WORLD INTELLEJC'l'UAL_ PROPERTY ORGANIZATION
`International Bureau
`
`INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT)
`
`(51) Ifllefflflfiflflal P9191“ Classification 6 3
`(11) International Publication Number:
`G0“ H06’ 1750’ HMR W00’ HML gm” M (43) International Publication Date:
`
`WO 99113393
`18 March 1999 (1333.99)
`
`(21) International Application Number:
`
`PCTJ'US93J'l3948
`
`[22] International Filing Date:
`
`21 September I998 (1109.98)
`
`(31) Designated States: BR, CA, CN, IL, JP, US, European patent
`(AT. BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI. FR, GB, GR, IE, IT.
`LU. MC. NL. PT. SE)-
`
`Published
`With international Search report.
`Before the expiration of the time limit for amending the
`claims and to be republished in the event of the receipt of
`amendments.
`
`(30) Priority Data:
`601058.523
`
`l
`
`I September 1997 (l 1.09.97]
`
`US
`
`(71) Applicant [for at‘! designated States except US): FAULT LINE
`TECHNOLOGY, INC. [USJUS]; Suite 100 A. 380 El Pueblo
`Drive, Scotts Valley. CA 95066 (US).
`
`(72) Inventors; and
`(75) lnventorslhpplicants [for US only): PETERSON, Harold. L.
`{UStUS]; 17300 Debbie Road, Los Gatos. CA 95033 {US}.
`WILLIAMS, James. B.
`[USIUS];
`11345 Empire Grade
`Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (US).
`
`(74) Agents: HUGHES. Michael. I. et al.; Intellectual Property Law
`Office of Michael J. Hughes, Suite 295,
`l|‘Ir'1 Homestead
`Road, Santa Clara, CA 95050 (US).
`
`(54) Ntle: DIGITAL CONTENT VENDING, DELIVERY, AND MAINTENANCE SYSTEM
`
`(57) Abstract
`
`A digital content vending machine, DCVM (10), in which a client ([2) on a personal computer, PC (14), contains an infrastructure
`(16) and an inventory (13). The infrastructure (16) and inventory (18) may both be stored in a hard drive (20), or the inventory (18) may
`instead be stored on a removable media (24), such as a CD (16), DVD (28), or tape (30). The infrastructure (16) presents a graphical user
`interface on the client (12) which metaphorically resembles a village [46] containing a plurality of stores (44) operated by vendors (42).
`Customers (40) shop in the stores (44) by selecting assets (22). constituting the inventory (I8), and sending money (52) and an identifier
`(S4) to a clearing house (50) via a communications system such as telephone (113), private network (120), or the Internet (122). The
`clearing house (50) returns a key (53) used to at least partially remove a digital wrapper (60) protecting the asset (22) from unauthorized
`use. A master server (43) may also be provided to update the infrastructure (16) and inventory (18). and to provide additional keys (58)
`used to remove the digital wrappers (60).
`
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`FOR THE PURPOSES OF INFORMATION ONLY
`
`Codes used to identify States party to the PC!‘ on the from pages of pamphlets publishing international applications under the PCT.
`SI
`Slovenia
`Albania
`ES
`LS
`Lesotho
`FI
`Slovakia
`Annenia
`SK
`LT
`Lithuania
`SN
`Austria
`FR
`LU
`Luxembourg
`Senegal
`L\I"
`Lazvia
`SE
`Swaziland
`Australia
`GA
`Monaco
`TD
`Chad
`GB
`MC
`Azerbaijan
`TG
`MD
`GE
`Togo
`Bosnia and Herzegovina
`Republic of Moldova
`GH
`MG
`Barbados
`TJ
`Madagascar
`Tajikistan
`GN
`MK
`TM
`Turltrnenistan
`Belgium
`‘[110 fonne: Yugoslav
`Burkina Faao
`GR
`TR
`Republic of Macedonia
`'l.'i.irkey
`‘IT
`HU
`Mali
`Trinidad and Tobago
`Bulgaria
`Benin
`[E
`UA
`Ukraine
`Mongolia
`Brazil
`[L
`Mauritania
`UG
`Uganda
`US
`United Slates of America
`Belarus
`[S
`Malawi
`IT
`UZ-
`Uzbekistan
`Canada
`Mexico
`IFN
`Viet Nam
`JP
`CenIIa1 African Republic
`Niger
`KE
`Netherlands
`YU
`Yugoslavia
`Congo
`KG
`ZW
`Zimbabwe
`Switzerland
`Norway
`KP
`New Zeaiarrd
`Cote d‘Ivo'rre
`Cameroon
`Poland
`China
`Portugal
`Cuba
`Romania
`Russian Federation
`Czech Republic
`Sudan
`Gerrnany
`Denmark
`Sweden
`Estonia
`Singapore
`
`Spain
`Finland
`France
`Gabon
`United Kingdom
`Georgia
`Ghana
`Guinea
`Greece
`Hlmsao
`Ireland
`Israel
`Iceland
`Italy
`Japan
`Kenya
`Kyrgyzstan
`Democratic People's
`Republic of Korea
`Republic of Korea
`Kazakstan
`Saint Lucia
`Liechtenstein
`Sri Lanka
`Liberia
`
`KR
`KZ
`LC
`Ll
`LK
`LR
`
`ML
`MN
`MR
`MW
`MX
`NE
`NL
`NO
`NZ
`PL
`P1‘
`RO
`RU
`SD
`SE
`SG
`
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`__1__
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`DIGITAL CONTENT VENDING, DELIVERY, AND MAINTENANCE SYSTEM
`
`This appiication claims benefit of U.S. provisional application serial number
`
`60/058,623, filed September 11, 1997.
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`The present invention relates generally to the marketing functions of vending and
`
`delivery of digital content and services related thereto, and more particularly to interactive
`
`computer network systems for such marketing.
`
`BACKGROUND ART
`
`Today we are seeing a merging of many products and services into digital formats.
`
`Some typical examples of such digital products are computer software; audio content, like
`
`music or audio-books; and audio-visual content, like videos and movies. For present
`
`purposes, the salient feature of such digital products is that they can often be treated as mere
`
`bags-of-bits (BOB’s), with the underlying nature of the products ignored during most
`
`handling after creation and before use.
`
`Somewhat less widely appreciated is that many services are now also digital to a
`
`considerable extent. For example, computer users today let applets run tests and communicate
`
`the results to providers for obtaining installation, upgrade, and problem diagnosis of
`
`operating system and applications software; computer game players send each other hints via
`
`e-mail; and Internet “telephone" and “radio” are emerging as replacements for specialized
`
`telephone and broadcast systems. Thus, often to a considerable extent services today can be
`
`reduced to digital communications, and can then also be treated as BOB’s, in a somewhat
`
`more dynamic sense.
`
`For more stable forms of such digital content, such as the products noted above, it has
`
`long been appreciated that the particular storage media used has become largely irrelevant.
`
`Tape, disk, and drum media are all common, as are physical, magnetic, and optical means of
`
`impressing digital content into them. Similarly, for digital services the channels of
`
`communication used have similarly become largely irrelevant. Electrical current through
`
`wires, light through fibers, and radiation through space are all common, and substantially
`
`interchangeable communications charmels.
`
`Of relatively recent advent are communications networks, particularly including
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`public networks like the Internet. Although access to such networks is still far from universal,
`
`such networks are increasing the trend towards the irrelevance of the underlying media used
`
`to store digital products and the medium used to communicate digital services. Accordingly,
`
`in the following discussion the collective tenn “digital content” is used.
`
`Because networks are overwhelmingly computerized, and thus those most familiar
`
`already with computers can be expected to most easily appreciate and readily adopt network
`
`storage and delivery of digital content, examples in the context of personal computers will be
`
`primarily used (personal computer: "PC"; used here in the broad sense, because even most
`
`computers in business today are actually termed PC‘s). It should, however, at all times also
`
`be appreciated that the principles being discussed are valid for and extendable to other
`
`contexts.
