Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
ONLINE DIGITAL VIDEO SIGNAL TRANSFER APPARATUS AND METHOD
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present invention relates to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial
No. 60/195,870, filed April 7, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference
in
its entirety and which forms a basis for priority herein. The present
invention also
relates to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09/603,805, filed June 20, 2000
( for
which a Petition to Convert Non-Provisional Application to Provisional
Application
Under 37 CFR 1.53(c)(2), was filed March 16, 2001 via U.S. Express Mail Label
No. EL752586903US, our file number 041892/0208, decision of petition and
provisional serial number unknown at this time), is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of electronic commerce. More
particularly, the invention relates to an online digital video signal transfer
method
and apparatus enabling online rental of digitally encoded motion pictures.
2. Descr~tion of Related Art
The Internet has provided consumers with a new medium for commerce,
commonly referred to as electronic commerce (or Ecommerce). Currently there
exists several Internet services that provide consumers with access to motion
pictures that may be ordered and downloaded online.
Tranz-Send Business Network (TSBN) is an online provider of video-on-
demand (VOD) motion pictures. TSBN has created a complete end-to-end web
based video-on-demand solution that delivers full screen broadcast quality
electronic
content to the end user on demand. However, a user has relatively little
control
over VOD movies such as pause and rewind features. In addition, a fee is
required
each time the user desires to view the movie once the broadcast is complete.
Consequently, TSBN does not provide users with the capability for online
rental of motion pictures for a fixed period, such that during the fixed
period the
-1-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
user is allowed to replay the motion picture as many times as desired.
Moreover,
TSBN does not provide an interface that simulates the rental of motion
pictures
from racks of aisles within a video rental store.
Therefore, there remains a need to overcome the limitations on the above
described existing art which is satisfied by the inventive structure and
method
described hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
Embodiments of the present invention overcome the problems in the existing
art described above by providing an online digital video signal transfer
apparatus
and method. Rental of the digital video signals occurs within an online
environment
including one or more client computers and at least one network server
connected
by a communications link to the one or more client computers. A method
according
to an embodiment of the invention includes providing access to an online
catalog
stored within a memory of a network video server computer. The online catalog
includes information regarding digital video signals available for rental from
the
network server computer. Requests are then received from client computers for
rental of digital video signals selected from the online catalog for a
specified period
of time. The requests include electronic payment based on the selected digital
video
signal and the specified number of plays and/or the period of time. Once
electronic
payment is provided, the digital video signal is transmitted to the client
computer
via communications link. Once transmitted, the digital video signal is
viewable by a
user of the client computer during the specified period of time.
Advantages of the invention include the ability to rent motion pictures
without having to provide additional monies for purchase of the motion
pictures. In
addition, the present invention provides an interface, which simulates the
actual
rental of motion pictures within a video rental store. Moreover, in further
embodiments, during the specified period of rental, the user is allowed to
view the
motion picture as many times as desired, thereby simulating the actual rental
of
feature length motion pictures. In other embodiments, the user is allowed to
view
the motion picture a predetermined number of times during an unspecified
period of
rental.
- 2-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of
limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified view of an exemplary client-server environment in
which the present invention may be implemented.
FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary high-level system architecture implementation
of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the client computer and the network video
server as shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary online video transfer site screen that enables
online rental of digital video signals according to one embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 5 depicts a listing of digital video signals designated by the user as
being of interest during a previous visit to the web site according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 depicts a listing of recommendations for movies to download from
the web site according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 depicts a quick pick feature screen on the web site according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 8-11 depict exemplary online video transfer site screens that enable
online rental of digital video signals according to one embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 12 depicts a license access level selection screen according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 13-15 are flow diagrams illustrating online rental of digital video
signals according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the present invention overcome the problems in the existing
art described above by providing an online digital video signal transfer
apparatus
and method, for example enabling online rental, purchase and/or delivery of
digitally encoded motion pictures. Systems and processes according to
-3-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
embodiments of the present invention provide a content owner or holder with a
mechanism for controlling distribution of content to users by allowing users
to
access the content through a network. One example model for the system and
process is a movie rental system for downloading movie files to customers
across
the Internet. Other embodiments may involve delivery of other types of content
including, but not limited to, music files, still image files, game programs,
other
software or data, and combinations thereof. Moreover, other embodiments may
employ distribution of encoded physical media, or wide area or local area
networks.
For purposes of simplifying the present disclosure, embodiments described
herein
are primarily with reference to a movie rental service. However, it will be
readily
understood that aspects of the invention may be employed in other suitable
content
delivery applications as noted above.
In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of
illustration
specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be
understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may
be
made without departing from the scope of the various embodiments of the
present
invention.
In one embodiment, a movie transfer apparatus and method provides data
stored on a computer system to a user across a network connection. The
transfer
may be accomplished in various ways, including, but not limited to, download
to
memory storage, streaming video, audio, or a combination, across various types
of
connections, including, but not limited to, the Internet, private or public
networks,
direct wire or fiber connections, wireless connections, broadcast systems
(e.g.,
cable systems, satellite systems, broadcast television system, broadcast
digital
television systems) or a combination of connections. In other embodiments the
movie is encoded on tangible media and physically distributed.
Further embodiments of the invention relate to aspects of handling electronic
files. For clarity, the description focuses on implementations for digital
data signals
comprising video and audio information which include digitally encoded movies
(referred to as "movies" or "videos"). However, many or all of the methods and
apparatus described may be readily adapted to apply to electronic files of
other types
- 4-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
as well, such as digitally encoded songs, books, television programming, radio
programming, and any other content (audio, video, text, etc.) which may be
digitized or encoded and stored as an electronic file. Also, control
information
including, but not limited to, video aspect ratio, resolution, and audio
playback
parameters may also be included in the electronic file.
Some embodiments of the invention relate to implementations for a network
movie (hereafter "video") server computer system accessible through the World
Wide Web and the Internet as a website (referred to as the "main website").
However, many or all of the methods and apparatus described may be readily
adapted to other data connections as well, including, but not limited to,
other
Internet connection interfaces (e.g., an FTP server), private networks (e.g.,
a
network provided by an ISP for its subscribers), and direct connections (such
as a
directly wired set of stations in a limited area such as a hotel).
In addition, further embodiments relate to implementations where the user
accesses and downloads electronic files using a computer system. However, many
or all of the methods and apparatus described may be readily adapted to other
network enabled devices which the user may use to access and download data
from
the server as well, such as a set-top box, or a television, with a connected
telephone, or cable modem and available storage memory (such as a hard disk),
or
some other device with a network connection which may access the server and a
storage device for storing a downloaded file. Additional variations may also
be
implemented such as interfaces for wireless telephones, set-top-boxes, PDAs,
AVHDD devices (such as a SONY "Tivo" device), and for satellite download
capability.
Any necessary adaptations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the
art. The movie transfer system may be implemented in hardware, software, or a
combination of both.
In addition, as will be described in greater detail below, some embodiments
of the present invention include features that seek to simulate the
traditional rental
of motion pictures from a video rental store. According to one embodiment,
rental
of the digital video signals occurs within an online environment including at
least
one network server located at a first node and connected by a communications
link
-5-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
to a plurality of client computers or other user network devices located at
other
nodes. The method includes providing access to an online catalog stored within
a
memory of a network video server computer. The online catalog includes
information regarding digital video signals available for rental from the
network
server computer. Requests are then submitted by client computers for rental of
digital video signals selected from the online catalog for a specified period
of time
or for a specified number of plays. The requests include electronic payment
based
on the selected digital video signal and the specified period of time or for a
specified
number of plays. Once electronic payment is provided, the digital video signal
is
transmitted to the client computer via a communications link. Once
transmitted, the
digital video signal is viewable by a user of the client computer during the
specified
period of time.
In one embodiment, the client computer establishes electronic
communication prior to permitting viewing of the digital video signal to
ensure
playback is within the specified rental parameters, and optionally that the
machine
used for playback is the machine that will be used for viewing. This ensures
that
video downloads are not conveyed to other parties who may also wish to view
the
movie. In that event, the server provides the new party the opportunity to
purchase
a rental license.
In one embodiment, functions are implemented with machine-executable
instructions. The instructions may be used to cause a general-purpose or
special-
purpose processor that is programmed with the instructions to perform the
functions
and steps described herein. Alternatively, the functions and steps may be
performed
by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performing
the
steps, or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom
hardware components.
Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a computer
program product which may include a machine-readable medium having stored
thereon instructions which may be used to program a computer (or other
electronic
devices) to perform a process according to embodiments of the present
invention.
The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy
diskettes,
optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMS, EPROMs,
- 6-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
EEPROMs, magnet or optical cards, flash memory, or other type of
media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.
Moreover, embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented as a
computer program product, wherein the program may be transferred from a remote
computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way of
data
signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a
communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection).
stem Architecture
FIG. 1 is a simplified view of an exemplary client-server
environment 100, such as the World Wide Web (the Web), in which the online
digital video transfer method and apparatus may be implemented. The
architecture
of the Web follows a conventional client-server model. The terms "client" and
"server" are used to refer to a computer's general role as a submitter of
requests for
data (the client) or provider of data (the server). Web clients 102 (102A, ...
,
102N) and Web servers 130 (130A, ... 130N) communicate using a protocol such
as HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). In the Web environment, Web browsers
reside on clients and render Web documents (pages) served by the Web servers.
The client-server model is used to communicate information between clients 102
and servers 130. Web servers 130 are coupled to a network 120, for example the
Internet, and respond to document requests and/or other queries from Web
clients.
When a user selects a document by submitting its Uniform Resource Locator
(URL), a Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, opens a
connection to a server 130 and initiates a request (e.g., an HTTP get) for the
document. The server 130 delivers the requested document, typically in the
form of
a text document coded in a standard markup language such as HyperText Markup
Language (HTML) or Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
In accordance with the client server environment depicted in FIG. 1, an
online digital video signal transfer apparatus 110 may be implemented in an
online
environment according to a first embodiment of the present invention as
depicted in
FIG. 2. The online environment includes one or more client computers 102
(102A,
..., 102N) and at least one network server computer 130 connected by a
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
communications link 120 to the plurality of client computers 102. The
communications link 120 generally refers to any type of wire or wireless link
between computers such as, but not limited to, a local area network, a wide
area
network, or a combination of networks. In one embodiment of the present
invention the communications link may be a network such as the Internet.
A client computer 102 may be any type of computing device such as, but not
limited to, desktop computers, workstations, laptops, a set-top box, and/or
mainframe computers. One or more users not shown may be associated with each
client computer 102.
FIG. 3 illustrates the client computer 102 which includes a CPU 104, a user
interface 106, a memory 108 and a communications interface 112. The
communications interface 112 is used to communicate with a network video
server
computer 130, or other system resources not shown. The communications
interface
provides a network connection. While any connection rate may be used, a high
speed or broadband data connection, such as a connection providing a data rate
of
500 kilobit per second (kbps) or more is preferred. The memory 108 of the
client
computer 102 may be implemented as RAM (random access memory) or a
combination of RAM and non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to,
magnetic
disk storage. The memory 108 may contain magnetic disk storage sufficient to
store
an encoded movie, or with at least one gigabyte of free space. The memory 108
may contain the following:
~ an operating system 114;
~ Internet access procedures 116 including a Web-browser such as,
for example, Internet Explorer Version 4.0 or greater;
~ video media procedures 118;
~ as well as other procedures and files.
FIG. 3 also illustrates the network video server computer 130 which includes
a central processing unit (CPU) 132, a user interface 134, a memory 136, and a
communications interface 138. The network video server computer 130 may be any
type of computing device such as, but not limited to, desktop computers, work
stations, laptops, and/or main frame computers. The communications interface
138
_ g_
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
is used to communicate with the client computers 102 as well as other system
resources, such as content servers, not shown.
The memory 136 of the network video server computer 130 may be
implemented as RAM (random access memory) or a combination of RAM and non
volatile memory such as magnetic disk storage. Memory 118 may contain the
following:
an operating system 140;
Internet access procedures 142;
web server procedures 144;
~ web page creation procedures 146 that dynamically generate user
web pages for registered users as well as movie web pages for one
or more of the digital video signals available for rental from the
network video server computer 130;
~ content preparation procedures 148, for encoding and encrypting
original motion pictures;
~ video delivery procedures 150 for downloading digital video
signals from the network video server computer 130 to the user
computers 102;
rental procedures 152 for providing unlock encryption keys
enabling viewing of downloaded digital video signals for a
specified period of time;
~ price calculation procedures 154 for calculating and receiving
electronic payment from users for a selected digital video signal;
user interface procedures 156 providing access to online catalog
information regarding digital video signals available for rental
from the network video server computer 130 including a movie
search engine;
~ a content database 158 for storage of encoded and encrypted
digital video signals available for download;
~ a catalog database 160 including information regarding digital
video signals available for rental from the network video server
computer 130;
- 9-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
~ a transaction database 162 for storage of information regarding
user information as well as transaction information and license
keys;
~ back end service procedures 164;
~ Intranet access procedures 166; and
~ Other procedures and data structures.
Exemplary Online Video Transfer Site Interface
FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary online video transfer site screen that allows
online users to rent digital video signals from the network video server
computer 130. According to one embodiment, when a user wishes to participate
in
online rental of digital video signals, for example digitally encoded movies,
the
online user enters a main website and is presented with the main website home
page
screen (movie home page) 200. The movie home page 200 provides access to
online catalog information regarding various digital video signals available
for
rental from the network video server computer 130 (e.g., text which is also
printed
on a video cassette box for the movie, reviews of the movie, or comments from
other users). The movie home page 200 also permits playing a trailer 202 of a
featured selection 204 and includes additional information such as the coming
soon
area 206, listing of the top five rentals 208 in clips and stills of various
digital video
signals available for rental. From the movie home page 200, the online user is
forwarded to various screens that allow the user to search and view various
digital
signals available for rental as well as the capability to download digital
video signals
for viewing on the user computer 102 at a later time.
As indicated above, the main website home page 200 is the first page
presented to a user upon entry into the main website. The home page 200
presents
the trailer 202 from a movie selected by the main website operator. The
trailer 202
begins playing (i.e., the video sequence begins) when the home page is
accessed.
The home page 200 also presents several movies to the user, such as by
displaying
an image and title for each movie, or by displaying an image of the front of a
video
cassette box for the movie. The home page 200 may also provide categories of
- 10-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
information to the user, such as, but not limited to, special or featured
movies or a
top 10 list of movies.
The user may also access additional information about a movie through the
video box, such as by mouse-clicking on the box or by selecting a command from
a
menu. The main website provides a distinction between selecting a movie for a
commercial transaction and for accessing additional information, such as by
right-
click versus left-click or distinct menu commands. Upon accessing additional
information for a movie, the website optionally begins playing the trailer for
or a
clip from the movie. Examples of additional information available include
images
and audio from the movie, images and text from the video cassette box, reviews
of
the movie (for example, by staff of the movie website, by third parties, by
users of
the movie website), or other links to websites related to the movie (for
example, a
page in a movie index website, the official website for the movie sponsored by
the
owner of the movie, or the official website for the soundtrack of the movie).
In one embodiment, a visual representation of the user's selection of services
with respect to movies may be provided on the main website. This visual
representation may have various information and formats such as, but not
limited to,
a table by movie for rental, purchase, recommendation, or remember. Services
may
be represented by graphical icons as well as by text.
The content of the movie home page 200 or other pages may be customized
to the user. For example, in one embodiment, a "Remember Engine" may be used
to preserve a list of one or more movies designated by a user as being of
interest
during a previous visit to the main website, as shown in FIG. 5. The list
could then
be viewed by the user on the movie home page 200 as a history of movies of
possible interest to the user. The Remember Engine may, for example, be
implemented in software routines.
Similarly, in one embodiment, a "Recommendation Engine" may be used to
customize the movie home page 200 or other pages. The Recommendation Engine
may, for example, be implemented in software routines that provide the user
with
suggestions of movies to download, as shown in FIG. 6. In one embodiment, the
Recommendation Engine will track user activity on the main website or
elsewhere,
for example, on other websites, to determine the movie preferences of the
user. As
- 11-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
an example, the Recommendation Engine may determine from the user's past
activity that the user prefers westerns or comedies. Similarly, the
Recommendation
Engine may determine that the user prefers movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock
or
another director. In another embodiment, the Recommendation Engine may suggest
movies to download based on responses to questions posed to the user on the
main
website or elsewhere, or based on the user's evaluation of movies. As an
example,
the Recommendation Engine may query the user about what categories of movies
the user likes (westerns, comedies, horror films) or what actors, directors,
or time
periods (1950's, 1960's ). In yet another embodiment, the Recommendation
Engine
may make movie suggestions based on a combination of the above-named factors.
The Recommendation Engine and the Remember Engine may also be used
for other purposes tailored to a particular user. For example, in some
embodiments, a "Push" feature is included for downloading a movie to a user's
computer (or storage device) before the user has selected a movie for
purchase.
When the user wants to purchase a license, the user may then immediately
access
one of these previously pushed movies without waiting for download to
complete.
The Push download may be requested by the user or performed
automatically by the movie website without any request from the user. When
performed automatically, the main website may download a movie which the user
has either previously designated using the Remember Engine or that has been
selected for the user by the Recommendation Engine. The designated or selected
movie is downloaded even though it was not specifically requested by the user
for
push download. Thus, no license is purchased at the time of the Push download.
