AU2005200002A1 - Secure Electronic Commerce System - Google Patents

Description

WO 00/62232 PCT/US00109774 O SECURE ELECTRONIC COMMERCE SYSTEM 0 t COPYRIGHT NOTICE oCopyright, 1998, 1999, DMOD, Inc. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner ohas no objection to reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent 0 Odisclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, O but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is related to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/ 128,846, filed April 12, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH Not Applicable REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX Not Applicable BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to secure methods and systems for conducting electronic commerce and the distribution of audio, video, and text works and, more particularly, to a method and system which utilizes encryption in a client-server environment to provide secure electronic commerce transactions and the encrypted distribution of audio, video and text works for value.

WO 00/62232 PCT/US00/09774 3 o Sonique available from Mediascience, Inc. of San Francisco, California. These products Sallow a user to play MP3 encoded audio on a personal computer. Other products, such as the Rio available from Diamond Multimedia, Inc. and the MPMan available from Saehan Information Systems, Inc. of Seoul, Korea, enable a consumer to store and play MP3 encoded audio in a portable device. These electronic devices typically store the MP3 o encoded audio in a flash memory that allows non-volatile storage of the audio and allows the MP3 encoded audio to be erased or over written.

oDigital medial technologies such as MP3 facilitate the ability to distribute audio and video via the current network infrastructure such as the internet. These technologies enable independent authors and artists to setup websites on the World Wide Web to distribute their works and overcome conventional barriers to distribution, which typically require the author or artist to enter into an agreement with a third party organization, such as a publishing or recording company, to promote and distribute the author or artist's work. These technologies also provide a means for the unauthorized distribution of the work.

In addition, there is no integrated system or infrastructure in place to enable music distributors, for example, to collect royalties on a per track (or per song) basis. Presently, music is distributed in album format which includes multiple tracks. There is no effective way to track which consumers were licensed which works. There is no effective way to verify the identity of consumer who is attempting download a copy of a work over a network such as the internet.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method and system for distributing audio, video and text works.

WO 00/62232 WO 0062232PCT/US00109774 in debit basis (such as allowing consumers to purchase credits against which they may receive works). The server system can also include an encryption system which allows the distributor to uniquely encrypt the works distributed to a consumer. Thus, the works 0 distributed to one consumer could be differently encrypted from the works distributed to another consumer. The server system can include an encryption key database which o maintains a unique key for each consumer. The unique key can also serve to allow the distributor or retailer to verify the identity of the client system (and the consumer) and to o uniquely encrypt the copy of the work or any other data that is transmitted to the client system (and the consumer).

The client system according to the present invention can be adapted to interface with the above described server system to transfer value from the consumer to the distributor (and the owner) and transfer a copy of the work to the consumer. The client system can include an encryption system which is uniquely adapted to decrypt the work distributed to the consumer in possession of the client system. In one embodiment, the client system can incorporate the unique key from the server system. The client system can include several unique keys from several dlifferent server systems.

The client system according to the present invention can be adapted to interface with the electronic commerce system of the above described server to facilitate the transfer of value and enable to the distributor or retailer to verify the identity of the client system and ultimately the consumer. In one embodiment, the server system maintains a unique encryption key which is embedded (or bard coded) into the client system. The server system can verify the identity of the client system by requesting the client system to transmit a predefined message, identification code, or electronic certificate which is encrypted using the key embedded in the client system. The server system can use the 2s unique key stored in the key database to verify the encrypted message came from the WO 00/62232 WO 0/623PCT/JSOO/091774 7 can include several server systems which can reside on a single system or be distributed over a network, such as a virtual private network or the internet. This embodiment can include a retailer or distributor server which is adapted to interface with the client to facilitate an electronic transaction with a consumer. The system can also include a key Cl 5 server which is adapted to manage the key database to transfer consumer keys to the O retailer or distributor and transfer retailer or distributor keys to the consumer. In one embodiment, the key server is managed by an independent company, trusted industry O organization, or the government. The system can further include a credit or debit account server-which manages the various accounts. including the consumer account, the retailer i0 account, the distribution account and the owner account. In one embodiment, the credit or debit account server can be managed by a credit card company, a bank or similar organization. Alternatively, the key distribution and credit/debit functions can be managed on the same server or jointly by one or more of the organizations identified above.

is The method according to the present invention can include the following steps: The consumer or customer can use the client system to establish a connection with the server system. If the client system does not have a unique key and thus is not registered with the server system (and the owner, distributor or retailer), the client system and server system interact to enable the consumer to register with the distributor or retailer such as providing the customer name, address, telephone and even credit card information. The server system generates a unique key for the client system and transmits the unique key to the client system to use in connection with transactions with the server system.

