US 7,444,306 B2 · Method and apparatus for the rental or sale, and secure distribution of digital content

a database for storage of digital content, software application mechanism to encrypt digital content, software application to search and organize digital content database server, for storing, accessing, and manipulating digital content;

an internet web-site interface, customer billing software application, internet security firewall software application, customer database software application, customer authentication software application, digital content encryption and key-generation software application gateway server, for supplying customers with a digital content online store comprising a web-site interface or a business transaction portal interface for the purchase, rental, or manipulation of digital content;

a high-capacity network connection between computers in a digital content store private network, for linking a content database server and a customer interface server, electronically connected to said gateway server, and electronically connected to said database server;

a connection between the online digital content store and customer computers, a private network or a public network like the internet computer network, for supplying connectivity between said digital content online store and a plurality of computers or player devices belonging to digital content purchasers or renters;

a connection to an access network link, client interface to the digital content online store, client software application for the generation of cryptographic keys based on unique attributes of the device, client software application for cryptographic key exchange and decryption of digital content, client software application for accessing and managing local digital content, plurality of software applications for the playing and experience of digital content customer device, for supplying customer service and client interfaces and applications for interaction with the digital content online store;

a means for online electronic business transactions, means for unique identification of customers, interface with a customer database software application, interface with a secure gateway firewall application, interface with the digital content encryption software application, interface with the digital content inventory application transaction software application, for conducting electronic business transactions for the purchase or rental of digital content;

a repository for customer account information, means to search and access customer account information, data store of customer transaction histories, data store of customer purchase or rental records, data store of customer inventory status containing information on owned, rented, checked-in, or checked-out content customer database, for storing customer information related to the sale or rental of digital content, electronically connected to said transaction software application;

a plurality of digital content for sale or rental content database, for storing the digital content inventory of the digital content online store in a digital content database;

a means for searching a digital content database, means for identification and selection of digital content for purchase or rental inventory application, for searching and managing the digital content database, electronically connected to said content database, and electronically connected to said transaction software application;

a means for encrypting and decrypting digital content, means for exchange of cryptographic keys with customer client software applications, means of per-customer unique encryption of digital content encryption application, for encrypting digital content, electronically connected to said content database, and electronically connected to said transaction software application;

a means for restricting network communication, means for authenticating network communications, means for defeating unauthorized network communication, means for resisting malicious communication attempts gateway application, for restricting network access to all but legitimate and authorized users, electronically connected to said transaction software application;

a web-site interface, means for internet customer interaction with the online digital content store, means for secure, online transactions web interface application, for supplying a web-site interface to the online digital content store customers, electronically connected to said gateway application;

a means for secure communication with the online digital content store, means for cryptographic key generation, means for cryptographic key exchange with the online digital content store, means for downloading digital content from the online digital content store, means for storing and accessing digital content on a local device, means for validating user identification and authorization, means for decrypting stored digital content, means for interfacing to local software or hardware for the experience of decrypted digital content, mechanism for managing the local inventory of downloaded digital content management application, for interacting with the online digital content store for download, local management, and decryption of digital content, electronically connected to said web interface application;

a means for electronic business transactions, interface for retail purchasing systems, interface for retail inventory management systems, interface for retail billing systems, means for unique identification of purchased or rented content, means for exchanging inventory and unique identification information retail transaction portal, for supplying a wholesale inventory transaction interface to retail stores or web-sites, electronically connected to said gateway application;

a shopping step, for starting the digital online shopping process;

a select store step, for selecting the online digital content store, sequentially coupled to said shopping step;

a means for customer access to available digital content, means for structured searching of available digital content, means to store one or more digital content items in a queue for purchase or rental browsing step, for searching and identifying digital content for purchase or rental, sequentially coupled to said select store step;

a means for logging in to a secure transaction web interface, means for validating customer identity authentication step, for controlling and securing the online digital content store for authorized customers, sequentially coupled to said browsing step;

a means for checking customer identifier, means for validating customer identity membership step, for confirming a currently registered customer of said online digital content store, selectively coupled to said authentication step;

a means for creating a new user account, means for creating a user identifier, means for creating a security authentication identifier, means for renewing an expired account new account step, for creating a new, or renewing an expired user account for said online digital content store, sequentially coupled to said membership step;

a means for starting a secure transaction, means for validating security identifier log-in step, for logging into a secure online shopping session, sequentially coupled to said new account step, and selectively coupled to said authentication step;

a means for validating a customer identifier, means for validating a security identifier validation step, for validating customer identity, sequentially coupled to said log-in step;

a means to display authorization rejection log-in failure step, for notifying the customer of an invalid log-in attempt, selectively coupled to said validation step;