The user may later obtain a license to view the movie by activating the movie
player
software on the user's computer system to play the movie. The user's movie
player
software contacts the main website and a determination is made as to whether
the
user has a valid license for playing the pushed movie. Because the user has
not yet
purchased a license for the pushed movie, the user is prompted to purchase a
license. If the user purchases a license, the user may then view the pushed
movie
according to the terms of the purchased license.
In one embodiment, the user may select several movies for Push download
without purchasing licenses for these movies. The main website would then
- 12-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
establish a "Push Queue" from which the selected movies would be sequentially
downloaded to the user's computer or storage device. In one embodiment, a
'Smart
Push" feature would include the ability to evaluate user settings on the main
website
and parameters of the user's computer or other storage device, such as
available
storage capacity, in order to determine whether a particular Push operation
should
be performed.
The Recommendation Engine may further be used, in some embodiments, to
select a trailer or clip of a movie to be played after accessing the user's
customized
homepage. Thus, the trailer or clip that the user sees upon accessing the main
website homepage will be tailored to the user's preferences. Further, extended
information such as, but not limited to, movie reviews, ratings, inside
industry
information (e.g., cast interviews), movie synopsis or production information,
links
to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), or the official website for the movie
or
soundtrack, may be provided to the user based on movies selected by the
Recommendation Engine.
In addition, in one embodiment, a movie selected by the Recommendation
Engine may be downloaded to the user in conjunction with a "Quick Pick"
feature
of the main website, shown in FIG. 7. When a user activates the Quick Pick
feature, the Recommendation Engine picks a movie, the main website completes a
commercial transaction to purchase a license for the selected movie, and the
selected
movie is then downloaded to the user.
In other embodiments, the user may also enter into a commercial transaction
to purchase a license for rental of the movie by clicking on a video box or
selecting
a command. In one embodiment, an interface for simple completion of commercial
transactions at the main website is provided. A user may complete a
transaction,
such as a rental, with a single action, such as a mouse-click or keystroke/key
combination. If credit card information has already been entered as part of
registration, the transaction may avoid repeating the request.
In still other embodiments, this streamlined transaction feature may
additionally be available from affiliate websites. Thus, a transaction may be
completed on the affiliate website by clicking on an icon for a movie on the
affiliate
- 13-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
website, confirming a rental transaction, and downloading the movie, without
displaying a web page from the main website.
A user may register with the main website through the movie home
page 200. Registration provides the user with enhanced access to the services
of the
S main website, such as purchases. Additional services include the open order
ticket
and a MyList feature, described as follows. The open order ticket provides a
user
with a listing including one or more digital video signals the user has
purchased for
rental but has not yet unlocked for view, while the MyList feature, as shown
in
FIG. 5, provides the user with a listing including one or more digital video
signals
designated by the user as being of interest during a previous visit to the web
site.
As discussed above, a list such as MyList may be generated by the Remember
Engine. Registration also provides a basis for customization of services to
the user.
Registration may provide to the main website demographic and marketing
information, as well as a basis for tracking user activity.
In some embodiments, demographic information may be used to compile a
database of licensing information for various regions (e.g., countries) that
may be
maintained by the main website. The main website may access the database to
provide parameters for available licenses for a movie according to the
determined
geographical location of a user requesting a movie. The license database may
also
indicate schedules of release and how licenses adjust as the movie shifts from
theatrical release, to pay per view, home video, etc. The main website uses
the
license information to determine what movies are available at a particular
time for a
particular place and under what conditions (e.g., cost, duration, method of
download, media classification). The determined availability may provide a
basis
for recommendations to users (e.g., alternatives or similarly priced movies).
The licensing information may also be used for accounting to third parties,
such as the studio owning the movie or an actor appearing in the movie. The
geographical location of the user may be determined from one or a combination
of
factors, including the credit card supplied to the main website, the Internet
Protocol
(IP) address of the user's computer system, geographical information provided
by
the operating system of the computer system, or certified Global Positioning
System
(GPS) data from the user's computer system or other storage device.
- 14-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
In some embodiments, marketing information obtained from user registration
may be used to determine other websites visited by the user. This information
may
then be used to develop relationships with affiliate sites which may provide
links to
the main website. The link may be to the main website home page or to a page
for
a specific movie available through the main website. A benefit, such as a
percentage of the proceeds from each movie rental derived from access through
the
affiliate website, may then be given to the affiliate website.
In further embodiments, coupons for discounts and rebates on services
offered by the main website or affiliate websites may be offered to the user
as
promotional gifts or rewards for referrals, multiple downloads, or non-
download
transfers (discussed below). Coupons may also be offered for a purchase, such
as
the digital video disc (DVD) for a movie, at an affiliate site from which the
user
entered the movie website. The coupons may be tailored to the information
derived
from the user in the registration process.
In yet another embodiment, licenses for "Movie Bundles" may be offered to
the user based on user registration information. A Movie Bundle may be a group
of
movies for which licenses may be purchased together at a discount. The bundles
may be defined by the movie website for specific movies, genres, numbers of
movies, or the movie website may provide an interface to the user for
designing a
bundle and determine the cost of the needed licenses.
In still another embodiment, a newsletter may be sent to users as email.
Users may subscribe to one or more newsletters. The movie website may send
newsletters to users generally or to selected users. Newsletters may be
tailored to
the user based on information such as, but not limited to, user registration
information or information derived from the Recommendation Engine, as
discussed
above. The newsletter informs the user of events at the movie website or
promotional activities, coming attractions, etc. The newsletter may be
customized.
The newsletter may include a link to a movie on the movie website or to a
streamlined transaction to provide a download directly from the newsletter.
In addition, community information may be posted by the user on the main
website. Users may supply information to the movie website to be viewed by
other
users, such as forums, reviews, fan art or stories, etc. Users may communicate
in
- 15-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
real-time, such as in conjunction with a streaming download being viewed by
multiple users. Community information may also provide a chat interface. Movie
exchanges between users may be facilitated on the chat interface, for example,
by
communication of download information for a user's particular machine from one
user to another. Movies may then be downloaded directly from a first user's
machine to a second user's machine.
