U.S. patent application number 11/933999 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-06 for method and system for pricing a programming event viewed by subscriber group.
This patent application is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Cary Lee Bates, Paul Reuben Day.
Application Number | 20080059987 11/933999 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25012280 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080059987 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bates; Cary Lee ; et
al. |
March 6, 2008 |
Method and System for Pricing a Programming Event Viewed by
Subscriber Group
Abstract
A method and apparatus for group billing purchasers of
transmitted programming events is provided. In one embodiment, a
subscriber group includes two or more individual subscribers who
receive programming from a programming provider. The individual
subscribers periodically elect to view a program provided via the
program provider. The program is provided on a pay-per-view basis,
meaning that the program provider requires a sum of money to be
paid in order to view the program. The sum of money is determined
according to the number of viewers in a single subscriber group. In
one embodiment, the subscribers interact during a program via a
network connection.
Inventors: |
Bates; Cary Lee; (Rochester,
MN) ; Day; Paul Reuben; (Rochester, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
IBM CORPORATION, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW;DEPT 917, BLDG. 006-1
3605 HIGHWAY 52 NORTH
ROCHESTER
MN
55901-7829
US
|
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation
|
Family ID: |
25012280 |
Appl. No.: |
11/933999 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09749106 |
Dec 27, 2000 |
|
|
|
11933999 |
Nov 1, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/8 ;
348/E7.075 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/25435 20130101;
H04N 7/17354 20130101; H04N 21/4782 20130101; G06Q 30/0601
20130101; H04N 21/2543 20130101; H04N 21/4622 20130101; H04N
21/47211 20130101; H04N 21/4788 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/008 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/16 20060101
H04N007/16 |
Claims
1. A method for determining a price of a program transmitted by a
programming provider to subscribers, comprising: receiving, via a
network connection, a purchase order for a program from a
subscriber belonging to a subscriber group defined by two or more
subscribers, wherein each subscriber belonging to the subscriber
group maintains an independent account with the programming
provider whereby the subscriber pays the programming provider in
order to receive paid for programming, and wherein each subscriber
belonging to the subscriber group may elect to purchase or not
purchase the program by selecting from a user interface that
includes: (i) a selectable option to purchase the program; and (ii)
a selectable option to forgo purchase of the program; determining a
first price for the purchase order if the program has been
purchased by a threshold number of subscribers belonging to the
subscriber group; and determining a second price, higher than the
first price, if the program has not been purchased by the threshold
number of subscribers belonging to the subscriber group wherein the
subscriber group is a predefined group of the two were more
subscribers maintained in a data structure by the programming
provider, the data structure maintaining a plurality of other
subscriber groups each comprising two or more subscribers.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising preparing and sending
an invoice to the subscriber for the program.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold number of
subscribers is greater than one and is some portion of all the
subscribers of the subscriber group.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying at least one
other subscriber in the subscriber group of the purchase order.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether
the subscriber belongs to the subscriber group prior to determining
the price.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining whether
the subscriber belongs to the subscriber group comprises accessing
a subscriber database.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a request
to initiate a network dialog session with at least one other
subscriber in the subscriber group.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising handling messages sent
between subscribers participating in the network dialog
session.
9. A system for transmitting programs to subscribers, comprising: a
database containing subscriber groups, each group having at least
two subscribers; a programming provider system connected to the
database and configured to: receive, via a network communication,
purchase orders for programs from a plurality of the subscribers;
determine a first price for each purchase order if more than a
threshold number of subscribers purchasing the same program belong
to a common subscriber group, wherein each subscriber belonging to
the subscriber group maintains an independent account with the
programming provider whereby the subscriber pays the programming
provider in order to receive paid for programming, and wherein each
subscriber may elect to purchase or not purchase the same program
by selecting from a user interface that includes: (i) a selectable
option to purchase the program; and (ii) a selectable option to
forgo purchase of the program; and determine a second price, higher
than the first price, for each purchase order if less than a
threshold number of subscribers purchasing the same program belong
to a common subscriber group.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the programming provider is at
least one of a cable provider and a satellite provider.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the programs are one of a
view-on-demand program and a pay-per-view program.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the programs are movies.
