Patent Application
20100257076
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method, system, graphic user interface (GUI), apparatus, and machine-readable media for enabling a customer to access information associated with a hosted user profile via a third party information source.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Current media file downloading sources such as iTunes™ and Rhapsody™ offer customers the ability to purchase and download media files. Typically, these downloading sources receive media files from a recording industry representative and not from a user or artist. Once received, a media file may then be processed and uploaded to a website hosted by the downloading source so that they may be viewed and/or purchased by one or more customers. In this way, a user or artist is denied direct access to the downloading source. The lack of direct access to a downloading source causes considerable delay in the time it takes for a media file to get to market. This delay may, in turn, cost the user or artist valuable opportunities and financial benefits. Additionally, the lack of direct access to a downloading source denies a user or artist direct control over a media file they generate or are otherwise associated with.
Other websites, like MySpace.com™ and YouTube.com™, enable users to upload media content that may later be viewed by other users of the website. However, this content is not available for download and/or purchase by a viewing user.
A method, system, graphic user interface (GUI), apparatus, and machine-readable media for enabling a customer to access information associated with a hosted user profile via a third party information source are provided. Exemplary third party information sources include a third party website, a third party short message service (SMS)/multimedia messaging service (MMS) gateway, and/or a wireless application protocol (WAP) site.
According to one embodiment, a customer may be provided with a mechanism to access the hosted user profile via the third party information source through, for example, a personal or mobile computing device. The user profile may hosted on, for example, a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and a WAP site. In some cases, the mechanism may be a link or widget that is included on a page displayed by the third party information source. In one embodiment, the mechanism may be provided via a plurality of third party information sources.
A user profile may include information. In some cases, the information may be a media file. Exemplary media files include an MP3 file, a graphic file, a ringtone file, a document file, a game file, a wallpaper file, and a music file. In one embodiment, the information may be a subscription to, for example, information made periodically available on the hosted user profile. In another embodiment, the user profile may be associated with a user account. A user account may include information relating to the transferring of monetary funds to and/or from the user.
A customer may request access to the user profile via, for example, activating or selecting the mechanism. The customer may be provided with access to the user profile in response to the request. The customer may then request to access information associated with a hosted user profile. The customer may enter personal information and this information may be used to associate the customer with a customer account. The customer account may be updated to reflect the requested to access the information and other transactions. In some embodiments, updating a customer account may include charging the customer account an amount of money and receiving payment.
A customer may be enabled to access the requested information. In some embodiments, accessing the information may include downloading the information. One or more transactions may then be cataloged. A user's account may be updated to, for example, indicate a customer's information access. Updating a user account may include, for example, issuing or receiving an electronic funds transfer and/or a paper check that may be, for example, transferred from a payment received by the entity hosting the user profile.
A statement may be prepared for the user. This statement may include information regarding various transactions related to the user profile, information associated with the user profile, and/or a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and a WAP site like host website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and WAP site 50, respectively including the status or cost of a transaction, and/or any credit due, or debt owed, by the user. In embodiments where a plurality of mechanisms are provided to a user, the statement may include information associated with each of the plurality of mechanisms. The statement may then be provided to the user.
Systems and apparatus for executing the method may include a network and a server computer system. The network may be enabled to facilitate communication between a user, a customer, and a server computer system. The server computer system, may be enabled to provide the customer with a mechanism to access the hosted user profile, wherein the user profile includes information, is associated with a user account, and is hosted on at least one of a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and a WAP site. The system may also be enabled to receive a request to access the user profile from a customer via the mechanism, provide the customer with access to the user profile, receive a request to access information associated with a hosted user profile, receive personal information from the customer, and associate the customer with a customer account based on the received personal information. The system may be further enabled to update the customer account to indicate the requested access to the information, enable the customer to access the information update the user account to indicate the customer's access to the information, prepare, and provide a statement for the user based on the updated user account information.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:
User computer system 24 may communicate with server computer system 22 via a web site, such as web site 48, over a network, such as Internet 30. User mobile device 32 may communicate with a SMS/MMS gateway, such as SMS/MMS gateway 52 via, for example an SMS/MMS network such as SMS/MMS network 40. User mobile device 32 may also communicate with a WAP site such as WAP site 50 via a WAP network 38 such as WAP network 38.
