>
`
`(19) 0
`
`European Patent Office
`Office européen des brevets
`
`lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
`
`(11)
`
`EP 0 809 221 A2
`
`(12)
`
`EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
`
`(43) Date of publication:
`26.11.1997 Bulletin 1997/48
`
`(21) Application number: 97107454.?
`
`(22) Date 01 filing: 06.05.1997
`
`(84) Designated Contracting States:
`DE FR GB NL SE
`
`(30) Priority: 23.05.1996 US 652778
`
`(71) Applicant:
`SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC.
`Mountain View, CA 94043 (US)
`
`(72) Inventors:
`- Poggio, Andrew A.
`Palo Alto, CA 94306 (US)
`
`(51) int. Cl.6: G07F 17/16, G07F 19/00,
`G06F 17/60
`
`- Hejza, Leo A.
`Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (US)
`
`(74) Representative:
`Zangs, Rainer E., Dipl.-lng. et al
`Hotfmann Eitle,
`Patent— und Rechtsanwalte,
`Arabellastrasse 4
`
`81925 Miinchen (DE)
`
`
`
`(54)
`
`Virtual vending system and method for managing the distribution, licensing and rental of
`electronic data
`
`124 116
`
`106
`
`118
`
`Digital
`Electronic
`Cash "
`
`
`lntertace
`Bankhg
`Network
`
`
`
`
`102
`
`100
`
`108
`
`112
`
`12°
`
`FIG. 1
`
`A virtual vending machine manages a compre-
`(57)
`hensive vending service for the distribution of licensed
`electronic data (i.e., products) over a distributed compu-
`ter system. The distributed computer system includes a
`group of client computers, a group 01 vendors that con-
`tribute the products to the virtual vending machine for
`distribution, and a server computer for operating the vir-
`tual vending machine. The virtual vending machine dis-
`tributes licenses lor the electronic data for the complete
`product or for components thereof and for a variety of
`time frames,
`including permanent licenses and rental
`period licenses. The virtual vending machine provides
`client computers with the capability to obtain information
`regarding the available products and the associated
`license fees and rental periods, to receive the product
`upon receipt of a corresponding electronic payment,
`and to reload the product during the term of the license.
`The virtual vending machine provides vendors with the
`capability of establishing a particular vending service
`that includes point-of-sale electronic payment and a
`means to communicate with the client computers to
`which licensed electronic data has been distributed.
`
`EP0809221A2
`
`Printed by Flank Xerox (UK) Business Services
`
`“4-2354
`
`Apple Exhibit 1016 Page 00001
`
`Apple Exhibit 1016 Page 00001
`
`

`

`1
`
`EP 0 809 221 A2
`
`2
`
`Description
`
`The present invention relates to systems and meth-
`ods for managing the distribution of licensed electronic
`data including the distribution of applications, applica-
`tion components, and computer readable data on either
`a permanent or time-limited rental basis.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The interconnection of various computer systems
`has provided a new medium for the distribution of com-
`puter software. Currently, networked computer systems
`are used to distribute computer software without any
`usage restrictions or a license fee. A number of "try and
`buy" systems also exist which enable users to try cer-
`tain software programs in a limited time period without
`incurring a license fee. The "try and buy" systems typi-
`cally limit the rights of the users of the trial versions by
`enclosing "time bombs" or "usage metering" schemes
`which limit the lifespan of the program to the trial period.
`The objective of the "try and buy" system is to allow the
`user to test the program before the user purchases it.
`Typically, the user can purchase the software at a retail
`store. Alternatively, the software can be downloaded to
`the user over the network and the user, in turn, mails the
`license fee to the vendor.
`
`The success of these systems is due in part to the
`fast access that the network provides in acquiring the
`software. However, these systems are limited in the
`vending services that they provide. Specifically, the cur-
`rent systems do not provide any capability to acquire
`separate components of a software product or the capa-
`bility to rent the software (or any machine transmitted
`information) or components thereof for a limited time
`period. Typically, a user acquires a license for a soft-
`ware product for the lifetime of the product. However, a
`user may have a need to use the product for a short time
`period with no need for it thereafter. For instance, a user
`may need to rent the latest version of a tax preparation
`software product each April. As the tax code changes
`annually, the user may prefer to rent the latest version of
`the software for one month prior to April 15th instead of
`purchasing the complete package each year.