13. The system of claim 9, wherein the programs are entertainment
events.
14. The system of claim 9, wherein the programs are transmitted at
a predetermined time.
15. The system of claim 9, wherein, if more than the threshold
number of subscribers purchase the same program, the programming
provider is further configured to transmit electronic offer
notifications to those subscribers belonging to the common
subscriber group who have not yet purchased the same program, the
electronic offer notifications indicating that the same program may
be purchased for a reduced fee as a result of the threshold number
of subscribers purchasing the same program.
16. The system of claim 9, wherein, the programming provider is
further configured to: receive electronic intent-to-view
notifications from the plurality of subscribers indicating an
intent to view a given program; and for a given electronic
intent-to-view notification from a given subscriber of a given
subscriber group, sending an electronic alert notification to the
other subscribers of the given subscriber group, the electronic
alert notification indicating the intent of the given subscriber to
view the given program and further indicating availability of a
price reduction if the threshold number of subscribers of the given
subscriber group purchase the given program.
17. A system, comprising: a plurality of signal processing units
each associated with one of a plurality of subscribers, wherein the
plurality of subscribers make up subscriber groups each including
at least two subscribers; and a programming provider system
connected to the signal processing units and configured to:
transmit fee-based programming events to the signal processing
units; and determine prices of programming event purchased by the
plurality of subscribers, wherein a price for each programming
event is determined according to a number of purchase orders for
the same programming event received from subscribers belonging to a
same subscriber group, wherein the price decreases in proportion to
increasing orders from different subscribers belonging to the same
subscriber group, wherein each subscriber belonging to the
subscriber group maintains an independent account with the
programming provider whereby the subscriber pays the programming
provider in order to receive paid for programming, and wherein each
subscriber may elect to purchase or not purchase each programming
event by selecting from a user interface that includes: (i) a
selectable option to purchase the program; and (ii) a selectable
option to forgo purchase of the program; and wherein information
for each of the subscriber groups is maintained in a data structure
by the programming provider system.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein programming provider system is
configured to: determine a first price for each purchase order if
more than a threshold number of subscribers purchasing the same
programming event belong to the same subscriber group; and
determine a second price, higher than the first price, for each
purchase order if less than a threshold number of subscribers
purchasing the same programming event belong to the same subscriber
group.
19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a database
accessible by the programming provider system and containing a
subscriber identifier for each of the plurality of subscribers and
a subscriber group identifier for each subscriber group.
20. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of signal
processing units are configured to communicate messages via a
communication network.
21. The system of claim 17, wherein the programming provider system
is at least one of a cable provider and a satellite provider.
22. The system of claim 17, wherein the programming events are one
of a view-on-demand program and a pay-per-view program.
23. The system of claim 17, wherein the programming events are
movies.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/749,106, filed Dec. 27, 2000, which is
herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to the information processing
field. More particularly, the invention relates to methods and
apparatus for pricing programming events viewed by multiple
viewers.
[0004] 2. Background of the Related Art
[0005] The movie rental industry has seen substantial growth in
recent years. Conventionally, movies have been rented in the form
of videocassettes and DVDs. One advantage with such a rental system
is that the physical storage medium, once rented, may be circulated
between multiple viewers who can split the cost, even though the
movie is viewed more than once and at different locations. However,
such storage media is an imposition on users who must first receive
the storage media (e.g., by physically visiting a video rental
location) and later return the same.
[0006] More recently, movies and other programming events have been
made available by cable and satellite providers. Movies can be
purchased from such providers by accessing an online guide. Such
guides are configured to allow customers to browse a wide selection
of recently released movies and other video events. Once a customer
identifies a movie he or she wishes to view, the customer then
agrees to purchase the movie for some specified fee. The movie is
then immediately, or at some later time, transmitted to the
customer's display device and the appropriate fee is charged to the
customer's account. In this manner, customers are able to avoid the
inconveniences associated with renting physical video storage
media.
[0007] One problem that the above described movie watching method
does not overcome is that each transmission to a separate location
(i.e. customer) is separately invoiced for the full amount of the
movie. This is true even though the viewers may be related and may
have agreed to view the program at the same time.