a means for searching said online digital content store inventory, means for identifying content for purchase or rental, means for online purchase or rental transactions, means for tracking purchased or rented digital content, means for receipting purchased or rented content purchase step, for purchasing or renting digital content, sequentially coupled to said validation step;

a means to display new content in customer library, means to search and organize all customer content, means to identify content for customer download, means to display remaining duration on rented content, means to present customer with rental terms and conditions, means to check-out content from the customer library, means to check-in content back into the customer library addition step, for managing a customer's library of owned or rented digital content, sequentially coupled to said purchase step;

a retail purchase shopping step, for starting the retail shopping process;

a means to identify a digital content title, means to convey the digital content identity to retail store purchase system purchase content selection step, for selecting a digital content identifier for purchase, sequentially coupled to said retail purchase shopping step;

a purchase check-out step, for beginning the purchase transaction, sequentially coupled to said purchase content selection step;

a means to represent a digital content identifier for said digital content, means to convey the digital content identifier in machine-readable form, means to convey the digital content identifier in human-readable form purchase identifier entry step, for entering the digital content identifier into a retail point-of-sale system, sequentially coupled to said purchase check-out step;

a means to contact an electronic retail portal, means to convey a digital content identifier to a retail portal, means to conduct a purchase transaction via a retail portal purchase authorization step, for transferring a purchase request via an electronic retail portal, selectively coupled to said purchase identifier entry step;

a means to identify a retailer, means to validate said retailer for transactions, means to search digital content inventory for requested digital content, means to generate a unique content identifier for later customer use, means to conduct a credit or electronic banking transaction with retail point-of-sale system retail purchase transaction step, for confirming retailer authorization and generating a unique customer digital content identifier, sequentially coupled to said purchase authorization step;

a means to indicate a successful retail purchase transaction, means to convey the unique customer digital content identifier, means to indicate a retail transaction failure purchase transaction response step, for returning the unique customer digital content identifier to the retail point-of-sale system, sequentially coupled to said retail purchase transaction step;

a means to convey the unique customer digital content identifier to retail customer, means to convey the unique customer digital content identifier in human-readable form content purchase step, for purchasing of the unique customer digital content identifier from retailer, sequentially coupled to said purchase transaction response step;

a means for customer access to available digital content, means for entering the unique customer digital content identifier contact store purchase step, for searching and identifying said purchased digital content, sequentially coupled to said content purchase step;

a means for logging in to a secure transaction web interface, means for validating customer identity, means for validating security identifier, means for starting a secure transaction retail purchase authentication step, for controlling and securing the online digital content store for authorized customers, sequentially coupled to said contact store purchase step;

a means for validating the customer identifier, means for validating the customer identity, means to display customer authorization rejection retail purchase membership step, for confirming a currently registered customer for said online digital content store, selectively coupled to said retail purchase authentication step;

a means for entering the unique customer digital content identifier purchase identifier selection step, for entering the unique customer digital content identifier of the purchased digital content, sequentially coupled to said retail purchase membership step, and selectively coupled to said retail purchase authentication step;

a means to validate the unique customer digital content identifier purchase identifier validation step, for validating the unique customer digital content identifier, sequentially coupled to said purchase identifier selection step;

a means to convey digital content identifier failure to customer, means to track invalid digital content identifier submission purchase identifier rejection step, for notifying the customer of an invalid unique customer digital content identifier, selectively coupled to said purchase identifier validation step;

a means to add purchased digital content to customer library, means to update customer inventory, means to track transaction and retail source retail purchase library step, for adding retail purchased digital content to the customer digital content library, sequentially coupled to said purchase identifier validation step;

a retail rental shopping step, for starting the retail rental shopping process;

a means to identify a digital content title, means to convey that identity to a retail store rental purchase system rental content selection step, for selecting a digital content identifier for retail rental, sequentially coupled to said retail rental shopping step;

a rental check-out step, for beginning the rental purchase transaction, sequentially coupled to said rental content selection step;

a means to represent a digital content identifier, means to convey an identifier in machine-readable form, means to convey an identifier in human-readable form rental identifier entry step, for entering the digital content identifier into a retail rental point-of-sale system, sequentially coupled to said rental check-out step;

a means to contact an electronic retail portal, means to convey a digital content identifier to a retail portal, means to conduct a purchase transaction via a retail portal rental authorization step, for transferring a rental purchase request via an electronic retail portal, selectively coupled to said rental identifier entry step;

a means to identify a retailer, means to validate retailer for transactions, means to search digital content inventory for requested content, means to generate a unique digital content identifier for later customer use, means to conduct a credit or electronic banking transaction with retail point-of-sale system retail rental transaction step, for confirming retailer authorization and generating a unique customer digital content identifier, sequentially coupled to said rental authorization step;

