Patent ID: 7500192

Claim:
A jukebox system, comprising: a jukebox device including a microprocessor, a local computer memory for maintaining a local database of digitized complete songs of various artists and related graphical items corresponding to album covers associated with each of the digitized songs, a display for displaying video, an audio arrangement for providing audio, a communication system for enabling the jukebox device to communicate with an audiovisual distribution network, and a multitasking operating system that enables simultaneous operation of the microprocessor, the display, the audio arrangement and the communication system; wherein the jukebox is operable to play said digitized songs from said local computer memory on the jukebox device in response to requests by a user and receipt of a fee from the user; and a server remote from said jukebox device that can be accessed by said jukebox device through said distribution network, said server being at least for maintaining a master database of audiovisual information that can be selectively downloaded to said jukebox device for storage in said local computer memory; wherein said display on said jukebox device is a touch sensitive display controlled by an interface program reacting when a user contacts the touch sensitive display, the interface program making it possible to translate said user contacts into mouse events for the operating system for providing a user interface for operating said jukebox by enabling the user to select songs from said local computer memory for playing on said jukebox device, said jukebox device being operable to display on said display a graphical item that corresponds to a song currently playing on said jukebox device; wherein said interface program includes an operation module allowing at least two window areas to be displayed in the touch screen, at least one of the window areas comprising a plurality of said graphical items corresponding to album covers associated with at least one access address for information in the database of songs stored in said local computer memory; wherein said interface program is arranged so as to trigger, upon touch selection by the user of said area corresponding to one of the windows displaying the album covers, at least some information relating to the album illustrated by its cover, and to display, in an area different from the area used for displaying the album cover images, a list of available songs corresponding to the selected album cover for initiating the playing of an audio recording that is available in the local database; wherein the user interface is further operable to display graphical items representing album covers of any additional album covers of the same artist as the selected album cover for which songs exist on the local computer memory; and further wherein said jukebox device is provided with a validation checking process for checking, upon startup of the jukebox device and prior to placing the jukebox in service, that the jukebox device has been provided with a valid registration.