Abstract:
A media appliance for receiving streaming media content from the Internet includes a user activatable buy button to permit user purchase of selected media content. User operation of the buy button communicates with a media materials agent to obtain identification of the media content and determine the availability of a distributable copy of the media content. Where a distributable copy is available, purchase of a copy of the media is facilitated by an authentication and payment agent which arranges delivery of the copy of the media content to a user in real time, via email or other user defined arrangement.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to apparatus and method to facilitate purchase over the Internet and more particularly relates to a user appliance and computer systems to facilitate a real-time context sensitive purchase transaction over computer network such as the Internet. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The Internet provides a popular mechanism for exchange of communications between a source of information located virtually anywhere in the world and to a user of that information operating an appliance to access the Internet such as a personal computer. The Internet supports a wide variety of data traffic protocols and content payloads that facilitate delivery of data from a source anywhere on the Internet to a user wishing to obtain that information. Consequently, the Internet supported protocols provide for transport of data payloads between an information provider and a recipient of that information. For example, a common protocol used is the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) which is in common use to exchange information between consumers who operate a client application on their Internet access device, such as a PC, to accomplish a variety of tasks over the Internet including obtaining information about a company or participation in various messaging and chat services with other individuals as well as day-to-day functions, such as, paying bills, using banking websites to name a few such activities. 
         [0003]    Other protocols are in use as well and the number of protocols that are available is continually expanding. One form of information source that is available on the Internet is a copy of a broadcast made by a television station or network or a radio broadcast made by a radio station or network. Typically, these information sources are provided in real-time concurrent with the broadcast. These types of information sources are commonly referred to as streaming media since the user connects to the Internet version of the broadcast programming to obtain a real time copy of the broadcast but sent to the user over the Internet network, which allows delivery of the programming to expand to include the reach of the Internet itself. The programming source generally makes arrangements to provide a feed of the programming to a conversion service which makes the broadcast appearing on conventional broadcast distribution media also available to Internet users using the streaming media communications capabilities of the Internet. Generally a user that wishes to obtain broadcast programming or streaming from the Internet is provided with a client application to select and receive the broadcast that the user desires. The variety of the streaming media, client applications are available including Windows Media™, Real Audio™ Apple iTunes and others. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The subject invention provides a mechanism to facilitate online media purchase by obtaining information identifying a streaming media source selected by a user and providing a user with an authentication process facilitating a simple one button or single interaction user input device to purchase of media or to receive details of media and a purchase mechanism for the user. 
         [0005]    In one of its aspects, the invention provides a method for delivery of a distributable copy of Internet streaming media content including the steps of providing a media appliance to receive streaming media data from the Internet having a user activatable buy button; receiving a user specified media data stream from the Internet. In response to user activation of the buy button, determining the availability of a distributable copy of media content and arranging delivery of a distributable copy of said media content. 
         [0006]    In one implementation of the invention, the step of determining the availability of a distributable copy of media content includes the steps of obtaining a unique identification of the media content from a source selection agent and providing the unique identification to an online media materials agent. The online media materials agent then provides an availability response for the selected media content. The step of arranging delivery includes the steps of obtaining authentication from an authentication and payment agent and then providing a distributable copy of said media content. The distributable copy of the media content can be provided in a variety of ways, such as to a user space authorized by the authentication and payment agent, or to an email server authorized by the authentication and payment agent or even as an immediate download to a user media appliance. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram of a distributed services embodiment of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of a user centralized services implementation of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the present invention. In other instances, well-known electrical structures and circuits are shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention. For example, specific details are not provided as to whether the embodiments of the invention described herein are implemented as a software routine, hardware circuit, firmware, or a combination thereof. 
         [0011]    Embodiments of the invention may be represented as a software product stored on a machine-readable medium (also referred to as a computer-readable medium, a processor-readable medium, or a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein). The machine-readable medium may be any type of magnetic, optical, or electrical storage medium including a diskette, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), memory device (volatile or non-volatile), or similar storage mechanism. The machine-readable medium may contain various sets of instructions, code sequences, configuration information, or other data, which, when executed, cause a processor to perform steps in a method according to an embodiment of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other instructions and operations necessary to implement the described invention may also be stored on the machine-readable medium. Software running from the machine readable medium may interface with circuitry to perform the described tasks. 