[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus that
allows more flexibility in viewing movies and other programming
events that are transmitted to viewers from a remotely located
provider.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention provides a method and system for group
billing purchasers of transmitted programming events. One aspect of
the invention provides a method for determining a price of a
program transmitted by a programming provider to subscribers
belonging to subscriber groups. The message comprises receiving,
via a network connection, a purchase order for a program from a
subscriber belonging to a subscriber group and then determining a
price for the purchase order. A first price is determined for the
purchase order if the program has been purchased by a threshold
number of subscribers belonging to the subscriber group. A second
price, higher than the first price, is determined if the program
has not been purchased by the threshold number of subscribers
belonging to the subscriber group.
[0010] Another aspect of the invention provides a system for
transmitting programs to subscribers. The system comprises a
database containing subscriber groups each including at least two
subscribers and a programming provider system connected to the
database. The programming provider system is configured to receive,
via a network communication, purchase orders for programs from a
plurality of subscribers and then determine a price for the
purchase orders. A first price is determined for each purchase
order if more than a threshold number of subscribers purchasing the
same program belong to a common subscriber group. A second price,
less than the first price, is determined for each purchase order if
less than a threshold number of subscribers purchasing the same
program belong to a common subscriber group.
[0011] Yet another aspect of the invention provides a system,
comprising a plurality of signal processing units each associated
with one of a plurality of subscribers and a programming provider
system connected to the signal processing units. The plurality of
subscribers make up a plurality of subscriber groups each including
at least two subscribers. The programming provider system is
configured to transmit fee-based programming events to the signal
processing units; and determine prices of programming event
purchased by the plurality of subscribers. A price for each
programming event is determined according to a number of purchase
orders for the same programming event received from subscribers
belonging to a same subscriber group. In one embodiment, the
plurality of subscribers communicate with one another.
Illustratively, the plurality of subscribers may communicate
through the programming provider system which receives and routes
messages between the plurality of subscribers. Alternatively, the
plurality of subscribers may communicate directly with one another
(that is, without requiring the intermediary programming provider
system) via a network connection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The teachings of the present invention can be readily
understood by considering the following detailed description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 depicts a simplified block diagram of a networked
system connecting subscribers to a programming provider.
[0014] FIG. 2 depicts a diagram of an entertainment system operable
to communicate with the provider.
[0015] FIG. 3 depicts a dialog session interface.
[0016] FIG. 4 depicts an interface configured for purchasing
options.
[0017] FIG. 5 depicts an interface configured for programming
options.
[0018] FIG. 6 depicts an interface configured to display pricing
information.
[0019] FIG. 7 shows a method for operating a signal processing
unit.
[0020] FIG. 8 shows a billing task.
[0021] FIG. 9 shows a method for operating a programming provider
system.
[0022] FIG. 10 shows a billing cycle method for generating
invoices.
[0023] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals
have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements
that are common to the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0024] The present invention provides a method and system for group
subscriptions to televised programming. In one embodiment, a
subscriber group includes two or more individual subscribers who
receive programming from a programming provider. The individual
subscribers periodically elect to view a program provided via the
program provider. The program is provided on a pay-per-view basis,
meaning that the program provider requires a sum of money to be
paid in order to view the program. The sum of money is calculated
according to the number of viewers in a single subscriber group
that view a given program.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a high level diagram of a system 100 generally
comprising a programming provider 102 and a plurality of
subscribers 104.sub.1, 104.sub.2, . . . 104.sub.n. Two or more of
the subscribers make up a subscriber group 106.sub.1, . . .
106.sub.n. The provider 102 may be any entity (or entities) adapted
to transmit visual and/or audio signals (programs) to the
subscribers 104 via a program transmission system 108. The
transmitted programs may include pay-per-view movies,
view-on-demand movies and the like. Illustrative providers 102
include cable and satellite providers. In another embodiment, the
provider 102 and the subscribers 104 are related as servers and
clients in a distributed computer environment (e.g., the
Internet).
