USER INTERFACING FOR LICENSED MEDIA CONSUMPTION USING DIGITAL CURRENCY

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for displaying a user interface including a display area with at least one control button and facilitating the licensing of digital media content through the user interface while providing sensory feedback to the user upon the user selecting the control button.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of the invention in accordance with various embodiments wherein a licensing server facilitates the licensing of digital media content.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram in accordance with embodiments in which a client device includes a licensing module for communicating with a licensing server to facilitate the licensing of digital media content.

FIG. 3 illustrates a periodic approach to accumulate and/or provide digital tokens in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an approach to accumulating and/or providing digital tokens in which an advertisement server provides directs a digital currency server to credit a user's account with digital tokens in accordance with embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of accumulating and/or providing digital tokens in which an end user uses a digital coupon to credit his account with digital tokens in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of accumulating and/or providing digital tokens in which an end user exchanges third party affinity points for digital tokens in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a graphical user interface suitable for practicing the invention, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graphical user interface suitable for practicing the invention in which the user is provided visual feedback in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative graphical user interface suitable for practicing the invention in accordance with embodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example computing system suitable for use as digital currency server, licensing server and/or a host computer hosting the game launch manager, in accordance with various embodiments.

Claims

1. A method comprising: displaying by a computing system a user interface on a display device of the computing system, the user interface including a display area having at least one control button;facilitating by the computing system a licensing of a consumption of a digital media content on the computing system, upon a user selecting the at least one control button, the licensing including tendering of a digital currency; andproviding by the computing system sensory feedback to the user upon initiating the facilitating, including usage of one or more coin icons to represent the tendering.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying comprises displaying the user interface with the display area further comprising a coin icon.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing of sensory feedback includes displaying an animation of the coin icon being dropped into a coin slot image.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the providing of sensory feedback further includes playing an audible sound.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the playing of audible sound includes playing of sound of a coin being dropped.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the displaying of animation includes displaying a series of successive coin icon images.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the licensing of consumption of digital media content comprises tendering of a certain number of digital tokens and wherein the method further comprises updating the display area with an indication of the certain number of digital tokens.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying comprises displaying the user interface with the display area further including at least a second control button and wherein the licensing, upon user selection of a first of the two control buttons, comprises tendering of a certain number of digital tokens and wherein the consumption, upon user selection of a second of the two control buttons, includes displaying of advertisements.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the licensing, upon user selection of the second of the two control buttons requires no tendering of digital tokens.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the consumption, upon user selection of the first of the two control buttons includes no display of advertisements.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying further comprises displaying the user interface with the display area further including graphics relating to a subject matter of the digital media content to be licensed.

12. An apparatus comprising: a display device;a permanent storage device; anda plurality of programming instructions stored on the permanent storage device and adapted to program the apparatus to be able to: display on the display device a user interface including a display area including at least one control button;facilitate a licensing of a consumption of a digital media content on the apparatus upon a user selecting the at least one control button; andprovide visual feedback to the user upon initiating the facilitating.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further adapted to program the apparatus to display a coin icon within the display area.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further adapted to program the apparatus to display within the display area an animation of the coin icon being dropped into a coin slot image upon user selection of the at least one control button.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising an audio device and wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further adapted to cause the audio device to render a sound to accompany the animation of the coin icon being dropped into the coin slot image.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further adapted to program the apparatus to display within the display area an indication of a number of tokens required to license the digital media content and to perform the licensing, upon user selection of the at least one control button, including tendering of the number of digital tokens.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further adapted to program the apparatus to display within the display area an indication that the licensing of the digital media content is free to the user and to facilitate the consumption of the digital media content including display of advertisements.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further adapted to program the apparatus to display within the display area a second control button and a first indication that user selection of a first of the two control buttons will allow the user to license the digital media content in exchange for a certain number of digital tokens and a second indication that user selection of a second of the two control buttons will allow the user to license the digital media content for free and that the consumption of the digital media content upon user selection of the second of the two buttons will include the display of advertisements.

19. An article of manufacture comprising storage medium; anda plurality of programming instructions stored in the storage medium, and adapted to program an apparatus to enable the apparatus to perform the method of claim 1.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the programming instructions are further adapted to enable the apparatus to perform the additional operations of claim 8.