Patent Publication Number: US-7716136-B2

Title: System and method for revenue sharing for multimedia sharing in social network

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/651,871, filed Jan. 10, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,232, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/243,634, filed Sep. 13, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,603,406, incorporated herein by reference, which claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/339,075, filed Jul. 25, 2002, and from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/408,965, filed Sep. 4, 2002, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Priority is claimed to all of the above applications. 

   I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to social sharing of multimedia. 
   II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Portable media players have been provided that enable a person with a first player to wirelessly transmit a favorite tune to a person with a second player that is compatible with the first, promoting social interaction. Typically, the second player is permitted by means of software interlocks to play the tune only for a limited time, e.g., for three days, and/or only for a limited number of plays, e.g., three. Then, the second person must purchase the tune for his own player if he wants to keep playing it. Thus, the paradigm not only promotes social interaction but also sales of popular tunes. 
   The present invention understands that this paradigm can be improved to be even more compelling in terms of social interaction and sales generation. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A method is disclosed that includes transmitting, from a first portable multimedia player to a second portable multimedia player in a social transaction, a file representing multimedia. Also transmitted in the social transaction is identifying information of one of the players and/or its user. In one embodiment the identifying information is of the first player and is sent to the second player. In another embodiment the identifying information is of the second player and is sent to the first player. The method includes permitting the second player to play the file in accordance with a restriction paradigm, and if rights subsequently are purchased from a third entity, e.g., a server, in a commercial transaction to play the multimedia in a way that is less restricted than allowed by the restriction paradigm, the user of the first portable multimedia player is compensated using the identifying information. When the identifying information is of the first player and is received by the second player during the social transaction, the identifying information is supplied to the server by the second player during the commercial transaction. On the other hand, when the identifying information is of the second player and is received by the first player during the social transaction, the identifying information is supplied to the server by the first player. 
   In one non-limiting embodiment the identifying information is a token that is transferred from the first player to the second player with the multimedia file. The multimedia file may be wirelessly transmitted from the first player to the second player in a non-commercial transaction. The file can be an audio file or a computer game file or other multimedia file. 
   In some non-limiting implementations the second player receives rights for less restricted playing of the multimedia pursuant to a purchase using a wireless link direct from the second player to the Internet. In other non-limiting implementations the second player is connected to a personal computer communicating with a server on the Internet. If desired, if rights for less restricted playing of the multimedia are purchased, the identifying information may be removed from storage of the second player. 
   In another aspect, a file containing multimedia data is sent from a first multimedia player to a second multimedia player in a social transaction without consideration being remunerated to the first player or user thereof solely for the social transaction. Also, identifying information is sent between the players. Then, the second player is permitted to play the file in accordance with a restriction paradigm. As set forth further below, a user of the second player can purchase rights to play the multimedia data in a less restricted manner than permitted by the restriction paradigm, and only if rights to play the multimedia data in a less restricted manner are purchased, the first player and/or a user thereof is compensated using the identifying information. 
   In yet another aspect, a multimedia player includes a portable housing, a processor in the housing, and a data store in the housing and communicating with the processor for storing a multimedia file and identifying information that identifies a portable multimedia player from which the file was received. The player also has an output device for playing the file under control of the processor, which permits playing of the file in accordance with a restriction paradigm. The processor may be used to purchase rights to play multimedia represented by the file in a less restricted way than permitted by the restriction paradigm. If this is done, the processor causes the identifying information to be sent to a vendor computer. 
   In yet another aspect, the identity token exchanged between the media players is encrypted or obfuscated (e.g., scrambled or its location hidden) such that the users cannot be identified from the identity information except by a vendor of the content. 
   The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one non-limiting implementation of the architecture of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 2  is a flow chart of non-limiting logic in accordance with the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a system is shown, generally designated  10 , that includes a first portable wireless multimedia player  12  that can include a processor  14  and a computer storage  16  that contains one or more multimedia files such as one or more of music files, video files, audio-video files, or computer game files that typically are purchased by a user of the first player  12  and stored for unrestricted play by the first player  12 . Another use could be sharing a teaser trailer or only a segment of the desired content with the receiver purchasing a complete version of the content as discussed further below, so such teasers and partial content files can also be stored on the storage  16 . 