[0026] As used herein, the term "subscriber" means any individual
billable entity, which may include, for example, a person, a family
and a corporation. Accordingly, each billable entity may be
designated with a single account number (or invoicing number). In
this context it is not necessary that the subscribers 104 be in
contractual relationship with the provider 102 in which the
provider 102 provides a suite or package of programs for a periodic
(e.g., monthly) payment. Rather each program may be made available
for "ala carte" selection by the subscribers 104. As will be clear
from context, the term "subscriber" may also refer to the signal
processing unit operated by the individual subscribers.
[0027] The provider 102 includes a database 103 containing
information pertaining to each subscriber 104 and each subscriber
group 106. Such information includes each individual subscriber's
account number as well as a subscriber group number for each group.
Other relevant information includes names, addresses credit card
information, purchase orders for programming and the like. This
information is used to generate an invoice for each subscriber or
subscriber group, as will be described in more detail below. In one
embodiment, the invoices are generated by a pricing program 112
executed by the provider 102.
[0028] The subscribers 104 are each connected to the programming
provider 102 by a communication network 110. The network 110 may be
any system for connecting the subscribers 104 and the provider 102
and allowing information exchange therebetween. In one embodiment,
the network 110 also allows communication between the individual
subscribers, particularly subscribers in a common subscriber group.
Illustratively, the network 110 is the Internet. In another
embodiment, the network 110 is a "plain old telephone system"
(POTS). In any case, communication is facilitated by the
appropriate transmission protocols and hardware support. Although
shown separately, in one embodiment the communication network 110
and the program transmission system 108 are the same, such as where
the two are the Internet.
[0029] Each of the subscribers possesses the necessary hardware and
software to receive program transmissions from the provider 102 as
well as communicate other information to the provider 102. FIG. 2
shows one embodiment of a subscriber's entertainment system 200.
The entertainment system 200 includes a signal processing unit 202
connected to an display device 204 and one or more peripheral
devices 206. The display device 204 is preferably any display
screen (e.g., cathode ray tube, projection television and the
like).
[0030] Illustrative peripheral devices 206 include, for example, a
keyboard, keypad, light-pen, touch-screen, track-ball and speech
recognition unit. In one embodiment, the display device 204 and
some of the peripheral devices 206 could be combined. For example,
a display screen with an integrated touch-screen, and a display
with an integrated keyboard or a speech recognition unit combined
with a text speech converter could be used.
[0031] In another embodiment, the signal processing unit 202, the
display device 204 and the peripheral devices 206 are integrated
with one another. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the entertainment
system 200 is a portable device (e.g., handheld wireless
device).
[0032] In general, the signal processing unit 202 includes a
Central Processing Unit (CPU) 208 connected via a bus 210 to a
memory device 212, a receiver/decoder 214, a network device 216, a
control panel 218, an I/O interface 220 and a display interface
222. Although shown together, the various components of the signal
processing unit 202 may in fact be separate components which, in
some case, communicate with one another.
[0033] The receiver/decoder 214 is configured to receive and
process incoming program signals from the provider 102 via the
program transmission system 108. The signals processed by the
receiver/decoder 214 are then transmitted to the display device 204
through the display interface 222, which may include amplifiers,
digital to analog converters and other support devices.
[0034] The network device 216 includes the necessary hardware
support for connecting the signal processing unit with the
communication network 110. Illustratively, the network device
includes any of a telephone modem, cable modem, ISDN line, DSL line
and the like.
[0035] Although shown as a single entity, the I/O interface 220
represents an entry/exit device for any number of peripheral
devices 206. Illustrative peripheral devices are described above.
In one embodiment, the peripheral devices also include a remote
control (e.g., an infrared remote control) configured to transmit
user command signals to the signal processing unit 202.
Alternatively or additionally, such command signals may be input
via the control panel 218 (which may include various buttons,
knobs, switches and the like).
[0036] Memory device 212 preferably comprises random access memory
sufficiently large to hold the necessary programming and data
structures. While memory device 212 is shown as a single entity, it
should be understood that memory device 212 may in fact comprise a
plurality of modules, and that memory 212 may exist at multiple
levels, from high speed registers and caches to lower speed but
larger DRAM chips. In addition, memory device 212 may also include
read-only memory.
[0037] Memory 212 is shown containing an on-line guide program 240,
a dialog program 242, a subscriber information data structure 225
and a programming data structure 227. The on-line guide program 240
supports various graphical interfaces provided to subscribers via
the display. In addition to the interfaces described below, the
on-line guide formats and displays the programming events being
provided by the provider 102, as is known in the art. The dialog
program 242 enables a discussion forum between subscribers during a
programming event (e.g., a movie). An exemplary discussion forum is
illustrated in the interface 300 shown in FIG. 3. The interface
300, which is output on the display device 204, includes a program
viewing area 302 and a discussion area 304. As shown, the
discussion area 304 is a portion of the total viewable screen area
of the display device 204 in which viewers may post real-time
messages. In one embodiment, the dimensions of the discussion area
304 are configurable by the subscriber operating the entertainment
system 200. The messages are input to the peripheral devices 206
and communicated via the network 110. Illustratively, the messages
are plain text messages, but in other embodiments the messages
include images, video and other data formats.
[0038] The subscriber information data structure 225 contains a
subscriber identification number 226 (account number) and a group
identification number 228. The programming data structure 227
contains a plurality of purchase order data structures 230 and a
future programming data structure 232. The purchase orders 230
represent recent program purchases made by the subscriber operating
the entertainment system 200. As such, the purchase orders 230
pertain to programs that have already been transmitted from the
provider 102 to the signal processing unit 202. In contrast, the
future programming data structure 232 contains information about
upcoming programs. For example, such information may include alarm
settings used by the signal processing unit 202 to notify the
subscriber of a particular show time. Other future programming
information includes a timer setting used by the signal processing
unit 202 to initiate a program recording session for a particular
program and time.
[0039] In one embodiment, the programming data structure 227
contains "intent to view" information 234. Intent to view
information represents that the subscriber has indicated an intent
to view a particular program(s). This information can then be
transmitted to other subscribers belonging to the same group.
Accordingly, a notification system is provided by which subscribers
of a common group can be made aware of one another's viewing
intentions. Illustratively, the "intent to view" information is
contained in the future programming data structure 232.
[0040] Illustrative graphical interfaces used to populate the data
structures 225 and 227 are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The interfaces
may be invocations of an on-line guide provided by the programming
provider 102 and output to the display 204. Such on-line guides are
well known in the art and a detailed description is not needed for
understanding. FIG. 4 shows a first interface 400 that may be
displayed on the display 204 and is configured for purchasing a
program. The interface 400 includes a program information window
402 and an action selection list 404. Illustratively, the program
information window 402 may include a program title, a program
runtime, a brief description of the program and the like. The
action selection list 404 includes user selectable options such as
an option to purchase a program or, alternatively, purchase and
record the program. Buttons 406 and 408 are provided to accept the
selected options or cancel the selections and close the interface
400, respectively.
[0041] FIG. 5 shows a second interface 500 that may be displayed on
the display 204 and is configured with future programming
elections. The interface 500 includes a program information window
502 and an action selection list 505. Illustratively, the program
information window 502 may include a program title, a program
runtime, a brief description of the program and the like. The
action selection list 505 includes user selectable options such as
timer and alarm options. In addition, the action selection list 505
includes an "intent to view" option. Buttons 506 and 508 are
provided to accept the selected options or cancel the selections
and close the interface 500, respectively.
[0042] In one embodiment, when a subscriber selects the "intent to
view" option from the action selection list 505, this selection
information is transmitted to the programming provider 102. This
information may be transmitted to the programming provider 102
immediately or at some later time. However, in order to be useful
to other subscribers of a common group the subscribers must receive
the information prior to the show time of the selected program.
Thus, in one embodiment, the transmission time may be determined
according to the show time of the selected program. Where the
selected program will air within a few hours the intent to view
information should be transmitted immediately. Alternatively, where
the selected program is not scheduled to air for many days, the
information may be transmitted at some later time.
[0043] In another embodiment, the intent to view information may be
transmitted directly from one subscriber to other subscribers
belonging to a common subscriber group, without being routed to the
provider 102 first. In such an embodiment, the signal processing
unit 202 of each subscriber stores a network address for the signal
processing unit of every other subscriber in the group.
[0044] In any case, the intent to view information is used to
notify each subscriber of a group of other subscriber's intention
to view a particular event. FIG. 6 shows an illustrative
notification interface 600 that can be displayed on the display
204. The message provided by the interface 600 informs a subscriber
that (in this example) three other group members intend to view the
event of interest. In addition, pricing information is displayed. A
regular price is provided and a group rate is provided which is
calculated assuming that all four members of the group purchase the
event.
[0045] In one embodiment, the notification interface 600 is invoked
when a subscriber elects to purchase a particular event.
Alternatively, the notification interface 600 may be invoked by
user selection of a menu item on the on-line guide. In still
another embodiment, the interface 600 is invoked when the
subscriber elects to review a description of the program from the
on-line guide. Further, the on-line guide may be modified so that
"intent to view" programs (i.e., programs for which other group
members have registered an intent to view) are visibly demarked
with an indicator, such as an asterisk or highlighting.
[0046] FIG. 7 shows a method 700 illustrating some operations of
the entertainment center 200. The method 700 is entered at step 702
and then proceeds to step 704 where an event is received for
processing. At step 706, the method 700 queries whether the event
is to select a program. Such an event may be invoked when a
subscriber selects a program event from the on-line guide using a
remote control or the control panel 218 to operate the signal
processing system 202.
[0047] If step 706 is answered negatively, method 700 proceeds to
step 708 and queries whether the event is an "intent to view"
message received by the signal processing unit 202 from an other
subscriber in the group. If so, at step 710, the message is
registered and stored in memory 212 from which it may later be
retrieved to notify the subscriber operating the signal processing
unit 202. Illustrative notification methods have been described
above. From step 710 the method 700 returns to step 704 where the
next event is received for processing.
[0048] If step 708 is answered negatively, then at step 712 the
method 700 queries whether the event is to initiate a group
dialogue. If so, a group dialogue session is initiated at step 714
in which two or more subscribers communicate in a manner that was
described with reference to FIG. 3. If step 712 is answered
negatively the method 700 continues to step 716 where other events
are processed. The method 700 then returns to step 704 to begin
processing the next event.
[0049] Returning to step 706, if the event is to select a program
the method 700 proceeds to step 718 and queries whether the
selected program is currently being broadcast by the provider 102.
If the program is not currently being broadcast, then, at step 720,
an interface providing show times, an "intent to view" option,
recording options, purchase options etc. is displayed to the
subscriber on the display device 204. An illustrative interface is
shown in FIG. 5.
[0050] At step 722, the method 700 queries whether the "intent to
view" option is selected from the interface. If so, an "intent to
view" message is sent to the other group members at step 724
notifying them that at least one other subscriber intends to view
the specified program. The method 700 then proceeds to step 726 to
handle other selected interface options. If step 722 is answered
negatively, the method 700 proceeds directly to step 726. From step
726, the method 700 returns to step 704.
[0051] If step 718 is answered affirmatively, the method 700, at
step 728, queries whether a fee is required to view the selected
program. If not, the selected program may be viewed in a normal
manner at step 730. The method 700 then returns to step 704 to
begin processing the next event.
[0052] If a fee is required, the method 700 proceeds to step 732
and queries whether other subscribers belonging to the same group
have registered an intent to view the same program. This
determination may involve accessing the memory to 212 in order to
retrieve "intent to view" message received by the signal processing
unit 202 from other subscribers. Additionally or alternatively, the
signal processing unit 202 may establish a network connection with
the programming provider 102 to retrieve "intent to view" messages
posted at the provider 102 by other subscribers.
[0053] In any case, the method 700 then proceeds to step 734 in
order to calculate a price for the selected program. As described
above, the price is determined according to the number of
subscribers who have registered an intent to view or are currently
viewing the selected program. In one embodiment, the price per
purchaser is reduced when more than a threshold number of
subscribers in a common group purchase the program. At step 736 an
interface containing pricing information and purchase options is
displayed to the subscriber. An illustrative interface is shown in
FIG. 6.
[0054] In some cases, the price that is displayed at step 734 is
not the price that is invoiced by the programming provider 102.
This may occur, for example, when additional subscribers purchase
the programming event subsequent to step 734, in which case the
final invoiced price may be lower then the displayed price.
