of the group of linked user accounts along with a Digital Rights Management (DRM) key that enables use of the content item. The DRM key can represent the group relationship between the downloading user account and the content owner's user account to which the content item is assigned.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for sharing a content item, comprising:

receiving, from a client device, a first request to access a first content item, wherein the client device is associated with a first account;
determining that the first content item is associated with the first account;
providing the first content item, in accordance with a first access code, for access by the client device;
receiving, from the client device, a second request to access a second content item;
determining that the second content item is not associated with the first account;
determining that the first account is linked to a second account;
determining that the second content item is accessible by the linked second account;
generating a second access code for accessing the second content item based on the determination that the second content item is accessible by the linked second account, wherein the second access code is different from the first access code;
providing the second access code to the client device to allow the client device to access the second content item;
and
providing the second content item in accordance with the second access code.

8 more elements

A server device comprising:

one or more processors;
and
a memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
receive, from a client device, a first request to access a first content item, wherein the client device is associated with a first account;
determine that the first content item is associated with the first account;
provide the first content item, in accordance with a first access code, for access by the client device;
receive, from the client device, a second request to access a second content item;
determine that the second content item is not associated with the first account;
determine that the first account is linked to a second account;
determine that the second content item is accessible by the linked second account;
generate a second access code for accessing the second content item based on the determination that the second content item is accessible by the linked second account, wherein the second access code is different from the first access code;
provide the second access code to the client device to allow the client device to access the second content item;
and
provide the second content item in accordance with the second access code.

11 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a server device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from a client device, a first request to access a first content item, wherein the client device is associated with a first account;
determine that the first content item is associated with the first account;
provide the first content item, in accordance with a first access code, for access by the client device;
receive, from the client device, a second request to access a second content item;
determine that the second content item is not associated with the first account;
determine that the first account is linked to a second account;
determine that the second content item is accessible by the linked second account;
generate a second access code for accessing the second content item based on the determination that the second content item is accessible by the linked second account, wherein the second access code is different from the first access code;
provide the second access code to the client device to allow the client device to access the second content item;
and
provide the second content item in accordance with the second access code.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/306,640Filed 3 May 2021
Priority: 30 May 2014
Published: 14 Oct 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G06F 21/1012
By binding digital rights to specific entities: to domains
G06Q 10/063114
Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group: status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
G06Q 20/1235
Shopping for digital content: with control of digital rights management [DRM]
G06Q 20/29
Payment schemes or models: characterised by micropayments

Family

Application62/005,902Us provisional application · filed 30 May 2014
Application62/020,828Us provisional application · filed 3 Jul 2014
Application14/722,019Continuation · filed 26 May 2015
Application17/306,640Continuation
US 2015/0347996 A1Published application
US 2021/0319418 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.