`Moreover,
`the current systems do not provide a
`capability for managing the redistribution (or reloading)
`of licensed computer software during the license period.
`This capability is essential for computer systems with
`limited or no secondary storage.
`Therefore, the aim of the present invention is to
`account for the abovementioned limitations. Accord-
`
`ingly, it is a goal of the present invention to provide a vir-
`tual vending machine which fully utilizes electronic-
`network services in the procurement of electronic data
`on either a permanent or rental license basis.
`It is a further goal of the present invention to provide
`a system and method as described above for the distri-
`bution of electronic data upon receipt of electronic pay-
`ment of the associated license fee.
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`4o
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`It is yet another goal of the present invention to pro-
`vide a system and method as described above which
`provides a facility for reloading electronic data during
`the licensed period.
`
`Another goal of the present invention is to provide a
`system and method which provides vendors of elec-
`tronic data with a medium for distributing the electronic
`data to users interconnected by a communications link
`and to receive the appropriate license fees in an auto-
`mated manner.
`
`Other general and specific objects of this invention
`will be apparent and evident from the accompanying
`drawings and the following description.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention pertains to a virtual vending
`machine which manages a comprehensive electronic
`vending service for the distribution of licensed electronic
`data over a distributed computer system. The distrib-
`uted computer system includes a group of client com-
`puters, a group of vendors, and at least one server
`computer which executes the virtual vending machine.
`The electronic data offered for procurement by the vir-
`tual vending machine includes any form of computer
`readable data that the vendor has the legal right to dis-
`tribute. Further, the electronic data can be acquired as a
`complete product or as separate components thereof.
`There are also various license options available which
`can include procuring a license for a permanent time
`period or on a time-limited or rental basis.
`The virtual vending machine provides the vendors
`with a mechanism to market, to distribute, to receive
`payment for the vendors electronic data, and to commu-
`nicate with the users of the vendor's electronic data with
`
`minimal intervention by the vendor.
`Users of the virtual vending machine are provided
`with a central repository of electronic data that can be
`procured in an expedient manner. The virtual vending
`machine provides the users with product information for
`the electronic data which details the operational require-
`ments for the product as well as the associated license
`fees. The product information can be searched by the
`user using various keywords. Further,
`the electronic
`data can be electronically purchased by the user and
`repeatedly reloaded during the license period. Notifica-
`tions or other announcements concerning the product
`are automatically fonivarded to the user by the vendor.
`The virtual vending machine can include several
`components which operate on a server computer. A
`vending information database is used to track the elec-
`tronic data made available by the vendors and the sales
`transactions that occur. A Web server provides the
`users with Web pages (e.g., with product and pricing
`information) for each of the electronic data available for
`procurement. The electronic data is categorized by sev-
`eral search keywords for use by a search engine to
`retrieve a requested Web page. Vendors interact with a
`vending administration interface to establish a vending
`
`Page 00002
`
`Page 00002
`
`

`

`3
`
`EP 0 809 221 A2
`
`4
`
`service for their particular electronic data. Point-of-sale
`electronic payment is facilitated by a digital cash inter-
`face which is connected to an electronic banking net-
`work. An electronic mail server is utilized to forward
`communications from the vendors to the users of the
`vendor's electronic data.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`Additional objects and features of the invention will
`be more readily apparent from the following detailed
`description and appended claims when taken in con-
`junction with the drawings, in which:
`
`Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a dis-
`tributed computer system incorporating the present
`invention.
`
`Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the virtual vending
`machine in a preferred embodiment of the inven-
`tion.
`
`Figs. 3A and SB depict the vending information
`database used to store information about licensa-
`
`ble products and sales information in a preferred
`embodiment of the invention.