Preferably, the unique key is embedded into the software and/or hardware which makes up pant of the client system, and is transmitted or delivered to the consumer. The client system which contains the unique key is now used in all subsequent transactions with the WO 00162232 PCT/US00/09774 t9 O FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic view of an alternate system for distributing works 0 over a network according to the present invention; FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view of a method of operating a media server in accordance with the present invention; Cl FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of a method of distributing low quality copies 0 0 O of a work according to the present invention: 0 FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of a method of distributing high quality copies 0 O of a work according to the present invention; FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic view of a method of using a media player to decrypt io and play an encrypted work according to the present invention; FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view of a method of searching a database for a work according to the present invention; FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic view of a method of demonstrating a low quality copy of a work according to the present invention; FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic view of a method of downloading a high quality copy of a work according to the present invention: FIGURE 10 is a diagrammatic view of method of purchasing a copy of a work according to the present invention; FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic view of a method of uploading music to a distribution server according to the present invention; FIGURE 12 is a diagrammatic view of a method of transferring value in exchange for the receipt of a work according to the present invention; FIGURE 13 is a diagrammatic view of a method of registering a client system with a server system according to the present invention; WO 00/62232 PCT/USOO/09774 o database maintenance and searching, credit card processing, .and song playback. Each of Sthese components utilize a database of information centrally stored on the system servers.

Figure I shows a system 100 for distributing music over a network such as the internet 105 in accordance with the present invention. The system 100 includes a media web server 110 such a Unix or LINUX based web server, for example Slackware Linux, O installed on an Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) or Digital Equipment Corporation/Compaq S(Houston, TX) or Sun Microsystems SPARC (Palo Alto, CA) based computer 112. The 0 media web server 110 is connected to the internet 105, for example by a TI connection.

The media web server 110 can include a database 114, such as a SQL compatible database io created by MySQL available from T.C.X DataKonsult AB of Stockholm, Sweden. The media web server 110 can include a media server engine 112 which includes software which enables the media web server to distribute encoded music. The media web server 110 can include an electronic commerce engine 116, such a CyberCash CashRegister Payment Services available from CyberCash, Inc. of Reston, Virginia. The media web server 110 can further include an encoding/decoding engine such as an MPEG encoding/decoding engine for converting audio such as music to various levels of quality and an encryption engine for generating unique keys and encrypting music streams to be downloaded by the client. One such MPEG encoding/decoding engine is Xaudio available from MPEGTV of San Francisco, California. One such encryption/decryption engine is BlowFish available from Counterpane Systems of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Another encryption/decryption engine can be a public key private key system such as Pretty Good Privacy available from Network Associates, Inc. of Santa Clara, California.

The system 100 can also include a customer computer system 120 to enable the customer/consumer to transfer payment to the distributor or owner and download music, videos or text. The customer computer system 120 can be any personal computer 122, WO 00/62232 WO 0062232PCTIUSOO/09774 O browsing) and high quality music (for purchases) to customers. The outgoing media server 210 can include a media server eng-ine 212 to distribute music and an electronic commerce engine 216 to facilitate electronic transactions. The outgoing media server 210 can also include the encryption engine 218 and a key database which allows the high Cl 5 quality music to be encrypted prior to being transferred to the customer system 220 to o prevent unauthorized distribution of the music.

Cl In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the media server is a central O element of the system. The media server is primarily responsible for distributing music to users of the system. The media server can run on one or more system servers connected io to the Internet. The media server is continuously running; it waits for requests from remote clients at customer systems and then processes those requests. In accordance with the inventions, there are two types of download requests the media server acts upon: a request for a low quality stream, and a request for a high quality stream. Both processes are handled in a similar manner. but an additional step is required for a high quality stream.

As shown in FIGURE 3, when the media server program loads, it enters the ready state at step 310 and begins listening for requests on a predefined port, such as, for example port 3005. Whenever a remote client requests a stream, the request is received at port 3005 on the system server for processing by the media server at step 312. Upon receipt of a request, the media server determines whether the received request is a request, to browse or preview a song (low quality) or a request to purchase a song (high quality) at step 314. Depending upon whether the request is a request for a high quality stream or 4 low quality stream, the media server will initiate a process to transmit a high quality stream at step 316 or a low quality stream at step 318. Typically, the media server will begin a new process to handle the client itbe remote) individually. This new process will WO 00/62232 PCT/US00/09774 1 1 o MPEG music files, all other processes require an Internet connection to communicate with the servers. There are two types of the remote client: a basic player client which is limited by not allowing the purchase of songs, and a registered player client which has 0 all of the functionality required to use purchase and upload music to the system servers.

After a user has downloaded the basic player client, they can register the client. This 0 0 Oregistration process is performed through the web site, and provides the information needed to process transactions (transfer value), and assigns a unique key to be used in the oencryption and decryption process for purchased music. When a user has completed the registration process, a custom version of the registered player client is downloaded to the user's computer.

