Patent US6016509A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6016509A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
General purpose metering mechanism for distribution of electronic information
Assignee: Intel Corp
•
Filing: 1998-01-09
•
Granted: 2000-01-18
•
Expires: 2018-01-09
Abstract
Abstract A computer network system that contains a metering mechanism which can meter the flow of electronic information to a client computer within a network. The information can be generated by a publisher and electronically distributed to a plurality of metering servers which each contain the metering mechanism. The metering servers each reside in a local area network that contains a number of client computers. The client computers each contain a graphical user interface that allows an end user to request consumption of the information. The metering mechanisms control the transfer of information into the client computers. Each unit of information has an associated cost type and cost value that are used to calculate a price for the information. When the end user request consumption of information, the metering mechanism determines whether the end user can consume the information. If the end user can access the information, the meter will transfer the information to the end user and charge the price of the information to an electronic account of the end user stored in a database of the metering server. The metering mechanism can periodically transfer the balance of the account, and the charges associated with the account to a billing database that resides in a regional server which automatically generates a bill for the end user.
Inventors
- 👤 Rick Dedrick
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:41
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/10; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; G06Q10/107; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/0241; G06Q30/0251; G06Q30/0269; G06Q30/0273; G06Q30/0283; G06Q30/04; G07F15/00; G07F15/12; G07F17/00; G07F17/0014; G07F17/16; G07F7/1025; G07F7/1058; G07F7/1066; H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/02; H04L12/14; H04L12/1428; H04L12/1432; H04L12/1439; H04L12/1442; H04L12/1446; H04L12/1453; H04L12/1457; H04L12/146; H04L12/1471; H04L12/1485; H04L67/00; H04L67/2866; H04L67/30; H04L67/306; H04L67/50; H04L67/53; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; G06Q10/109; H04L67/01; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
97 words
A server that is coupled to an external device that contains a unit of information having a content data and a content title, and to one or more client computers each being operated by an end user and each to receive the content title and can request access to the content data, comprising: a metering server to receive said unit of information from said external device, transfer said content title to said plurality of client computers of end users, and transfer said content data to a client computer of an end user that requests said content data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
97 words
A server that is coupled to an external device that contains a unit of information having a content data and a content title, and to one or more client computers each being operated by an end user and each to receive the content title and can request access to the content data, comprising: a metering server to receive said unit of information from said external device, transfer said content title to said plurality of client computers of end users, and transfer said content data to a client computer of an end user that requests said content data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The server of claim 1 wherein said metering server includes a transaction database having said end user's account.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The server of claim 2 wherein said metering server to credit said end user's account.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The server of claim 2 wherein said metering server to debit said end user's account.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The server of claim 1 wherein said unit of information includes an associated price and said metering server includes a transaction database having a balance of said end user's account, said metering server further includes a metering process.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The server of claim 5 wherein said metering process to prevent said content data from being transferred to said client computer of said end user if said price exceeds said balance.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The server of claim 5 wherein said metering process to debit said end user's account when said content data is transferred to said client computer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The server of claim 5 wherein said metering process to credit said end user's account when said content data is transferred to said client computer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
The server of claim 1 wherein said unit of information further includes a target demographic data and said metering server includes a demographic database that stores a plurality of demographic data, said metering server to transfer said content title to said end users with demographic data that correlates with said target demographic data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The server of claim 9 wherein said metering server to correlate said end user account with said demographic data of said end user that requests said content data and transmit said demographic data.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The server of claim 1 wherein said content data is an advertisement and said content title is an advertisement title.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
79 words
A method for distributing electronic information, comprising: receiving a unit of information that has a content data and a content title by a metering server; transmitting said content title from said metering server to a plurality of client computers, each being operated by an end user; receiving a request for said content data from a client computer of an end user; and transmitting said content data to said client computer of said end user responsive to receiving said request.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
79 words
A method for distributing electronic information, comprising: receiving a unit of information that has a content data and a content title by a metering server; transmitting said content title from said metering server to a plurality of client computers, each being operated by an end user; receiving a request for said content data from a client computer of an end user; and transmitting said content data to said client computer of said end user responsive to receiving said request.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising crediting an end user account of said end user.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising debiting an end user account of said end user.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 12 wherein receiving a unit of information that has a content data and a content title by a metering server comprises receiving a unit of information that has a content data, a content title, and a price by a metering server, and the method further comprising preventing said content data from being transmitted to said client computer of said end user if said price exceeds a balance of said end user.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
87 words
The method of claim 12 wherein receiving a unit of information that has a content data and a content title by a metering server comprises receiving a unit of information that has a content data, a content title, and a target user profile data, and wherein transmitting said content title from said metering server to said plurality of client computers comprises transmitting said content title from said metering server to said plurality of client computers having user profile data that correlates with said target user profile data.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 15 further comprising transmitting said user profile data to a clearinghouse server and debiting a publisher/advertiser account contained within said clearinghouse server.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 17 further comprising generating a bill from said debited publisher/advertiser account and transmitting said bill and said user profile data to said publisher/advertiser.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
106 words
A server that is coupled to a yellow page server that contains a unit of information having an advertisement and an advertisement title, and to one or more client computers each being operated by an end user and each to receive the advertisement title and can request access to the advertisement, comprising: a metering server to (i) receive said advertisement title from said yellow page server, (ii) transmit said advertisement title to said plurality of client computers of end users, and (iii) request said advertisement from said yellow page server for transmitting said advertisement to a client computer of an end user that requests said advertisement.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
106 words
A server that is coupled to a yellow page server that contains a unit of information having an advertisement and an advertisement title, and to one or more client computers each being operated by an end user and each to receive the advertisement title and can request access to the advertisement, comprising: a metering server to (i) receive said advertisement title from said yellow page server, (ii) transmit said advertisement title to said plurality of client computers of end users, and (iii) request said advertisement from said yellow page server for transmitting said advertisement to a client computer of an end user that requests said advertisement.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
70 words
The server of claim 19, wherein said unit of information includes a target demographic data, and said metering server includes a demographic database that contains a demographic data of each end user, wherein said metering server to receive said target demographic data from said yellow page server and transmit said advertisement title to said client computers of end users that have demographic data that correlates with said target demographic data.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3652795A
Cited
US3941977A
Cited
US3935933A
Cited
US4429385A
Cited
US4532554A
Cited
US4752876A
Cited
US4695880A
Cited
US4669596A
Cited
US4868758A
Cited
US5144663A
Cited
US4823264A
Cited
US5050213A
Cited
US4977594A
Cited
US5410598A
Cited
US4827508A
Cited
US5162989A
Cited
US4850007A
Cited
US4912552A
Cited
US5247575A
Cited
US4992940A
Cited
US5339239A
Cited
US5155591A
Cited
US5220501A
Cited
US5446919A
Cited
US5267171A
Cited
US5091713A
Cited
US5414837A
Cited
US5237157A
Cited
US5319455A
Cited
US5321740A
Cited
US5283731A
Cited
US5305195A
Cited
US5412416A
Cited
US5408519A
Cited
US5386369A
Cited
US5418713A
Cited
US5768521A
Cited
US5724521A
Cited
US5752238A
Cited
US5666645A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-01-17 | 2003-07-19 | 2004-01-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-01-17 | 2007-07-19 | 2008-01-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-01-17 | 2011-07-19 | 2012-01-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |