Abstract:
A system for electronic distribution of books and other media. The system includes a number of self-service stations from which a customer can select and order items and download the ordered item to a portable reader a or smart card. The system may include cryptoprocessing capabilities in order to prevent illicit duplication and distribution of items. The self-service stations are connected to a network of servers which provide access to information and capabilities, such as access to available titles which may be stored in a remote location, the ability to provide audio and video conferencing for customer assistance or as a special feature, such as a conference with an author, or access to customer account information. The system may collect and store customer information in order to provide the customer with an enhanced shopping experience, for example by collecting and analyzing purchase information in order to identify customer areas of interest and suggest purchases likely to interest the customer.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to electronic distribution of information. More particularly, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for sale and distribution of electronic books and other copyrighted information.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Electronic distribution of information has gained greatly in importance with the proliferation of personal computers, and has undergone a tremendous upsurge in popularity and importance as the Internet has become more widely available and more popular. With the widespread use of the Internet, it has become possible to distribute large, coherent units of information, such as books, by electronic means. Various sources exist which make books available for download over ordinary Internet connections such as dialup connections. Downloading a book in this manner is relatively slow if downloading is performed through a dialup connection. Books downloaded in this manner are inconvenient to use, because they are typically readable only through the use of a computer. It is possible to print a downloaded book using a computer printer, but this is slow and expensive for large volumes of printing. Moreover, access to different parts of a work when viewed on a computer is provided by searching, or by scrolling back and forth through the work. The quick access provided by simply opening a paper book and thumbing through its pages is not available in a downloaded book read on a computer screen.  
         [0003]     Because of these limitations, it is unlikely that a consumer would pay an amount near the full retail price for a downloaded book having these limitations, and the most widespread distribution of electronic books is performed by philanthropic enterprises which distribute books which are in the public domain, or books for which free licenses for electronic distribution can be obtained.  
         [0004]     Recently, dedicated electronic book readers have been introduced into the market. The typical electronic book reader is a handheld digital device having an LCD panel and enough memory and processing capability to store several books and retrieve and display a book or portion of a book for reading. This dedicated approach increases the convenience of reading electronic books, and makes it more likely that they will be widely accepted in the marketplace. In addition, a portable electronic book reader containing a number of stored books weighs significantly less than the same number of paper books. This makes an electronic book reader a particularly attractive alternative to the actual paper books in situations such as air travel. A traveler might well be willing to carry an electronic book reader containing a collection of books which would be too heavy to carry if the collection consisted of conventional paper books.  
         [0005]     A widespread and convenient distribution system would greatly increase customer acceptance of electronic books. Consumer acceptance will be enhanced if a system can be provided in a place where a customer is likely to frequently go, such as a supermarket, or where having such a system readily available would increase the likelihood and convenience of impulse purchases, such as an airport gift shop or hotel lobby. Acceptance will also be enhanced if the system allows easy access to a wide variety of titles in a single location, with provisions to allow browsing or searching of titles, or other means of finding titles matching customer interests. Acceptance would also be enhanced if the system could be operated directly by the customer. A system which could be efficiently and conveniently operated by a customer would avoid the need for customers to wait for assistance from a retailer employee. A customer operated system would also allow distribution in locations where it was costly or inconvenient to offer in-person employee assistance, and would thus allow for a wider variety of placement locations. Customers could also be served on a round-the-clock basis.  
         [0006]     At present, a further obstacle to widespread distribution of electronic books is the problem of piracy. Piracy is not a problem with paper books, as the cost of illicitly duplicating a paper book is typically greater than the cost of purchasing a new copy. With electronic media, however, duplication can be both simple and inexpensive. In the absence of sufficient safeguards, a customer could pay for and download a single copy of a book, and could then distribute illicit copies. Any distribution system for electronic books must include safeguards or other aspects to prevent piracy, or the system cannot be commercially viable.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention advantageously addresses such problems as those outlined above. One information distribution system according to the present invention includes a plurality of customer self-service stations adapted to transfer data to a portable reader or alternatively to a smart card. Each station includes a point of sale terminal for processing financial information, as well as information processing resources for retrieving electronic books and other information and transferring the information to portable readers or smart cards. The system provides servers for supporting the self-service stations by providing content for distribution, advertising and customer interface selections, as well as for the collection and processing of customer information collected from the self-service stations. Each station collects customer information based on customer selections made at the station or stored in a portable reader or smart card. The customer information is transferred to a central repository and processed for merchandising or customer incentive purposes. When a customer initiates a session at a self-service station, the station retrieves customer information from the central repository as well as from the reader or smart card, and uses the customer information to develop menus and offer suggestions. Customer inputs are used to make selections and conduct transactions, and to select from various help and conference options. The station may also offer incentives based on retrieved customer information and customer inputs.  
         [0008]     A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following Detailed Description and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates a distribution station for sale and delivery books and other electronic information according to the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a distribution system for the sale and delivery of electronic information according to the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates a method of customer interface with an electronic distribution network according to the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates additional steps of a method of customer interface with an electronic distribution network according to the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary introductory menu suitably displayed by an electronic distribution station according to the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  illustrates a menu displayed in response to a selection from the introductory menu of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  illustrates a further menu displayed in response to a selection from the menu of FIG.  6 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  illustrates an electronic information reader for use with a distribution system according to the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  illustrates additional details of an electronic distribution system according to the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  illustrates a method of electronic information distribution according to the present invention; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 11  illustrates a method of purchase and usage analysis according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  illustrates a distribution station  100  according to the present invention, which may be suitably used by a customer to download of electronic books and other information. The station  100  is suitable for placement in any location which provides required power and data connections, and which provides an appropriate indoor environment with necessary shelter from the elements. The station is thus suitable for use in a typical book or music store, but may also be employed in locations not typically devoted to bookselling, such as a general merchandise store, supermarket, airport or gas station. The station  100  comprises a point of sale terminal  102 , which includes an LCD panel  104  which is suitably a touch screen panel for information entry by the customer or other operator. The terminal  102  also includes a magnetic stripe reader  106 , a smart card reader  108 , a bar code scanner  110 , a loudspeaker  112 , and may also suitably include a camera  114  and a microphone  116  for allowing remote communication and assistance to a customer operating the station  100 .  
         [0021]     The terminal  102  may suitably be mounted on a pedestal  118 , which also houses a downloading cradle  120  and a CD writer  122 . The pedestal  118  also houses a printer  124  which may print transaction information, available title lists, or other information which the customer may wish to receive on paper. The pedestal  118  may contain advertising signs such as sign  126 . Additionally or alternatively, the terminal  102  may be programmed to display advertising messages on the LCD panel  104  while not being operated by a customer.  
         [0022]     In order to download a book, a customer places an electronic book reader  128  into the cradle  120 . The terminal  102  is activated and presents a menu of choices to the customer through the LCD panel  104 . The customer makes the necessary selections and tenders payment by passing or swiping a credit or debit card through the magnetic stripe reader  106 . Upon proper selection and tender of payment, the station  100  retrieves the selected title and transfers it to the reader  128 . The station  100  may include books stored locally on appropriate storage media, or may retrieve books from a remote server for transfer.  
         [0023]     In order to prevent piracy, the station  100  preferably provides means to prevent recopying of downloaded books without authorization. One way to achieve this is through encryption of the downloaded data. This can be done with public key encryption. Each reader  128  can generate a key pair upon first use. Each time a book is downloaded to a reader  128 , the reader can supply its public key to the station for encryption of the downloaded data. The data can then be encrypted in the station  100 . The station  100  transmits the encrypted data to the reader  128 . In order to convert the encrypted data into plaintext, the reader  128  decrypts the data using its own private key, which is associated with the public key provided to the station  100 . In this way, a book can be provided to a reader such as the reader  128  in a secure way, without the customer being able to generate multiple illicit copies of the book to provide to other people.  
