Title : Method and system for charging for playing a multimedia file A. Background of the invention The invention pertains to a method for charging for the use of information by a computer user who receives the information on his computer terminal during a session via a communications network, like the Internet, such method comprising the following steps: a) during a session via a communications network, an information provider offers the information on the computer terminal of a computer user; b) the computer user indicates his wish to use the information and thus becomes the information user; c) the information user receives a telephone number on his computer terminal; d) the information user uses a telephone terminal to establish a connection with the telephone extension associated with the telephone number received in step c) ; e) the information user receives an identification code; the information user enters the received identification code; g) the information provider makes the desired information available to the information user based on reception of the identification code entered by the information user, for such period as payment is made via the telephone call charges.

The invention further pertains to a system for charging for the use of information by a computer user who receives the information during a session via a communications network, like the Internet, such system comprising: - at least one computer terminal of a computer user, configured for establishing contact, via a communications network, like the Internet, with servers connected to the communications network; - at least one server of an information provider, connected to the communications network and configured for making information CONFIRMATION COPY

available to computer users via their computer tenninals ; - at least one telephone terminal, by means of which a connection can be established via a telephone network with a server connected to the communications network.

Such a method and such a system are known from WO 97/01920. The method according to this prior art makes it possible to give a user of a computer system, such as a personal computer (PC), access to information provided by other parties, the information providers, in return for payment by the computer user to the information providers for the use of the information (i. e. viewing or listening to the information).

The aforementioned computer system of the user is connected for that purpose via a communications network, like the Internet, to other computer systems that include the computer systems of information providers. In a way already known, the user can, by means of communications media and software associated with his PC, retrieve information from computer systems of information providers. In the early years of the worldwide Internet, it was customary for the receiving computer user not to have to pay for retrieved information. Today, information providers increasingly desire financial compensation for providing information and for their efforts prior to its provision. The method known from WO 97/01920 claims to meet that desire by making the information available only if the intended information user has dialed the telephone number on an available telephone set in order to set up a telephone call for which the charges are payable by the telephone set owner. The owner pays by means of his telephone bill for reception of the information. This has the advantage that the information user does not have to provide credit card details (the online provision of such details is considered unsafe) and does not receive separate bills from various information providers (but just one bill, being the telephone bill that includes amounts owed for viewing or listening to the retrieved information).

The known method has a number of disadvantages. One of the disadvantages stems from the circumstance that each individual information provider desiring financial compensation in the described way must provide means for assuring payment. A second disadvantage of the known method is that it does not provide a solution for the use of

information of the streaming audio/video type.

B. Summary of the invention With a method according to the invention, it is claimed that the aforementioned disadvantages will be eliminated, namely by providing a method wherein use is made of a mediation authority that possesses means to assure payment for provided information, whereby it is unnecessary for each individual information provider who desires financial compensation to possess those means. A method according to the invention is further characterized in that it comprises: - a substep b 1, in which the session via the communications network is rerouted to a server of a mediation authority; - a substep b2, during which a record is created in a data file coupled to the server of the mediation authority to save data about the information user and the information he requires, whereby a unique identification code is added to the record ; - a substep b3, in which the server of the mediation authority sends the telephone number receivable in step c) to the computer terminal of the information user, together with the identification code usable in step f), in the form of the unique identification code mentioned in the description of substep b2..

The involvement of a mediation authority makes it possible to offer several information providers means at a central location for obtaining payment for provided information. The mediation authority also maintains contacts with the department within the organization of the network operator with which the owner of the used telephone set has a subscription and which department is responsible for sending out bills. In relation to potential information users, the mediation authority should further be the trusted party that acts on behalf of several different information providers.

In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the information user receives the information code to be used as part of a session via the communications network, the Internet session, and he enters the identification code via a telephone terminal, i. e.

the telephone set that he uses.

In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the method further includes the substeps recited in claim 3. Addition of these substeps makes it possible, depending on the type of information desired, to connect the information user in the continuance of the session directly to the relevant server of an information provider, whereby an examination takes place of the details concerning the information and the identification of the media player belonging to the current activation of that media player. This latter point makes it possible to check from time to time whether the information is still being played by the same activation of the media player concerned.

In a third embodiment of the invention, the method further includes the steps recited in claim 4. This prevents information received by the information user being played after expiry of the period for which payment has been or will be made, and further prevents such information being played in a session other than the one paid for.

A system according to the invention is characterized to this end by further comprising the following: - a server of a mediation authority, configured to provide a service that consists of charging for information received on the computer terminal via the communications network, such service being provided for at least two information providers and for which purpose the server comprises: - means for establishing and maintaining a data file, configured to save records containing data about information users and information desired by them, with a unique identification code being added to each such record; - means for saving and displaying to information users telephone numbers and unique identification codes added to records; - a proxy server configured to enable communication between an information user and a server of an information provider.

The presence of a mediation authority with a server with the recited means offers the aforementioned advantage of a central"payment service"that serves several information

providers, while it is furthermore possible to add information providers in a technically and economically responsible manner.

C. Reference WO 97/01920. A method and a system for charging a user of a computer system.

D. Brief description of the drawing The invention shall further be explained with the help of an example of an embodiment, with reference being made to a drawing, Fig. 1, which is a diagrammatic representation of a system for using the method according to the invention.