`
`Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the client computer in
`the distributed computer system of Fig. 1.
`
`Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of an exem-
`plary virtual vending machine Web page used to
`facilitate the distribution of the vendor products for
`licensing.
`
`Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of an exem-
`plary Web page used to obtain information on the
`procurement of a license for a vendor product.
`
`Fig. 7 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the
`method for processing a request to license a vendor
`product in accordance with the present invention.
`
`Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of an exem-
`plary Web page used to obtain information on
`reloading a previously licensed product.
`
`Fig. 9 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the
`method for processing a request to reload a previ-
`ously licensed product
`in accordance with the
`present invention.
`
`Fig. 10 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the
`method for processing service requests from the
`vendor in accordance with the present invention.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI-
`MENTS
`
`For the purposes of this document, the term elec-
`tronic data encompasses all forms of computer reada-
`ble data, including but not limited to machine executable
`modules (e.g., applications, applications program, appli-
`cation components) and information content products
`(e.g., digitized video, voice data, chapter of books, and
`mailing lists). Further, the terms electronic data, vendor
`product, and product are used interchangeably.
`Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the preferred embodiment of
`the computer system of the present invention. Referring
`to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a distributed computer
`system 100 having many client computers 120. Each
`client computer 120 can be connected to at least one
`server computer 212 through a network interconnectiv-
`ity means 202, preferably the Internet. The present
`invention is not limited to the use of the Internet as other
`
`types of communication connections can be used.
`While most client computers 120 are desktop comput-
`ers, such as Sun workstations, IBM compatible comput-
`ers and Macintosh computers, virtually any type of
`computer can be a client computer. One or more users
`(not shown) can be associated with each client compu-
`ter 120. It should be noted that the present invention is
`not limited to a distributed computer system. It may be
`practiced without the specific details and may be imple-
`mented in various computer systems and in various
`configurations, or makes or models of tightly-coupled
`processors or in various configurations of loosely-cou-
`pled microprocessor systems.
`In the preferred embodiment, there can be at least
`one specially designated server computer referred to as
`the virtual vending machine 122. The virtual vending
`machine 122 can be used to manage the distribution of
`electronic data and components thereof on a variety of
`license terms between the client computers 120 and the
`vendors 102. Specifically, virtual vending machine 122
`can be used to provide information on the various ven-
`dor products and components thereof that are available
`for distribution; provide information on the associated
`licensing fees and rental options; receive orders for a
`particular product; obtain electronic payment for a par-
`ticular product; distribute the particular product to the
`client computer 120 initially and repeatedly within the
`licensed period; and provide the vendors 102 with a
`communications channel to the licensed users of their
`
`product.
`The virtual vending machine 122 can include a cen-
`tral processing unit (CPU) 204, a memory 210 (Le, fast
`random access memory as well as non-volatile mem-
`ory, such as disk storage), a user interface 206, and a
`communications interface 208 for communication with
`
`the client computers 120 and the vendors 102 via the
`communications network 202.
`
`Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, in the memory 210 of vir-
`tual vending machine 122, there can be stored the fol-
`lowing components:
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`Page 00003
`
`Page 00003
`
`

`

`5
`
`EP 0 809 221 A2
`
`6
`
`-
`
`an operating system 214;
`
`Internet access procedures 216;
`-
`web server procedures 114;
`-
`- Web pages 220;
`-
`a vending information database 110;
`-
`a library of vendor products 112;
`-
`digital cash interface procedures 116;
`-
`vendor interface administration procedures 106;
`-
`an index of the product information 108;
`-
`an index search engine 124;
`-
`an encryption and formatting module 218;
`-
`electronic mail (email) server procedures 126; and
`-
`electronic invoices 222.
`
`A more detailed description of these components is pro-
`vided below.
