System for prepayment of electronic content using removable media and for prevention of unauthorized copying of same

US6434535B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• IO-Mega Holding Corporation · US

Inventors

• Michael S. Kupka · Nacogdoches, US
• Michael G. Lundgren · Salt Lake City, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 13, 1998
• Grant date: Aug 13, 2002
• Expiry date: Nov 13, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q20/209
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for distribution of electronic content over a network infrastructure and compensation of vendors of such data using prepaid media that includes a client device for operation by a user desiring to receive the electronic content and server that contains the electronic content and offering the electronic content for downloading to the client device via the network infrastructure. The client device communicates a unique identifier associated with a particular piece of media to which the electronic content is to be stored to the server. The server contacts a media tracking sever to determine if the media is valid and a remaining balance of the prepaid media. The cost of the electronic content to be downloaded is deducted from the remaining balance and credited to the vendor's account. The server then encrypts the electronic content using the unique identifier as a key and downloads the encrypted electronic content to the client computer, where the client computer writes the encrypted electronic content to the particular piece of media such that the encrypted electronic content may only be accessed from the particular piece of media. The electronic content is only acc…