TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of digital content delivery from a server to an end user device.

BACKGROUND

Services offer the delivery of digital content to a wide range of computer devices. Digital content is delivered and consumed on computers, mobile devices, smart phones, computer tablets, laptop computers, desktop computers as well as on televisions, smart televisions, and monitors through a wide range of devices including without limitation BLU-RAY digital optical disc players, XBOX game consoles, ROKU digital video players, PLAYSTATION game consoles, WII and WII U game consoles, APPLE TV devices, WESTERN DIGITAL Media Players, BOXEE BOX set-top device, and NINTENDO 3DS. Such digital content that is delivered by download may include books, game cards, motion comics, interactive books, music, games, and video content.

The content may be delivered on platforms that support one or more type of digital media. For example, video content is provided by NETFLIX, HULU, CRACKLE, AND AMAZON PRIME INSTANT VIDEO streaming services; as well as by numerous TV networks and cable channel applications, pay channel applications including HBO GO. In some instances, cable networks may also offer streaming content for digital delivery via mobile and computer applications. Other services may deliver music, games, and printed material in digital form. Digital books, digital comics, and interactive print material and motion comics may be delivered to networked devices. Such material may be consumed on general computers and tablet devices as well as on specialized devices such as the KINDLE or NOOK e-readers. Numerous platforms exist for consumers to stream audio content, such as ITUNES, SPOTIFY, DIY MUSIC, GOOGLE PLAY audio streaming services. Still other platforms provide for the delivery of video games through numerous platforms such as GAMES ON DEMAND, BOX, GAMEFLY, and PLAYSTATION NETWORK online digital game delivery services, as well as numerous game-specific portals such as WORLD OF WARCRAFT, AION, LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE, EVE ONLINE, TERA, THE SECRET WORLD, RIFT, and STAR WARS THE OLD REPUBLIC, AND GUILD WARS 2 digital delivery services.

Systems employ one of two types of system models. The first model provides end users with unlimited content, which is a subscription model. The second model used is the storefront model, which is a pay-per-item model used. These two models have shortcomings, and there is a need in the art to solve these problems. The models do not effectively serve the intellectual property holders of the content, such as studios, book publishers, game studios, music publishers, because the models provide no data, or only a single data point (point of sale info), regarding the consumer/member. Data and information are extremely important and valuable resources, and the failure of the existing digital delivery models to collect additional data and information are shortcomings. Moreover, in creative industries such customer information is of enormous value because if allows for increased effectiveness for marketing and crafting of new content to end users. The existing models do not adequately support these activities and employ the contrarian approach of hording data without optimizing its value. In addition, by intermediating between end users/members and intellectual property rights owners, both models fail to provide the intellectual property rights owners with the ability to directly interact with the end user/member regarding content that is not available on the platform.

Digital content delivery models deliver digital content through various computer networks and cloud servers. These models deliver content to individual users upon request to a plurality of devices, which enables users to access digital content from a broad category of choices through an on-demand basis. In existing systems, payment by the end user is accomplished through a yearly or monthly rental or subscription contract. Alternatively, other systems provide content to end users for free and display advertising content interstitially to the end user as the content is consumed, such as television commercial advertising, as employed on broadcast television, or displayed alongside the content, such as banner ads. Such systems may permit the user to play back or otherwise display the digital content more than once, while preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to the digital content via a limit to the number of devices that the content may be consumed on in some fashion.

Some systems limit the number of devices on which a purchased digital song or movie may be installed, while other systems limit the number of digital devices that may simultaneously access the subscription service, enforced through a password protected user account. A limitations shared by such digital content delivery systems is that, unlike physical content that may be shared and used on multiple devices at various locations and various times, the existing digital content delivery systems do not allow the sharing of the content in the same way that a consumer may share purchased or rented material. For example, when an end user rents or purchases a movie on a BLU-RAY digital optical disc, the disc may be handed to any number of friends for viewing without limitation. In contrast, digital content may not be similarly shared among friends for viewing without violating license terms or permissions.

None of the existing digital content delivery systems allows users to freely share digital content offered by a digital content provider. The present invention addresses these shortcomings and fulfills the need of consumers to share content legally by providing a platform that facilitates and encourages users to distribute the content freely, while simultaneously benefiting the content owners. Existing platforms and distribution systems also fail to provide mechanisms for members to promote content to members of a platform and be rewarded for such promotion.

Many digital content providers require end users to sign up for a subscription service, paying a monthly or yearly subscription fee in exchange for unlimited content. Other services allow end users to purchase content one item at a time, such as a storefront model. Under these systems, consumers are required to pay prior to receiving or viewing the content, which is yet another shortcoming.

Some services offer a limited trial period, wherein an end user may access the service for a month or is granted access to a trial version of software or service with limited functions. Such free trials require a credit card or other personal data from the consumers that they may be reluctant to provide. Other digital content delivery systems do not charge for some or all of their content but instead use an advertisement model, whereby commercials are displayed before and during delivery of the content. Other systems display advertisements on the screen along with the content. Such an approach, however, creates a distraction to the viewers because it either delays the consumption of the digital content, or is displayed continuously alongside the content, thereby offering a suboptimal end user experience. The present invention solves these and other shortcomings of existing systems.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to digital content delivery from a server to an end user device. In certain embodiments, a system and a method are provided for dynamic, flexible, secure distribution of digital content from a proprietary distribution point utilizing a multi-chambered cloud-based server system with a client-server delivery model having integrated peer-to-peer distribution and variations thereof. Platform content may be purchased or rented utilizing a platform specific line-of credit, which is provided to the user of the system when the user applies for, and is granted, a membership to the system.