`
`Tuming now to an example of how the potential of digital content is not adequately
`
`being employed, new PC’s today are usually purchased with some specific task in mind, such
`
`as word-processing. However, often the customer also wants to try out new PC hardware and
`
`software capabilities, much like the child in us all likes to immediately play with a new toy.
`
`Further, when a consumer purchases a new PC he or she usually also wants to employ it for
`
`such intended and experimental tasks almost immediately. It thus is not surprising that studies
`
`show that new PC owners are twice as likely to purchase software, as compared to ones who
`
`have owned their computers for longer than three months.
`
`Various vehicles for delivery of software for new PC’s exist. For example, it can be
`
`obtained at the same time as a new PC, or by returning to the store for later purchase. Further,
`
`obtaining the software at the same time as the PC can be achieved as a collateral purchase, or
`
`it can be obtained as "bundled" software coming with the PC. Unfortunately, there are a
`
`number of problems with these methods of delivery.
`
`The collateral purchase of software usually occurs only when the consumer knows
`
`exactly what he or she wants, or when the price is within the consumer's impulse purchase
`
`price range (i.e., relatively low in price). There are various reasons for this, but some typical
`
`ones include the divide and conquer approach to getting a complex system working
`
`(including even so-called tum—key PC’s today), and the palatability of separating hardware
`
`and software costs (which are substantial, particularly together).
`
`In theory, the bundled approach to software delivery seems quite desirable. The
`
`consumer gets pre-installed working software, and economy of scale keeps the price for this
`
`low. Unfortunately, theory and reality do not mesh well here, and the desire of PC
`
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`manufacturers today is to reduce the amount of bundled software. In surveys the reasons cited
`
`for this include cost (approx. $20 per system; which is substantial in the low margin
`
`competitive field of hardware sales), lack of quality in the software offerings (so-called
`
`"shovelware"), and general customer dissatisfaction. In fact, one top-ten PC manufacturer has
`
`found that over 20% of its customer survey respondents sent their PC’s back because the
`
`bundled software "didn't work."
`
`Thus, later purchase of software (i.e., post initial PC sale) remains the overwhelming
`
`means by which consumers today obtain software for their PC ’s, but even this approach has
`
`problems which are legend. Obviously there is the awkwardness of a second purchase, or
`
`purchases, with the attendant issues of what is now current, where it is in stock, and whether
`
`the stores are open. There are also heightened compatibility problems, since the consumer is
`
`now back in the store and the PC is now at home or in the ofiice. And there are customer
`
`service issues. Even if the consumer returns to the very same store where he or she bought the
`
`PC, and perhaps even the very same clerk, he or she is now treated as if the present software
`
`purchase is the total extent of the commercial relationship.
`
`However, as noted above, there are emerging new trends in marketing itself.
`
`Computer software is one of the leading commodities which has become digital content. For
`
`example, less than 2% of all software sales were recorded in electronic distribution channels
`
`in 1996, but that figure is expected to increase rapidly. Studies now show that 1!3 of software
`
`publishers expect IE2 of their sales volume to be delivered electronically within the next I2—
`
`18 months.
`
`Unfortunately, today electronic distribution of computer software remains merely
`
`another form of "later purchase" of software. It does nothing about, and in some cases even
`
`exacerbates, the existing technical issues of installation, configuration, and compatibility.
`
`And it introduces a plethora of new commercial issues, such as consumer trust in the
`
`mechanisms used for transactions, protections for the intellectual property in manufacturer's
`
`software products, and legal mechanisms to address breakdowns in these.
`
`Accordingly, from the above it follows that what is today needed is a new mechanism
`
`for the marketing of computer software and services. And, by implication, as additional forms
`
`of digital content become common as well, such new marketing mechanisms should be
`
`extendable to them as well.
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`DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
`
`Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new mechanism for
`
`the marketing of digital content.
`
`Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for the marketing of digital
`
`content which substantially eliminates purchase-time communications of the digital content
`
`to the end consumers.