a means to indicate a successful transaction, means to convey unique digital content identifier, means to indicate a transaction failure rental transaction response step, for returning a unique digital content identifier to a retail point-of-sale system, sequentially coupled to said retail rental transaction step;

a means to convey a the unique customer digital content identifier to retail rental customer, means to convey the unique digital content identifier in human-readable form content rental step, for purchasing rental unique customer digital content identifier from retailer, sequentially coupled to said rental transaction response step;

a means for customer access to available rental digital content, means for entering the unique customer digital content identifier contact store rental step, for searching and identifying rental digital content, sequentially coupled to said content rental step;

a means for logging in to a secure transaction web interface, means for validating customer identity, means for validating security identifier, means for starting a secure transaction retail rental authentication step, for controlling and securing the online digital content store for authorized customers, sequentially coupled to said contact store rental step;

a means for checking customer identifier, means for validating customer identity, means to display authorization rejection retail rental membership step, for confirming a currently registered online digital content store customer, selectively coupled to said retail rental authentication step;

a means for entering the unique customer digital content identifier rental identifier selection step, for entering unique customer digital content identifier of rental digital content, sequentially coupled to said retail rental membership step, and selectively coupled to said retail rental authentication step;

a means to validate the digital content identifier rental identifier validation step, for validating the unique customer digital content identifier, sequentially coupled to said rental identifier selection step;

a means to convey identifier failure to customer, means to track invalid identifier submission rental identifier rejection step, for notifying the customer of an invalid identifier, selectively coupled to said rental identifier validation step;

a means to add rented content to customer digital content library, means to validate rental terms and conditions, means to enforce rental terms and conditions, means to update customer inventory, means to track transaction and retail source retail rental library step, for adding retail rental digital content to customer digital content library, sequentially coupled to said rental identifier validation step;

a content use step, for starting the content use process;

a means for storing titles of owned or rented digital content, means for searching digital content titles content search step, for identifying digital content for use, sequentially coupled to said content use step;

a means for identifying downloaded and non-downloaded digital content localizer step, for locating owned or rented digital content, sequentially coupled to said content search step;

a means to log-in to the online digital content store, means to identify digital content for download, means to establish a secure connection to the online store, means to request download request step, for contacting the online digital content store to request download of owned or rented digital content, selectively coupled to said content localizer step;

a means to uniquely identify customer's local device, means to associate unique device to customer identity, means to communicate unique device identifier with the online digital content store encryption software application, means to arbitrate a cryptographic key and algorithm based on device unique identifier, means to encrypt the requested content with said key and algorithm key generation step, for arbitrating a unique encryption key and encrypting the digital content corresponding to said key, sequentially coupled to said download request step;

a means to download digital content from the online digital content store to the local device, means to establish a secure connection to said digital online content store for download step, for downloading the digital content, sequentially coupled to said key generation step;

a means to store digital content on the local device, means to identify the digital content for later retrieval, means to store cryptographic key data for use in decryption of the digital content local storage step, for storing the digital content on the local device, sequentially coupled to said download step;

a means to verify digital integrity of the digital content, means to identify and said digital content enforce usage rights terms and conditions of said digital content, means to verify the cryptographic key and cryptographic validity content validity step, for validating usage rights of the digital content, sequentially coupled to said local storage step, and selectively coupled to said content localizer step;

a means to experience the digital content, means to interface to a digital content player, means to decrypt the digital content, means to prevent unauthorized access to decrypted digital image of said digital content experience step, for decrypting the content and streaming it to a content player, sequentially coupled to said content validity step;

a means to interface with the local user, means to enable the user to determine local storage, means to enable the user to check-in the digital content to their digital online store library local content storage step, for managing local storage of digital content, sequentially coupled to said content experience step;

a means to contact the digital online content store, means to establish a secure connection with the digital online content store, means to identify digital content stored locally, means to check-in local digital content, means to display customer library of available, checked-in, and checked-out digital content, means to display newly checked-in digital content as available for check-out, means to show locally stored digital content as checked-out content check-in step, for checking in digital content from the local device storage back into the customer content library of said online digital content store, selectively coupled to said local content storage step;

a means to delete local copy of digital content upon library check-in checked-in content deletion step, for deleting checked-in digital content from a local device, sequentially coupled to said content check-in step;

and

a local content step, for maintaining downloaded content within storage on the local device, selectively coupled to said local content storage step.

Method and apparatus for the rental or sale, and secure distribution of digital content

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Method and apparatus for the rental or sale, and secure distribution of digital content

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims63