Electronic trading card

Abstract

A system for the application of a trading card metaphor to a disassociated computer program and the unique design of several hardware and software systems supports and enhances collecting, trading, game playing, and creating of digital electronic trading cards by taking the traditional trading card metaphor and uniquely updating and enhancing it for application in consumer digital media. An electronic hardware and software architecture for electronic trading cards (ETCs) has a number of components that function together as a system that support making electronic trading cards, trading electronic trading cards, activities (such as game playing) with electronic trading cards, and collecting electronic trading cards. The ETC format is embodied in the components of the electronic trading card system, which are designed to generate and accept a common proprietary electronic trading card format, so that, for example, a card created in a card-making application can be recognized by an electronic trading card album. The card format supports both scarcity and authenticity, which are essential to card collecting and trading, within a disassociated computer code segment.

1 . A system for the exchange of digital content, comprising: 
 a disassociated computer code segment embodied in a tangible medium;    said computer code segment expressing said digital content;    said computer code segment further embodied in an electronic format that supports content scarcity and content authenticity;    a header identification code that uniquely identifies said computer code segment;    an optional lock and key mechanism to limit access and impose password protection on said computer code segment;    a computer code segment graphic identification code that may include any of an audio visual logo, a copyright notice, and company information;    multimedia data that may include any of animation, video, pictures, sounds, and text;    optional pointers to external data and programs embedded in scripts that trigger the display of external media and/or run external applications;    optional utility programs;    optional applications, including any of incomplete linkable code segments and utilities; and    an optional user writable area for any of personalization, messages, voice recording, and image storage.    
     
     
         2 . The system of    claim 1   , said utility programs further comprising any of: 
 copy protection schemes, print drivers, telecommunications protocols, and self destruction routines.    
     
     
         3 . The system of    claim 1   , wherein said computer code segment is transportable across a wide range of digital media, including CD-ROM, networked servers, fixed discs, floppy discs, data cards, writable optical storage, and RAM.  
     
     
         4 . The system of    claim 1   , wherein said computer code segment employs timing to generate scarcity in any of the following ways: 
 said computer code segment self-destructs and/or self erases after a given time has elapsed;    said computer code segment is made available for limited times on on-line systems; and    said computer code segment is time stamped.    
     
     
         5 . The system of    claim 1   , wherein said computer code segment is copy protected to limit the number of times said computer code segment can be used or copied.  
     
     
         6 . The system of    claim 5   , said computer code segment further comprising: 
 public-key/private-key encryption means for detecting illegal copying.    
     
     
         7 . The system of    claim 1   , wherein said computer code segment is randomly distributed in partial sets.  
     
     
         8 . The system of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 a runtime engine that must be present in a local computing device for a user to use said computer code segment, said runtime engine including media handlers and display routines, a timing mechanism, display management, and input handlers.    
     
     
         9 . A system for the exchange of digital content, comprising: 
 a disassociated computer code segment embodied in a tangible medium;    said computer code segment expressing said digital content; and    said computer code segment further embodied in an electronic format that supports content scarcity and content authenticity.    
     
     
         10 . The system of    claim 9   , wherein said digital content comprises any of sports material and entertainment material.  
     
     
         11 . The system of    claim 9   , further comprising: 
 at least one digital content library; and    means for organizing, sequencing, and customizing said digital content from said at least one digital content library.    
     
     
         12 . The system of    claim 9   , further comprising: 
 at least one album of computer code segments, wherein said at least one album is used for management and collection of any number from a few up to thousands of computer code segments that an end user has collected.    
     
     
         13 . A method for exchanging a disassociated computer code segment embodied in a tangible medium, comprising the steps of: 
 generating said computer code segment, said computer code segment expressing said digital content; and    embodying said computer code segment in an electronic format that supports content scarcity and content authenticity.    
     
     
         14 . The method of    claim 13   , further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a computer code segment header identification code that uniquely identifies said computer code segment;    providing an optional lock and key mechanism to limit access and impose password protection on said computer code segment;    providing a computer code segment graphic identification code that may include any of an audio visual logo, a copyright notice, and company information;    providing multimedia data on said computer code segment that may include any of animation, video, pictures, sounds, and text;    optionally providing pointers on said computer code segment to external data and programs embedded in scripts that trigger the display of external media and/or run external applications;    optionally providing utility programs on said computer code segment;    optionally providing applications on said computer code segment, including any of incomplete linkable code segments and utilities; and    optionally providing a user writable area on said computer code segment for any of personalization, messages, voice recording, and image storage.    
     
     
         15 . The method of    claim 14   , wherein said utility programs comprise any of copy protection schemes, print drivers, telecommunications protocols, and self destruction routines.  
     
     
         16 . The method of    claim 14   , wherein said computer code segment is transportable across a wide range of digital media, including CD-ROM, networked servers, fixed discs, floppy discs, data cards, writable optical storage, and RAM.  
     
     
         17 . The system of    claim 14   , wherein said computer code segment uses timing to generate scarcity in accordance with any of the following steps: 
 self-destructing and/or self erasing said computer code segment after a given time has elapsed;    limiting computer code segment availability times on on-line systems; and    time stamping said computer code segment.    
     
     
         18 . The method of    claim 14   , further comprising the step of: 
 copy protecting said computer code segment to limit the number of times said computer code segment can be used or copied.    
     
     
         19 . The method of    claim 14   , said computer code segment further comprising: 
 detecting illegal copying with public-key/private-key encryption means.    
     
     
         20 . The method of    claim 14   , wherein said computer code segment is randomly distributed in partial sets.  
     
     
         21 . The method of    claim 14   , further comprising the step of: 
 requiring the presence of a runtime engine in a local computing device before a user can view and interact with a computer code segment.    
     
     
         22 . The method of    claim 14   , further comprising the step of: 
 exchanging one or more computer code segments on writable media.    
     
     
         23 . The method of    claim 14   , further comprising the step of: 
 exchanging one or more computer code segments on-line.    
     
     
         24 . The method of    claim 14   , wherein said computer code segment has a built-in phone number that is dialed on command.  
     
     
         25 . A system for the exchange of digital content, comprising: 
 a disassociated computer code segment embodied in a tangible medium;    said computer code segment expressing said digital content; said computer code segment further embodied in an electronic format that supports content scarcity and content authenticity; and    said computer code segment further adapted for use in a system comprising a display system, a housing, software, a power source or input, a CPU, and an LCD display.