Patent ID: 7103557

Claim:
Process for controlling delivery of digital works across a communication channel wherein there is to be paid for the content of said digital works, wherein the process is executable on a server computer and a client computer, said process comprising the steps of: a) configuring for delivery of the content of a digital work between the server and the client, via a regular flow of packets; b) creating at the server and executing the regular flow of packets, wherein the packet size is less than the total size of said digital work, of said content from the server to the client using a transmission or transport protocol, wherein the client is requested to acknowledge the received packets; c) initiation of a return traffic of acknowledgement codes (ACKs) by the client to the server wherein a payment token is associated with each acknowledgement code or with a number of acknowledgement codes; d) validation by the server that each acknowledgement code requested of the client is received by the server; e) continuation of the regular flow of packets of said content by the server only if the acknowledgement codes requested of the client are received as specified by the server; f) accumulation of the payment tokens received from the client in a pay-for-each-packet-received-as-acknowledged-by-the-client mode of operation; and g) arrangement of billing of and payment by the client for all received packets on the basis of at least said accumulated payment tokens.