Method for allowing a customer to preview, acquire and/or pay for information and a system therefor

Abstract

A method for controlling distribution and access to an information product, said method comprising the steps of: superposing a utility-reducing masking effect on said information product; controlling the presence, absence and/or permanence of said masking effects by the outcome of an interactive communication between a provider and a receiver of said information product. The term information product includes books, video recordings, audio recordings, music, images and multimedia works. The masking effects described in the present invention are of a generally interfering nature and can be superposed on the information object as an overlay, interruption, interference, discontinuity, disturbance or disorientation. The purpose of imposing a masking effect is to derive a masked version of the information product for preview purposes that can be readily distributed to interested customers in an unrestricted manner. The masking effect is removable after conditions for purchase and/or other authorization criteria are met.

1 . A method for providing an information product over a computer network, the computer network connecting a user device to a provider device of a provider of the information product, the method comprising:
 receiving at the provider device from the user device, over the computer network, a selection of an information product;   providing the user device access to a preview version of the information product with the provider device; the preview version comprising an original form of the information product with a masking effect applied thereon; the masking effect comprising at least one of an advertisement, a marketing information, and a commercial message; wherein the masking effect is configured to interfere with recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device; and   controlling, with the provider device, at least one of: presence, absence, duration of application, and permanence of the masking effect applied on the original form of the information product in accordance with at least one criterion, thereby controlling recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device, wherein the at least one criterion requires viewing and/or hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message at the user device.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one criterion further requires a fee-based subscription with the provider. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one criterion further requires purchase of the information product. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one criterion requires viewing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one criterion requires hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message. 
     
     
         6 .- 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A method as in  claim 1 , wherein the masking effect causes at least an interruption of the original form of the information product. 
     
     
         13 . A method as in  claim 1 , wherein the masking effect causes at least a discontinuity in the original form of the information product. 
     
     
         14 . A method as in  claim 1 , wherein the preview version is generated in accordance with a user preference. 
     
     
         15 . A method as in  claim 1 , wherein the preview version of the information product is generated in accordance with an input received from the user device over the computer network. 
     
     
         16 . A method for providing an information product over a computer network, the method comprising:
 receiving at a provider device from a user device, over the computer network, a selection of an information product;   providing the user device access to a preview version of the information product with the provider device over the computer network; the preview version comprising an original form of the information product with a masking effect applied thereon; wherein the masking effect comprises at least one of an advertisement, a marketing information, and a commercial message and is configured to interfere with recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device by causing a discontinuity in the original form of the information product; and   controlling, with the provider device, at least one of: presence, absence, duration of application, and permanence of the masking effect applied on the original form of the information product in accordance with at least one criterion, thereby controlling recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device, wherein the at least one criterion requires viewing and/or hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message at the user device.   
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein the at least one criterion further comprises requiring a fee-based subscription with the provider. 
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein the at least one criterion further comprises requiring purchase of the information product. 
     
     
         19 .- 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A method as in  claim 16 , wherein the preview version is generated in accordance with a user preference. 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 23 , wherein the at least one criterion comprises viewing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message. 
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 23 , wherein the at least one criterion comprises hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 16 , further comprising creating the preview version of the information product by applying the masking effect on the original form thereof. 
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising creating the preview version of the information product by applying the masking effect on the original form thereof. 
     
     
         28 . A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions configured to cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:
 receiving at a provider device from a user device a selection of an information product;   providing the user device access to a preview version of the information product with the provider device; the preview version comprising an original form of the information product with a masking effect applied thereon; the masking effect comprising at least one of an advertisement, a marketing information, and a commercial message; wherein the masking effect is configured to interfere with recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device; and   controlling, with the provider device, at least one of: presence, absence, duration of application, and permanence of the masking effect applied on the original form of the information product in accordance with at least one criterion, thereby controlling recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device, wherein the at least one criterion requires viewing and/or hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message at the user device.   
     
     
         29 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 28 , wherein the at least one criterion further requires a fee-based subscription with the provider. 
     
     
         30 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 28 , wherein the at least one criterion further requires purchase of the information product. 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 28 , wherein the masking effect causes at least an interruption or a discontinuity of the original form of the information product. 
     
     
         33 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 28 , wherein the preview version of the information product is generated in accordance with an input received from the user device over the computer network. 
     
     
         34 . A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions configured to cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:
 receiving at a provider device from a user device a selection of an information product;   providing the user device access to a preview version of the information product with the provider device; the preview version comprising an original form of the information product with a masking effect applied thereon; wherein the masking effect comprises at least one of an advertisement, a marketing information, and a commercial message and is configured to interfere with recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device by causing a discontinuity in the original form of the information product; and   controlling, with the provider device, at least one of: presence, absence, duration of application, and permanence of the masking effect applied on the original form of the information product in accordance with at least one criterion, thereby controlling recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device, wherein the at least one criterion requires viewing and/or hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message at the user device.   
     
     
         35 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 34 , wherein the at least one criterion further comprises requiring a fee-based subscription with the provider. 
     
     
         36 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 34 , wherein the at least one criterion further comprises requiring purchase of the information product. 
     
     
         37 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 34 , wherein the at least one criterion comprises viewing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message. 
     
     
         38 . A tangible computer readable medium according to  claim 34 , wherein the at least one criterion comprises hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message. 
     
     
         39 . An apparatus comprising:
 a database device; and   a processing device, the processing device configured to:
 receive a selection of an information product from a user device; 
 provide the user device access to a preview version of the information product; the preview version comprising an original form of the information product with a masking effect applied thereon; the masking effect comprising at least one of an advertisement, a marketing information, and a commercial message; wherein the masking effect is configured to interfere with recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device; and 
 control at least one of: presence, absence, duration of application, and permanence of the masking effect applied on the original form of the information product in accordance with at least one criterion, thereby controlling recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device, wherein the at least one criterion requires viewing and/or hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message at the user device. 
   
     
     
         40 . An apparatus according to  claim 39 , wherein the processing device is further configured to create the preview version of the information product by applying the masking effect on the original form thereof. 
     
     
         41 . An apparatus comprising:
 a database device; and   a processing device, the processing device configured to:
 receive from a user device a selection of an information product; 
 provide the user device access to a preview version of the information product; 
   the preview version comprising an original form of the information product with a masking effect applied thereon; wherein the masking effect comprises at least one of an advertisement, a marketing information, and a commercial message and is configured to interfere with recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device by causing a discontinuity in the original form of the information product; and
 control at least one of: presence, absence, duration of application, and permanence of the masking effect applied on the original form of the information product in accordance with at least one criterion, thereby controlling recreation of the information product in the original form by the user device, wherein the at least one criterion requires viewing and/or hearing the at least one of the advertisement, the marketing information, and the commercial message at the user device. 
   
     
     
         42 . An apparatus according to  claim 41 , wherein the processing device is further configured to create the preview version of the information product by applying the masking effect on the original form thereof.