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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. 26006.0001/ 4
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`E o ThisIS a request for filing a PROVISIONAL APPLICATION FOR PATENT under 37 C.FR figs:
`§ 153(0).
`£353E“;
`+1 5
`
`PROVISIONAL APPLICATION FOR PATENT
`COVER SHEET
`
`
`
`INVENTOR(s)/APPLICANT(S)
`
`
`inside this ox —'
`-* -» -‘
`
`
`LAST NAME
`
`FIRST NAME
`
`MIDDLE
`INITIAL
`
`RESIDENCE (City and Either State or Foreign Country)
`
`‘ Lipscomb
`Whitehead, III
`
`Kenneth
`John
`
`0.
`Paul
`
`Atlanta, Georgia
`Atlanta, Georgia
`
`SYSTEM AND NIETHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING MEDIA ASSETS TO USER DEVICES
`AND MANAGING USER RIGHTS OF THE MEDIA ASSETS
`
`
`TITLE OF INVENTION (280 characters max)
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS
`
`D. Andrew Floam
`NEEDLE & ROSENBERG, PC.
`Suite 1200, The Candler Building
`127 Peachtree Street, NE.
`Atlanta
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`STATE
`
`ZIP CODE
`
`30303-1811
`
`COUNTRY —
`
`ENCLOSED APPLICATION PARTS (Check All That Apply)
`
`Number ofPages
`
`
`Specification
`
`
` Number ofSheets
`[6]
`[X]
`Drawing(s)
`[]
`Small Entity Statement
`
`
`[l
` Power of Attorney
`
`[]
`Other (specify)
`
`
`
`H:\apps\ss\docs\dat\W036624.WPD
`
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`a“
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`L‘s
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`"
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`‘
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. 26006.0001
`
`A check or money order is enclosed to cover the filing fees.
`
`The Commissioner is hereby authorized to charge filing fees
`and credit Deposit Account Number:
`
`The Commissioner is hereby authorized to charge any
`additional fees which may be required in connection with the
`following or credit any overpayment to Deposit Account No.
`
`14—0629.
`
`$150.00
`
`The invention was made by an agency of the United States Government or under a contract with an agency of
`the United States Government.
`
`[X]
`
`No.
`
`[]
`
`Yes. The name of the US. Government agency and the Government contract number are:
`
`
`
`
`espectfully submitted,
`
`LSIGNATURE
`
`YPED or PRINTED NAME:
`
`
`
`{NEEDLE & ROSENBERG, P.C.
`
`zisuite 1200, The Candler Building
`127 Peachtree Street, NE.
`Atlanta, Georgia 30303-181 1
`
`D. Andrew Floam
`
`Date
`
`10/5/99
`
`REGISTRATION NO. 34,597
`(IfAppropriate)
`
`EXPRESS MAIL NO. EL348120513US
`
`CERTIFICATE OF EXPRESS MAILING
`
`I hereby certify that this correspondence is being deposited with the United States Postal Service as Express Mail Invoice No.
`EL348120513US in an
`velope addressed to? BOX PROVISIONAL APPLICATION, Assistant Commissioner for Patents, Washington,
`D.C. 20231, on this
`day of
`, 1999.
`
`Kevin Lig burn
`
`goffi?
`
`H:\apps'\ss\docs\dat\W03 6624.WPD
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`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING MEDIA ASSETS TO USER
`DEVICES AND MANAGING USER RIGHTS OF THE lVIEDIA ASSETS
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`In a connected world where multiple infotainment devices exist to play back
`multimedia assets, it is imperative that a method exists to allow for the portability of
`those assets across different machines. The invention is directed to a method of and
`
`system for distributing and accessing multimedia assets in a connected environment
`where the source of the assets (i.e., a server), the consumer, and the retail vendor are all
`connected to a common communications network. The consumer, via a client system,
`will connect to the source of the assets, which will transfer an electronic “object” of
`multimedia content to the consumer/client.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG.
`invention.
`
`1
`
`is an overall block diagram of the system according to the present
`
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting the interaction of various software
`components in the system.
`
`FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the flow of media asset data according to the
`present invention.
`
`FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the virtual media asset library according to an aspect
`of the invention.
`
`FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the interaction or alliance of various parties for the
`media asset distribution system of the present invention.
`
`FIG. 6 is an example of a world wide web page showing how rights to a media
`asset are purchased over the Internet according to the present invention.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`
`Reference is made to FIGS. 1-6 in conjunction "with the following description.
`Within this invention, system, or method, there are several components:
`
`1) Client Multimedia Player. Software technology that can run on various multimedia
`computer devices and is capable of decrypting, decoding, and playing a multimedia
`, object based on its embedded security features and rights management rules. The
`Client Multimedia Player will run on a variety of devices, including home consumer
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Confidential Information
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`electronics devices, portable devices, computers, car entertainment devices, PDAs,
`mobile communications devices, and Internet browsers.