Server computer system 22 may include a file store in the form of file server 42 and a data store in the form of file database 44. File database 44 may store one or more media files and/or libraries of media files. A library of media files stored by file database 44 may include media files imported directly from, for example, a media distribution company or a record label like Sony Music™ or Universal Studios™. File database 44 may be in communication with file server 42. API 52 may be a set of instructions, protocols, methods, and/or functions that enable system 100 to perform a request from any of the components of system 100.
Content delivery platform and management system 46 may, for example, classify and/or index media files such as ringtones (reduced media content), full-track content, games, wallpaper, graphics, MP3s, and media files using one or more categories. Content delivery platform and management system 46 may provide information to a customer regarding a media file based on, for example, it's classification and/or indexing. Media files to be indexed may be from, for example, a file server such as file server 42. Indexed media files may be stored in, for example, a structured manner that may enable accessing the media file and/or downloading the indexed media file to a website like website 48, a WAP site like WAP site 50, a SMS/MMS gateway like SMS/MMS gateway 52, and/or a transcoding service like transcoding service 54. Indexed media files may be stored in a database like file database 44.
Subscription and purchase management system 56 may include instructions that may enable the managing of subscriptions to, for example, a host website, a user profile, and/or a media file. Subscription and purchase management system 56 may also include instructions that may enable the managing of the purchase of a subscription and/or access to a media file. Subscription and purchase management system 56 may enable the updating of a customer account to indicate, for example, the customers access of a website like website 48, a WAP site like WAP site 50, a SMS/MMS gateway like SMS/MMS gateway 52, a user profile, or a media file. Subscription and purchase management system 56 may also enable providing a customer with access to a good or service when the customer communicates with, for example, a website like website 48, a WAP site like WAP site 50, a SMS/MMS gateway like SMS/MMS gateway 52.
Transcoding service 54 may prepare communication suitable for transmission over internet 30, WAP network 38, and/or SMS/MMS network 40. Administrator 58 may be any administrator of server computer system 22 and may provide instructions to one or more components of server computer system 22. Third party user 60 may be any third party not in communication with to the website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52 and WAP site 50. Third party user 60 may be enabled to access API 52 via, for example, a widget, API, or link external to server computer system 22.
Communication between one or more components of system 100 may be made via a communication link like communication link 62. Communication links 62 may be any appropriate communication link and may be wired or wireless.
Financial institution 130 may be any entity capable of conducting financial transactions such as an electronic or paper funds transfer. Exemplary financial institutions include banks, credit card companies, and PayPal™. Financial institution 130 may be able to access, withdraw, and/or deposit funds related to user account 110 and/or customer account 120. Financial institution 130 may also be able to update a user account module 110 and/or customer account module 120 to reflect, for example, a transaction.
User information module 105 may include information regarding a user. Exemplary information includes login information such as a password and user identification and/or a user profile and/or information associated with a user profile and/or media file. A user profile may include, for example, information regarding the user's interests, a musical group that he or she belongs to, a genre of art that he or she contributes to, and/or information regarding media files he or she has uploaded to the user profile. User information module 105 may be in communication with, for example, user account module 110 and/or media file module 125.
User account module 110 may include, for example, information regarding an account the user has with a host website, SMS/MMS gateway, and/or WAP site such as website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and/or WAP site 50. Information included in user account module 110 may be, for example, a list of media files uploaded to user information module 105, the status of the uploaded media files, how many customers accessed his or her profile and/or uploaded media file, a statement prepared for the user, and any credit or debit account balance owed or due to the user. User account module 110 may be in communication with, for example, user information module 105.
Customer information module 115 may include information regarding a customer. A customer may be any individual and/or entity requesting access to a media file. Exemplary information includes login information such as a password and user identification and/or a customer profile. A customer profile may include, for example, information regarding his or her interests, a genre of art that they contribute to, and/or information regarding media files he or she has uploaded to the user profile. Customer information module 115 may also include information regarding media files access and/or downloaded by the customer and/or a service or periodically issued media file that the customer subscribes to. Customer information module 115 may be in communication with, for example, customer account module 120 and/or media file module 125.