         [0024]     The station  100  also provides an alternative way of transferring data. The customer can be provided with a smart card  129  for insertion in the reader  108 . In addition to containing information about the customer, for example, customer preferences, the smart card  129  can be programmed with a key pair. When the smart card  129  is inserted into the smart card reader  108 , the station  100  reads the public key. Then, when a customer has chosen a book for download and the download process is ready to begin, the station  100  encrypts the book using the public key read from the smart card. The station  100  transmits the encrypted data to the reader  128 . Then, in order to read the book, the customer inserts the smart card into the reader  128 . The reader  128  retrieves the private key from the smart card  129  and decrypts the data using the private key. If this arrangement is used, a reader such as the reader  128  can be designed to allow the transfer of a book to another reader, but the book cannot be read without the smart card  129 . If a smart card has sufficient memory capacity, the book could simply be loaded directly onto the card, without a need to download the book directly to the reader  128 . This would greatly enhance the user&#39;s convenience in downloading books, and would make purchasing much easier.  
         [0025]     The station  100  is also capable of reading customer information from the reader  128  or the smart card  129 . Information previously stored, either from direct customer entries or from analysis of customer reading and purchase habits, may be extracted from the reader  128  or the smart card  129  by the station  100 . The station  100  either may store the customer information and may also relay it to a central repository. In either event, the customer information may be processed and used for merchandising or as part of a customer incentive program or other program designed to promote customer loyalty.  
         [0026]     If media such as music or computer software is to be purchased, the station  100  may retrieve the appropriate data and use the CD writer  122  to create a CD. Financial information may be supplied by customer inputs at the terminal  102 , and customer preference information may be taken from a smart card  129  or book reader  128  in the same way as with book purchases described above.  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates an electronic distribution system  200  for the distribution of electronic books and the receipt of marketing and service information. The system  200  includes one or more store systems such as the store system  201 . The store system  201  comprises a plurality of customer self-service stations  202 A- 202 N, similar to the station  100  of  FIG. 1 . The stations  202 A- 202 N are connected to a first network hub  204 , which is in turn connected to a self service station server  206 . The station server  206  provides a connecting point for providing services to stations in a single location such as a retail store. The self service station server  206  connects to an advertising server  208  and a bookstore content server  210 . The self service station server is also connected to a second network hub  212  which provides connection to a local help desk  214  and a point of sale server  216 . The point of sale server  216  provides connection to a point of sale network  218 . The second network hub  212  also provides connection to one or more store backoffice servers such as store backoffice server  220 . The backoffice server  220  provides a connection to a store headquarters network  222  which provides services to the store system  201  and other similar store systems. The store headquarters network  222  is connected to an advertising generator  224  and a remote help desk  226 . The self-service station server  206 , advertising server  208 , bookstore content server, store backoffice server  220  and store headquarters network  222  are preferably connected to the Internet  228  to provide a convenient means for information transmission. Each of these components preferably possesses encryption capability for secure transmission over the Internet  228 . The advertising generator  224  makes advertising content to each store system such as the store system  201 . The advertising content may be displayed on each of the stations  202 A- 202 N in response to predetermined choices. In addition, customer data and customer responses may be used to select advertising content to be displayed on a specific station. The local help desk  214  or remote help desk  226  may be connected to a station in response to a customer command to connect to the local help desk  214  or remote help desk  226 . Additionally, the self service station server  206  may examine customer selections and make contact with the help desk in response to erroneous selections.  
         [0028]     The distribution system  200  of  FIG. 2  allows for analysis of the purchasing and usage habits of each customer, and therefore allows targeted marketing directed toward each customer. This can begin as soon as a customer connects a book reader to a station. The book reader possesses a user identification, which may be in the form of a public key as discussed above. When the customer inserts the book reader into the station, the station reads the user identification. Upon receiving the user identification, the station transmits the identification to the self service station server  206 . The station server  206  retrieves customer data, either from local storage or from a remote location such as the point of sale server  216 . The self service station server  206  then transmits the customer data to the station, and the station uses the customer data to construct and display a greeting menu adapted to the customer. The menu may include content suggestions generated from the customer&#39;s in-store purchase history, the customer&#39;s browsing and purchase history at the self-service station in the store, and patterns established by the customer&#39;s previous downloads. Alternatively, content suggestions may be based on an examination by the station of the current content of the reader. The station examines the content of the reader in order to accomplish this. As a further alternative, the menu may be constructed using a favorites list constructed by the customer, either through the self-service station or on the reader itself.  