`
`In the preferred embodiment, the virtual vending
`machine 122 can utilize a World Wide Web Server 114
`
`(Web Server) to facilitate the management of the vend-
`ing services. The Web Server 114 interacts with the cli-
`ent computers 120 utilizing standard World Wide Web
`(WWW) protocols. However, the present invention is not
`limited to this particular type of information server. Other
`information servers can be used, such as but not limited
`to, gopher servers, WAIS (Wide Area Information Serv-
`ers) servers, other Internet database servers, or the
`like.
`
`The Web Server 114 responds to requests from
`users for information and orders for a vendor product.
`The Web Server 114 interacts with other system com-
`ponents in the virtual vending machine 122 in order to
`process the user's request. The virtual vending machine
`122 can include a vending information database 110, a
`library of vendor products 112, a vendor administration
`interface 106, an index search engine 124, and a digital
`cash interface 116. The vending information database
`110 can contain product and sales information for each
`available vendor product. The library of vendor products
`112 can be a repository for the available vendor prod-
`ucts. The vendor administration interface 106 can inter-
`
`act with the vendors 102 in establishing a particular
`vending service for the vendor's products. The index
`search engine 124 can be used to perform searches on
`the available vendor products offered by the virtual
`vending machine 122. The digital cash interface 116
`can provide the point-of-sale cash payment for the
`license fees associated with the vendor products. A
`more detailed description of each of these components
`will be presented below.
`The distributed computer system 100 can be linked
`to numerous vendors 102 which provide the virtual
`vending machine 122 with products for distribution to
`the users associated with the client computers 120. The
`vendors can be any party in communication with the
`network 202 and who has the right to legally distribute
`the electronic data. Accordingly, the vendor can be a
`user associated with a client computer 120, a user
`associated with a server computer 212, online informa-
`tion service providers, or any other type of licensed dis-
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`tributor.
`
`The vendors 102 interact with the virtual vending
`machine 122 through a vendor administration interface
`106. The vendor administration interface 106 services
`
`requests from the vendors 102 which can include:
`requests to establish a vending service (i.e., make a
`vendor product available for distribution, license or rent,
`by the virtual vending machine); requests to update a
`vending service (i.e., update the vendor product and/or
`its documentation); requests to discontinue a vending
`service; and requests to communicate with the users of
`the vendor's product.
`The distributed computer system 100 can further
`include a digital cash interface 116 for obtaining point-
`of-sale electronic payment for the license fee associ-
`ated with a particular vendor product. The digital cash
`interface 116 is connected to an electronic banking net-
`work 118 which is a communications link to financial
`
`institutions such as banks, automatic clearing houses,
`and the like. Digital cash interface 116 interacts with the
`user and the virtual vending machine 122 in obtaining
`the pertinent payment
`information and forwards the
`transaction to the appropriate financial
`institution
`through the electronic banking network 118.
`Digital cash interface 116 can be a digital cash
`server such as the CyberCash server. However,
`the
`present invention is not limited to this type of point-of-
`sale electronic payment scheme. Others can be used
`which provide an appropriate point-of-sale electronic
`payment method, which can include but is not limited to,
`such systems as First Virtual Holdings, DigiCash,
`Checkfree, and the like. Further, the present invention is
`not constrained to credit card payment transactions but
`can include all forms of electronic payment,
`including
`but not limited to, debit transactions, electronic funds
`transfer, and other types of cash transactions.
`Figs. 3A and 3B depict the structure of the vending
`information database 110 in the preferred embodiment.
