U.S. patent number 6,584,450 [Application Number 09/561,041] was granted by the patent office on 2003-06-24 for method and apparatus for renting items.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Netflix.com, Inc.. Invention is credited to W. Reed Hastings, Neil Duncan Hunt, Marc B. Randolph.
United States Patent |
6,584,450 |
Hastings , et al. |
June 24, 2003 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Method and apparatus for renting items
Abstract
According to a computer-implemented approach for renting items
to customers, customers specify what items to rent using item
selection criteria separate from deciding when to receive the
specified items. According to the approach, customers provide item
selection criteria to a provider provides the items indicated by
the item selection criteria to customer over a delivery channel.
The provider may be either centralized or distributed depending
upon the requirements of a particular application. A "Max Out"
approach allows up to a specified number of items to be rented
simultaneously to customers. A "Max Turns" approach allows up to a
specified number of item exchanges to occur during a specified
period of time. The "Max Out" and "Max Turns" approaches may be
used together or separately with a variety of subscription
methodologies.
Inventors: |
Hastings; W. Reed (Santa Cruz,
CA), Randolph; Marc B. (Santa Cruz, CA), Hunt; Neil
Duncan (Mountain View, CA) |
Assignee: |
Netflix.com, Inc. (Los Gatos,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
24240406 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/561,041 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.1;
705/307 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
30/06 (20130101); G06Q 30/0601 (20130101); G06Q
30/0641 (20130101); G06Q 30/0645 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06Q
30/00 (20060101); G60F 017/60 () |
Field of
Search: |
;705/26 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
"The Future of Television," Brad Dick, Editor, Broadcast
Engineering, NA, Dec., 1999.* .
Web page printout for http://www.netflix.com on Jan. 17, 1999, at
http://web.archive.org/web/19990117080920/http://www.netflix.com/.*
.
"About Us" web page from www.netflix.com..
|
Primary Examiner: Rice; Kenneth R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hickman Palermo Truong & Becker
LLP Becker; Edward A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for renting items to customers, the method comprising
the computer-implemented steps of: receiving one or more item
selection criteria that indicates one or more items that a customer
desires to rent; providing to the customer up to a specified number
of the one or more items indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria; and in response to receiving any of the items
provided to the customer, providing to the customer one or more
other items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria,
wherein a total current number of items provided to the customer
does not exceed the specified number.
2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a total number of items
provided to the customer within a specified period of time does not
exceed a specified limit.
3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising if the total
number of items provided to the customer within the specified
period of time is less than the specified limit, then increasing
the specified limit for another specified period of time.
4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more item
selection criteria indicates a desired order for the one or more
items that a customer desires to rent, the step of providing to the
customer up to a specified number of the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in
the desired order indicated by the item selection criteria, and the
step of providing to the customer one or more other items indicated
by the one or more item selection criteria includes providing to
the customer one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria in the desired order indicated by the one
or more item selection criteria.
5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising if a
particular item from the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria is not available, then providing
another item from the one or more items based upon the desired
order indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more item
selection criteria specifies one or more preferred item attributes,
the step of providing to the customer up to a specified number of
the one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes automatically selecting and providing to the
customer up to a specified number of one or more items that have
one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes specified
by the one or more item selection criteria, and the step of
providing to the customer one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria includes automatically
selecting and providing to the customer one or more other items
that have one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes
specified by the one or more item selection criteria.
7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
establishing, based upon the one or more item selection criteria,
an item rental queue for the customer, wherein the item rental
queue contains one or more entries that specify the one or more
items that the customer desires to rent; and in response to
receiving back any of the items provided to the customer, selecting
the one or more other items from the item rental queue.
8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising in response
to receiving a customer notification, providing to the customer a
second set of one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising in response
to expiration of a specified amount of time, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising in response
to a specified date being reached, providing to the customer a
second set of one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising in response
to a specified fee being received, providing to the customer a
second set of one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein items are provided to
the customer by mail.
13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein items are provided to
the customer by a delivery agent.
14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein: the one or more items
are one or more movies, the one or more item selection criteria are
one or more movie selection criteria, the step of receiving one or
more item selection criteria that indicates one or more items that
a customer desires to rent includes receiving one or more movie
selection criteria that indicates one or more movies that a
customer desires to rent, the step of providing to the customer up
to a specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one
or more item selection criteria includes providing to the customer
up to a specified number of the one or more movies indicated by the
one or more movie selection criteria, and the step of in response
to receiving any of the items provided to the customer, providing
to the customer one or more other items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria, wherein a total current number of
items provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number
includes in response to receiving any of the movies provided to the
customer, providing to the customer one or more other movies
indicated by the one or more movie selection criteria, wherein a
total current number of movies provided to the customer does not
exceed the specified number.
15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein: the one or more items
are one or more games, the one or more item selection criteria are
one or more game selection criteria, the step of receiving one or
more item selection criteria that indicates one or more items that
a customer desires to rent includes receiving one or more game
selection criteria that indicates one or more games that a customer
desires to rent, the step of providing to the customer up to a
specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria includes providing to the customer up
to a specified number of the one or more games indicated by the one
or more game selection criteria, and the step of in response to
receiving any of the items provided to the customer, providing to
the customer one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria, wherein a total current number of items
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number
includes in response to receiving any of the games provided to the
customer, providing to the customer one or more other games
indicated by the one or more game selection criteria, wherein a
total current number of games provided to the customer does not
exceed the specified number.
16. A method for renting items to customers, the method comprising
the computer-implemented steps of: receiving one or more item
selection criteria that indicates one or more items that a customer
desires to rent; providing to the customer up to a specified number
of the one or more items indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria; and in response to receiving any of the items
provided to the customer, providing to the customer one or more
other items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria,
wherein a total number of items provided to the customer within a
specified period of time does not exceed a specified limit.
17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the total current
number of items provided to the customer does not exceed the
specified number.
18. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising if the
total number of items provided to the customer within the specified
period of time is less than the specified limit, then increasing
the specified limit for another specified period of time.
19. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more item
selection criteria indicates a desired order for the one or more
items that a customer desires to rent, the step of providing to the
customer up to a specified number of the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in
the desired order indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria, and the step of providing to the customer one or more
other items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria
includes providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in the desired
order indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
20. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising if a
particular item from the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria is not available, then providing
another item from the one or more items based upon the desired
order indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
21. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more item
selection criteria specifies one or more preferred item attributes,
the step of providing to the customer up to a specified number of
the one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes automatically selecting and providing to the
customer up to a specified number of one or more items that have
one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes specified
by the one or more item selection criteria, and the step of
providing to the customer one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria includes automatically
selecting and providing to the customer one or more other items
that have one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes
specified by the one or more item selection criteria.
22. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:
establishing, based upon the one or more item selection criteria,
an item rental queue for the customer, wherein the item rental
queue contains one or more entries that specify the one or more
items that the customer desires to rent; and in response to
receiving back any of the items provided to the customer, selecting
the one or more other items from the item rental queue.
23. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising in response
to receiving a customer notification, providing to the customer a
second set of one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
24. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising in response
to expiration of a specified amount of time, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
25. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising in response
to a specified date being reached, providing to the customer a
second set of one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
26. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising in response
to a specified fee being received, providing to the customer a
second set of one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
27. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein items are provided to
the customer by mail.
28. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein items are provided to
the customer by a delivery agent.
29. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein: the one or more items
are one or more movies, the one or more item selection criteria are
one or more movie selection criteria, the step of receiving one or
more item selection criteria that indicates one or more items that
a customer desires to rent includes receiving one or more movie
selection criteria that indicates one or more movies that a
customer desires to rent, the step of providing to the customer up
to a specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one
or more item selection criteria includes providing to the customer
up to a specified number of the one or more movies indicated by the
one or more movie selection criteria, and the step of in response
to receiving any of the items provided to the customer, providing
to the customer one or more other items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria, wherein a total number of items
provided to the customer within a specified period of time does not
exceed a specified limit includes in response to receiving any of
the movies provided to the customer, providing to the customer one
or more other movies indicated by the one or more movie selection
criteria, wherein a total number of items provided to the customer
within a specified period of time does not exceed a specified
limit.
30. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein: the one or more items
are one or more games, the one or more item selection criteria are
one or more game selection criteria, the step of receiving one or
more item selection criteria that indicates one or more items that
a customer desires to rent includes receiving one or more game
selection criteria that indicates one or more games that a customer
desires to rent, the step of providing to the customer up to a
specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria includes providing to the customer up
to a specified number of the one or more games indicated by the one
or more game selection criteria, and the step of in response to
receiving any of the items provided to the customer, providing to
the customer one or more other items indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria, wherein a total number of items provided
to the customer within a specified period of time does not exceed a
specified limit includes in response to receiving any of the games
provided to the customer, providing to the customer one or more
other games indicated by the one or more game selection criteria,
wherein a total number of items provided to the customer within a
specified period of time does not exceed a specified limit.
31. A method for renting movies to customers, the method comprising
the computer-implemented steps of: receiving one or more movie
selection criteria from a customer that indicates one or more
movies that the customer desires to rent; providing to the customer
up to a specified number of the one or more movies indicated by the
one or more movie selection criteria; and in response to a return
of any of the movies provided to the customer, providing to the
customer one or more other movies indicated by the one or more
movie selection criteria, wherein a total current number of movies
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
32. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more movie
selection criteria specifies an order in which the customer desires
to receive the movies, the step of providing to the customer up to
a specified number of the one or more movies indicated by the one
or more movie selection criteria includes providing to the customer
up to a specified number of the one or more movies indicated by the
move selection criteria in the order specified by the one or more
movie selection criteria, and the step of providing to the customer
one or more other movies specified by the one or more movie
selection criteria includes providing to the customer one or more
other movies specified by the one or more movie selection criteria
in the order specified by the one or more movie selection
criteria.
33. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more movie
selection criteria specifies movie attributes preferred by the
customer, the step of providing to the customer up to a specified
number of the one or more movies indicated by the one or more movie
selection criteria includes automatically selecting and providing
to the customer up to a specified number of the one or more movies
that have the specified movie attributes preferred by the customer,
and the step of providing to the customer one or more other movies
specified by the one or more movie selection criteria includes
automatically selecting and providing to the customer one or more
other movies that have the specified movie attributes preferred by
the customer.
34. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein movies are provided to
the customer by mail.
35. A method as recited in claim 31, wherein movies are provided to
the customer by a delivery agent.
36. A computer-readable medium for renting items to customers, the
computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or
more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors,
cause the one or more processors to perform the
computer-implemented steps of: receiving one or more item selection
criteria that indicates one or more items that a customer desires
to rent; providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria; and in response to receiving any of the items provided to
the customer, providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria, wherein a
total current number of items provided to the customer does not
exceed the specified number.
37. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, wherein the
total number of items provided to the customer within a specified
period of time does not exceed a specified limit.
38. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 37, further
comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which,
when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more
processors to perform the step of if the total number of items
provided to the customer within the specified period of time is
less than the specified limit, then increasing the specified limit
for another specified period of time.
39. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, wherein the
one or more item selection criteria indicates a desired order for
the one or more items that a customer desires to rent, the step of
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria
includes providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria in the desired order indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria, and the step of providing to the customer one
or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in the desired
order indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
40. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 39, further
comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which,
when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more
processors to perform the step of if a particular item from the one
or more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria
is not available, then providing another item from the one or more
items based upon the desired order indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
41. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, wherein the
one or more item selection criteria specifies one or more preferred
item attributes, the step of providing to the customer up to a
specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria includes automatically selecting and
providing to the customer up to a specified number of one or more
items that have one or more of the one or more preferred item
attributes specified by the one or more item selection criteria,
and the step of providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
automatically selecting and providing to the customer one or more
other items that have one or more of the one or more preferred item
attributes specified by the one or more item selection
criteria.
42. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, further
comprising: establishing, based upon the one or more item selection
criteria, an item rental queue for the customer, wherein the item
rental queue contains one or more entries that specify the one or
more items that the customer desires to rent; and in response to
receiving back any of the items provided to the customer, selecting
the one or more other items from the item rental queue.
43. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, further
comprising in response to receiving a customer notification,
providing to the customer a second set of one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
44. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, further
comprising in response to expiration of a specified amount of time,
providing to the customer a second set of one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
45. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, further
comprising in response to a specified date being reached, providing
to the customer a second set of one or more other items indicated
by the one or more item selection criteria.
46. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, further
comprising in response to a specified fee being received, providing
to the customer a second set of one or more other items indicated
by the one or more item selection criteria.
47. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, wherein
items are provided to the customer by mail.
48. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, wherein
items are provided to the customer by a delivery agent.
49. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, wherein: the
one or more items are one or more movies, the one or more item
selection criteria are one or more movie selection criteria, the
step of receiving one or more item selection criteria that
indicates one or more items that a customer desires to rent
includes receiving one or more movie selection criteria that
indicates one or more movies that a customer desires to rent, the
step of providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes providing to the customer up to a specified
number of the one or more movies indicated by the one or more movie
selection criteria, and the step of in response to receiving any of
the items provided to the customer, providing to the customer one
or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria, wherein a total current number of items provided to the
customer does not exceed the specified number includes in response
to receiving any of the movies provided to the customer providing
to the customer one or more other movies indicated by the one or
more movie selection criteria, wherein a total current number of
movies provided to the customer does not exceed the specified
number.
50. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 36, wherein: the
one or more items are one or more games, the one or more item
selection criteria are one or more game selection criteria, the
step of receiving one or more item selection criteria that
indicates one or more items that a customer desires to rent
includes receiving one or more game selection criteria that
indicates one or more games that a customer desires to rent, the
step of providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes providing to the customer up to a specified
number of the one or more games indicated by the one or more game
selection criteria, and the step of in response to receiving any of
the items provided to the customer, providing to the customer one
or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria, wherein a total current number of items provided to the
customer does not exceed the specified number includes in response
to receiving any of the games provided to the customer, providing
to the customer one or more other games indicated by the one or
more game selection criteria, wherein a total current number of
games provided to the customer does not exceed the specified
number.
51. An apparatus for renting items to customers comprising: one or
more processors; and a memory communicatively coupled to the one or
more processors, the memory including one or more sequences of one
or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more
processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps
of: receiving one or more item selection criteria that indicates
one or more items that a customer desires to rent; providing to the
customer up to a specified number of the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria; and in
response to receiving any of the items provided to the customer,
providing to the customer one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria, wherein a total current number
of items provided to the customer does not exceed the specified
number.
52. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, wherein the total number
of items provided to the customer within a specified period of time
does not exceed a specified limit.
53. An apparatus as recited in claim 52, wherein the memory further
includes one or more sequences of one or more instructions which,
when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more
processors to perform the step of if the total number of items
provided to the customer within the specified period of time is
less than the specified limit, then increasing the specified limit
for another specified period of time.
54. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, wherein the one or more
item selection criteria indicates a desired order for the one or
more items that a customer desires to rent, the step of providing
to the customer up to a specified number of the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in
the desired order indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria, and the step of providing to the customer one or more
other items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria
includes providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in the desired
order indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
55. An apparatus as recited in claim 54, wherein the memory further
includes one or more sequences of one or more instructions which,
when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more
processors to perform the step of if a particular item from the one
or more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria
is not available, then providing another item from the one or more
items based upon the desired order indicated by the one or more
item selection criteria.
56. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, wherein the one or more
item selection criteria specifies one or more preferred item
attributes, the step of providing to the customer up to a specified
number of the one or more items indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria includes automatically selecting and providing
to the customer up to a specified number of one or more items that
have one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes
specified by the one or more item selection criteria, and the step
of providing to the customer one or more other items indicated by
the one or more item selection criteria includes automatically
selecting and providing to the customer one or more other items
that have one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes
specified by the one or more item selection criteria.
57. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, further comprising:
establishing, based upon the one or more item selection criteria,
an item rental queue for the customer, wherein the item rental
queue contains one or more entries that specify the one or more
items that the customer desires to rent; and in response to
receiving back any of the items provided to the customer, selecting
the one or more other items from the item rental queue.
58. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, further comprising in
response to receiving a customer notification, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
59. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, further comprising in
response to expiration of a specified amount of time, providing to
the customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by
the one or more item selection criteria.
60. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, further comprising in
response to a specified date being reached, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
61. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, further comprising in
response to a specified fee being received, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
62. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, wherein items are provided
to the customer by mail.
63. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, wherein items are provided
to the customer by a delivery agent.
64. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, wherein: the one or more
items are one or more movies, the one or more item selection
criteria are one or more movie selection criteria, the step of
receiving one or more item selection criteria that indicates one or
more items that a customer desires to rent includes receiving one
or more movie selection criteria that indicates one or more movies
that a customer desires to rent, the step of providing to the
customer up to a specified number of the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more movies indicated by the one or more movie selection criteria,
and the step of in response to receiving any of the items provided
to the customer, providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria, wherein a
total current number of items provided to the customer does not
exceed the specified number includes in response to receiving any
of the movies provided to the customer, providing to the customer
one or more other movies indicated by the one or more movie
selection criteria, wherein a total current number of movies
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
65. An apparatus as recited in claim 51, wherein: the one or more
items are one or more games, the one or more item selection
criteria are one or more game selection criteria, the step of
receiving one or more item selection criteria that indicates one or
more items that a customer desires to rent includes receiving one
or more game selection criteria that indicates one or more games
that a customer desires to rent, the step of providing to the
customer up to a specified number of the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more games indicated by the one or more game selection criteria,
and the step of in response to receiving any of the items provided
to the customer, providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria, wherein a
total current number of items provided to the customer does not
exceed the specified number includes in response to receiving any
of the games provided to the customer, providing to the customer
one or more other games indicated by the one or more game selection
criteria, wherein a total current number of games provided to the
customer does not exceed the specified number.