         [0029]     Functions which may be selected from the menu include content selection. If content selection is chosen, the terminal makes suggestions based on the customer information received as described above, and additionally allows searching and browsing for content. Additional menu items include viewing and editing of account information, audio and video conferencing with a sales representative or help desk staff, viewing of special promotions, or customer surveys. In addition, menu selections are provided for browsing or searching through available content, and selection and downloading of content.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates the steps of a method  300  of customer interface with a self-service terminal according to the present invention. At step  302 , a self-service station engages in an idle loop. The self-service station may suitably be similar to the station  100  of  FIG. 1 . The idle loop comprises functions which are repeatedly performed until the loop is interrupted by a customer input. Idle functions may be operations designed to call attention to the station or to provide useful information, such as video and audio programs describing items available for downloading. At step  304 , upon a customer&#39;s approach to the station and placement of a storage device within a suitable receptacle in the station, contact is established between the station and the customer. The storage device may be a portable reader, placed into a cradle, or a smart card, inserted into a suitable slot in the station. The establishment of contact interrupts the idle loop and the process proceeds to step  306 . At step  306 , the station obtains customer information from the contact device, uploading a portable reader identification or a smart card identification, along with any necessary keys, as well as customer preference information, such as a customer list stored within the device or the currently existing downloaded content in the device.  
         [0031]     Next, at step  308 , the station examines the customer information to determine customer preferences, and uses the customer preference determination to produce customer-specific information to be displayed in the opening menu. Customer-specific information may include the customer information gathered from the device, as well as customer buying habits stored in the station or obtained by the station from a central location. Next, at step  310 , the customer-specific information is combined with general information to produce an opening menu for display. Next, at step  312 , the opening menu is displayed. The opening menu preferably includes a greeting, available commands such as searching, browsing, viewing and editing account information, viewing promotions, and participating in surveys. The opening menu also displays customer-specific menu items based on the customer information, as well as general suggestions such as bestsellers, new titles, and staff recommendations. At step  314 , customer selections from the menu are detected. Next, at step  316 , the selection is examined to determine if the customer has directed termination of the session. If the customer has terminated the session, the process returns to step  302 . If the customer has not terminated the session, the process proceeds to step  318  and operations are performed according to the selection made. The operations may include the generation of subsequent menus, searching or browsing, transfer of information such as the downloading of books, or other operations. The process then returns to step  310 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  illustrates in greater detail a sequence of operations for carrying out step  308  of  FIG. 3  above, showing additional details of generating the customer-specific information derived from the customer information collected at step  306  of  FIG. 3 . At step  402 , the customer&#39;s purchase history is retrieved from a central database. This retrieved history may include various categories browsed in the past, previews or excerpts read, and responses to surveys. The customer history stored in the database may be derived either from past transactions conducted at a station, or may include activities performed with a portable reader such as the reading of excerpts or the completion of surveys on the reader. Whenever a reader or smart card is presented, this stored information may be uploaded to the central server, making it available for retrieval. At step  404 , advertising content for integration into the menu is retrieved. Next, at step  406 , the purchase history and advertising content information is processed to generate Java code forming a Java applet. At step  408 , the customer information stored in the contact device is retrieved. This information may include currently existing content, or a customer history file showing currently existing and previously existing but discarded content. Other available information may include customer preference information such as menu appearance and content. The customer information stored in the contact device is used as input to the Java applet. The Java applet thus produced is suitable for integration with other items to form a menu or other display.  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary introduction screen  500  incorporating retrieved customer information. The introduction screen  500  includes a personal greeting  502  and a list of available menu selections, in this case the selections  504 A- 504 J. When a customer chooses one of the selections  504 A- 504 J, a subsequent menu is displayed. The specific menu which is displayed depends on the selection made.  
         [0034]      FIG. 6  illustrates a suggestions menu  600  presented after the customer has chosen a selection such as the selection  504 A of  FIG. 5 , indicating a desire to receive suggestions based on previous purchases. The suggestions menu  600  includes title suggestions developed from stored customer information indicating the customer&#39;s preferences and desires. The selections include fiction selections  602 , with various titles by Anne Tyler being presented based on the customer&#39;s previous activity. The selections also include nonfiction selections  604 , with various guides to travel destinations in Florida presented as selections. Upon selection of a title, the customer will be presented with a subsequent display and given further information about the title, along with an opportunity to purchase the title or, alternatively, to select a previous or different menu.  
