System and method for the distribution of software products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9892395-B2
Application number	US-201514808697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2015
Priority date	Mar 13, 2003
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A system and method for selling software products over a network. The system includes a server computer with access to software products. The system is configured to allow a user to purchase a subscription for the periodic acquisition of selected software products. In one embodiment, as part of the subscription, the user pays an amount during selected billing intervals. In return, the system issues to the user a number of credits for downloading at no additional charge at least one of the software products during a credit interval, which may be equal in length to the billing interval. In one embodiment, the system debits a number of credits in response to fulfilling a user's purchase request. The system may be also configured to deduct credits that are not used within selected credit intervals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Non-transitory program storage storing program instructions for use by a server that in operation is capable of communicating with a handheld client via at least one network that includes an Internet network, the instructions when executed by the server resulting in performance of operations comprising:
providing, at least in part, to the client, via the at least one network, at least one service requested, at least in part, via a user interface that the client is capable of presenting in operation of the client, the at least one service being capable of being associated, at least in part, with a subscription, the subscription being capable of being associated with:
a subscriber-selectable subscription plan associated with a recurring subscription payment and a number of credits permitting an associated number of audio books to be purchased, the number of credits to be credited at a certain time interval, the subscriber-selectable subscription plan being one of a plurality of available subscription plans, the available subscription plans being associated with respective numbers of credits and respective subscription plan payments;
relatively reduced price audio book purchase, the relatively reduced price audio book purchase being relative to relatively higher price audio book purchase that is available for a non-subscriber;

the at least one service being capable of including:
name-based audio book searching for at least one certain audio book that satisfies at least one user selectable name and is capable of being purchased via the server; and/or
downloading, at least in part, to the client, of audio book data associated with a purchased audio book;

wherein:
the client comprises client software to be executed by the client, the client software, when executed by the client, resulting in the client being capable of downloading subscription-related client application-related instructions via the at least one network;
after an upgraded version of the client application-related instructions becomes available, the client is capable, when the client is in the operation, of receiving an automatic download of the upgraded version of the client application-related instructions from the server;
the user interface is capable of presenting, when the client is in the operation, at least one user selectable area and at least one other user selectable area, the at least one user selectable area being to request application of at least one credit for use in at least one audio book purchase, the at least one other user selectable area being to request the relatively reduced price audio book purchase;
after a user associated with the client becomes associated with another client, the client application-related instructions are to be permitted by the server to be downloaded again to the another client via the at least one network;
the user interface is also capable of presenting, when the client is in the operation, user selectable icons and user selectable items associated, at least in part, with downloadable audio book products;
the user selectable icons include top audio book icons, new audio book icons, featured audio book icons, online purchase-related icons, and audio book evaluation version-related icons;
the user selectable items include at least one free product item, at least one audio book-related channel item, and at least one audio book-related online community-related item;
the server is to maintain a subscription database that includes billing information provided to the server from the client, and the server is to update the subscription database to reflect purchase of the at least one audiobook purchase.

2. The program storage of claim 1 , wherein:
the subscription is associated, at least in part, with at least one user account whose creation is capable of being requested, at least in part, remotely from the server, via an Internet browser.

3. The program storage of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one service also is capable of including category and subcategory-based audio book searching.

4. The program storage of claim 1 , wherein:
the subscription comprises a trial subscription.

5. The program storage of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one service also is also capable of including provision of other audio data to permit user evaluation of whether to purchase another audio book associated with the other audio data.

6. The program storage of claim 1 , wherein:
the client comprises a touch screen to receive user input in response to user prompts.

7. The program storage of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one network comprises local area network.

8. A server capable of communicating with a handheld client via at least one network that includes an Internet network, the server comprising:
program storage storing program instructions;
a processor capable of executing the program instructions, the program instructions when executed resulting in the server providing, at least in part, to the client, via the at least one network, at least one service requested, at least in part, via a user interface that the client is capable of presenting in operation of the client, the at least one service being capable of being associated, at least in part, with a subscription, the subscription being capable of being associated with:
a subscriber-selectable subscription plan associated with a recurring subscription payment and a number of credits permitting an associated number of audio books to be purchased, the number of credits to be credited at a certain time interval, the subscriber-selectable subscription plan being one of a plurality of available subscription plans, the available subscription plans being associated with respective numbers of credits and respective subscription plan payments;
relatively reduced price audio book purchase, the relatively reduced price audio book purchase being relative to relatively higher price audio book purchase that is available for a non-subscriber;

the at least one service being capable of including:
name-based audio book searching for at least one certain audio book that satisfies at least one user selectable name and is capable of being purchased via the server; and/or
downloading, at least in part, to the client, of audio book data associated with a purchased audio book;

wherein:
the client comprises client software to be executed by the client, the client software, when executed by the client, resulting in the client being capable of downloading subscription-related client application-related instructions via the at least one network;
after an upgraded version of the client application-related instructions becomes available, the client is capable, when the client is in the operation, of receiving an automatic download of the upgraded version of the client application-related instructions from the server;
the user interface is capable of presenting, when the client is in the operation, at least one user selectable area and at least one other user selectable area, the at least one user selectable area being to request application of at least one credit for use in at least one audio book purchase, the at least one other user selectable area being to request the relatively reduced price audio book purchase;
after a user associated with the client becomes associated with another client, the client application-related instructions are to be permitted by the server to be downloaded again to the another client via the at least one network;
the user interface is also capable of presenting, when the client is in the operation, user selectable icons and user selectable items associated, at least in part, with downloadable audio book products;
the user selectable icons include to

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Wright Andrew C

Classifications

• G06Q30/0209

  Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game · CPC title

• G06Q20/123

  Shopping for digital content · CPC title

• G06Q30/04

  Billing or invoicing · CPC title

• G06Q20/127

  Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation · CPC title

• G06Q30/0239

  Online discounts or incentives · CPC title