         [0012]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , user premise equipment, generally depicted by reference numeral  100 , is used to access the Internet  102  to obtain information in streaming media data form from the Internet. One form of information obtained is a streaming media feed  104  from a web radio source  106 . The web radio source may provide programming delivered only to the Internet or may provide a simulcast copy of a conventional broadcast by a radio station on the AM or FM radio waves. With the advent of Internet radio, there are a number of radio stations that have come into operation which do nothing more than provide programming into the Internet without a simultaneous broadcast of that programming onto a conventional radio wave broadcast whether by AM/FM radio or satellite radio. The radio service or media source  106  includes all variety of programming such as dialog between a talk show host and a guest or broadcast of music from a music library  108 . The streaming audio media  104  is delivered to the user premise equipment  100  over an Internet connection  110  that the Internet user uses to access the Internet. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the Internet connection  110  is sent to a router  112  which distributes the Internet connection to the user premise equipment in a variety of manners including delivery over a wired media  114 , which typically carries data traffic therealong using the Ethernet protocol. Other distribution mechanisms to interconnect to the Internet include a wireless connection  116  and standards exist for such wireless connections, such as the WiFi™ standard, which permits the radio equipment to inter-operate with equipment from a variety of manufacturers including a wirelessly equipped personal computer  118 . The PC  118  has conventional user input and output apparatus including a keyboard, mouse for user input and a display and audio speakers  120  to provide audio output. In this fashion the user of the PC  118  can listen to audio broadcasts over the speakers  120 . The PC can be configured with a client to allow the PC to swap media files with a portable electronic device  122  having a display  124  and audio headphones  126 . In accordance with a preferred embodiment a media appliance  128  is also used, which is a special purpose computer having a display  130  that may be touch sensitive to provide a user input mechanism and includes speakers to produce an audio output  131 . The media appliance  128  includes a user buy button  132  to facilitate capture of user input to purchase media selections in the manner hereinafter described. 
         [0013]    The user authenticates his or her identity to a remote authentication server  134  which has a data base of user data  136  for each user that is a member of the service. Preferably the remote authentication server provides a plurality of services to the user, some of which are maintained in a private user data space  136 . For example the services can include Microsoft Instant Messenger™ service, an AOL or Google chat service and/or other user or instant messaging services that are available on the Internet. In accordance with a preferred arrangement of the invention, the user has a payment arrangement established with the service operating the remote authentication server  134  to facilitate verification and billing of the user who is authenticated to the authentication server. Generally this authentication and the establishment of a billing arrangement is for premium services offered by the service provider, which would require the user to have a paid subscription for premium services obtained by or with the authentication server. 
         [0014]    In accordance with a distributed services implementation embodiment of the invention, a source selection agent  138  interacts with the client application of the user media appliance  128  (or PC  118 ) to obtain an indication of the media source selected by the user. Source selection agent  138  maintains a source selection history  140  which is updated with the selections made at the media appliance  128  (or PC  118 ) that is coupled to the media stream  104  received from the user selected source. In this distributed arrangement, the source selection agent is implemented as a central server and is thus able to determine and track how many listeners there are to a particular media source at any given time. The user may be listening to a song that they wish to purchase. 
         [0015]    The user indicates the desire to purchase a song, or selected audio visual media material, by depressing the user buy button  132  of the media appliance. When the user buy button  132  is depressed, the authentication agent  134  receives the request and makes a record of the network identifying information that uniquely identifies the user that has been authenticated to the server. The public information, which in one embodiment of the invention includes the IP address of the Internet connection  110 , is provided to the source selection agent. The source selection agent responds to the query by providing the authentication server with the source that is currently being listened to. 
         [0016]    The source selection agent obtains a media id of the particular media content that the streaming media source  104  relates to by providing a query to an online media materials agent  142 . At the time the buy request is received, the media materials agent  142  may have a specific media id of the song or the media content that is on the streaming audio media  104 . Or, ultimately, supplementary input may be required to determine what the media id is that specifies the selected content of the streaming media source, for example, by examination of the streaming media source  104  over the time frame that the buy request was issued. Once the media id is known, for example the desired song is identified, either instantaneously at the time the request is made or at a later time when the media or song is subsequently located and identified, the media materials agent determines the availability of a distributable copy of the media content by reference to a media data base  144 . The media materials agent may itself have a distributable copy of the media content in the media database, that is any media content materials for which it has a distribution authorization from the copyright holder. Alternatively, the online media materials agent  144  may requisition a purchase of the media content, for example, a media broadcast, a song or music track from an online music store  146  that maintains its own library  148  of media content or music tracks that are available for download and purchase from the online music store. 