         [0035]      FIG. 7  illustrates a search menu  700  generated in response to the selection of item  504 D of  FIG. 5 . The customer makes entries in one or more of the search fields  702 A- 702 D and submits the search. A search is then conducted of the database to identify titles matching the entries which have been made, and identified titles are displayed. The fields  702 A- 702 D are presented here as examples, but it will be recognized that numerous other fields may be employed for searching.  
         [0036]      FIG. 8  illustrates a portable reader  800  suitable for use in a system according to the present invention. The reader  800  includes a microprocessor  802  which is connected to a RAM  804  and a flash ROM  806 . The microprocessor  802  communicates with a liquid crystal display (LCD) controller  808 . The LCD controller  808  may suitably be integrated into the microprocessor  802 . The LCD controller  808  controls an LCD panel  810 . The microprocessor  802  is connected to a user interface  812  and a clock circuit  814  which receives power from a clock battery  816 . The microprocessor  802  is also connected to a communications controller  818  which manages communication between the reader  800  and a station such as the station  100  of  FIG. 1 . The communications controller  818  is connected to a serial interface  820 , which provides RS-232 or infrared communication as desired. The communications controller  818  is also connected to a universal serial bus (USB) controller  822 . The microprocessor  802  is also connected to a smart card interface circuit  824 , which allows information transfer between the reader  800  and a smart card.  
         [0037]     The reader  800  also includes a power circuit  828  for supplying appropriate voltages to the various components. The power circuit  828  receives power from a battery  830  which is connected to a battery charging circuit  832 . The battery charging circuit  832  includes charging contacts  834 A and  834 B for connection to external power.  
         [0038]      FIG. 9  illustrates in greater detail the internal components of a point of sale station  900  suitable for use as the station  100  of  FIG. 1 . The station  900  includes a motherboard  902 . The motherboard  902  includes a processor  904 , such as an Intel PENTIUM® or other suitable processor. Other electronics residing on the motherboard  902  include memory  906  which may suitably be DRAM memory, flash ROM  908 , a PC Interface (PCI) bus  910 , an LCD interface  912 , a serial interface  914 , a magnetic card reader interface  916 , a touchscreen interface  918 , an audio interface  920 , a universal serial bus  922  and an ethernet connection  924 . The station  900  also includes a magnetic card reader  926  communicating with the magnetic card reader interface  916 , a touch-sensitive screen  928  communicating with the touchscreen interface  918 , an LCD panel  919  connected to and receiving signals from the LCD interface  912 , and a microphone  930 , speakers  932  and headphones  934 , all communicating with the audio interface  920 . The terminal  900  also includes a barcode scanner  936 , thermal printer  938  and smart card reader  940 , all communicating with the serial interface  914 .  
         [0039]     Communicating with the motherboard  902  via the USB  922  are a video camera  942  and an electronic book cradle  944 . The electronic book cradle  944  includes a USB interface  946  for communication with the motherboard  902 . The cradle  944  also includes a power circuit  948  used to provide power to a reader when the reader is placed in the cradle  944 . The power circuit  948  communicates with the motherboard  902  and applies power to a reader only upon receiving a command from the motherboard  902 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 10  illustrates a method  1000  of electronic book distribution according to the present invention. Before the process begins, a customer approaches a distribution station such as the station  100  of  FIG. 1 , which may advantageously operate as part of a distribution system such as the distribution system of  FIG. 2 . The distribution system may advantageously include a plurality of self-service stations and terminal servers, advertising servers, content servers and other connecting infrastructure necessary to provide content and gather information needed to conduct transactions. At step  1004 , the station operates in an active idle condition, receiving needed information from servers and awaiting customer input. At step  1006 , contact is initiated in response to placement by the customer of a reader, smart card, or other contact device in the station. Next, at step  1008 , the station retrieves customer identification and other information from the contact device. At step  1010 , the station retrieves appropriate information from one or more servers. The information retrieved may be stored customer information, available title information, or other information describing specials, promotions, or other information to be used in communicating with the customer. Retrieved information may include the customer&#39;s stored purchase history, either at the individual site or station, or throughout the system. Other information may include the customer&#39;s browsing history, the presently existing content in the reader or other contact device, or the customer&#39;s previous downloading history. Next, at step  1012 , the station displays an opening menu incorporating the retrieved information. Available menu selections may include skipping to immediate content selection, viewing or editing account information, audio/video conferencing, viewing of promotions, or surveys. At step  1014 , a customer menu selection is detected and interpreted. If the customer has selected termination of the session, the process terminates at step  1004 . If the customer has chosen an option other than termination, the process proceeds according to the selection made.  