`The vending information database 110 maintains prod-
`uct information for each vendor product that is offered
`by the virtual vending machine 122 and tracks sales
`data for each product purchased. The vending informa-
`tion database 110 contains an entry 302 for each ven-
`dor product and can contain the following information:
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`a product identifier 304, which can be any alphanu-
`meric character string (such as the product name)
`that uniquely identifies the product;
`the number of copies of the vendor product availa-
`ble for sale or
`rental 306 (Le,
`the number of
`licenses authorized by the product's vendor, minus
`the number of licenses granted so far);
`a pointer to the location of the vendor product in the
`library of vendor products 308;
`product information 310 which can include the fol-
`lowing information:
`
`*
`
`vendor information 312, which contains data on
`the particular vendor which supplied the vendor
`
`Page 00004
`
`Page 00004
`
`

`

`7
`
`EP 0 809 221 A2
`
`8
`
`product, preferably the vendor‘s name and net-
`work address;
`
`* Web pages 314, which provide information on
`the product including but not limited to a gen-
`eral description, the version number, hardware
`and software requirements and restrictions,
`and the like; and
`category and keywords 316, which denote
`classifications that are used in referencing and
`searching the vendor products available in the
`virtual vending machine 122;
`
`*
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`sale and/or rental license fee schedules 318, which
`indicate the licensing fees for the vendor product
`and the separately-acquired components on a pur-
`chasable and/or rental basis;
`a schedule of components 320 that are part of the
`vendor product and can be purchased or rented
`independently;
`sales information 322, which can include an entry
`for each license of the vendor product 302 pur-
`chased through the virtual vending machine 122,
`where each entry 324 can include the following:
`
`*
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`*
`
`license number 326;
`buyer identifier and security code 328, which
`uniquely represents the buyer;
`product option 330, which indicates the partic-
`ular product and/or component acquired;
`purchase option 332, which indicates whether
`the particular product and/or component was
`purchased or rented;
`reload count 334, which is a count of the
`number of times the product has been redistrib-
`uted to the user within the rental or license
`
`period;
`time stamp 336; and
`network address 338, which indicates the net-
`work address of the buyer.
`
`there is an indexing
`Referring to Figs. 2 and 3,
`structure known as the index of product information 108
`which is associated with the Web pages for each vendor
`product. The index 108 is used to provide quick access
`to reference or search information on the various vendor
`
`products available for license by the virtual vending
`machine 122. As vendor products and their associated
`Web pages are inserted and deleted into the vending
`information database 110, the index structure 108 is
`updated to reflect the change. The indexing structure
`108 is used by the index search engine 126 in response
`to requests by the user and will be described in more
`detail below.
`
`It should be noted that the present invention is not
`constrained to this particular design or format of the
`vending information database 110 and the index 108.
`Alternate database formats and indexing structures can
`be utilized so long as they provide similar functionality
`Referring to Fig. 4, there is shown a block diagram
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`of the client computer 120 in the distributed computer
`system 100. The client computer 120 can include a cen-
`tral processing unit (CPU) 402, a user interface 404, a
`memory 408, and a communications interface 406 for
`communication with the virtual vending machine 122 via
`the communications network 202. The memory 408 of
`the client computer 120 can be used to store the follow-
`Ing:
`
`-
`-
`-
`-
`-
`
`-
`
`operating system 410;
`Internet access procedures 412;
`web browser 414;
`client encryption keys 416;
`decryption module 418 for decoding encrypted
`electronic data received from the virtual vending
`machine; and
`a repository of rented and purchased vendor prod-
`ucts 420.
`
`Referring to Fig. 5 there is shown a schematic rep-
`resentation of an exemplary virtual vending machine
`home Web page 220 of the Web server 114, accessible
`by a user using client computer 120. The Web page 220
`includes menu selection buttons for: searching the vari-
`ous categories of vendor products 506; viewing infor-
`mation about
`the available vendor products 508;
`viewing the licensing fee schedules for the vendor prod-
`ucts 510; initiating the purchase of a license for a vendor
`product on a permanent or limited time period basis
`512; requesting the reloading of a previously acquired
`vending product 514; requesting access to various ven-
`dor services 516; and obtaining help on the virtual vend-
`ing machine 518.
