Data filling station

Abstract

The present invention provides system and methods for facilitating the acquisition of content. In some embodiment, the systems and method enable a user to acquire and store content on a portable device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for enabling a user to add content to a portable device, comprising:
 a client device configured to allow the user to add assets to a virtual shopping cart;   a server system in communication with the client device; and   a filling station having an operating system and a database that stores settings and/or options that are used by the operating system, wherein the filing station is operable to: (a) communicate with the portable device after the portable device is connected wirelessly or physically to the filling station; (b) automatically store onto the portable device the assets that were placed in the virtual cart by the user after the portable device is connected to the filling station;   and (c) automatically restore the database to a previous state after the portable device is disconnected from the filling station.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operating system is a Windows operating system and the database is a Windows registry. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the previous state is the state in which the database was in just prior to when the portable device was connected to the filling station. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the filling station is configured to communicate with the portable device wirelessly. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the filling station is configured to communicate with the portable device over a cable. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit that stores assets, wherein the storage unit is connected to and/or physically part of the filling station. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the filling station is operable to: (a) receive a code, wherein a list of assets is associated with the code; (c) determine whether an asset associated with the code is stored in the storage unit; (d) retrieve the asset from the storage unit; and (e) store a copy of the asset on the portable device. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the code is an identifier that identifies the virtual shopping cart. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the filling station is configured to transmit a message to the server system in response to the filling station determining that one or more of the assets associated with the code is not stored in the storage unit, wherein the message comprises an identifier identifying one of the one or more assets. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the server system is configured to retrieve the asset identified in the message and transmit the asset to the filling station in response to receiving the message. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the filling station is configured to automatically restore the database to the previous state immediately after the portable device is disconnected from the filling station. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to transmit an asset to the filling station in response to the user adding the asset to the virtual shopping cart. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured such that, in response to the user adding an asset to the virtual shopping cart, the server system will determine whether the asset is stored in a storage unit accessible to the filling station and transmit the asset to the filling station if the asset is not stored in a storage unit accessible to the filling station. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to place an identifier identifying an asset in a download queue in response to the user adding the asset to the virtual shopping cart. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured such that, in response to the user adding an asset to the virtual shopping cart, the server system will determine whether the asset is stored locally and place an identifier identifying the asset in a download queue if the asset is not stored locally. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the filling station is located in a public place such that any member of the public may use the filling station. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the filing station is configured to determine the type and/or version of the portable device upon the portable device being connected to the filling station. 
     
     
         18 . A method, comprising:
 enabling a user to wirelessly or physically connect a portable device to a filling station, wherein the filling station comprises a computer and a storage unit that stores a database that contains settings and/or options that are used by an operating system running on the computer;   after the user connects the portable device to the filling station, storing onto the portable device an asset that was placed in a virtual shopping cart by the user; and   automatically restoring the database to a previous state in response to the portable device being disconnected from the filling station.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the operating system is a Windows operating system and the database is a Windows registry. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the previous state is the state in which the database was in just prior to when the portable device was connected to the filling station. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising receiving a code at the filling station, wherein:
 a set of assets is associated with the code,   each asset in the set was placed in the shopping cart by the user, and   the step of receiving the code occurs prior to the storing step.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the code is an identifier that identifies the virtual shopping cart. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 determining whether an asset included in the set is not stored in a local asset storage unit, wherein the local asset storage unit is connected to and/or part of the filling station; and   in response to determining that the asset included in the set is not stored in a local asset storage unit, transmitting a message, from the filling station, to the server system, wherein the message comprises an identifier identifying the asset.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising retrieving the asset identified in the message and transmitting, from the server system, to the filling station the identified asset in response to receiving the message. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the step of automatically restoring the database occurs immediately in response to the portable device being disconnected from the filling station. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising providing a client computer system that the user can use to place assets in the virtual shopping cart. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising transmitting, from a server system, to the filling station an asset in response to the user adding the asset to the virtual shopping cart. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 determining whether an asset is stored in a storage unit accessible to the filling station; and   transmitting the asset to the filling station in response to determining that the asset is not stored in a storage unit accessible to the filling station, wherein   the determining step occurs in response to the user adding the asset to the virtual shopping cart.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising placing an identifier identifying an asset in a download queue in response to the user adding the asset to the virtual shopping cart. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 determining whether an asset is stored locally; and   placing an identifier identifying the asset in a download queue in response to determining that the asset is not stored locally, wherein   the determining step occurs in response to the user adding the asset to the virtual shopping cart.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the filling station is located in a public place such that any member of the public may connect a portable device to the filling station. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising determining the type and/or version of the portable device upon the portable device being connected to the filling station. 
     
     
         33 . A method, comprising:
 providing a client system that a user can use to place assets in a virtual shopping cart;   enabling the user to wirelessly or physically connect a portable device to a filling station;   after the user connects the portable device to the filling station:   determining a characteristic of the portable device;   if the determined characteristic of the portable device matches a predefined characteristic, then providing to the user an option to obtain the assets in the virtual shopping cart in a non-protected form;   if the user accepts the option, then storing onto the portable device a non-DRM asset corresponding to an asset that was placed in the virtual shopping cart by the user.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the step of determining a characteristic of the portable device comprises determining whether the portable device is a DRM capable device and/or determining whether the portable device is a certified device. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein a single device implements both the client system and the filling station. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the client system is a component of the filling station. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the filling station is located in a public place such that any member of the public may connect a portable device to the filling station. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising determining the type and/or version of the portable device upon the portable device being connected to the filling station.