   The storage  16  can also contain software executable by the processor  14  in accordance with principles set forth herein, as well as identifying information such as a software token, e.g., a number string, that indicates the identity of the player  12  and/or a user who is associated with the player  12 , normally the end user-owner of the player  12 . The storages disclosed herein may be without limitation flash memory, RAM, ROM, hard disk drives such as micro drives, floppy disk drives, CD drives, DVD drives, or removable media such as Sony Memory Stick® or SanDisk. 
   Because the player  12  is a multimedia player it has one or more output devices, including, without limitation, an audio speaker  18 , in the case of a music player, and/or a video display  19  in the case of a music player (for displaying song titles and the like). In the case of a portable game console the video display  19  may display video games; in the case of a portable video player the display  19  may display video. The multimedia data that is displayed may be provided to the output devices  18 ,  19  by the processor  14 . The player  12  may if desired also have one or more input devices  20  such as keypads, and/or the screen  19  may be a touchscreen. Other non-limiting input devices include pointing and clicking devices, etc. The input devices can be manipulated by a user to input data to the processor  14 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the player  12  has communication capability, wired or more preferably wireless, and hence includes one or more wireless transceivers  22 , labeled in  FIG. 1  for ease of disclosure with the transmitter abbreviation “Tx.” The transceiver  22  may employ any appropriate wireless transmission method including without limitation Bluetooth, infrared, sonic transmission, WiFi, “Flexnet”, CDMA, GSM, other types of RF or IR, etc., including 802.11. Short range wireless transmission ordinarily but without limitation is employed, e.g., 802.11 or Bluetooth. 
   Under user control, the processor  14  of the first player  12  may use the wireless transceiver  22  to send multimedia files such as music tunes to a second player  24  that in all essential respects may be identical in configuration and operation to the first player  12  as shown and that is within range (typically within meters) of the first player  12 . Accordingly, the second player  24  may include one or more transceivers  26 , preferably wireless and labeled in  FIG. 1  for ease of disclosure with the receiver abbreviation “Rx”, for receiving the files from the first player  12 . Also, as set forth further below in some implementations the first player  12  can send with the files information identifying the first player  12  and/or a user associated with the first player  12 , typically the end user-owner. A timestamp indicating the date and time of the transfer may be provided as part of the identifying information. Alternatively, information identifying the second player  24  may be sent back to the first receiver  12  for storage thereof for purposes to be shortly disclosed. Under control of its own processor  28  the second player  24  stores the multimedia files (and in some embodiments the identifying information from the first player  12 ) on its own internal storage  30 , for playback on output devices  32 ,  34  as appropriate. 
   In one non-limiting implementation the players  12 ,  24  are Sony Playstation™ portable game consoles that employ WiFi wireless communication principles to exchange video game files with each other. In another non-limiting implementation the players  12 ,  24  are Zune™ players made by Microsoft that employ 802.11 b/g communication principles with a range of about ten meters to exchange music tunes with each other. In still other non-limiting implementations the players  12 ,  24  may be personal digital assistants (PDAs) that can be appropriate laptop or hand-held computers, such as a Palm™ OS-based device, a Sony Clie™, or other personal digital assistant (PDA). Or, the players  12 ,  24  can be embodied in wireless telephones. 
   The system  10  further includes one or more download servers  36 . The second player  24  may communicate directly with the server  36  over the Internet  38  using a wireless link to the Internet, i.e., the wireless transceiver  26  or other wireless transceiver of the second player  24  can be used to communicate with the Internet. Or, the second player  24  may be engaged with a laptop computer or personal computer  40  typically associated with the end user of the second player  24 . The communication can be by means of, e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) link or other wired or wireless link, with the computer  40  communicating with the Internet  38  and, hence, with the server  36  and thus functioning as a communication relay between the server  36  and second player  24 . 