`
`2) Member. Anyone who is enrolled within the network system for virtual distribution
`of his or her assets.
`(Each Member will have his or her own security password for
`system access.)
`
`3) Member Family. A group of individuals that has been assigned the rights to act on a
`Member’s behalf in accessing and utilizing the Member’s multimedia assets within
`the virtual distribution network.
`
`4) U_ser. Persons that will use a Client Multimedia Player from within any particular
`Member Family. These Users will have varying levels of access and privileges to
`those multimedia assets housed within the invented system.
`(For example, an adult
`User might have access to certain “R” rated films, while a child User might have
`access to only “G” rated films.)
`
`5) Master Database Server. A server or group of servers that fimctions to allow for the
`storage and download of “rented” or “purchased” assets by Members of the network.
`This server will function to allow for synchronization and replication of a Member’s
`assets between the Member’s various Client Multimedia Players and itself. This
`server also will serve as a central repository within which multimedia assets will be
`“tagged” with the identity and access privileges of those Members (and Users within
`a Member Family) that possess ownership rights in the multimedia assets.
`
`6) Multimedia Object. An element of reference for a Member’s Client Multimedia
`Players and the Master Database Server.
`This Multimedia Object can be
`representative of a song, Video clip, movie, a television program,
`interactive
`animation, or any other data type that can be stored in a binary fashion within a
`modern database. The Multimedia Object shall be protected, where applicable, from
`piracy by the use of various methods, including encryption and watermarking.
`
`As a base premise, the consumer becomes a Member of a networked system,
`under which his or her identity will be initialized, and he or she will be issued a Member—
`specific password. Once a membership exists, a virtual private database of Multimedia
`Objects will be created and associated with the Member’s login account and password.
`The Member’s database will represent an intersection of the Main Database Server’s
`multimedia assets and those assets with respect
`to which the Member possesses
`ownership rights.
`
`It is also a premise that the Main Database Server will be an ever—growing storage
`mechanism for multimedia assets, a subset of which will correspond to each Member’s
`Virtual private databases of multimedia assets with respect
`to which the Member
`possesses some form of ownership rights. For ease of discussion heretofore, the terms
`“renta ” and “purchase” of the intangible multimedia assets maintained within the Main
`Database Server have been used to provide an analogy to the consumer’s experience in
`
`
`
`Confidential Information
`
`2
`
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`the bricks and mortar world of today. In reality, the Member’s rights with respect to the
`multimedia assets contained within the Main Database Server will be either limited term,
`
`non-exclusive licensing rights (corresponding, for example, to a two-day movie rental in
`the bricks and mortar world) or indefinite, non-exclusive licensing rights (corresponding,
`for example, to a CD purchase in the bricks and mortar world). The system will use a
`series of rights management rules that will be associated with each Member’s tagged
`assets to limit the Member’s access to his or her assets to only those periods to which the
`Member’s license of those assets applies. Depending upon the specific licensing
`arrangement between a multimedia asset owner and the Member, the rights management
`rules can provide for a limited number of plays of a particular asset, a limited number of
`days during which the asset can be played, or a limited number of other individuals with
`which the Member may share the asset.
`
`The network will permit Members to download their licensed multimedia assets
`to secure Client Multimedia Players installed within various infotainment devices and to
`play back their licensed multimedia assets on those devices. As with the physical use of
`a CD in the bricks and mortar world, a User will have the right to transport and copy his
`or her licensed assets to other infotainment devices that he or she owns or uses, provided
`those devices are registered within the network system as being permitted to play back
`the User’s licensed assets. The media industry has mandated that distribution of artists’
`intellectual property must be protected from piracy in order for the industry to adopt
`Internet—based distribution methods. With this said, the invention allows for security
`against
`asset piracy via three methods: watermarking; encryption;
`and object
`encapsulation. Moreover, as discussed above, the invention includes rights management
`information within the Multimedia Objects to allow for User playback based on pre-
`negotiated rules. ,.
`
`With the invention, a multimedia asset will be encrypted for general protection
`when the asset is first entered as an object within the Master Database Server. Upon the
`request for download by a Member, the multimedia asset will be watermarked to coincide
`with the serial number of the Member’s family of Client Multimedia Players. Each
`Client Multimedia Player that the Member owns shall become a licensed playback device
`for his or her registered multimedia assets. For example, if a member owns five Client
`Multimedia Players capable of running, the defined security and playback engine, the
`invention will allow him or her to transport his or her multimedia assets from one Client
`Multimedia Player to another in seamless fashion. This example illustrates a capability
`of the invention to move or copy an asset fiom any home, car, portable, computer, or
`other browser—based computing device. Each Client Multimedia Player will have a
`protection key that is capable of decrypting and executing the object that has been
`downloaded to the player. Each Client Multimedia Player device key will be unique, but
`will have some level of identity with the other Client Multimedia Player devices used by
`the Member Family. From an auditing and security standpoint, each Client Multimedia
`Player will maintain a log of its playback activity for purposes of reconciliation with the
`Master Database Server. From the point of multimedia asset download forward, the asset
`will be associated with and licensed to the Member Family’s Client Multimedia Players.