66. An apparatus for renting items to customers comprising an item
rental mechanism configured to: receive one or more item selection
criteria that indicates one or more items that a customer desires
to rent; provide to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria; and in response to receiving any of the items provided to
the customer, providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria, wherein a
total current number of items provided to the customer does not
exceed the specified number.
67. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein the total number
of items provided to the customer within a specified period of time
does not exceed a specified limit.
68. An apparatus as recited in claim 67, wherein the item rental
mechanism is further configured to if the total number of items
provided to the customer within the specified period of time is
less than the specified limit, then increase the specified limit
for another specified period of time.
69. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein the one or more
item selection criteria indicates a desired order for the one or
more items that a customer desires to rent, the step of providing
to the customer up to a specified number of the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in
the desired order indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria, and the step of providing to the customer one or more
other items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria
includes providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in the desired
order indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
70. An apparatus as recited in claim 69, wherein the item rental
mechanism is further configured to if a particular item from the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria is not available, then providing another item from the one
or more items based upon the desired order indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria.
71. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein the one or more
item selection criteria specifies one or more preferred item
attributes, the step of providing to the customer up to a specified
number of the one or more items indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria includes automatically selecting and providing
to the customer up to a specified number of one or more items that
have one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes
specified by the one or more item selection criteria, and the step
of providing to the customer one or more other items indicated by
the one or more item selection criteria includes automatically
selecting and providing to the customer one or more other items
that have one or more of the one or more preferred item attributes
specified by the one or more item selection criteria.
72. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, further comprising:
establishing, based upon the one or more item selection criteria,
an item rental queue for the customer, wherein the item rental
queue contains one or more entries that specify the one or more
items that the customer desires to rent; and in response to
receiving back any of the items provided to the customer, selecting
the one or more other items from the item rental queue.
73. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, further comprising in
response to receiving a customer notification, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
74. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, further comprising in
response to expiration of a specified amount of time, providing to
the customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by
the one or more item selection criteria.
75. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, further comprising in
response to a specified date being reached, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
76. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, further comprising in
response to a specified fee being received, providing to the
customer a second set of one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria.
77. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein items are provided
to the customer by mail.
78. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein items are provided
to the customer by a delivery agent.
79. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein: the item rental
mechanism is a movie rental mechanism, the one or more items are
one or more movies, the one or more item selection criteria are one
or more movie selection criteria, the movie rental mechanism is
further configured to receive one or more movie selection criteria
that indicates one or more movies that a customer desires to rent,
the movie rental mechanism is further configured to provide to the
customer up to a specified number of the one or more movies
indicated by the one or more movie selection criteria, and the
movie rental mechanism is further configured to in response to
receiving any of the movies provided to the customer, provide to
the customer one or more other movies indicated by the one or more
movie selection criteria, wherein a total current number of movies
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
80. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein: the one or more
items are one or more games, the one or more item selection
criteria are one or more game selection criteria, the movie rental
mechanism is further configured to receive one or more game
selection criteria that indicates one or more games that a customer
desires to rent, the movie rental mechanism is further configured
to provide to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more games indicated by the one or more game selection criteria,
and the movie rental mechanism is further configured to in response
to receiving any of the games provided to the customer, provide to
the customer one or more other games indicated by the one or more
game selection criteria, wherein a total current number of games
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
81. A computer-readable medium for renting items to customers, the
computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or
more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors,
cause the one or more processors to perform the
computer-implemented steps of: receiving one or more item selection
criteria that indicates one or more items that a customer desires
to rent; providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria; and in response to receiving any of the items provided to
the customer, one or more item delivery criteria being satisfied,
providing to the customer one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria, wherein a total number of
items provided to the customer within a specified period of time
does not exceed a specified limit.
82. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, wherein the
total current number of items provided to the customer does not
exceed the specified number.
83. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, further
comprising if the total number of items provided to the customer
within the specified period of time is less than the specified
limit, then increasing the specified limit for another specified
period of time.
84. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, wherein the
one or more item selection criteria indicates a desired order for
the one or more items that a customer desires to rent, the step of
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria
includes providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria in the desired order indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria, and the step of providing to the customer one
or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria in the desired
order indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
85. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 84, further
comprising if a particular item from the one or more items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria is not
available, then providing another item from the one or more items
based upon the desired order indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria.
86. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, wherein the
one or more item selection criteria specifies one or more preferred
item attributes, the step of providing to the customer up to a
specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria includes automatically selecting and
providing to the customer up to a specified number of one or more
items that have one or more of the one or more preferred item
attributes specified by the one or more item selection criteria,
and the step of providing to the customer one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria includes
automatically selecting and providing to the customer one or more
other items that have one or more of the one or more preferred item
attributes specified by the one or more item selection
criteria.
87. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, further
comprising: establishing, based upon the one or more item selection
criteria, an item rental queue for the customer, wherein the item
rental queue contains one or more entries that specify the one or
more items that the customer desires to rent; and in response to
receiving back any of the items provided to the customer, selecting
the one or more other items from the item rental queue.
88. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, further
comprising in response to receiving a customer notification,
providing to the customer a second set of one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
89. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, further
comprising in response to expiration of a specified amount of time,
providing to the customer a second set of one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
90. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, further
comprising in response to a specified date being reached, providing
to the customer a second set of one or more other items indicated
by the one or more item selection criteria.
91. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, further
comprising in response to a specified fee being received, providing
to the customer a second set of one or more other items indicated
by the one or more item selection criteria.
92. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, wherein
items are provided to the customer by mail.
93. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, wherein
items are provided to the customer by a delivery agent.
94. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, wherein: the
one or more items are one or more movies, the one or more item
selection criteria are one or more movie selection criteria, the
step of receiving one or more item selection criteria that
indicates one or more items that a customer desires to rent
includes receiving one or more movie selection criteria that
indicates one or more movies that a customer desires to rent, the
step of providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes providing to the customer up to a specified
number of the one or more movies indicated by the one or more movie
selection criteria, and the step of in response to receiving any of
the items provided to the customer, providing to the customer one
or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria, wherein a total number of items provided to the customer
within a specified period of time does not exceed a specified limit
includes in response to receiving any of the movies provided to the
customer, providing to the customer one or more other movies
indicated by the one or more movie selection criteria, wherein a
total number of items provided to the customer within a specified
period of time does not exceed a specified limit.
95. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 81, wherein: the
one or more items are one or more games, the one or more item
selection criteria are one or more game selection criteria, the
step of receiving one or more item selection criteria that
indicates one or more items that a customer desires to rent
includes receiving one or more game selection criteria that
indicates one or more games that a customer desires to rent, the
step of providing to the customer up to a specified number of the
one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria includes providing to the customer up to a specified
number of the one or more games indicated by the one or more game
selection criteria, and the step of in response to receiving any of
the items provided to the customer, providing to the customer one
or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria, wherein a total number of items provided to the customer
within a specified period of time does not exceed a specified limit
includes in response to receiving any of the games provided to the
customer, providing to the customer one or more other games
indicated by the one or more game selection criteria, wherein a
total number of items provided to the customer within a specified
period of time does not exceed a specified limit.
96. A computer-readable medium for renting movies to customers, the
computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or
more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors,
cause the one or more processors to perform the
computer-implemented steps of: receiving one or more movie
selection criteria from a customer that indicates one or more
movies that the customer desires to rent; providing to the customer
up to a specified number of the one or more movies indicated by the
one or more movie selection criteria; and in response to a return
of any of the movies provided to the customer, providing to the
customer one or more other movies indicated by the one or more
movie selection criteria, wherein a total current number of movies
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
97. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 96, wherein the
one or more movie selection criteria specifies an order in which
the customer desires to receive the movies, the step of providing
to the customer up to a specified number of the one or more movies
indicated by the one or more movie selection criteria includes
providing to the customer up to a specified number of the one or
more movies indicated by the move selection criteria in the order
specified by the one or more movie selection criteria, and the step
of providing to the customer one or more other movies specified by
the one or more movie selection criteria includes providing to the
customer one or more other movies specified by the one or more
movie selection criteria in the order specified by the one or more
movie selection criteria.
98. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 96, wherein the
one or more movie selection criteria specifies movie attributes
preferred by the customer, the step of providing to the customer up
to a specified number of the one or more movies indicated by the
one or more movie selection criteria includes automatically
selecting and providing to the customer up to a specified number of
the one or more movies that have the specified movie attributes
preferred by the customer, and the step of providing to the
customer one or more other movies specified by the one or more
movie selection criteria includes automatically selecting and
providing to the customer one or more other movies that have the
specified movie attributes preferred by the customer.
99. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 96, wherein
movies are provided to the customer by mail.
100. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 96, wherein
movies are provided to the customer by a delivery agent.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to inventory rental, and more
specifically, to an approach for renting items to customers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional inventory rental models are typically based upon
renting items for fixed rental periods and charging late fees for
keeping rented items beyond a specified return date. These types of
inventory models suffer from several significant limitations.
First, conventional rental models require customers to make the
decision of what items to rent at substantially the same time as
the decision of when to rent the items. An example that illustrates
this limitation is a video rental business. Customers go to a video
rental store and select particular movies to rent at that time. The
customers take the movies home and must return them by a particular
due date or be charged a late fee. In this situation, the customers
cannot decide what movies to rent before actually renting them. The
customers may have a particular movie in mind, but there is no
guarantee that the video rental store has the particular movie in
stock. Moreover, due dates are inconvenient for customers,
particularly for "new release" movies that are generally due back
the next day.
Given the current demand for inventory rental and the limitations
in the prior approaches, an approach for renting items to customers
that does not suffer from limitations associated with conventional
inventory rental models is highly desirable. In particular, an
approach for renting inventory items to customers that allows
separation of customers' decisions of what items to rent from when
to rent the items is highly desirable.
There is a further need for an approach for renting items to
customers on a continuous basis that avoids the use of fixed due
dates or rental "windows" appurtenant to conventional rental
models.
There is yet a further need for an approach for renting movies,
games and music to customers that is more convenient and flexible
to customers than conventional approaches.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for
renting items to customers on a subscription basis. Up to a
specified number of items are provided to the customer. In response
to one or more item delivery criteria being satisfied (such a
return of one or more previously rented items), one or more other
items are provided to the customer, wherein a total current number
of items provided to the customer does not exceed the specified
number.
According to another of the invention, a method is provided for
renting items to customers. According to the method, one or more
item selection criteria are received that indicate one or more
items that a customer desires to rent. Up to a specified number of
the one or more items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria are provided to the customer. In response to one or more
item delivery criteria being satisfied, one or more other items
indicated by the one or more item selection criteria are provided
to the customer, wherein a total current number of items provided
to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
According to another of the invention, a computer-implemented
method is provided for renting items to customers. According to the
method, one or more item selection criteria are received that
indicate one or more items that a customer desires to rent. Up to a
specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria are provided to the customer. In
response to one or more item delivery criteria being satisfied, one
or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria are provided to the customer, wherein a total current
number of items provided to the customer does not exceed the
specified number.
