Patent Publication Number: US-2010125512-A1

Title: Network-accessible virtual shopping cart

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Digital media can be enjoyed using portable devices configured to store, organize, and playback songs, videos, games, and other forms of digital media. In fact, the variety of digital media that can be enjoyed on such devices is becoming overwhelming. As the portable device platform becomes more ubiquitous, it becomes increasingly beneficial to provide users with an easy-to-use shopping experience for acquiring new digital media. 
     SUMMARY 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. 
     Various embodiments related to a network-accessible virtual shopping cart are discussed herein. One disclosed embodiment includes shopping for digital content with a portable device. An instruction to add a digital content item to a virtual shopping cart can be received by the portable device. The embodiment further includes, if a network connection to a network-accessible virtual shopping cart is available, adding the digital content item to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart. The embodiment further includes, if a network connection to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart is not available, adding the digital content item to a local virtual shopping cart. The embodiment further includes, upon the network-accessible virtual shopping cart becoming available, moving digital content items from the local virtual shopping cart to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of an example portable device interacting with a network-accessible server. 
         FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of an example portable device downloading a sample of a digital content item peer-to-peer from another portable device. 
         FIG. 3  shows an example method of shopping for digital content with a portable device. 
         FIG. 4  shows another example method of shopping for digital content with a portable device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A portable device may be used to store, download, organize, and play digital content items such as songs, movies, and games. Digital content items may include, for example, digital audio, digital video, digital images, games, ringtones, and the like. 
       FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of an example portable device  10  interacting with a network-accessible server  12 . For example, portable device  10  may interact with network-accessible server  12  when shopping for media content using an online service  14 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , portable device  10  accesses the network-accessible server  12  via a network  16 . In some scenarios, portable device  10  may access network  16  via a radio connection  18 . For example, portable device  10  may access network  16  using a wireless radio network connection such as an 802.11x wireless hotspot and/or a cellular network. 
     In some scenarios, portable device  10  may additionally or alternatively access network-accessible server  12  via a personal computer  20 , as further shown in  FIG. 1 . For example, portable device  10  may establish a wired or wireless connection to personal computer  20 . Thus, portable device  10  accesses network-accessible server  12  via personal computer  20 , where personal computer  20  is configured to access network-accessible server  12  via network  16 . Personal computer  20  may access network  16  via any suitable method without departing from the scope of this disclosure. 
     The configuration shown in  FIG. 1  is exemplary. In other examples, the portable device  10  may interact with an online service via different, or even no, intermediate routing agents. In some embodiments, the online service may itself include two or more components, which may optionally be distributed across different machines and/or locations. 
     In the illustrated example, portable device  10  includes a local content library  22 , a local virtual shopping cart  24 , and a content acquisition module  26 . When using portable device  10  to shop for digital content, portable device  10  may download media content items from online service  14  to local content library  22 . For example, in response to receiving from a user an instruction to add a digital content item to a virtual shopping cart, such a digital content item may be added to the virtual shopping cart where it can be paid for and then downloaded from the online service  14  to the local content library  22  of the portable device  10  (e.g., directly, via personal computer  20 , and/or via another suitable channel). In other scenarios, free digital content items may be downloaded without using a virtual shopping cart. 
     As used herein, placing a digital content item in a virtual shopping cart includes the concept of placing an identifier of the digital content item in the virtual shopping cart without placing the underlying media data in the virtual shopping cart. For example, if a user wishes to purchase a song in the form of an MP3 file, the user may instruct the portable device to place the song in the virtual shopping cart, thus causing an identifier of that song to be placed in the virtual shopping cart without placing the actual MP3 file in the virtual shopping cart. At a later time, as part of the shopping transaction, the MP3 file may be placed in the local content library of the portable device. 
     Portable device  10  may download a sample digital content item from an online service  14  offering sample digital content items. For instance, a user may download a time-limited sample version of a song from an online service. Upon playing the sample version on the portable device, the user may decide to purchase a full version of the song from the online service. As such, the user may give the portable device an instruction to add a full version of the digital content item corresponding to the sample digital content item. 
     In other examples, portable device  10  may receive a sample of the digital content item from promotional media data, and the user of portable device  10  may then decide to download a full version. In yet other examples, portable device  10  may download a sample of the digital content item peer-to-peer from another portable device  30  via a wired or wireless connection, such as radio connection  32  shown in  FIG. 2 . As an example, a friend may recommend a song  34  to a user and transfer a sample version of song  34  from second portable device  30  to portable device  10 . Upon listening to song  34 , the user may decide to purchase a full version of song  34 . 
