Patent ID: 8190704

Claim:
A method for providing a customer computer with access, through a network, to a media content file, the method comprising the steps of: a server computer opening a session with the customer computer; the server computer receiving from the customer computer a request to view a media content file; in response to the request from the customer computer, during the session, the server computer creating a temporary metafile having a temporary metafile name, the metafile containing a network address of the media content file and an unencrypted description of a file path leading to the media content file, during the session, the server computer sending to the customer computer the temporary metafile name, but not the content of the metafile; subsequently receiving a request from the customer computer for the metafile during the session, the request identifying the temporary metafile name, and in response to the request for the metafile, the server computer sending to the customer computer the network address and unencrypted description of the file path in the metafile; and subsequently, during or at the end of the session, the server computer automatically canceling or deleting the metafile to prevent the server computer from returning the network address and unencrypted description of the file path in response to a request made after the end of the session.