`
`Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for the marketing of digital
`
`content which is substantially ambivalent to the underlying nature of the digital content.
`
`' And, another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for the marketing of
`
`digital content which operates continuously, whenever consumers want and without need for
`
`the actual physical availability of vendor and financial intermediary parties.
`
`Briefly, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is a system for marketing
`
`digital content on a personal computer. A communications system is provided to
`
`communicate between a client and a clearing house. The client resides on a user’s personal
`
`computer and contains an inventory of assets, the digital content. The assets are protected
`
`from unauthorized use by a digital wrapper requiring at least one key for unwrapping. The
`
`client displays information about the inventory on the personal computer so that users can
`
`select particular assets. The client then transmits money representing payment for the
`
`selection and an identifier for it to the clearing house, which transmits back to the client a key
`
`associated with the selected asset. Once the client receives all of the required keys, the
`
`selection is unwrapped.
`
`Briefly, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is a method for
`
`marketing digital content on a personal computer. A pre-stored inventory containing a
`
`number of assets is provided on a user’s personal computer. The assets are instances of the
`
`digital content and are protected from unauthorized use by a digital wrapper requiring at least
`
`one key for unwrapping. Information about the inventory is displayed on the personal
`
`computer and a user makes a selection representing a particular asset. Money, representing
`
`payment for the selection, is then transmitted along with an asset identifier to a clearing
`
`house, via a communications system. The clearing house then sends back a key. Again, once
`
`the client receives all of the required keys, the selection is unwrapped.
`
`Briefly, a third preferred embodiment of the present invention is a client for marketing
`
`digital content on a personal computer. The client resides on a personal computer having a
`
`storage system suitable for storing an infrastructure engine and an inventory. The
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`infrastructure engine includes user and communications interfaces, and the inventory contains
`
`a number of assets which are each instances of the digital content. Each asset is protected
`
`fiorn unauthorized use by a digital wrapper requiring at least one key for unwrapping.
`
`An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a digital content marketing
`
`mechanism operating at the speed of digital electronics, yet which employs the conventional,
`
`time proven, widely understood, and trusted transactional interrelation of consumer, financial
`
`intermediary, and vendor.
`
`Another advantage of the invention is that it in many cases it can provide popular
`
`sizable instances of digital content to its consumers much more rapidly than existing systems.
`
`Since the invention permits storage of a substantial inventory of the digital content locally,
`
`the communications delay inherent in transmission of large BOB’s (bags-of-bits) is
`
`eliminated when a desired item is locally “in stock.”
`
`Another advantage of the invention is that it generally handles digital content
`
`generically as BOB’s, but does permit optional inclusion of content specific after-receipt
`
`handling for specific types digital content.
`
`Another advantage of the invention is that it may be entirely automated and may
`
`employ communications and outside services which may.also be entirely automated. Because
`
`the invention uses communications services which are always available, users never have to
`travel to a conventional market location, i.e., another geographic point. And because the
`
`outside services are always available, e.g., financial intermediaries, or inventory information
`
`and update providers, the users of the invention may employ it even when conventional
`
`markets are closed.
`
`Another advantage of the invention is that it may employ a graphical user interface
`
`which users of conventional marketing mechanisms readily understand and find intuitive to
`
`learn and use. For example, the user interface may present a village containing stores having
`
`aisles stocked with digital content assets, which the user selects and places in a shopping cart
`
`until a check-out operation is used to complete purchase. The village provides a unifying
`
`geographic metaphor, while the stores can provide either asset category or asset source
`
`metaphors. The stores may advertise and carry out commerce at various levels of directness,
`
`and particularly by easily providing several audio and visual channels in each. They can thus
`
`feature the three main activities of shopping for digital products, viewing events (a digital
`
`service), and communicating (also a digital service) in chat and learning sections.