`The vendor products can be classified into catego-
`ries 502. The categories 502 can be classified by prod-
`uct
`types (e.g., compilers, Java applications, Web
`browsers, screen savers, digitized music scores, video
`data, device drivers, or non-software categories such as
`books, still photos, phone directories, music, movies,
`etc.), by vendors (e.g., Microsoft, Sun, IBM, etc), or any
`other classification scheme. Associated with each cate-
`
`gory can be menu buttons displaying the particular cat-
`egory 502. For each category,
`there can be a
`corresponding selection button for the title of each ven-
`dor product within the category 504. It should be noted
`that the present invention is not limited to the particular
`design depicted in the exemplary Web page. Others can
`be used which provide similar functionality
`If the user wants to perform a search of the various
`vendor products or categories that are available, the
`user selects the perform category search menu button
`506. A search Web page (not shown) will be down-
`loaded to the user which will guide the user on the avail-
`able search capabilities and search keywords. The
`index search engine 126 will receive the user's search
`criteria and perform the search utilizing the index of the
`product information 108.
`If the user wants to access information describing a
`particular product, the user selects the button 504 cor-
`
`Page 00005
`
`Page 00005
`
`

`

`9
`
`EP 0 809 221 A2
`
`10
`
`responding to the title of the product and the view prod-
`uct information menu button 508. A first Web page (not
`shown) associated with the selected product
`is then
`downloaded to the user. Subsequent Web pages of
`product document are accessed by the user using
`standard hypertext linking provided by the client compu-
`ter's Web browser and hypertext links in the product
`documentation.
`
`Similarly, if the user chooses to access the license
`fee schedule for a particular product, the user selects
`the button 504 corresponding to the title of the product
`and the menu button 510 for viewing the license fee
`schedule. Another Web page (not shown) is then trans-
`mitted to the user which contains the license fee sched-
`
`ule for the particular product.
`Fig. 6 is an exemplary Web page 600 for the pur-
`chase or rent of a selected product. The Web page 600
`can be accessed by selecting the button for the title of
`the vendor product 504 and the purchase / rent product
`menu button 512. Fig. 7 is a flow chart depicting the
`method 700 executed by the web server 114 in
`response to a user's order initiated through Web page
`600. Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the Web page 600 can
`contain menu buttons which select the product and
`license options that the user prefers. By selecting menu
`button 602 the user selects the license option (i.e., to
`purchase a permanent license to the specified product)
`and by selecting menu button 604 the user selects the
`rent option. For the purposes of this document,
`the
`license purchase option indicates that a license for the
`product is acquired in perpetuity. The rent option indi-
`cates that a license for the product is acquired for a lim-
`ited time period.
`Web page 600 can also contain menu buttons for
`indicating the following:
`
`ter 120. The user adds a credit card number (or other
`form of payment authorization) to the invoice, which is
`then encrypted and forwarded back to the web server
`114. The web server 114 attaches a confirmation
`number
`to the invoice and the entire invoice is
`
`encrypted and transmitted to the digital cash interface
`116. The digital cash interface 116 reformats the invoice
`into the appropriate format for transmittal to the elec-
`tronic banking network 118 which processes the trans-
`action.
`
`The digital cash interface 116 awaits for an indica-
`tion from the electronic banking network 118 signifying
`successful completion of the payment transaction (i.e.,
`credit card or electronic funds transfer transaction). This
`indication is fonrvarded to the web server (step 712). If
`the payment transaction fails (714-N), the user is so
`informed and the purchase transaction is aborted (715).
`If the payment transaction was successful (714-Y), the
`method decrements the count of the available licenses
`
`306 in the vending information database 1 10 (step 716).
`If the remaining number of available licenses 306 is zero
`(or less than zero), the method informs the vendor that
`additional licenses are needed (step 716).
`The method then proceeds to format the purchased
`product for transmission to the user (step 718). Prefera-
`bly, rental products are formatted to include a time bomb
`or other disabling device which will disable the product
`at the end of the rental period. In addition, the formatted
`product is encrypted before it is transmitted to the user
`utilizing the encryption and formatting module 218. The
`product can be encrypted utilizing any of the well-known
`encryption techniques, such as but not limited to DES,
`RSA, and the like. More generally,
`the product
`is
`encrypted so that it can be decoded only by the user or
`client who paid for
`the product. Lastly,
`the sale is
`recorded in the sales information entry 322 of the vend-
`ing information database 110 (step 720).