     In the exemplary scenario shown in  FIG. 1 , if the network connection to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  is available, then the content acquisition module  26  may add the digital content item to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  in response to receiving an instruction to add a digital content item to a virtual shopping cart. 
     However, the instruction to add the digital content item to the virtual shopping cart may also be received when the network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  is not available. If the network connection to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  is not available, then the content acquisition module  26  may add the digital content item to a local virtual shopping cart  24 . 
     Upon determining that the network connection to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  is available, content acquisition module  26  is configured to move digital content items from local virtual shopping cart  24  to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28 . 
     In some cases, network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  becomes available responsive to portable device  10  establishing a network connection to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28 . In such cases, the digital content items are moved from local virtual shopping cart  24  to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  via the network connection. 
     For example, upon deciding to purchase a full version of the song, the user may use a user interface of the portable device to provide an instruction to purchase the song. If the network-accessible server is not available to the portable device, then the song is placed into the local virtual shopping cart on the portable device, and the purchase may be resumed at a later time. Upon establishing a connection to the network-accessible server at a later time, the song may be transferred from the local virtual shopping cart to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart. 
     Additionally, upon network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  becoming available, and digital content items being moved to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28 , digital content items may be deleted from local virtual shopping cart  24 . 
     Shopping for digital content with portable device  10  may further include downloading the digital content item to a local content library  22 . For example, upon purchasing a digital content item from an online source, the digital content item may be downloaded to a local library on the portable device that, for example, stores and organizes digital content items. 
     As described above, portable device  10  may also access network-accessible server  12  via a personal computer  20 . In such a scenario, when shopping for digital content with portable device  10  and upon receiving an instruction to add a digital content item to a virtual shopping cart, the portable device may add the digital content item to a local virtual shopping cart  24 . A connection  29  between portable device  10  and personal computer  20  may be established such that the digital content item may be transferred from local virtual shopping cart  24  to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  via personal computer  20  and/or the personal computer&#39;s network connection. 
     For example, if the user in the aforementioned example had not established a network connection to the network-accessible server to continue with the shopping experience, the user may establish a connection with a personal computer (e.g., to sync the portable device  10  with personal computer  20 ), and the digital content item may be transferred from the local virtual shopping cart to network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  via personal computer  20  and/or the personal computer&#39;s network connection. In other words, network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  is accessible to portable device  10  via personal computer  20  and network  16 . Network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  may become available responsive to portable device  10  being docked to personal computer  20 . 
     Network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  is accessible by the personal computer  20  and configured to receive the digital content item from local virtual shopping cart  24  of portable device  10  via personal computer  20 . In such a case, the digital content item may be moved from portable device  10  and/or personal computer  20  to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart  28  via a network connection. 
       FIG. 3  shows a method  40  of shopping for digital content with a portable device. At  42 , method  40  includes receiving an instruction to add a digital content item to a virtual shopping cart. At  43 , it is determined if a network-accessible virtual shopping cart is available. At  44 , method  40  includes, if a network connection to a network-accessible virtual shopping cart is available, adding the digital content item to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart. At  46 , method  40  includes, if a network connection to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart is not available, adding the digital content item to a local virtual shopping cart. At  47 , it is determined if the network-accessible virtual shopping cart has become available. At  48 , method  40  includes, upon the network-accessible virtual shopping cart becoming available, moving digital content items from the local virtual shopping cart to the network-accessible virtual shopping cart. If the network-accessible shopping cart has not yet become available, method  40  may loop back to  47 , where it can again be determined if the network-accessible virtual shopping cart has become available. Availability of the network-accessible virtual shopping cart can be tested according to a predetermined schedule or in response to a predetermined event (e.g., docking with a personal computer and/or establishing an Internet connection). 
       FIG. 4  shows a method  50  of shopping for digital content with a portable device. At  52 , method  50  includes receiving an instruction to add a digital content item to a virtual shopping cart. At  54 , method  50  includes adding the digital content item to a local virtual shopping cart. At  56 , method  50  includes establishing a connection between the portable device and a personal computer. At  58 , method  50  includes transferring the digital content item from the local virtual shopping cart to the personal computer. 
     It should be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. As such, various acts illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in other sequences, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of the above-described processes may be changed. 
     The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.