`
`Another advantage of the invention is that it is economical for all involved. The
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`vendors may easily and cheaply set up stores, since no real world physical fixtures and
`
`extensively repetitive stock of inventory is required. Only a master copy of an asset need be
`
`stored in the inventory, not multiple copies of such (and a vendor will never run out of
`
`copies). The financial intermediaries can centralize and operate using widely available
`
`communications mediums, rather than having to operate extensive distributed service outlets.
`
`And, ultimately, via market competition, some portion of the reductions in operating costs
`
`caused by the above will be passed on to the end users, the consumers.
`
`And, another advantage of the invention is that it may include varying levels and
`
`strengths of protection for intellectual property rights embodied in the assets, to provide
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`confidence to the suppliers of the assets.
`
`These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to
`
`those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of
`
`carrying out the invention and the industrial applicability of the preferred embodiment as
`
`described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The purposes and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the
`
`following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:
`
`FIGS. la-b are basic stylized depictions of how the invention may reside in a users
`
`personal computer;
`
`FIGS. 2a-b are basic stylized depictions of the business model used by the invention;
`
`FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of a suitable architecture for the invention;
`
`FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a functiorial overview of the invention;
`
`FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting a navigational overview of portions of the
`
`invention which reside in a client computer system;
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`FIG. 6 is a depiction of a top view, or “village” view, presented by a graphical user
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`interface (GUI) suitable for use on the client computer system;
`
`FIG. 7 shows a store GUI view, accessible via the GUI in FIG. 6;
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`FIG. 8 shows an asset GUI view, accessible via the store view in FIG. 7;
`
`FIG. 9 shows a purchase summary and confirmation GUI view, i.e., a “check-out"
`
`view, accessible via either the store view in FIG. 7 or the asset view in FIG. 8;
`
`FIGS. 10a-f show a search GUI views accessible via the GUI views in FIG. 6-8,
`
`where FIG. 10a depicts an asset name based search, FIG. 10b depicts a provider name based
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`search, FIG. 10c depicts the search of FIG. 10b expanded to include particular assets from a
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`specific provider, FIG. 10d depicts a category based search, and FIG. 10c depicts an
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`overview search based on a village map metaphor; and
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`FIG. 11 is a block diagram depicting a hierarchical overview of an implementation of
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`a master server application using access via the Internet.
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`BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
`
`A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a digital content vending
`
`"machine" ("DCVM"). As illustrated in the various drawings herein, a form of this preferred
`
`embodiment of the inventive device is depicted by the general reference character 10.
`
`The DCVM 10 may be advantageously viewed using two analogies. The first of these,
`
`which is alluded to by its label, is the vending machine. This analogy serves well for
`
`providing a general overview of the invention as a system for vending digital content. The
`
`second analogy is the village square, which the inventors use for the graphical user interface
`
`(GUI) of the invention’s preferred embodiment. This village square analogy serves
`
`particularly well for giving users an easily grasped and usable perception of the invention as a
`
`system for purchasing digital content.
`
`A conventional vending machine, such as a coffee machine, for example, will sell its
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`primary commodity (coffee), but then often also sell parallel market items, like tea and soup,
`
`and dispense optional items, like cream and sugar. Similarly, the DCVM I0 sells as its
`
`primary commodity digital products, but it also may sell related information and services for
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`such, and also dispense customer support and access to communications with like minded
`
`consumers. Thus, the DCVM 10 provides both digital products and digital services, i.e.,
`
`digital content.
`
`The DCVM 10 may be implemented to resemble a conventional town center or
`
`village square (i.e., a commercial hub, similar to a shopping mall today). In such a real place
`
`there will typically be shops or stores catering to different tastes, income levels, professions,
`
`ages, etc. There will be stores that provide primarily goods, and others that provide primarily
`
`services. There typically will also be diverting entertainments, and areas set aside simply for
`
`communications with those sharing similar interests. And there usually will be directory
`
`plaques or information kiosks to help find where things are at and to assist in getting to them.
`
`As products and services increasingly become digital, this village square analogy is readily
`
`extendable into the DCVM 10 as now described.
