Music purchasing and playing system and method

US7672873B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• YAHOO HOLDINGS, INC. · US

Inventors

• Bradley D. Kindig · San Diego, US
• Robert F. Kleemann · San Diego, US
• Sean Sullivan · San Diego, US
• Michael Kogan · San Diego, US
• Sean C Joshlin · San Marcos, US
• Mark A. Laffoon · San Diego, US
• Daniel Baird · Carlsbad, US
• Ameen Hikmat Abed · San Diego, US
• Nathan Lavar Clegg · San Diego, US
• Philip Mansiel Pellouchoud · San Diego, US
• Kevin Sitze · San Diego, US
• Amir Doron · San Diego, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 10, 2004
• Grant date: Mar 2, 2010
• Expiry date: Feb 14, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q50/12
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An online music purchasing system and method is disclosed, in which a radio service operates on a user's computer and is configured for receiving and playing digital radio representations of media content in near real-time in a radio session. A content server is configured for serving the digital radio representations of media content to the radio service, and a radio sequence server is configured for serving a sequential list of currently-playing and previously-played media content of the radio session to the radio service. An account server is configured for receiving a signal indicative of a user's desire to purchase a file of one of a currently-playing or previously-played media content. A download manager is configured for downloading the file to the user's computer according to the signal indicative of the user's desire to purchase the file.