Patent ID: 9129322
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: under control of one or more computing systems of a content provider, the one or more computing systems configured with specific executable instructions, acquiring, from a publisher of an electronic book, permission to rent the electronic book to individuals, wherein the acquiring comprises acquiring a plurality of licenses to access content of the electronic book and agreeing to provide a first payment to the publisher for an initial rental of the electronic book and a second, lesser amount to the publisher for a subsequent rental of the electronic book; receiving a rental request from a client device of an individual to rent an electronic book, the rental request specifying a period of time for the individual to rent the electronic book; providing, by the one or more computer systems, a single license from the plurality of licenses to the client device for the individual to access the electronic book for the period of time specified by the rental request, wherein providing the single license decreases the plurality of licenses available to the content provider by one; when the period of time for the individual to rent the electronic book ends, receiving the single license from the client device, wherein the individual is no longer able to access the electronic book when the single license is not present on the client device; and responsive to receiving the single license from the client device, increasing the plurality of licenses available to the content provider by one.