         [0017]    The authentication and payment agent then obtains a copy of the requested media content, either from the online media materials agent  142  or the online music store  146 , to satisfy the purchase request made by the user. 
         [0018]    Once a copy of the media content is obtained by the authentication and payment agent  134 , the copy of the media content is then delivered to the user in the manner the user selects. In one manner of delivery, the purchased media content is delivered to the user data space  136  of the authentication and payment agent. The user can then sign on to the service at any convenient later time to obtain the acquired copy of the media content, e.g. music track. In another manner of delivery, the authentication and payment agent forwards a replica of the media content to an email server  150  for email delivery to the user. And in yet another manner of delivery, the authentication and payment agent generates an email for the user that provides details identifying the media content the user requested and includes instructions for obtaining a copy of the media content which is then queued for delivery by email to the user. And in another manner the media content can be immediately downloaded to the users device  118 . 
         [0019]    The email server  150  maintains an email data base  152  where email directed to or received from the user subscriber is maintained. As will be understood, the media content purchased by the user is then made available to the user for storage on the PC  118  or the media appliance  128  or maybe duplicated onto the portable electronic device  122 . Any number of licensing and copyright protection schemes using a suitable digital rights management framework to protect unauthorized copying of the media content or music obtained by the subscriber may be implemented to insure the digital rights management process authorized by the copyright holder is maintained by the appliances that the user distributes the acquired media content to. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows a functional block diagram of a user centralized services implementation embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment a source selection agent  138  operates on a the user media appliance  128 . The source selection agent interacts with the client media application  154  of the user media appliance  128  (or PC  118 , in the arrangement of user premise equipment depicted in  FIG. 1 ) to obtain an indication of the media source selected by the user. Source selection agent  138  may maintain a user source selection history  141  which is updated with the selections made by the user on the media appliance  128  (or PC  118 ) to couple to various media streams, such as media stream  104  received from user selected web media source  106 . In this user centralized arrangement, the source selection agent is implemented as a client on each user device. The user may be listening to a song or other media content that they wish to purchase. 
         [0021]    The user indicates the desire to purchase a song, or selected audio visual media material, by depressing the user buy button  132  of the media appliance. The user interface is implemented as a graphical user interface (GUI)  156  which provides visually perceptible output on a display  130  which may be touch sensitive. Input from the user is collected from the display by a user input process  158 . User input process  158  also monitors the user buy button  132 . When the user buy button  132  is depressed, the source selection agent  138  obtains a media id of the particular media content that the streaming media source  104  relates to by providing a query to an online media materials agent  142 . At the time the buy request is received, the media materials agent  142  may have a specific media id of the song or the media content that is on the streaming audio media  104 . Or, ultimately, supplementary input may be required to determine what the media id is that specifies the selected content of the streaming media source, for example, by examination of the streaming media source  104  over the time frame that the buy request was issued. Once the media id is known, for example the desired song is identified, either instantaneously at the time the request is made or at a later time when the media or song is subsequently located and identified, the media materials agent determines the availability of a distributable copy of the media content by reference to a media data base  144 . The media materials agent may itself have a distributable copy of the media content in the media database, that is any media content materials for which it has a distribution authorization from the copyright holder. Alternatively, the online media materials agent  144  may obtain a copy of the media content, for example, a song or music track from an online music store. 
         [0022]    When a distributable copy of the media content is available, the media materials agent  142  delivers a copy of the requested media content to the authentication and payment agent  134  for delivery to the user. Once a copy of the media content is received by the authentication and payment agent  134 , the copy of the media content is then delivered to the user in the manner the user selects. For example, the purchased media content is delivered to the user data space  136  of the authentication and payment agent which is user can subsequently retrieve at any convenient later time. Alternately the copy of the media content is delivered by email to the user or the user may receive an email that provides details identifying the media content the user requested and giving instructions for obtaining a copy of the desired media content. 
         [0023]    Now that the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and substitutions and equivalent will occur to those skilled in the art. The invention is not limited to the specific embodiments herein described, but rather is defined in the claims appended hereto.