According to another aspect of the invention, a
computer-implemented method is provided for renting items to
customers. According to the method, one or more item selection
criteria are received that indicate one or more items that a
customer desires to rent. Up to a specified number of the one or
more items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria are
provided to the customer. In response to one or more item delivery
criteria being satisfied, one or more other items indicated by the
one or more item selection criteria are provided to the customer,
wherein a total number of items provided to the customer within a
specified period of time does not exceed a specified limit.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided
for renting movies to customers. Up to a specified number of movies
are provided to the customer. In response to a return of any of the
movies provided to the customer, one or more other movies are
provided to the customer, wherein a total current number of movies
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided
for renting movies to customers. Up to a specified number of movies
are provided to the customer. In response to a return of any of the
movies provided to the customer, one or more other movies are
provided to the customer, wherein a total current number of movies
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number and
wherein a total number of movies provided to the customer within a
specified period of time does not exceed a specified limit.
According to another aspect of the invention, a
computer-implemented method is provided for renting movies to
customers. According to the method, one or more movie selection
criteria are received from a customer that indicates one or more
movies that the customer desires to rent. Up to a specified number
of the one or more movies indicated by the one or more movie
selection criteria are provided to the customer. In response to a
return of any of the movies provided to the customer, one or more
other movies indicated by the one or more movie selection criteria
are provided to the customer, wherein a total current number of
movies provided to the customer does not exceed the specified
number and wherein a total number of movies provided to the
customer within a specified period of time does not exceed a
specified limit.
According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for
renting items to customers is provided. The apparatus comprises one
or more processors and a memory communicatively coupled to the one
or more processors. The memory includes one or more sequences of
one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more
processors, cause the one or more processors to perform several
steps. First, one or more item selection criteria are received that
indicate one or more items that a customer desires to rent. Up to a
specified number of the one or more items indicated by the one or
more item selection criteria are provided to the customer. Finally,
in response to one or more item delivery criteria being satisfied,
one or more other items indicated by the one or more item selection
criteria are provided to the customer, wherein a total current
number of items provided to the customer does not exceed the
specified number.
According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus is
provided for renting items to customers. The apparatus comprises an
item rental mechanism configured to receive one or more item
selection criteria that indicate one or more items that a customer
desires to rent. The item rental mechanism is also configured to
provide to the customer up to a specified number of the one or more
items indicated by the one or more item selection criteria.
Finally, the item rental mechanism is configured to in response to
one or more item delivery criteria being satisfied, provide to the
customer one or more other items indicated by the one or more item
selection criteria, wherein a total current number of items
provided to the customer does not exceed the specified number.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and
not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying
drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar
elements and in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an approach for renting items to
customers according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram depicting an approach for renting items to
customers according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a "Max Out" approach for renting
items to customers according to an embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting a "Max Turns" approach for
renting items to customers according to an embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting an approach for renting audio/video
items to customers over the Internet according to an
embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an approach for renting
audio/video items to customers over the Internet using both "Max
Out" and "Max Turns" according to an embodiment; and
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer system upon which
embodiments of the invention may be implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation,
specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough
understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent that
the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In
other instances, well-known structures and devices are depicted in
block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the
invention.
Various aspects and features of example embodiments of the
invention are described in more detail hereinafter in the following
sections: (1) functional overview; (2) item selection criteria; (3)
item delivery; (4) "Max Out"; (5) "Max Turns"; (6) inventory
management; and (7) implementation mechanisms.
1. FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW
FIG. 1 is a block diagram 100 that illustrates an approach for
renting items to customers according to various embodiments
described herein. As used herein, the term "items" refers to any
commercial goods that can be rented to customers. Examples of items
include movies, music and games stored on a non-volatile memory
such as a tape, other magnetic medium, optical medium, read-only
memory or the like, and the invention is not limited to any
particular type of item. In general, the decision of what items to
rent is separated from the decision of when to rent the items.
Customers may specify what items to rent using one or more item
selection criteria separate from deciding when to receive the
specified items. Furthermore, customers are not constrained by
conventional rental "windows" and instead can have continuous,
serialized rental of items.
According to one embodiment, a customer 102 provides one or more
item selection criteria to a provider 104 over a link 106. Link 106
may be any medium for transferring data between customer 102 and
provider 104 and the invention is not limited to any particular
medium. Examples of link 106 include, without limitation, a network
such as a LAN, WAN or the Internet, a telecommunications link, a
wire or optical link or a wireless connection.
The item selection criteria indicate items that customer 102
desires to rent from provider 104. In response to receiving the
item selection criteria from customer 102, provider 104 provides
the items indicated by the item selection criteria to customer 102
over a delivery channel 108. Delivery channel 108 may be
implemented by any mechanism or medium that provides for the
transfer of items from provider 104 to customer 102 and the
invention is not limited to any particular type of delivery
channel. Examples of delivery channel 108 include, without
limitation, mail delivery, courier delivery or delivery using a
delivery agent. Provider 104 may be centralized or distributed
depending upon the requirements of a particular application.
According to an embodiment, a "Max Out" approach allows up to a
specified number of items to be rented simultaneously to customer
102 by provider 104. According to another embodiment, a "Max Turns"
approach allows up to a specified number of item exchanges to occur
during a specified period of time. The "Max Out" and "Max Turns"
approaches may be used together or separately with a variety of
subscription methodologies.
The approach just described for renting items to customers is now
described with reference to a flow diagram 200 of FIG. 2. After
starting in step 202, in step 204, customer 102 creates item
selection criteria. In step 206, customer 102 provides the item
selection criteria to provider 104. In step 208, in response to
provider 104 receiving the item selection criteria from customer
102, provider 104 provides one or more items indicated by the item
selection criteria to customer 102. The process is complete in step
210.
2. ITEM SELECTION CRITERIA
The one or more item selection criteria provided by customer 102 to
provider 104 indicate the particular items that customer 102
desires to rent from provider 104. Thus, the item selection
criteria define a customer-specific order queue that is fulfilled
by provider 104. According to one embodiment, the item selection
criteria specify attributes of items to be provided by provider 104
to customer 102. Item selection criteria may specify any type of
item attributes and the invention is not limited to particular item
attributes. Examples of item attributes include, without
limitation, identifier attributes, type attributes and cost
attributes. Item selection criteria may be changed at any time to
reflect changes in items that customers desire to rent from a
provider.