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`FIGS. la-b present how the client 12, i.e. a client application, resides on a user’s
`
`personal computer (PC 14) and contains both an infrastructure 16 and an inventory 18. The
`
`infrastructure 16 is an engine that handles the functionality of the DCVM I0, and the
`
`inventory 18 is the local collection of assets 22 of merchandise or units of service.
`
`The infrastructure 16 is relatively static. Like most software applications, it perhaps
`
`merits an occasional upgrade as new features become available, but otherwise it is generally
`
`installed and left alone. It is anticipated that the infrastructure 16 will usually be stored on a
`
`local hard drive 20, although in some case a hard drive 20 on a local area network (LAN; not
`
`shown) may also be acceptable. Keeping the infrastructure 16 local insures good overall
`
`DCVM I0 responsiveness.
`
`In contrast, the inventory 18 is relatively dynamic, potentially including assets 22
`
`such as computer software products, music. video, and anything else which can be reduced to
`
`digital format and electronically transmitted and stored. The inventory 18 may be loaded on a
`
`local device, or it may also be accessible over a LAN having an appropriate bandwidth, since
`
`storage capacity and transfer rate are more important than responsiveness for it.
`
`In FIG. la both the infrastructure 16 and the inventory 18 are depicted residing
`
`together in fixed storage in the PC 14. Today such fixed storage will typically be hard drives
`
`20 (also sometimes termed a “fixed drive”), but as other large capacity and fixed in place
`
`storage means become common they may be used instead.
`
`FIG. 1b depicts how the infrastructure 16 may reside in fixed storage, but the
`
`inventory 18 instead reside in a removable media 24 which is accessible by the PC 14. Some
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`common current examples of such removable media 24 are CD 26, DVD 28, and tape 30, but
`
`still others are easily possible.
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`In present embodiments of the DCVM 10 which are hard drive 20 delivered
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`approximately one to four gigabytes of storage are used. Of this the infrastructure I6 is
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`roughly 50-100 megabytes in size and the inventory 18 takes up the balance. For CD 26
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`delivered embodiments only about 600 megabytes are used for the inventory 18. However, as
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`larger capacity hard drives 20 and higher capacity removable media, like DVD’s 28, become
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`widely available the infrastructure 16 and particularly the inventory 18 may be made larger,
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`as desired.
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`In one preferred embodiment, initial delivery of the infrastructure 16 is on the hard
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`drives 20 of new PC’s 14. However, the DCVM 10 may also be "delivered" on a new hard
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`drive 20 used for upgrading an existing PC 14. Or it may even be delivered via conventional
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`software installation by loading it from removable media 24 into the PC 14, or by
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`downloading it 'fi‘om an online source and then installing it (a newer installation technique
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`becoming common today). Initial delivery of the inventory 18 may similarly be in pre-loaded
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`format on the hard drive 20, or by provision on removable media 24 which is then placed as
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`needed into the PC 14 for access by the infrastructure 16 (typically depending upon the
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`capacity of the hard drive 20).
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`Of course, like in real world stores, the inventory 18 of the DCVM 10 needs to be
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`replenished as sales occur, updated as new versions become available, and expanded as
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`suppliers change and new offerings become available. Therefore, the DCVM 10 may be
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`maintained and updated using intelligent push technology over modern networks, like the
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`Internet. Such push technology (e.g., compatible with ACTIVE DESKTOP, TM Microsoft
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`Corporation, and NETCASTER, TM Netscape Corporation) may also be used to provide a
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`one-to-one buying and selling experience for users, and to allow individual preferences to be
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`collected and catered to without need of human intervention.
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`FIG. 2a depicts, in simplified form, the business model used by the inventive DCVM
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`10. The end users are termed customers 40 and those entities providing the digital content are
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`tenned vendors 42. The vendors 42 operate stores 44 (a term used broadly to denote a point
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`of supply for any digital content, regardless of whether overtly commercial in nature). A
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`graphical user interface (GUI), termed the village 46, is used to present collection of the
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`stores 44 as a virtual setting in which the vendors 42 vend and the customers 40 consume.