         [0041]     If the customer chooses content selection, the process proceeds to step  1016  and a list of content categories is displayed, including bestsellers, new titles, staff selections, titles with favorable press reviews, and titles receiving a high score in surveys among electronic book users. Additional choices are presented such as searching by desired fields such as title, subject or author, or browsing by desired fields, such as alphabetical author or subject. The operation proceeds in accordance with subsequent selections and data inputs, with subsequent menus being generated and displayed as appropriate, and with titles being retrieved from a remote server and downloaded to the contact device when a selection is made. Once a selection is made, or once a customer selects a return to the opening menu, the process returns to step  1014  and the customer makes another menu selection. Alternatively, the customer may choose to terminate the session, at which point the process returns to step  1004 .  
         [0042]     If the customer chooses to review account information, the process proceeds to step  1018  and an appropriate menu is selected and displayed, with possible selections including establishment of an account, review of financial and download credit associated with the account, generation and printing of lists of available titles, purchase of subscription or package plans and linking to a help desk for conference with support personnel. If linking to the help desk is selected, the process proceeds to step  1019  and an audio/video conference is established with a help desk. When the conference is complete, the process returns to step  1018 .  
         [0043]     Account establishment may be accomplished by reading a device identification and accepting information from the customer, then associating the customer information with the device identification. The customer account is thus associated with the device identification, and the customer account information can be retrieved whenever the device is submitted for reading, without a need to ask the user to put in the information. Questions submitted to the customer during creation of the account may include a survey for the establishment of a customer profile or preference list. Once account review is complete, the process returns to step  1014  and the opening menu is displayed or, alternatively, if the customer has chosen to terminate the session, the session terminates at step  1004 .  
         [0044]     If an audio/video conference has been selected, the process proceeds to step  1020  and an audio/video conference menu is generated and displayed, with options suitably including connection to a help desk, connection with one or more users in a chat room, and connection to a general chat or broadcast program, such as a multiple user chat or a broadcast interview with an author. Suitable connections are made depending on the option chosen. Once conferencing is complete, the process returns to step  1014  and the opening menu is displayed or, alternatively, if the customer has chosen to terminate the session, the session terminates at step  1004 .  
         [0045]     If a survey has been selected, the process proceeds to step  1022  and a menu of available surveys is generated and displayed, along with choices of how the survey is to be completed. The survey may be completed while the customer is engaged in the session at the terminal, or alternatively the survey may be downloaded to the contact device and completed by the customer at leisure, with the results being uploaded to the terminal at a subsequent session. Various incentives may be provided to induce the customer to select and complete surveys, such as credits or free books or articles. One suitable method of presenting free material would be in a serial fashion, with new material in the series being made available as each of a series of surveys is completed.  
         [0046]      FIG. 11  illustrates the steps of a method  1100  of electronic material presentation and usage analysis according to the present invention. Presentation and usage is suitably accomplished by electronic transfer of material to an electronic reader such as the reader  800  of  FIG. 8 , from a distribution station, such as the distribution station  100  of  FIG. 1 . At step  1102 , a reader is presented to a distribution station for selection and transfer of material. Next, at step  1104 , the reader transfers reading and purchase data to the distribution station. Next, at step  1106 , the distribution station performs analysis of the reading and purchase data makes recommendations and promotional offers based on the reading and purchase data. At step  1108 , the reader and distribution station communicate and make transfers based on customer selections and commands. At step  1110 , in response to removal of the reader from the distribution station, the session is terminated. At step  1112 , the reader is employed to present and display the material. As the customer makes selections and choices of material, the reader stores the choices the customer has made.  
         [0047]     While the present invention is disclosed in the context of a presently preferred embodiment, it will be recognized that a wide variety of implementations may be employed by persons of ordinary skill in the art consistent with the above discussion and the claims which follow below.