E. Description of an example of an embodiment The method according to the invention is eminently suited to the paid viewing of or listening to information made available in the form of"streaming video"or "streaming audio". Streaming technology offers a technique for transmitting information in such a way that it can be treated at the receiving end as a continuous, uninterrupted information stream. This technique has become increasingly important with the growing popularity of the Internet, because most computer users do not have such high-speed access to the Internet as to allow the downloading of large multimedia files at a suitable speed. Using streaming technology, the browser, or an auxiliary program such as a media player, resident in the computer of the information user, can display the information before the entire file has been transferred. To this end, the inbound data must temporarily be stored at the receiving end and, from that temporary storage, is sent as a continuous stream to the application software, whereby that software processes the data and converts it to images or sound. If the data arrives faster than momentarily necessary for representation of images or sound, the data that at that moment is "superfluous"must be stored in a buffer for later usage. If the data does not arrive fast enough, the representation of the information concerned will not be fluent but will be jerky. Quality may also deteriorate in other ways.

In Fig. 1, the terminal (1) of a computer user is linked by means of a connection (2) to a communications network (3), like the Internet. During a session in which the terminal (1) receives information (images with or without sound) from a server (4) connected to the communications network (3), the computer user is notified on his terminal (1) of the possibility to have information sent to his terminal in return for payment (step a). If the computer user decides to have the information sent to him, he makes this known by operating a (virtual) button on the screen of his terminal by a mouse click (step b). This causes the session to be rerouted to the server (5) of a mediation authority, also connected to the communications network (3), which provides services to a number of different information providers (step bl). In this way, a connection is established with an HTTP proxy server (6), as already known, whereby HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The HHTP proxy server brings about at application level the transfer of information between two computer systems that communicate via the Internet. Refer for a detailed explanation of this and other terms to "Computer networking, a top-down approach featuring the Internet", of James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross, ISBN 0-201-47711-4. In the database (7), which includes a data file for information users, the server (5) creates a record for saving data about the information user and the information that he desires, with a unique identification code being added to the record (step b2). The server (5) then causes a telephone number to be displayed on the screen of the terminal (1), which is preferably a premium rate number (starting with the prefix 09..). The unique identification code (step c/e/b3) is also shown as this occurs. Use of a premium rate number enables information to be offered in different ways, notably pay per minute (i. e. the information user pays for each unit of time that he views or listens to the information and may possibly switch between different contents), pay per viewed or heard item or pay per call set-up (i. e. establishment of a connection to the premium rate number entitles the user to view or listen to information for a predetermined length of time, such as five minutes, whereby the user may possibly switch between different contents). These methods are known as "Pay Per Minute","Pay Per View"and"Pay Per Call", respectively.

If the computer user indicates that he wishes to receive the information that must be paid for, he uses a telephone terminal (8) (a fixed or mobile phone) to dial the

telephone number displayed on his screen (step d), thereby setting up a connection via the telephone network (9) with the server (5) of the mediation authority, and then enters the unique identification code (step f). The record in the database (7) of the server (5) will now be filled with data regarding the payment willingness of the information user, the length of time for which the information will be available, an initial value for a media player identification (whereby the media player is a software application in the terminal (1)) and the type of information desired (step f). The method according to the invention is eminently suited to information of the"streaming"type, both streaming video and streaming audio. To view or listen to this kind of information, the computer of the information user must contain an installed media player, such as the Media Player of Microsoft. The media player, usable with the method according to the invention, must include a software mechanism that generates a player identification when the player is activated. This player identification may take the form of a series of hexadecimal digits, such as {46FBBB80-0192-lldl-9C39-OOAOC922E703}.

Depending on the choice made by the computer user, the player identification will be unique to the player installed in the computer concerned (but always the same on every activation), or unique to the activation of the player during a certain playing session. In the latter case, a different player identification will be generated on every activation of the player, so as to prevent easy discovery of a pattern in the information usage behavior of the computer user.

After verification of the unique identification code entered by the information user, to determine whether it exists in the database of the server (5), the communications session will be rerouted to a server (10) for paid information that is connected to the HTTP proxy server of the server (5). This is an optional step for a situation whereby the information provider makes available various information files for which payment must be made. The information user can then choose from those various files. Based on that choice and the associated information type, a connection will be established via a media proxy server (11), suitable for transfer of the chosen information type (media type), with a server (12), which may physically be resident in the server (5), on which the chosen information is located (step f2) ; with application of the method according to the invention, this will in particular be information of the"streaming"type. The unique

identification code will be made known as this occurs to the media proxy server (11) to which the server (12) of the information provider is connected. Also, the suitable media player in the computer of the information user will be activated, the media player identification associated with this activation will be determined and this player identification will be entered in the record with the unique identification code concerned (also in step f2). The media proxy server (11), to which the server (12) of the information provider is connected, receives the content of the record thus filled (step f3). The information user now has access to the server (12) of the information provider; this server starts providing the information, which is displayed or, as the case may be, made audible via the terminal (1) to the information user (step g).

The media proxy server checks at regular intervals, for example with a (settable) "heartbeat"of five seconds, whether a valid record is still present in the database of the server (5) with the unique identification code associated with the information stream concerned (step h). If this is not the case, the provision of the information, i. e. the "streaming", will be discontinued (step i). The circumstance that a valid record with the unique identification code is no longer present may be the result of : - expiry of the period for which payment has been made in the case of "Pay per Call" ; - breaking of the telephone connection in the case of"Pay per Minute" ; - completion of transmission of the information file in the case of"Pay per View".

In the above cases, the record containing the unique identification code will be deleted from the data file of the server (5). Discontinuation of provision of the information, in step (i), may also occur because the media player identification has been changed since the most recent verification. If the media player identification has been changed, this indicates that the media player in the computer of the information user was reactivated during the current session, apparently for the purpose of downloading the same information again but without having to pay again.