Customer account module 120 may include information regarding an account the user has with a host website, SMS/MMS gateway, and/or WAP site such as website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and/or WAP site 50. Customer account module 120 may also include an accounting of the number of media files accessed by and/or downloaded to customer information module 115, the status of an accessed/downloaded media file, the media files and/or user profiles he or she has accessed, a statement prepared for the customer, and any credit or debit account balance owed, or due to, the customer.
Media file module 125 may include one or more media files uploaded by a user to his or her profile. A media file uploaded to media file 125 may be accessed/downloaded by a customer via, for example, customer information module 115. Exemplary media files include an MP3 file, a graphic file, a ringtone file, a document file, a game file, and a music file. Media file module 125 may be accessed by, for example, user information module 105, and/or customer information module 115.
A user and/or customer may communicate with file database 44, user information module 105, user account module 110, customer information module 115, customer account module 120, and/or media file 125 via, for example, website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and/or WAP site 50 over communication links 62.
Customer information module 115 may communicate with API 52 over communication link 62. This communication may include a request to, for example, access a user profile or access a media file. API 52 may be enabled to communicate with content delivery platform and content management system 46. This communication may include, for example, the request to, for example, access a user profile or access/download a media file and a response to the request. Content delivery platform and content management system 46 may be in communication with subscription and purchase management system 56. This communication may relate to a subscription and/or payment required from the customer to access a requested profile and/or media file. Subscription and purchase management system 56 may be in communication with customer account module 120 and/or financial institution 130 in order to, for example, execute the payment for access a requested profile and/or media file. Once executed, customer account module 120 and/or user account module 110 may be updated to reflect the transaction.
The exemplary computer system 200 includes a processor 202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both), a main memory 204 (e.g., read only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), and a static memory 206 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), which communicate with each other via a bus 208.
The computer system 200 may further include a video display 210 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 200 may also include an alpha-numeric input device 212 (e.g., a keyboard or touch screen), a cursor control device 214 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 216, a signal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device 220.
The disk drive unit 216 includes a machine-readable medium 222 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions 224 (e.g., software) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The software may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 204 and/or within the processor 202 during execution thereof by the computer system 200, the main memory 204 and the processor 202 also constituting machine-readable media.
The software may further be transmitted or received over a network 228 via the network interface device 220. Exemplary networks include Internet 30, SMS/MMS network 40, and WAP network 38.
While machine-readable medium 224 is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, and carrier wave signals.
The GUIs of
A user may select a reporting view under a reporting view heading 415. Selecting a reporting view enables a user to view information related to a source of data associated with their user profile. For example, a user may have mechanisms for accessing their user profile available on various platforms or websites, such as mySpace.com, FaceBook.com, and/or a personal website. A user may wish to view information related to only one of these platforms. In this case, he or she would select the one of exemplary reporting views ptrx 425, thpcampid 430, and thpcid 435, wherein each of these reporting views is associated with a different platform or website. Upon selection of a reporting view, information regarding activity related to the selected platform or website may be displayed. When a user desires to view information related to all of the platforms or websites associated with their user profile, he or she may select the summary reporting view 420. Following this selection, a summary of all activity related to the user profile may be displayed as shown in
A user may also select a manner of sorting the data shown on a report. For example, GUI 400 shows a sorting option of “by dates” 440. Other exemplary sorting options include sorting by day, week, month, or most recent activity. Optionally, one or more text boxes 440 may be displayed wherein a user may enter a date or date range for information to be shown in a statement or report. A user may select or “click on,” for example, a button 445 shown on the GUI to apply the selected sorting option to the data provided on the statement or report.
Exemplary information showing activity and/or transactions regarding a user profile may be provided in table 450. Table 450 may include one or more headings that may refer to a category of information. Exemplary categories include the date, volume of traffic, and/or the number of new/existing subscriptions, and/or downloads. Information related the category and the user profile may be provided on the table under the appropriate heading.
