Content insurance

Abstract

The present invention provides for the protection of and ability to upgrade to new formats of digital content by providing consumers of the digital content the capability of purchasing content insurance on digital content they consume. By purchasing insurance on content, at a later time consumers are able to return to the content distribution channels and re-obtain the previously purchased content in the same, or new format as the original purchased.

1 . A method of providing content insurance for distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content where said consumer has purchased said content insurance via a merchant and a clearing house maintains information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance via said merchant, said method comprising:
 receiving a first electronic receipt generated by said merchant, said first electronic receipt identifying digital content for which said consumer has requested retrieval;   comparing said digital content identified by said first electronic receipt to said information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance, and   wherein when said comparison indicates said digital content identified by said first electronic receipt is the same as digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance, said consumer is allowed to retrieve said digital content identified by said electronic receipt.   
   
   
       2 . A method of providing content insurance for distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content where said consumer has purchased said content insurance via a merchant and a clearing house maintains information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance via said merchant, as per  claim 1 , said method further comprising:
 receiving a second electronic receipt, said second electronic receipt including information uniquely identifying said consumer and purchased digital content and including an indication insurance has been purchased for said purchased digital content;   storing said information uniquely identifying said consumer and purchased digital content based upon said indication insurance has been purchased for said purchased digital content, and   generating a voucher for said purchased digital content, said voucher allowing said consumer to retrieve said purchased digital content.   
   
   
       3 . A method of providing content insurance for distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content where said consumer has purchased said content insurance via a merchant and a clearing house maintains information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance via said merchant, as per  claim 2 , said method further comprising:
 generating a voucher for said specified digital content for which said consumer has requested retrieval, said voucher allowing said consumer to retrieve said specified digital content for which said consumer has requested retrieval.   
   
   
       4 . A method of providing content insurance for distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content where said consumer has purchased said content insurance via a merchant and a clearing house maintains information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance via said merchant, as per  claim 2 , wherein said first and said second electronic receipts are transmitted to said clearing house from said merchant via client software located at said consumer. 
   
   
       5 . A method of providing content insurance for distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content where said consumer has purchased said content insurance via a merchant and a clearing house maintains information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance via said merchant, as per  claim 4 , wherein said client software allows manipulation of purchased digital content encrypted utilizing personalized encryption. 
   
   
       6 . A method of providing content insurance for distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content where said consumer has purchased said content insurance via a merchant and a clearing house maintains information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance via said merchant, as per  claim 2 , wherein said requested digital content is in a digital format different from the digital format of said purchased digital content. 
   
   
       7 . A method of providing content insurance for distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content where said consumer has purchased said content insurance via a merchant and a clearing house maintains information uniquely identifying said consumer and digital content for which said consumer has purchased said content insurance via said merchant, as per  claim 2 , wherein said requested digital content is in the same digital format as that of said purchased digital content. 
   
   
       8 . A method of providing a consumer with content insurance for distributed digital content in which a third party verifies information regarding content insurance purchased by said consumer, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to upgrade said digital content to a new digital format or replacing said digital content in an original format upon loss of said digital content, said method comprising:
 receiving a request from said consumer to purchase insurance on specified digital content;   generating an electronic receipt, said electronic receipt including information uniquely identifying said specified digital content and an indication insurance has been purchased for said specified digital content;   transmitting said electronic receipt to said consumer;   receiving a request to retrieve said specified digital content, said request including said electronic receipt;   sending said electronic receipt to said third party, said third party verifying the authenticity of said electronic receipt and upon verification, said third party issues a voucher for said specified digital content, said voucher allowing said consumer to retrieve said specified digital content, and   transmitting said voucher to said consumer.   
   
   
       9 . A method of providing a consumer with content insurance for distributed digital content in which a third party verifies information regarding content insurance purchased by said consumer, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to upgrade said digital content to a new digital format or replacing said digital content in an original format upon loss of said digital content, as per  claim 8 , said method further comprising:
 receiving said voucher at a content provider from said consumer;   verifying said voucher, and   upon verification, allowing said consumer to retrieve said specified digital content.   
   
   
       10 . A method of providing a consumer with content insurance for distributed digital content in which a third party verifies information regarding content insurance purchased by said consumer, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to upgrade said digital content to a new digital format or replacing said digital content in an original format upon loss of said digital content, as per  claim 8 , wherein said electronic receipt is digitally signed by a merchant utilizing a private encryption key unique to said merchant. 
   
   
       11 . A system for securely providing a consumer with content insurance for digital data representative of digital content purchased by said consumer, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to replace said digital data upon loss or to upgrade said digital content to digital data having a different format than that of said digital data originally purchased, said system comprising:
 client software located at said consumer, said client software allowing manipulation of said purchased digital content encrypted utilizing personalized encryption;   an insurer, said insurer maintaining a policy of all content insurance purchased by said consumer, and   wherein said client software receives an electronic receipt from a merchant, said electronic receipt identifying digital content which said consumer has purchased and including an indication said consumer has purchased insurance for said purchased digital content;   said client software transmitting said electronic receipt to said insurer, said insurer adding information identifying said digital content identified by said receipt to said policy based upon said indication said consumer has purchased insurance for said purchased digital content, said insurer transmitting a voucher for said purchased digital content to said client software;   said client software transmitting said voucher to a content provider and upon verification of said voucher by said content provider, said client software retrieves said purchased digital content.   
   
   
       12 . A system for providing content insurance for electronically distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to upgrade said digital content to a new digital format or replacing said digital content in an original format upon loss of said digital content, said method comprising:
 an insurance agent,   said insurance agent receiving a request from said consumer to purchase said content insurance for first electronically distributed digital content;   said insurance agent receiving a request from said consumer to retrieve second electronically distributed digital content;   an insurer,   said insurer storing information uniquely identifying said consumer and said first digital content for which said content insurance is purchased;   said insurer, in response to said request to retrieve said second digital content, determining second digital content is the same as said first digital content for which said content insurance is purchased, said determination made utilizing said stored information, and   wherein, when said second digital content is the same as said first digital content, said consumer is allowed to retrieve said requested digital data of specified digital content.   
   
   
       13 . A system for providing content insurance for electronically distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to upgrade said digital content to a new digital format or replacing said digital content in an original format upon loss of said digital content, as per  claim 12 , wherein a merchant of said first digital content acts as said insurance agent and said insurer. 
   
   
       14 . A system for providing content insurance for electronically distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to upgrade said digital content to a new digital format or replacing said digital content in an original format upon loss of said digital content, as per  claim 12 , wherein a merchant of said first digital content is said insurance agent and a clearing house maintaining information on all content insurance purchased by said consumer is said insurance agent. 
   
   
       15 . A system for providing content insurance for electronically distributed digital content to a consumer of said digital content, said insurance allowing said consumer, at a later time, to upgrade said digital content to a new digital format or replacing said digital content in an original format upon loss of said digital content, as per  claim 12 , wherein said insurer additionally acts as said insurance agent.