Method, system, and graphic user interface for enabling a customer to access information associated with a hosted user profile

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9530158-B2
Application number	US-41758009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2009
Priority date	Apr 2, 2009
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A method, system, GUI, apparatus, and machine-readable media for enabling a customer to access information associated with a hosted user profile via a third party information source are provided. A customer may request information associated with a user profile via a mechanism provided by a third party information source via, for example, a mobile communications device. The customer may be enabled to access the information associated with the hosted user profile and an account associated with the customer may be updated to reflect the access. An account associated with the user may be updated to show the transaction and a statement regarding transactions associated with the user profile may be prepared and presented to the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
maintaining, on a server computer system, a user account established by a user and associated with a hosted user profile accessible via a plurality of third-party information sources, wherein the plurality of third-party information sources includes a third-party social media website and a personal website associated with the user, and wherein the hosted user profile includes associated information indicating media files uploaded by a user associated with the user account;
receiving, from a customer through the hosted user profile via at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources, a request to access the media files indicated by the associated information via at least one of a plurality of communication links;
in response to receiving the request, enabling the customer to access the media files via the at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources, using a content delivery platform and content management system;
updating the user account to include updated user account information indicating that the customer was enabled to access to the media files via the at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources, using a subscription and purchase management system;
receiving a user selection indicating a selection by a user of one or more selected third-party information sources of the plurality of third-party information sources; and
providing the user with a hosted user profile activity statement based on the updated user account information, the hosted user profile activity statement tailored to display activity information associated with access by the customer to the media files via the one or more selected third-party information sources, using the content delivery platform and content management system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the media files include at least one of an MP3 file, a graphic file, a ringtone file, a document file, a game file, a wallpaper file, and a music file.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associated information includes subscription information.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the customer accesses the associated information via the at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources through a mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein updating the user account includes transferring a portion of a payment received to the user account.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein additional hosted user profile activity statements are prepared based on updated user account information relating to each corresponding one of the plurality third-party information sources.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the customer to access the media file includes enabling the customer to download the media file.

8. A system comprising:
a network, wherein the network is enabled to facilitate communication between a user associated with a user account, a customer, and a server computer system; and
the server computer system, wherein the server computer system is enabled to:
maintain a user account established by a user and associated with a hosted user profile accessible via a plurality of third-party information sources, wherein the plurality of third-party information sources includes a third-party social media website and a personal website associated with the user, and wherein the hosted user profile includes associated information indicating media files uploaded by the user;

receiving, from a customer through the hosted user profile via at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources, a request to access one of the media files uploaded by the user;
in response to receiving the request, enable the customer to access the one of the media files via the at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources;
update the user account to include updated user account information indicating that the customer was enabled to access the media files via the at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources;
receive a user selection indicating a selected third-party information source of the plurality of third-party information sources; and
prepare and provide a hosted user profile activity statement for the user based on the updated user account information, the hosted user profile activity statement tailored to display activity information associated with access by the customer to the media files via the selected third-party information source.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the associated information includes subscription information.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein access to the media file includes downloading the media file.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a network, wherein the network is enabled to facilitate communication between a user associated with a user account, a customer, and a server computer system; wherein the server computer system is configured to:
maintain a user account established by a user and associated with a hosted user profile accessible via a plurality of third-party information sources, wherein the plurality of third-party information sources includes a third-party social media website and a personal website associated with the user;
provide the customer with one of a plurality of communication links, via at least one of a plurality of third-party information sources, to access the hosted user profile hosted by a hosting entity, the hosted user profile includes associated information related to media files uploaded by the user;
in response to receiving from a customer a request to access the associated information via the one of the plurality of communication links, enable the customer to access the information via the at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources;
update the user profile associated with the user account to include updated user account information indicating the customer's access to the associated information via the at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources based on the one of the plurality of communication links;
receive a user selection indicating a selected third-party information source of the plurality of third-party information sources; and
prepare and provide a user profile activity statement for the user based on the updated user account information, the user profile activity statement tailored to display activity information associated with access by the customer to the media files via the selected third-party information source.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the associated information includes subscription information.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein access to the media file includes downloading the media file.

14. A graphic user interface (GUI), wherein the GUI enables performance of the following operations:
maintaining, on a server computer system, a user account established by a user and associated with a hosted user profile accessible via a plurality of third-party information sources, wherein the plurality of third-party information sources includes a third-party social media website and a personal website associated with the user;
providing a customer with a plurality of communication links via a plurality of third-party information sources, each of the plurality of communication links enable access to a user profile hosted by a host entity via at least one of the plurality of third-party information sources, the user profile includes associated information indicating media files uploaded by a user associated with the user account;
in response to receiving a request to access the associated information from a customer

Assignees

• Phenner Chris
• Hamre Lasse
• Park Mike
• Iheartmedia Man Services Inc

Inventors

• Phenner Chris
• Hamre Lasse
• Park Mike

Classifications

• G06Q30/0603 Primary

  Catalogue creation or management · CPC title

• G06Q30/0613 Primary

  using intermediate agents · CPC title

• G06Q30/0641

  utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping · CPC title

• G06Q20/12

  specially adapted for electronic shopping systems · CPC title

• H04W8/205

  Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title