   With the above illustrative non-limiting architecture in mind, attention is now directed to the logic shown in  FIG. 2 . Commencing at block  42 , the players  12 ,  24  are vended or otherwise provided to their respective end users. Moving to block  44 , the first player  12  may share a tune or teaser or other multimedia file stored in the storage  16  of the first player  12  with the second player  24  by wirelessly transmitting the file to the second player  24  under control of the user of the first player  12 . This sharing is non-commercial in that the end users typically are sharing files in their capacities as individuals and not commercial entities, hence no consideration apart from social networking is exchanged in return for sending the file between the players. Also sent from the first player  12  to the second player  24  in some embodiments is the identifying information that identifies the first player  12  and/or the end user thereof. The identifying information and file may be stored on the storage  30  of the second player  24 . In other embodiments the second player  24  sends information identifying itself to the first player  12  for storage at the first player  12 . 
   Proceeding to block  46 , software interlocks within the second player  24  typically permit the second player  24  to play the transferred file in accordance with a restriction paradigm such as only for a limited period, e.g., three days, and/or for a limited number of times, e.g., three. In the case of a teaser, the restriction paradigm is the fact of the teaser itself being only a partial version of a full multimedia content file such as a full movie. If the user of the second player  24  wishes to play the file more than what is allotted by the restriction paradigm, the user manipulates the input devices of the second player  24  at block  48  as appropriate to establish communication with the download server  36  to purchase from the download server  36  a less restricted (e.g., an unrestricted copy of the file or a full version of the content when a teaser of the content has been transferred, or equivalently a code or other data to permit less restricted, e.g., unrestricted, playing of the file received from the first player  12 .) In either case, at block  48  the user of the second player  24  purchases rights to less restricted playing of the multimedia embodied in the file received from the first player  12  in the original social (non-commercial) sharing step at block  44 . 
   As part of the purchase of rights for less restricted playing of the multimedia, at block  50  the second player  24  sends the data identifying the first player  12  (or equivalently its end user or owner) to the server  36 . If desired, to conserve space the identifying information may be deleted or removed from the storage  30  of the second player  24  after being communicated to the server  36  or after being communicated to the computer  40  for purposes of future purchases. 
   Alternatively, at block  50  the ID of the second player  24  is sent to the first player  12 , which stores the ID of the second player  24  along with an indication that the second player  24  received a particular file or files from the first receiver  12 . In this non-limiting implementation the action at block  50  may occur any time between block  44  and block  54 . 
   The transaction is consummated at block  52 , wherein rights to play the multimedia in a way that is less restricted than permitted by the restriction paradigm are transferred to the second player  24  and the user of the second player  24  is billed accordingly. 
   As mentioned above, among the non-limiting ways to effect the transaction are to provide a new, unrestricted file of the multimedia to the second player  24  over the Internet, or to provide a full version of content when the original social transfer involved only a teaser, or to provide decryption keys or other tools to permit the second player  24  to re-enable playing of the file received from the first player  12 , whose playing otherwise would be exhausted, absent the sale of additional rights, under the restriction paradigm. 
   In accordance with present principles, after consummating the transaction for less restricted playing of the multimedia by the second player  24 , at block  54  the server  36  uses the identifying information to compensate the user of the first player  12 . This compensation may take any number of non-limiting forms, including, e.g., cash payments, credits toward future purchases, bonus points toward a goal, etc. The amount of compensation may be based in part on the timestamp portion of the identifying information, e.g., purchasing rights to less restricted playing of multimedia soon after the multimedia was received in the social transaction at block  44  may result in greater compensation to the user of the first player  12  than if rights to less restricted playing of multimedia are purchased relatively long after the multimedia was received in the social transaction at block  44 . 
   In a first embodiment the server  36  receives the information representing the first player  12  from the second player  24  as part of the transaction with the second player  24  to provide it with a less restricted version of the multimedia. Also, recall that in a second embodiment the second player  24  can provide the first player  12  with the ID of the second player  24  during the social transaction at block  44 . In this case the first player  12  must upload to the server  36  the ID information from any players to which it has socially transferred files periodically to cause the server to check to see if the first player  12  is entitled to compensation for any sales related to the uploaded information. Or, the first player  12  may upload to the server  36  the ID information from a recipient player in response a message from the recipient player indicating that a commercial transaction related to the earlier social transaction at block  44  has taken place. 
   In one non-limiting embodiment, the identifying information can be included in an access code that might be generated by combining a first player  12  identification with an end user identification and, if desired, with the timestamp information. 
   While the particular SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REVENUE SHARING FOR MULTIMEDIA SHARING IN SOCIAL NETWORK is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.