3. ITEM DELIVERY
According to one embodiment, items are delivered by provider 104 to
customer 102 over delivery channel 108 based upon item delivery
criteria. More specifically, the delivery of items from provider
104 to customer 102 is triggered by item delivery criteria being
satisfied. The item delivery criteria may include a wide range of
criteria and the invention is not limited to any particular item
delivery criteria. Examples of item delivery criteria include,
without limitation, customer request/notification, customer
notification that an item is being returned, customer return of an
item, the occurrence of a specified date, the elapsing of a
specified period of time or a customer payment.
The item delivery criteria may be specified by customer 102 to
provider 104 or negotiated by customer 102 and provider 104 as part
of a subscription service. For example, a particular subscription
service may include item delivery criteria that specifies that a
particular number of items are to be delivered monthly. As another
example, item delivery criteria may specify that an initial set of
items is to be delivered by provider 104 to customer 102 upon
initiation of a subscription service and that additional items are
to be delivered to customer 102 upon return of items to provider
104. Item delivery criteria may be applied uniformly to all items
to be delivered to a customer, or may be item specific. For
example, item delivery criteria may specify a particular date,
i.e., the third Wednesday of every month, for all item deliveries.
Alternatively, separate item delivery dates may be assigned to each
item.
4. "MAX OUT"
According to one embodiment, a "Max Out" approach is used to manage
the number of items that may be simultaneously rented to customers.
According to the "Max Out" approach, up to a specified number of
items may be rented simultaneously to a customer. Thus, the "Max
Out" approach establishes the size of an inventory of items that
may be maintained by customers. The specified number of items may
be specific to each customer or may be common to one or more
customers. In the present example, if the specified number of items
is three, then up to three items may be rented simultaneously by
provider 104 to customer 102. If the specified number of items are
currently rented to customer 102 and the specified item delivery
criteria triggers the delivery of one or more additional items,
then those items are not delivered until one or more items are
returned by customer 102 to provider 104.
According to one embodiment, in situations where the specified
number of items are currently rented to customer 102 and the
specified item delivery criteria triggers the delivery of one or
more additional items, then the one or more additional items are
delivered to customer 102 and customer 102 and a surcharge is
applied customer 102. The specified number of items may then be
increased thereafter to reflect the additional items delivered to
customer 102 and increase the size of the inventory maintained by
customer 102. Alternatively, the specified number of items may
remain the same and number of items maintained by customer 102
returned to the prior level after items are returned to provider
104 by customer 102. When used in conjunction with the "Max Turns"
approach described hereinafter, the specified number of items may
be unlimited.
The "Max Out" approach for managing the number of items that may be
simultaneously rented to customers is now described with reference
to a flow diagram 300 of FIG. 3. After starting in step 302, in
step 304, one or more initial items are delivered to customer 102
to establish the inventory maintained by customer 102. Note that an
initial delivery of items is not required and according to one
embodiment, the inventory of customer 102 is incrementally
established over time.
In step 306, a determination is made whether the item delivery
criteria have been satisfied. If not, then the determination
continues to be made until the item delivery criteria are
satisfied. As described previously herein, the delivery criteria
may include customer notification generally, customer notification
that an item is being returned, the actual return of an item, the
occurrence of a specific date, or that a specified amount of time
has elapsed.
Once the item delivery criteria are satisfied, then in step 308, a
determination is made whether the specified number of items have
been delivered. If not, then control returns to step 304 and one or
more additional items are delivered by provider 104 to customer
102. If however, in step 308, the specified number of items have
been delivered, then in step 310, a determination is made whether
the specified number of items, i.e., the "Max Out" limit, is to be
overridden. As previously described, the specified number of items
may be overridden by increasing the specified number of items,
i.e., the "Max Out" limit, to allow additional items to be
delivered to customer 102 and charging a fee to customer 102.
Alternatively, the specified number of items is not changed and a
surcharge applied to customer 102. This process continues for the
duration of the subscription and is then complete in step 312.
5. "MAX TURNS"
According to one embodiment, a "Max Turns" approach is used to rent
items to customers. According to the "Max Turns" approach, up to a
specified number of item exchanges may be performed during a
specified period of time. For example, referring to FIG. 1, suppose
that provider 104 agrees to rent items to customer 102 with a "Max
Turns" limit of three items per month. This means that customer 102
may make up to three item exchanges per month. This approach may be
implemented independent of the number of items that a customer may
have rented at any given time under the "Max Out" approach. The
approach is also independent of the particular item delivery
criteria used.
According to one embodiment, the "Max Turns" approach is
implemented in combination with the "Max Out" approach to rent
items to customers. In this situation, up to a specified number of
total items are simultaneously rented to customer 102 and up to a
specified number of item exchanges may be made during a specified
period of time. Thus, using the "Max Out" and the "Max Turns"
approaches together essentially establishes a personal item
inventory for customer 102 based upon the "Max Out" limit that may
be periodically refreshed based upon the "Max Turns" limit
selected.
In some situations, customer 102 may wish to exchange more than the
specified number of items during a specified period. According to
one embodiment, in this situation, provider 104 agrees to rent
additional items above the specified number to customer 102 and to
charge customer 102 for the additional items. For example, suppose
that provider 104 agrees to rent items to customer 102 with up to
three item turns (exchanges) per month. If, in a particular month,
customer 102 requires two additional turns, then the two additional
items are provided to customer 102 and a surcharge is applied to
customer 102 for the additional two items.
In other situations, customer 102 may not use all of its allotted
turns during a specified period. According to one embodiment,
customers lose unused turns during a subscription period. For
example, if customer 102 has a "Max Turns" limit of four item
exchanges per month and only makes two item exchanges in a
particular month, then the two unused exchanges are lost and cannot
be used. At the start of the next month, customer 102 would be
entitled to four new item exchanges.