The second user may then purchase a license for the movie by activating the
movie player software on the second user's computer system to play the movie.
The second user's movie player software contacts the main website and a
determination is made as to whether the second user has a valid license for
playing
the downloaded movie. Because the second user has not yet purchased a license
for
the downloaded movie, the user is prompted to purchase a license. If the user
purchases a license, the user may then view the pushed movie according to the
terms of the purchased license.
A browse page as described in further detail below, may be accessed from
the movie home page. The browse page provides access to all the movies
available
on the server. The movies may be organized in various ways, such as by title,
genre, license cost, or download time. The movies may be displayed in various
ways as well, such as in text lists, image lists, video box lists, grids, or
stacks. One
manner of displaying movies is in a horizontal row of video boxes, which may
be
caused to slide to the left or right, simulating the action of a carousel. A
user may
interact with the movies presented on the browse page in the same way as those
movies presented on the home page.
A search page may also be accessed from the movie home page 200. A user
may search within the available movies of the main website according to
various
criteria, such as title, actor, director, producer, date, genre, license cost,
or
download time. The results of the search may be presented in various formats
as
well, similar to the movies presented on the browse page. Again, a user may
interact with the movies presented on the search page in the same way as those
movies presented on the home page.
The main website may also provide movie pages. A movie page is a web
page serving as an access point to information about a movie. A movie page may
- 16-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
include various information and functions, such as commercial transaction
requests,
or the additional information described above. A movie page may be accessed by
selecting a movie and requesting the movie home page for the movie. The movie
page presentation may provide a more consolidated and discrete presentation of
information, rather than large amounts of information for multiple movies on a
single page.
As described herein, a trailer refers to a clip (video segment) or collection
of
clips from a movie played when a user enters the main website or selects a
movie in
the main website. As described herein, virtual video boxes refers to a
collection of
images from a video cassette box forming an online graphical representation of
virtual box of a video box. The image may be a direct image of the art and
text on
the physical box used for home video release, or may be a special online
version.
The carousel interface provides multiple virtual boxes or images presented in
one or
more rows which may be moved by the user. The boxes slide sideways with a
continuously animated action and variable speed to simulate a rack or carousel
being
rotated before the user, including a continued rotation (or momentum) prior to
coming to a complete stop. Alternatively, rotation of the multiple rows of
boxes
provides a user with a simulation of walking along racks of VHS video boxes
along
aisles within a video rental store. In some embodiments, the user may view the
front and back of the box, or manipulate the virtual box in 3D for rotation.
FIG. 8 is a further exemplary online video transfer site screen that allows
online users to participate in online rental of digital video signals.
According to one
embodiment, when an online user makes a request the search and browse digital
video signals available for online rental category interface screen 240 is
presented.
In accordance with one embodiment, the digital video signals are digitally
encoded
motion pictures such that information regarding each digitally encoded motion
picture appears as a virtual video box including original box art as appears
on a
VHS version of the video box. Using the user interface procedures 156, the
category interface screen 240 enables viewing of online category information
stored
in the catalog database 160. The category interface screen 240 enables
scrolling
rows of virtual box art one at a time or in a group within the carousel
interface 242,
such that movie rental from carousel of movies or from aisles of a video
rental store
- 17-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
is simulated. In addition, rows of virtual box art may be sorted based on sort
criteria provided by the user to a movie search engine of the network server
video
computer 130. Advantageously, in this manner, the category interface screen
240
simulates movie rentals from racks of aisles within a video rental store.
FIG. G is a further exemplary online video transfer site screen that allows
online users to participate in online rental of digital video signals.
According to this
embodiment, when an online user selects a digital video signal for rental,
checkout
screen 260 is presented. Using the price calculation procedures 154, the
checkout
screen 260 calculates and receives electronic payment from the user for the
selected
digital video signal thereby granting the user a license to view the selected
digital
video signal for a specified period of time. The checkout screen 260 provides
an
interface for a commercial transaction, such as a form to be completed or
queries to
the user for credit card information and confirmation of billing to the user's
credit
card. The specified period of time may be a twenty-four hour period, which
commences once the digital video signal is unlocked as further described
below.
Alternatively, the specified period of time may commence once downloading of
the
digital video signal is complete.
Once electronic payment is received, download screen 280 is presented as
depicted in FIG. 10. The download screen provides users with the information
regarding the file name and storage location for the downloaded digital video
signal
including the file size and duration time of the download. Using the video
delivery
procedures 150, the network video server computer 130 downloads an encrypted
version of the digital video signal to the user computer 102. Once the user
has
downloaded the selected digital video signal, the user may view the selected
digital
video signal using the video media procedures 118, such as a Windows media
player (movie player software 118). The movie player software 118 contacts the
network video server computer 130 to verify that the user has a proper license
for
the selected digital video signal at which time an unlock screen 300 is
presented as
depicted in FIG. 11. In one embodiment, the unlock screen offers an online
user
the following options: (1) download an unlock encryption key; (2) unlock the
digital video signal to enable viewing; and (3) renew an expired unlock
encryption
key. The unlock screen 300 provides an unlock encryption key enabling the
movie
- 18-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
player software 118 to produce a user-perceptible form of the selected digital
video
signal (i.e., to play a movie viewable by the user) during the specified
period of
time. The user may control playback similar to a VCR or DVD player utilizing
pause, rewind, as well as other commands.
License Access Levels
In some embodiments, an interface may be provided so that the user may
select a license access level. Licensed access to encoded digital files may be
defined
in levels, such as "view once immediately," "view once during a window (e.g.
24
hours)," "view unlimited times during a window," and "view unlimited times,"
as
shown in FIG. 12. A user may upgrade a license at a reduced cost relative to
an
initial purchase. For example, a user may initially purchase a license to view
a
movie during a 24 hour window and subsequently upgrade that license in order
to
view the movie an unlimited number of times during the 24 hour window. A
license discount may also be provided based on a previously purchased and
narrower license for the same movie. Alternatively, the main website service
operator may select an access level for a user, a group of users, or all users
from
the above listed levels and may then change the selected level as the operator
deems
appropriate. In other embodiments a license may be purchased or granted where
the
movie is viewed on a machine other than the machine to which the movie was
downloaded.