`
`
`
`7;» ~..,
`
`Confidential Information
`
`3
`
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`With the permission of content owners, a Member may be granted the right to
`loan or forward his or her multimedia assets to another person that is not a member of the
`invention network. The forwarded asset will be encapsulated in an executable file that
`will allow for the object’s integration into the recipient’s multimedia client players,
`provided the players are compatible with the invention multimedia client technology. If
`compatibility exists, the recipient will have the executable rights associated with this
`object. That is to say that if the rights of the object include an ability to play the asset
`only once, then the asset will play once, and further actions will be disabled. In the event
`that compatibility does not exist or the recipient’s device does not have a multimedia
`client player, the object will prompt for the optional download of a Client Multimedia
`Player.
`In addition, the object will offer the possibility of membership to the invention
`network to allow for the recipient’s use of this asset, as well as the recipient’s possible
`downloading and owning other multimedia assets.
`
`If a Member has previously purchased a physical multimedia asset, the invented
`system allows for the introduction of that asset ownership into the networked online
`media distribution system. The Member will present his physical multimedia asset to a
`conversion operator (e.g., at a retail music store) who will: (1) deface the Member’s asset
`in a minimal fashion (which does not affect is usability) to ensure against the improper
`conversion of the asset again by another person; and (2) simultaneously register the asset
`with the online media distribution network. This registration process establishes an
`ownership reference for the Member with the Master Database Server and adds the
`converted asset to the Member’s virtual private database. Once this multimedia asset has
`been added, the Member or any User within the Member Family will have access rights
`to the asset based on the rights conferred at the time of conversion. The rights associated
`with each such asset could possibly be different based on the original content creator’s
`license.
`
`The above—described invention is based on the premise that each Client
`Multimedia Player will have a database core that will be in synchronization with the
`Master Database Server. The overall system permits the portability of and movement of
`multimedia assets across a worldwide distributed network. This network will be both
`
`wired and wireless. Finally, this invented system further allows for a Member’s assets to
`be stored locally on any computing device on which the Member’s Client Multimedia
`Player resides, or alternatively to be streamed from the Master Database Server to a target
`Client Multimedia Player.
`.
`
`Proprietgy Business Processes for Implementation of Invented Technology
`
`
`
`According to a further aspect of the invention, a proprietary business method or
`model is provided for implementation of the invention that has the potential both to
`mitigate against the music industry’s piracy concerns and to provide an entirely new
`revenue source for the industry. This business model (distribution method) allows the
`consumer to purchase “zap access” rights with respect to each one of a consumer’s
`purchased physical media assets. That is to say that a consumer using the invention
`described herein will be able, for an appropriate fee, to access each of his or her media
`
`1“”‘3‘55"
`
`Confidential Information
`
`4 ,
`
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`assets anytime and anywhere the consumer has an Internet-enabled device onto which a
`Client Multimedia Player has been loaded.
`
`The proprietary business model assumes for the music industry, for example, that
`consumers will continue to purchase physical media music assets, but will have the
`option of paying an additional $1.50, for example, for zap access rights to those music
`assets. The $1.50 per album zap access fee would be shared among ZZi Webcasting LLC,
`participating retailers, and music content owners. In exchange for the $1.50 per album
`zap access fee, ZZi Webcasting LLC would “tag” particular music albums on its Master
`Database Server with a notation that a particular consumer’s Client Multimedia Players
`are entitled to play rights for those albums. It is further envisioned that each consumer
`may have up to 5 eligible Client Multimedia Players (e.g., one on a desktop computer at
`home, one on a notebook personal computer at work, one on a DVDi set top box created
`by ZZi Webcasting LLC, one in the car, and one in a handheld portable device), that
`consumers will pay ZZi Webcasting LLC a monthly membership fee for “zap access”
`services during any particular month, and that consumers will find value in the automatic
`synchronization of the contents of their various Client Multimedia Players, which allows
`them to gain access to all of their music assets from any player at any time. Finally, Z2i
`Webcasting LLC’s proprietary business model assumes that consumers will pay some
`amount, $1.50 per album, for example, to convert their existing libraries of physical
`music assets (e.g., CDs and cassette tapes) to zap—enabled music assets.
`
`
`
`
`__~w w.» 3:,
`
`Confidential Information
`
`5
`
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