Patent ID: 7680993

Claim:
A method for managing the storage of digital assets in a storage device comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a digital asset intended for local storage in a storage device that has been pushed down from a source, the storage device having a finite capacity storage space for storing digital assets, (b) assigning a rank order to each received digital asset stored in the storage device, and (c) repeatedly examining the assigned rank orders of one or more of the digital assets stored in the storage device and selectively deleting a digital asset having a rank order that is lowest among the examined rank orders, wherein each rank order is assignable based on predefined default ranking rules and user instructions pertaining to one or more of the digital assets that are capable of causing a deviation from the default ranking rules, and wherein the default ranking rules comprise one or more of the following: (c1) refraining from deleting a digital asset currently being rented; (c2) refraining from deleting a digital asset currently being used; (c3) reducing a ranking order of a digital asset based on a duration during which the respective digital asset has been stored in the storage device; (c4) ranking a digital asset as being in a group of digital assets last to be deleted amongst deletable digital assets responsive to a user indication that the respective digital asset is a user's favorite; (c5) reducing a ranking order of a digital asset by a smaller amount than other digital assets whose rank is reduced if the respective digital asset was pulled down but not used, and (c6) refraining from deleting a digital asset that has been purchased, the method further comprising the following steps: (d) initially assigning a default numerical rank RANK as indicated by a source of a digital asset, wherein a larger value of RANK has a higher ranking order, and wherein delete-able digital assets are deleted in order of lowest numerical rank, (e) if the respective digital asset is purchased, increasing the value of RANK to a default highest permissible value, (f) if the respective digital asset is rented for a certain rental time period, increasing the value of RANK to the default highest permissible value until the expiration of the rental period; (g) if the user has browsed the respective digital asset, then increasing the value of RANK to the default highest permissible value for a certain period of time following the browsing of the respective asset.