In an aspect, a method for access to a digital content distribution platform. The method includes receiving, from a user computing device, a request for initial access of a user to a digital content distribution. The method also includes granting access to the digital content distribution platform based upon the request for initial access. Granting access can include providing the user with a line-of-credit usable by the user to purchase access to digital content files from the digital content distribution system. An indication of the line-of-credit provided to the user can be transmitted electronically to the user computing device of the user. The line-of-credit is configured to renew at least a portion of the line of credit when a debt accrued in the line-of-credit is satisfied. The method also includes receiving, from the user, a selection of a digital content file located on the digital content distribution platform and providing the user with access to the selected digital content file in exchange for the payment from the line-of-credit. The method can also include incorporating an interactive advertisement into the selected digital content file according to a parameter associated with the user, said interactive advertisement configured to receive an interaction from the user computing device and transmitting the selected digital content file and incorporated interactive advertisement each configured to display on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the user computing device. Further, the method can include renewing, in response to the interactive advertisement receiving the interaction, at least a portion of the line of credit.

In another aspect, a system for access to a digital content distribution platform. The system can include a digital content distribution platform that includes a server. The server can be configured to receive, from a user computing device, a request for initial access of a user to a digital content distribution and grant access to the digital content distribution platform based upon the request for initial access. Granting access can include providing, via a line of credit module operating on the server, the user with a line-of-credit usable by the user to purchase access to digital content files from the digital content distribution system. The indication of the line-of-credit provided to the user is transmitted electronically to the user computing device of the user and the line-of-credit is configured to renew at least a portion of the line of credit when a debt accrued in the line-of-credit is satisfied. The server can also be configured to receive, from the user computing device, a selection of a digital content file located on the digital content distribution platform. The digital content distribution platform can also include an application server. The application server can be configured to provide the user with access to the selected digital content file in exchange for the payment from the line-of-credit and incorporate an interactive advertisement into the selected digital content file according to a parameter associated with the user, said interactive advertisement configured to receive an interaction from the user computing device. The application server can also be configured to transmit the selected digital content file and incorporated interactive advertisement each configured to display on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the user computing device and renew, via the line of credit module and in response to the interactive advertisement receiving the interaction, at least a portion of the line of credit.

The present invention offers a new method of attracting consumers to digital platform and a new approach to paying for the content that allows for open ended sharing. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a digital content delivery platform is provided that grants to all authorized users a membership account that includes a line of digital-content-credit with which to access an online digital content. A line-of-credit is granted to each new authorized account holder by machine-readable code arranged to identify the hardware or the user so as to limit the number of authorized accounts a user may create. The creation of the membership account is performed on the basis of calculated reliance whereby, without requiring the user to provide a financial instrument or private data such as credit card, debit card, or bank information, PAYPAL Internet payment service account identification, or a social security number or birthdate, the member may provide the system with only a membership name and password.

The amount of credit that the system extends to a user is finite, but a system operating in accordance with the present invention as described in the embodiments herein may offer a plurality of means to increase a user's limit within the system, as well as a plurality of means to pay off the debt accrued in the line-of-digital-content credit. Such means may include paying off the debt with cash, credit card, bank card, PAYPAL Internet payment service account identification, check, wire, or other monetary exchanges; paying down the debt by consuming certain types of digital content, creating certain types of digital content, sharing content that is then consumed, recruiting new members, social networking activates, interacting with digital content, purchasing physical products and/or digital products and/or digital services.

The system tracks a user's line-of-credit available for allocating towards digital content for the user's consumption. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user's line-of-credit may accumulate within the system, whereby users may build up a larger reserve of credit for future consumption of goods. Such accumulation may be accomplished through a financial instrument, or through Activities, which are detailed in the embodiments as disclosed herein. The Activities provide a means for a user to consume content within the system without paying cash or other financial instrument. For example, a user may initially obtain a membership and receive an initial line of credit with a limit of $100 dollars. In this example, the user may consume digital content having an aggregate value of $73. The user, through a combination of a credit card payment of $8 and Activities that earn the user's account $130, may apply credit to his account in the amount of $138 dollars. The $138 is applied to the user's consumed digital content, thereby effectively over paying the debt of $73, and leaving the user with a positive balance of $65. The net $65, when combined with the initial $100 line-of-credit, results in the users having a total of $165 of credit that may be applied to digital content before expending the entire line-of-credit limit.

The foregoing allows the user to first consume desired digital content and then, at a future date subsequent to viewing the desired content, earn additional credit within the system via Activities, such as consuming ad content as a means of paying for the desired content. The system of the present may provide a flexible means for users to choose when they will consume ad content, if at all, and when they will consume desired content. Thereby, all digital content deliverable by the system may be offered on an on-demand or instant basis, with the difference being that debt accrued to the line-of-credit may be positive, zero, or negative. Similarly, users of the system may share, socially promote, or interact with the content, and may accrue positive, negative, or zero dollars to the line-of-credit.