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`The stores 44 in the village 46 advertise and carry out commerce at various levels of
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`directness, and particularly through several audio and visual channels in each. It is expected
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`that each store 44 typically will feature three main activities: shopping for digital content,
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`viewing events, and communicating.
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`FIG. 2b depicts a more complete version of the business model. In addition to their
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`local presence, the vendors 42 are also collectively represented on a master server 48, and all
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`can invoke the assistance of a financial intermediary termed a clearing house 50. The clearing
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`house 50 facilitates complex purchase scenarios, permits large numbers of stores 44, and
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`more dynamically provides service to both the customers 40 and the vendors 42.
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`In a typical example purchase scenario, a customer 40 transmits money 52 and an
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`identifier 54 to the clearing house 50. The clearing house 50 then credits the account of the
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`particular vendor 42, and transmits back to the customer 40 a key 58. Next, usually
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`automatically under control of the infrastructure 16, the customer 40 sends this key 58, or
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`part of it, on to the master server 48, which sends back another key 58 (the keys 58 are
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`typically all unique). Again automatically, if desired, the infrastructure 16 uses this second
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`key 58 to digitally “unwrap” an asset 22 of inventory 18, which has now been “purchased.”
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`Since the money 52, identifier 54, and the keys 58 can all be relatively small, compared to the
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`asset 22 being purchased (typically many megabytes in size), even transactions in very
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`sizable digital content can be carried out quite quickly.
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`Of course, simpler purchase scenarios are possible. The customer 40 might deal
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`directly and entirely with the master server 48. However, at least for the near future, there is
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`no reason to expect that customers 40 and vendors 42 will feel secure without some “online”
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`commercial intermediary such as the clearing house 50. Alternately, if the asset 22 is already
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`part of the inventory 18, and if the vendor 42 completely trusts the clearing house 50, and if
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`the clearing house 50 is willing to carry appropriate keys 58, the key 58 sent back from the
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`clearing house 50 may be made suitable for directly digitally unwrapping the asset 22.
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`However, since some communications already must take place anyway, and since that will
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`often already be occurring over a medium such as the Internet, there is relatively little burden
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`added by the customer 40 to master server 48 communication legs to the transaction.
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`The keys 58 play an important security role. They unlock a digital wrapper 60 (not
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`shown; but numbered for reference) protecting the asset 22 once it has been paid for. In most
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`cases the vendors 42 will strongly want such protection, to suppress unauthorized copying of
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`their intellectual property. The digital wrapper 60 may use simple serial number entry to
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`enable or disable a reminder feature, or it may use soft or hard encryption (both conventional
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`concepts). Alterrtately, the digital wrapper 60 may use what the inventors term a “two sector
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`steal.”
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`In the two sector steal, embodiments of the inventive DCVM 10 that store the
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`inventory 18 on a hard drive 20 have two disk sectors of information (an amount empirically
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`found preferable by the inventors) initially omitted. Upon asset 22 purchase, data in the
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`appropriate “stolen” sectors can be supplied, either as part of a key 58 itself, or via use of a
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`key 58 to unlock sector data which has been present all along in an encrypted format. In this
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`manner the asset 22 remains unusable until the missing parts are supplied, yet can be
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`unwrapped reasonably quickly, particularly if the key is electronically communicated to the
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`PC 14.
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`The two sector steal provides particular advantages to OEM suppliers of PCS 14 and
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`up grade hard drives 20. The assets 22 can be supplied entirely pre-installed and default
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`configured, but with the sectors stolen (note that sector stealing eliminates the need for bulk
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`encryption). When such an asset 22 is then purchased the sectors are merely installed (or in
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`place decrypted) and the asset 22 is immediately and assuredly ready for use, which will
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`eliminate many technical support calls to the OEM suppliers. And when the customers 40 do
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`have to seek help, the issue of who is to blame for the problem is substantially reduced,
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`which greatly increases their willingness to pay for support and still hold the supplier in high
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`regard.
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`For additional securi