`The user's system decodes the received electronic
`data product using its decryption module 418 and
`stores the licensed electronic data in its repository 420.
`In alternate embodiments, the payment transaction
`could be handled in other ways, depending on the elec-
`tronic payment methods that are commercially availa-
`ble. For instance, the virtual vending machine could
`request that the requesting user pay it a specified
`amount of funds, after which the user would perform a
`separate transaction, using an appropriate electronic
`banking network or service provider, to pay the speci-
`fied funds to the virtual vending machine. The virtual
`vending machine, upon receipt of confirmation from the
`electronic banking network or service provider that the
`payment had been made, would then transmit the elec-
`tronic data to the client computer.
`Referring back to Fig. 5, another vending service
`offered to the user is that of reloading. Reloading is the
`retransmission of a previously purchased product within
`the licensed or rental period. This option is highly desir-
`able to users associated with client computers 120 that
`have minimal or no secondary storage (i.e., non-volatile
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`Page 00006
`
`- whether the entire product 606 is being licensed, or
`just specified components thereof 608;
`the expiration date of the rental period 610,
`rental option 604 is selected;
`a buyer identification and security code 612;
`the total license fee 618; and
`an explicit verification of the sale by the user 620.
`
`-
`
`-
`-
`-
`
`if the
`
`The user selects the appropriate menu buttons and
`enters the appropriate information in the displayed
`fields which is received by the web server 114 (step
`702). The method proceeds to verify that a license is
`available for the desired license option by checking the
`number of available licenses 306 in the vending infor-
`mation database 1 10 (step 704). If no licenses are avail-
`able (i.e., the stock of authorized licenses has been
`depleted), the method informs the user that the virtual
`vending machine is temporarily out-of-stock of licenses
`for the particular product (step 706).
`Otherwise (step 704-Y) the method proceeds to
`collect a form of electronic payment for the license fee
`(step 710). Preferably, the web server 114 forwards an
`invoice 222 to the user associated with a client compu-
`
`Page 00006
`
`

`

`11
`
`EP0809 221 A2
`
`12
`
`-
`
`the number of copies for sale and for rent;
`
`storage such as disk storage). The main memory of the
`user's computer may not provide a suitable alternative
`to store the licensed product. The reloading option is
`chosen by selecting the buttons for the appropriate title
`for the product 504 and the reload menu button 514.
`
`Fig. 8 depicts an exemplary Web page 800 which
`illustrates the required information for requesting a
`reload of a vendor product and Fig. 9 illustrates the
`method 900 for performing the reload function. Refer-
`ring to Figs. 8 and 9, a user enters his/her buyer identi-
`fication 802 and security code 804 and indicates the
`desired product 806 and/or component(s)
`to be
`reloaded 808. The Web server 114 receives this infor-
`
`mation (step 902) and proceeds to check whether the
`user has a current license for the specified product. This
`check can be made by searching the sales information
`322 stored in the vending information database 110
`(step 904). If the check indicates that there is no current
`license for the requested reloaded product by the user,
`the process informs this to the vendor (step 906).
`Otherwise, the product is formatted for transmission
`to the user and then transmitted (step 908) as previ-
`ously described in reference to Fig. 7, and the reload
`count 334 in the vending information database 110 is
`updated to reflect this additional retransmission (step
`910). The number of reloads for a particular user and
`product is tracked in the event the vendor requests such
`information.
`
`Referring once again to Fig. 5, another function pro-
`vided by the virtual vending machine 122 is to service
`vendor requests, which is invoked by the selection of
`menu button 516. These requests can be for the estab-
`lishment of a vending service, to discontinue a vending
`service for a product, to update a product or its docu-
`mentation, to authorize additional licenses, or to chan-
`nel a communication to the users of a product through
`electronic mail. For the purposes of this application is it
`assumed that the vendor has the right to legally distrib-
`ute the product. When a vendor selects this service, the
`web server 1 14 transmits to the vendor a Web page (not
`sh