In step 505, a customer may be provided with a mechanism to access the hosted user profile via the third party information source through, for example, a personal or mobile computing device. Exemplary mobile communication devices include a mobile telephone and PDA. The user profile may be hosted on, for example, a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and a WAP site like website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and WAP site 50, respectively. The mechanism may be, for example, a link or a widget that is included on a page displayed by the third party information source. An exemplary mechanism is shown in
The user profile may include information. In some cases, the information may be a media file. Exemplary media files include an MP3 file, a graphic file, a ringtone file, a document file, a game file, a wallpaper file, and a music file. In one embodiment, the information may be a subscription to, for example, information made periodically available on the hosted user profile and/or entity hosting the user profile.
In one embodiment, the user profile may be associated with a user account. A user account may include information relating to, for example, a user or administrator of the user profile, and/or information or media files associated with the user profile. A user account may include information relating to the transferring of monetary funds to and/or from the user. Monetary funds may be transferred from the user account, for example, as payment for services rendered by the entity hosting the user profile. Monetary funds may be transferred to the user account as a credit from the entity hosting the user profile for fees collected from customers who accessed information from the hosted user profile. In some embodiments, the mechanism may be provided via a plurality of third party information sources.
In step 510, a request to access the user profile may be received from a customer via, for example, the mechanism. An exemplary method for receiving the request may include selecting, by the user, the mechanism by clicking on it with a mouse.
In step 515, the customer may be provided with access to the user profile. This access may be enabled by a content delivery platform and content management system like content delivery platform and content management system 46 via, for example, a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and a WAP site like website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and WAP site 50. In step 520, a request to access information associated with a hosted user profile may be received via, for example, a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, a WAP site like website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and WAP site 50.
In step 525, personal information may be received from the customer via, for example, a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and/or a WAP site like website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and/or WAP site 50, respectively. Personal information received from the customer may include, for example, the customer's name, email address, billing information, login information, and/or a password. The customer may then be associated with a customer account based on the received personal information using, for example, a subscription and purchase management system, such as subscription and purchase management system 56 and/or a financial institution like financial institution 130 (step 530). In some cases, the customer may have a previously existing customer account and may be associated with this account based on the received customer information. In other cases, a new customer account may be generated for the customer using the received personal information.
In step 535, a customer account may be updated to reflect the requested to access the information. In some embodiments, updating a customer account may include charging the customer account an amount of money and receiving payment. A customer account may be, for example, an account with a bank, a utility provider, a mobile communications provider, a telecommunications provider, a lending institution, and an electronic commerce institution, wherein the account is associated with the customer. A customer account may be resident in, for example, a file database like file database 44 and/or a customer account module, like customer account module 120. Updating the customer account may be performed by, for example, a subscription and purchase management system, such as subscription and purchase management system 56 and/or a financial institution like financial institution 130. To update a customer's account, a payment for accessing the requested media file may be transferred from a customer and/or customer account. Updating the customer account may include, for example, an electronic funds transfer, or a credit card, debit card, or PayPal™ transaction.
In step 540, a customer may be enabled to access the requested information via, for example, a content delivery platform and/or content management system such as content delivery platform and content management system 46 or a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and/or a WAP site such as website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and/or WAP site 50, respectively. In some embodiments, accessing the information may include downloading the information.
In step 545, one or more transactions of process 500 may be cataloged using, for example, a content delivery platform and content management system like content delivery platform and content management system 46.
In step 550, a user's account may be updated to, for example, indicate a customer's information access. A subscription and purchase management system, such as subscription and purchase management system 56 and/or a financial institution like financial institution 130 may be used to update the user's account. Updating a user account may include, for example, issuing or receiving an electronic funds transfer and/or a paper check that may be, for example, transferred from a payment received by the entity hosting the user profile.
In step 555, a statement may be prepared for the user using, for example, a subscription and purchase management system, such as subscription and purchase management system 56 and/or a financial institution like financial institution 130. This statement may include information regarding various transactions related to the user profile, information associated with the user profile, and/or a website, a SMS/MMS gateway, and a WAP site like host website 48, SMS/MMS gateway 52, and WAP site 50, respectively including the status or cost of a transaction, and/or any credit due, or debt owed, by the user. In embodiments where a plurality of mechanisms are provided to a user, the statement may include information associated with each of the plurality of mechanisms. In step 560, the statement may be provided to the user via, for example, the content delivery platform and content management system. An exemplary statement provided to a user is shown in
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive of the current invention, and that this invention is not restricted to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described since modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.