Further, a license for a movie may be purchased as a gift certificate. A gift
certificate may be purchased by a first user to grant access to a second user.
The
first user may purchase the license for the second user with or without
downloading
the movie. If the first user does not download the movie at the time of
purchasing
the license, the first user may, for example, be provided with a password to
give to
the second user that will allow the second user to download the movie to the
second
user's system or device.
In one embodiment, authentication of the license is based on a key derived
from the user's computer system (or other storage device) and from the movie.
The
key may also include further information such as, but not limited to, time of
download, location of the user's device, and the user's specific movie player.
Also,
- 19-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
in some embodiments, the key information may be included in the downloaded
movie. Thus, the movie, or copies of the movie, maintain the key information
and
access level information determined by the purchased license, if any. Thus, in
these
embodiments, once the second user has downloaded the movie to the second
user's
system or device, the license may only be authenticated for that system or
device.
Therefore, after the second user has downloaded the selected movie or
received the movie tangibly encoded onto portable storage media and wishes to
view
the movie, the second user may activate the movie player software on the
second
user's system or device, at which time the main website will be contacted to
verify
that the second user has a proper license for the selected movie. The second
user
may then access the movie in accordance with the license purchased by the
first
user, but the first user would not have access to the movie. If a gift
certificate
license was not purchased by the first user, the second user will be prompted
to
purchase a license.
Alternatively, if the first user downloads the selected movie to the first
user's system or device at the time of purchasing the license, the first user
will
again, for example, be provided with a password to give to the second user.
The
first user may then transfer the movie to the second user's system or device,
for
example, by a portable storage media such as a compact disc. Thus, after
transferring the movie from the first user's system or device to the second
user's
system or device, the second user will then be required to provide the
password to
the main website in order to allow the second user to receive a new license to
play
the movie on the second user's system or device without paying another license
fee.
The main website may ensure that the movie key is unlocked only on the second
user's system or device by canceling the first user's license before revealing
to the
first user the password for the second license.
Further, in other embodiments, a "Flexible Viewing" feature would be
included which enables the user's movie player to track the progress through
the
movie playback and to update licensing information to indicate that playback
has not
yet been completed. When the user later attempts to access the movie to
continue
viewing, the license verification confirms that the movie has not been
completely
viewed yet. Thus, the user is allowed to view a movie in multiple sessions
without
- 20
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
purchasing additional licenses. Additional information may be included to
track
rewind, amount of time spent viewing, or other factors to control abuse.
In further embodiments, a user may maintain a "Movie Library." The
Movie Library may be a collection of movies for which the user has unlimited
access. A user may purchase a license which allows the user to access the
movie an
unlimited number of times from different machines or storage devices. Thus, at
this
license level, it as though the user had a portable physical manifestation of
the
movie, such as a DVD.
The user or other users may access the Movie Library from any Internet
access point, subject to possible downloads. If the user transports a physical
copy
of a movie within the user's Movie Library to a different machine, the
download
time may be avoided and only the license verification need occur. Collateral
movies
may be included in the same license purchase (e.g., one purchase provides a
license
for the same movie stored in different encoding formats for different download
time
and image quality).
In one embodiment, the Movie Library is a "Dynamic Library." As
encoding technology improves, the same amount of storage space may provide a
higher quality image. A Dynamic Library allows a user to receive the latest
version
of the encoded file for the best image quality available. Thus, if an
alternative
version of a movie is made available, the Dynamic Library may update to that
version.
In further embodiments, an "Archive Management System" is implemented
to control abuse of files stored on the user's computer system or other
storage
device. Thus, the ability to interact with the file system on the user's
storage device
may be included as part of the main website. This may be accomplished, for
example, in cooperation with client software active on the user's storage
device.
The archive management system may be used for purposes such as, but not
limited
to, enforcement of licenses through the removal of downloaded movies which do
not have valid licenses or which have been abused. As an example, if movie
files
on the user's storage device have been tampered with in some way, for example
by
attempts to bypass the encryption key within the movie file, the Archive
Management System may detect such abuse and may override other file management
-21-
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
software on the user's storage device to delete the abused movie files. In
another
embodiment, the Archive Management System will determine if a movie was
received from another user (for example, by a client to client download) and
prompt
the user to purchase a license in order to view the movie.
Referring now to FIG. 13, a method 400 is depicted for obtaining a license
for rental of digital video signals within an online environment, for example,
in the
online digital video signal transfer apparatus 110 as depicted in FIG. 1.
Steps 402
through 408 illustrate some of the ways that a user may obtain content which
he
may then wish to access through the use of a valid license.
At step 402, the user has downloaded content from the network server
computer to the user's computer while concurrently purchasing a license for
the
content. Authentication of the license may be based on a key derived from the
user's computer system (or other storage device), the user's movie player
software,
or from the content. The key may also be authenticated based on a combination
of
information derived from these sources. Thus, under the circumstances
illustrated
in step 402, when the user activates the movie player software at step 410,
the user
will contact the main website and the license that was purchased when the
content
was downloaded to the user's computer will be authenticated if the key
contains the
expected information.
As an example, if the user downloaded the content to the user's machine and
the key was based on information derived from that machine, then the user's
license
is authenticated at step 410 as long as the user is activating the movie
player
software on the same computer, because the information contained in the key
matches the expected information. Thus, the user could proceed to step 414 and
could view the content. However, if the content that was downloaded to and
matched to the user's computer was then transferred to another computer, when
the
user of that computer activates the movie player software at step 410 and
contacts
the main website, the license is not authenticated because the key does not
contain
the expected information. Thus, the user proceeds to step 416 and is prompted
to
purchase a valid license for the content. If the user purchases a license, the
user
proceeds to step 414 and can view the content.