Song playback is handled by song lists at the remote client. A customer can create custom song lists from low quality streams, purchased songs, and any non-encrypted audio file on the customer's computer. As shown in FIGURE 6, when a song is played, the remote client checks to see if the file is a local file at step 612 and if so, the remote opens the file at step 622, and passes it to the MPEG decoder. The decoder takes the file and decompresses it for playback, and then plays it. If the song is a purchased audio file at step 618, the file is first decrypted at step 620 and then passed to the decoder at step 622. If the file is not a local file at step 612, the remote client initializes a process to download a low quality stream at step 614. In one embodiment, the MPEG encoder/decoder is the X audio MPEG audio engine available from MPEGTV, LLC of San Francisco, California.

The song lists used by the remote client can be created from local files, or streams from the system server. As shown in FIGURE 7, when a customer wishes to add a stream to the song list, the information needed to play the song is retrieved through a search of the database. When a customer enters a query, by band name for example, the WO 00/62232 PCT/US00/09774 17 O is established to the database on the system server in step 1012. The remote client checks the database for points to purchase the song at step 1014. If a customer has points available at step 1016, the number of points is automatically updated in the database at step 1020, the database connection is closed at step 1022, and the remote client initiates a high quality stream from the media server at step 1024. If the customer doesn't have 0 O enough points at step 1016, the customer is informed of the deficiency and the process is 0 terminated at step 1018.

0 O As shown in FIGURE 11, musicians can upload their music to the database using the remote client. The musician needs only a high quality audio file such as a 128 kb/s, 44.1 kHz, Stereo MP3 file and a musician account in the database. A musician account can be created on the web site by a registered customer. When the process begins, the musician can be prompted to select the items to be uploaded at step 1110 and to input information about the song at step 1112. This information can be stored and later used in searches of the database. The remote client then connects to the database at step 1114, updates the information in the database at step 1116, and uploads the file to the system server at step 1118. After the song upload is complete, the database connection is closed at step 1120. Once the file is saved on the server, a separate process can be used to create the low quality file at step 1122. For example, the high quality file is decoded into .way format, then encoded into a low quality (24 kb/s, 22 kHz, Stereo) MP3 and saved. The song will be available once it has been checked for errors.

The web site provides a range of functionality to both customers and musicians.

Some of the functions the web site can perform are: To collect a variety of user information, Credit card processing, Client registration, and Generating listings from search of the database. Information can be collected throughout the web site using HTML forms and stored in the database. Credit card processing can be handled through a WO 00/62232 PCT/US00/09774 19 O The artist and band listings provide the customer with the ability to locate artists and bands based upon a variety of criteria. The artist/band listing is maintained by the website backend. When a search is passed to the backend, it first establishes a connection to the database. When the connection is established, the backend sends the request to the 0 5 database and waits for a response. As the information is returned from the database, it is 0 O formatted according to template files. These templates provide instructions for how the 0 information is formatted in standard HTML. The generation of artist/band listings can be 0 O initiated by: custom searches of the database from the web site, or changes to the database.

In addition, as shown in FIGURE 14, a customer can also initialize a browse function from the web site at step 1410. When a customer selects a song from the web page, the web backend sends a file associated with the remote to the user's web browser at step 1412. When the web browser receives this file, it automatically launches the remote client at step 1414. This file contains instructions that initiate a low quality stream of the song selected from the web site.

Figure 15 shows a system 1500 for conducting electronic commerce over the internet in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment, the system includes a plurality of servers 1510, 1520, 1530 and a universal electronic commerce client 1550. The client 1550 can include a web browser 1554 which is configured to include a unique encryption key or other unique identifier 1556 which is used for all electronic transactions with a retail web server 1530 which allows for the secure purchase of goods, services or works (audio, video or text). The retail web server 1530 can includq any computer server coupled to a retailer/distributor database 1532 that is used in electronic transactions for the sale of goods, services or the distribution of audio, video or text works. The system 1500 can also include a key encryption system in which the

Claims (2)

1. An apparatus for distributing a units of information representative of copyrightable works over a network, said apparatus comprising: an information database adapted for storing said units of information representative of copyrightable works; O a media server, connected to said information database, including a computer system, associated memory, and media server software, said media server software being O adapted to retrieve said units of information from said information database and to transmit said units of information to a plurality of client systems over said network; an encryption engine connected to said media server and adapted for processing each of said units of information to create encrypted units of information according to a unique key for each client system.

2. An system for distributing a units of information representative of copyrightable works over a network comprising: an information database adapted for storing said units of information representative of copyrightable works; a media server, connected to said information database, including a computer system and associated memory, said media server including media server software, said media server software being adapted to retrieve said units of information from said information database and to transmit said units of information to a plurality of client systems over said network; an encryption engine connected to said media server adapted for processing each of said units of information to create encrypted units of information according to a unique key for each client system; a client system including a computer system, associated memory, and client