Alternatively, subscribers who registered an intent to view may
ultimately decide not to purchase the program, in which case the
final invoiced price may be higher than the displayed price. In
this regard, some embodiments may not allow a subscriber to
withdraw an "intent to view" registration, thereby providing
subscribers greater confidence when the pricing information is
displayed at step 734. Further, in one embodiment, the signal
processing unit 202 may be configured to allow subscribers to
access on-line billing statements which would accurately reflect
current charges.
[0055] From step 736 the method 700 proceeds to step 738 and
queries whether the subscriber has elected to purchase the program.
If so, at optional step 739 a message is then transmitted to the
other group members, either directly or through the provider 102,
notifying them of the purchase. The method 700 then proceeds to
step 730 where selected program is viewed. Otherwise, if step 738
is answered negatively, the method 700 proceeds to step 740 where
the event being processed is handled appropriately. For example,
the online guide interface being viewed by the subscriber (e.g.,
interface 600) is closed.
[0056] Over the course of time a subscriber may purchase several
programming events. Each of these purchases must be registered with
the programming provider 102 in order for an invoice to be
generated. However, in order to minimize the network connection
time between subscribers and the provider 102, it may be desirable
to transmit batches of purchases periodically. FIG. 8 shows an
illustrative billing task 800 through which purchases made by a
subscriber can be transmitted to the provider 102. The task 800 is
entered at step 802 and proceeds to step 804 where the task 800
remains idle for a period of time (e.g., a week, a month or any
convenient time interval). Once the period of time has elapsed, the
task 800 proceeds to step 806 and queries whether billable
information is available for reporting to the provider 102. If
available information is available, a network connection is
established with the provider 102, at step 808, which then receives
the information from the subscriber. Otherwise, the task 800
returns to step 804.
[0057] FIG. 9 shows a method 900 illustrating operations performed
by the provider 102. The method 900 is entered at step 902 and
proceeds to step 904 where an event for processing is received by
the provider 102. Illustratively, the event is received upon
establishing a network connection with a subscriber via the
communication network 110.
[0058] At step 906, the method 900 queries whether the event is an
"intent to view" message. If so, at step 908, the message is
broadcast to each subscriber belonging to the group of the
subscriber is sent the message. Otherwise, the method 900 proceeds
to step 910 and queries whether the event is billing information.
If so, the billing information is stored, at step 912, for
subsequent billing processing. If step 910 is answered negatively,
the method 900 proceeds to step 914 and queries whether the event
is to open a group dialog session. If so, the method 900 proceeds
to step 916 and initiates a group dialog task which may be run in
parallel to method 900. The group dialog session may support a
network dialog between two or more subscribers of a group. The
particular subscriber participating may be determined by the
subscriber initiating the session. If step 914 is answered
negatively, then method 900 proceeds to step 918 to process other
events.
[0059] FIG. 10 shows an illustrative billing cycle method 1000. The
method 1000 may be run periodically to generate an invoice for each
subscriber. The method is entered at step 1002 and proceeds to step
1004 where invoice processing for a first subscriber is initiated.
The method 1000 then proceeds to step 1006 where an invoice is
initialized with subscriber information such as a name, address,
telephone number, account number, group number, etc.
[0060] At step 1008 the method 1000 enters a loop that is repeated
for each purchase order (i.e., for each programming event
purchased). At step 1010 the method 1000 queries whether other
group members purchased the same programming event. If so, the
price is adjusted according to a predetermined formula at step
1012. Once the price is determined, or if step 1010 is answered
negatively, the method 1000 proceeds to step 1014 where the price
is added to the invoice. The method 1000 then returns to step 1008
to repeat the processing for the next purchase order. This loop is
repeated until each purchase order has been processed, at which
point the method 1000 proceeds to step 1016 to finalize (e.g.,
total) the bill. At step 1018 the invoice is transmitted to the
subscriber (e.g., as an electronic document via the communication
network 110).
[0061] From step 1018 the method 1000 returns to step 1004 where
information for the next subscriber is accessed for processing.
This loop is repeated until each subscriber is processed. The
method then exits at step 1020.
[0062] While the foregoing is directed to the specific embodiments
of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the
invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope
thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that
follow.
* * * * *