- 22 -
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
As described above, the key may also be based on the content. Thus, in the
case of content that is part of the user's Movie Library, i.e. movies for
which the
user has obtained a license with which the user may access the movies from any
Internet access point, when the user activates the movie player software at
step 410
and contacts the main website, the license is authenticated because the key is
based
on the content and not on a particular computer system or movie player
software.
At step 404 in FIG. 13, the user has pre-existing content on the user's
computer system or other storage device. The pre-existing content may have
been
on the system when the system was purchased by the user, for example, as part
of a
promotional campaign. Under the circumstances illustrated by step 404, the
user
will not yet have purchased a license for the pre-existing content. Thus, when
the
user activates the movie player software at step 410 and contacts the main
website,
the license is not authenticated. The user therefore proceeds to step 416 and
is
prompted to purchase a valid license for the content. If the user purchases a
license,
the user proceeds to step 414 and can view the content.
At step 406 in FIG. 13, the user is a third party user, i.e., the third party
user is not the person who originally downloaded the content from the network
server computer. The third party user may have obtained the content, for
example,
by downloading it from a first user's computer system or other storage device.
The
third party user may also have transferred the content from the first user's
system to
the third party user's system by means of portable storage media. The first
user
may or may not have previously purchased a license for the content. The third
party user may have also obtained the content by downloading it from an
affiliate
website without purchasing a license from the main website.
Under the circumstances illustrated by step 406, the third party user has not
yet purchased a license for the content. As discussed above, authentication of
the
license may be based on a key derived from the user's computer system (or
other
storage device), the user's movie player software, or from the content. Thus,
if the
first user purchased a license and if the key is based on the first user's
computer
system or movie player software, the third party user does not have a valid
license
to view the content on the third party user's computer system. If the first
user did
not purchase a license, then, of course, the third party user will not have a
valid
- 23 -
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
license either. Therefore, at step 412, the license will not be authenticated
and the
third party user proceeds to step 416 and is prompted to purchase a valid
license for
the content. If the third party user purchases a license, the third party user
proceeds
to step 414 and can view the content.
At step 408 in FIG. 13, the user has portable physical media which contains
content derived from the network server computer. The user may have received
the
portable storage media from another user. The user may also have received the
portable storage media via the main website or from another website, for
example,
as part of a promotional campaign.
Under the circumstances illustrated by step 408, the user has not yet
purchased a license for the content. Thus, when the user activates the movie
player
software at step 410 and contacts the main website, the license is not
authenticated.
The user therefore proceeds to step 416 and is prompted to purchase a valid
license
for the content. If the user purchases a license, the user proceeds to step
414 and
can view the content.
Downloading Of Encoded Digital Files
In one embodiment, the user may download the encrypted digital files
directly to the user's computer system or other storage device. However, in
another
embodiment, the user may also choose to download to a remote storage device.
Thus, a user may specify a storage device for download different from the
computer
system or other device with which the user is accessing the main website. As
an
example, the user may access the main website from an office device and
download
a movie to the user's home device.
In another embodiment, the movie would be viewable during the download
process. Thus, the movie may be viewed from memory such as, but not limited
to,
RAM, or, with a delay, a hard disk, before the file has been completely
downloaded.
Downloading from the main website involves certain costs in resources,
time, and maintenance. Accordingly, incentives, such as coupons and other
rewards discussed above, are offered to users to take advantage of certain
download
avoidance methods. In one embodiment, a first user may transfer a previously
downloaded encoded digital file from a first device to a second device
belonging to
- 24 -
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
a second user. The second user may then obtain a license to access the encoded
digital file. In this way, a second downloading process and its associated
costs to
the main website are avoided. In this embodiment, the second user will be
prompted to purchase a license in order to view the movie.
In further embodiments, the main website will include a "Movie Share"
feature. A list of movies previously downloaded by a first user may be posted
on
the main website . Other users may access the list and download movies
directly
from the first user's device. A license may subsequently be purchased from the
main website without downloading the movie itself from the main website.
Again,
the Movie Share feature avoids a second downloading process and its associated
costs to the main website.
In further embodiments, the main website will include a "Smart Download"
feature. The Smart Download feature could download a digital file using a
preferred channel and time. The preferred channel may be determined in
agreement
with user-supplied parameters, possibly at the suggestion of the movie
website.
Because the movie website has access to scheduling information for all
downloads to
occur, the main website may predict what time and channel will be most
efficient in
terms of speed, cost, and bandwidth use. For example, when a new movie becomes
available on the movie website which is known to be a very popular movie, the
movie website may assume that traffic will be heavy and provide downloads over
multiple channels, such as the Internet and satellite broadcast. Users will be
assigned a download channel and time according to a best effort to accommodate
the
user in light of the current situation. Similarly, the movie website could
provide a
download through broadcast, such as satellite, as part of a promotional
activity and
sell licenses for those downloaded movies at a discount.
In further embodiments, the main website may offer a "Flexible Rental"
feature. The cost of a rental license could be based on the cost of a
requested
download or use. For example, various discounts may be provided which reflect
reduction in resource costs to provide the movie to the user by avoiding
download
costs. By allowing the movie website to download the movie over a slower
connection or at low traffic time, the user may receive a discount. The user
may
also receive a discount by purchasing a license for access sometime in the
future. In
- 25 -
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
addition, the user may receive a discount by purchasing a rental license again
within
a period of time after a previous rental of the same movie.
In further embodiments, a user may download a digital file to a portable
storage media. For example, the user may purchase a license allowing a
downloaded file to be stored on and accessed from a portable media, including,
but
not limited to, CD-R, CD-RW, or DVD. The DVD may be a standard DVD
encoding or may still require license verification from the main website to be
accessed.
In further embodiments, the main website may include a "Download
Interruption Recovery" feature. An interruption may occur, for example,
because
of a network or power failure. Download Interruption Recovery would ensure the
resumption or retransmission of an interrupted download process. The main
website may track download progress and resume the download to complete the
transfer or begin the transfer anew.
