Patent ID: 8145532

Claim:
A media content purchasing system comprising: a memory area associated with a media service, said memory area storing a plurality of media content items and associated metadata; a media server communicating with the media service via a data communications network, said media server being remote from the media service and the memory area of the media service; a portable computing device associated with a user; and a processor associated with the portable computing device, said processor being configured to execute computer-executable instructions for: establishing a connection to the media server when the media server and the portable computing device are within a predefined physical proximity; authenticating the media server via the established connection; authenticating the user to the authenticated media server via the established connection; transmitting digital content distribution criteria to the authenticated media server via the established connection; receiving, responsive to transmission of the digital content distribution criteria, promotional copies of one or more of the media content items and associated metadata from the memory area via the media service, said one or more of the media content items being identified by the media service based on the transmitted digital content distribution criteria; purchasing, when the portable computing device is outside the predefined physical proximity, at least one of the one or more media content items from the memory area via the media service, said purchasing occurring via the metadata associated with said at least one of the one or more of the received promotional copies of the media content items; associating a digital rights management policy including an expiration date with the purchased media content item; transmitting the purchased media content item with the associated digital rights management policy associated therewith to the portable computing device for storage thereon; and deleting the transmitted media content item from the portable computing device after the expiration date.