Operation
Referring now to FIG. 14, a method S00 is depicted for rental of digital
video signals within an online environment, for example, in the online digital
video
signal transfer apparatus 110 as depicted in FIG. 1. At step 502, access is
provided
to an online catalog stored within a memory of a network video server
computer 130 such as for example, the catalog database 160. The online catalog
includes information regarding digital video signals available for rental from
the
network video server computer 130. At step 512, a request is received from a
client
computer 102 for rental of a digital video signal selected from the online
catalog for
a specified period of time. The request generally includes payment information
such as electronic payment by credit card number based on the selected digital
video
signal and the specified period of time. Finally, at step 514, the digital
video signal
is transmitted to the client computer 102 via communications link 120. The
digital
video signal, once downloaded, is viewable by a user of the client computer
during
the specified period of time which begins once the digital video signal is
unlocked as
described below. Once the specified period of time is expired, the user must
- 26 -
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
request and make further payments for viewing of the digital video signal for
additional specified periods of time.
FIG. 15 depicts additional method steps 504 for providing access to online
catalog information stored within the catalog database 160 of step 502, for
example,
in the category interface screen 240 as depicted in FIG. 8. At step 506, the
online
catalog is viewed via carousel interface 242 such that information regarding
each
digital video signal is presented within one or more vertically rotatable
rows. In
accordance with a further embodiment, the digital video signal is a digitally
encoded
motion picture, such that information regarding each digitally encoded motion
picture appears as a virtual video box including original box art as appears
on a
VHS version of the motion picture box. At step 508, one or more rows of
virtual
box art are scrolled in a sliding, sideways manner one at a time or in a
group, such
that movie rental from a carousel of movies or from aisles of a video store is
simulated. Finally, at step 510, the rows of virtual box art may be sorted
based on
sort criteria provided to a movie search engine of the network video server
130.
FIG. 16 depicts additional method steps 516, such that the digital video
signal is encrypted prior to transmission to the client computer 102. At step
518 the
digital video signal is opened by the user using the movie player software
118. At
step 520 the user is redirected to a website to obtain an unlock encryption
key such
as the unlock screen 300 (FIG. 11) in accordance with the rental procedures
152. In
one embodiment, the server 130 checks whether an unlock encryption key has
been
issued or activated for the movie to be accessed and requires a new license to
be
purchased to obtain additional keys. In accordance with the rental procedure
152,
the unlock key becomes associated with the client machine 102, for example,
through a system file of the client computer and data stored on the server 130
indicating the key and the downloaded copy of the movie. Association of the
unlock
key with the client computer 102 prevents users from copying the unlocked
digital
video signal to several computers for unlicensed usage.
At step 522 the digital video signal is enabled for viewing in accordance with
the terms of the purchased license, for example, for a specified period of
time using
the unlock encryption key, such that the unlock key stores the time at which
it was
unlocked and initiates the specified period of time for rental. In one
embodiment,
- 27 -
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
the unlock encryption key may be activated at any time after being downloaded
from the server 130. In this case, the time period does not begin until the
key is
activated. In addition, the unlock key stores a machine identifier such, for
example
a machine ID of the client computer 102. During the specified period of time,
the
unlock key verifies that the machine ID of the computer matches the stored
machine
ID in response to any user attempt to replay the digital video signal.
Finally, at
step 524, the unlock encryption key is disabled once the specified period of
time has
expired, thus inhibiting further replaying of the digital video signal. The
specified
period of time may be a 24-hour period. Consequently, following the 24-hour
period, the user is required to obtain an additional unlock encryption key in
order to
view the digital video signal for a further 24-hour period as described above
with
respect to the unlock encryption key.
A content database 158 provides storage including electronic video data files
such as movies digitally encoded using a conventional encoding scheme such as
MPEG 1, MPEG 2 or MPEG 4 in accordance with the content preparation
procedures 148. Movies may be provided by one or more movie owners such as
movie studios. The files are stored in a secure format such that the digitally
encoded motion pictures are encrypted using conventional techniques such as a
public-private key system. In addition, watermarks that indicate the source of
the
specific file may be included as data in the file. A movie file may be
examined for
a particular watermark, for example by the Archive Management System discussed
above, in order to determine whether the movie file is a genuine movie file
downloaded from the main website. Thus, watermarks may be useful for license
verification as well as controlling piracy.
Several aspects of one implementation of the movie transfer system for
providing a movie to a user for viewing have been described. However, various
implementations of the movie transfer system provide numerous features
including,
complementing, supplementing, and/or replacing the features described above.
Features may be implemented as part of the server or as part of the user's
computer
system in different implementations.
It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and
advantages of various embodiments of the present invention have been set forth
in
- 28 -
CA 02405492 2002-10-03
WO 01/78367 PCT/USO1/11124
the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function
of
various embodiments of the invention, this disclosure is illustrative only.
Changes
may be made in detail, especially matters of structure and management of parts
within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by
the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
For example, the particular element may vary depending on the particular
application for the novel mixed storage format while maintaining substantially
the
same functionality without departing from the scope and spirit of the present
invention.
In addition, although the embodiment described herein is directed to a video
transfer system for enabling online rental of digitally encoded movies, it
will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that the teaching of the present
invention may
be applied to other systems. In fact, systems for online rental of digitally
encoded
songs, books, television programming, radio programming, and any other content
(audio, video, text, etc.) which may be digitized or encoded and stored as an
electronic file are within the teachings of the present invention, without
departing
from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
The present invention provides many advantages over known techniques.
The present invention includes the ability to rent motion pictures without
having to
provide additional monies for purchase of the motion pictures. In addition,
the
present invention provides an interface which simulates the actual rental of
video
cassettes or DVDs of motion pictures within a video rental store. Moreover,
during
the specified period of rental, the user is allowed to view the motion picture
as
many times as desired, thereby simulating the actual rental of video cassettes
or
DVDs of feature length motion pictures.
Having disclosed exemplary embodiments and the best mode, modifications
and variations may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within
the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
- 29 -