According to another embodiment, customers are allowed to carry
over unused turns to subsequent subscription periods. For example,
if customer 102 has a "Max Turns" limit of four item exchanges per
month and only makes two item exchanges in a particular month, then
the two unused exchanges are lost and cannot be used. At the start
of the next month, customer 102 would be entitled to six new item
exchanges, two from the prior month and four for the current
month.
The "Max Turns" approach for renting items to customers is now
described with reference to a flow diagram 400 of FIG. 4. After
starting in step 402, in step 404, customer 102 and provider 104
agree upon the terms of the "Max Turns" agreement. Specifically,
customer 102 and provider 104 agree at least upon the maximum
number of turns that are allowed in a specified period of time.
In step 406, in response to one or more item delivery criteria
being satisfied, provider 104 provides one or more items to
customer 102 over delivery channel 108. Any type of item delivery
criteria may be used with the "Max Turns" approach and the
invention is not limited to any particular delivery criteria. For
example, the initial one or more items may be delivered to customer
102 in response to a subscription payment made by customer 102 to
provider 104, the initiation of a specified subscription period, or
by request of customer 102 for the initial rental items. The number
of initial one or more items must not exceed the terms of the "Max
Turns" agreement.
In step 408, in response to one or more delivery criteria being
satisfied, a determination is made whether additional items can be
provided to customer 102 within the terms of the "Max Turns"
agreement. For example, if the number of items rented to customer
in the current subscription period is less than the agreed-upon
"Max Turns," then additional items can be rented to customer 102
within the terms of the "Max Turns" agreement. In this situation,
this determination may be made in response to customer 102
returning one or more items to provider 104, or by customer 102
requesting additional items.
If, in step 408, a determination is made that additional items can
be rented to customer 102 within the terms of the "Max Turns"
agreement, then control returns to step 406 where one or more
additional items are rented to customer 102. If however, in step
408, a determination is made that additional items cannot be rented
to customer 102 within the terms of the "Max Turns" agreement, then
in step 410, a determination is made whether to override the
current agreement terms. If so, then in step 412, the agreement
terms are changed to allow for a larger number of terms and
customer 102 is charged accordingly, or the terms are left
unchanged and a surcharge is applied for the additional items to be
delivered. Control then returns to step 406, where one or more
additional items are delivered to customer 102.
If in step 410, a determination is made that the current agreement
is not to be overridden, then in step 414, no items are delivered
to customer 102 until the next subscription period. For example,
the request for additional items may be received at the end of a
subscription period and instead of renting the additional items
immediately, they are instead delivered during the subsequent
subscription period. Control then returns to step 406 where one or
more additional items are rented to customer or the process is
complete in step 416.
The approach for renting items described herein is now described in
the context of renting to customers audio/video (A/V) items, such
as movies, games and music, stored on various media. FIG. 5 is a
diagram 500 that depicts a set of customers 502 that desire to A/V
items from a provider 504. Customers 502 communicate with provider
504 over links 506, the global packet-switched network referred to
as the "Internet," and a link 510.
Links 506 and 510 may be any medium for transferring data between
customers 502 and the Internet 508 and between the Internet 508 and
provider 504, respectively, and the invention is not limited to any
particular medium. In the present example, links 506 and 510 may be
connections provided by one or more Internet Service Providers
(ISPs) and customers 502 are configured with generic Internet web
browsers. Links 506 and 510 may be secure or unsecured depending
upon the requirements of a particular application.
In accordance with an embodiment, customers 502 enter into a rental
agreement with provider 504 to rent audio/video (A/V) items 512
from provider 504 according to the "Max Out" and/or "Max Turns"
approaches described herein. The invention is not limited to any
particular approach for entering into the rental agreement. For
example, customers 502 and provider 504 may enter into a rental
agreement by mail, telephone or over the Internet, by customers 502
logging into a web site associated with provider 504.
Customers 502 create and provide item selection criteria to
provider 504 over links 506 and 510 and the Internet 508. The
invention is not limited to any particular approach for specifying
and providing item selection criteria to provider 504. For example,
according to one embodiment, customers 502 provide item selection
criteria to provider 504 in one or more data files. According to
another embodiment, customers 502 log onto a web site of provider
504 and use a graphical user interfaced (GUI) to specify attributes
of the movies and music that customers desire to rent from provider
504.
The item selection attributes may include any attributes that
describe, at least in part, movies, games or music that customers
502 desire to rent. For movies, example attributes include, without
limitation, title, category, director name, actor name and year of
release. For games, example attributes include, without limitation,
title and category. For music, example attributes include, without
limitation, title, category, artist/group name and year of release.
Customers 502 may identify specific movies or music by the item
selection criteria, or may provide various attributes and allow
provider 504 to automatically select particular movies and music
that satisfy the attributes specified. For example, customers 502
may specify item selection criteria that include horror movies
released in 1999 and let provider 504 automatically select horror
movies that were release in 1999. As another example, customers 502
may specify item selection criteria that include adventure movies
starring Harrison Ford. Customers 502 may also specify an order or
priority for the specified item selection criteria. For example,
customers 502 may specify specific movie titles and the order in
which they want to receive them. As another example, customers 502
may specify that they want to receive a particular number of movies
of different types.
Once customers 502 and provider 504 have entered into a rental
agreement and customers 502 have provided item selection criteria
to provider 504, then A/V items 512 are rented to customers 502
over delivery channels 514 in accordance with the terms of the
rental agreement. Specifically, according to the "Max Out" approach
described herein, an initial set of A/V items 512, such as movies,
games and music, are delivered to customers 502 over delivery
channels 514 according to the terms of the rental agreement.
Subsequent A/V items 512 are delivered whenever the specified item
delivery criteria are satisfied. For example, additional A/V items
512 may be delivered upon the return of one or more A/V items 512
to provider, a request from customers 502, the arrival of a
particular date, e.g., a specific day of the month, or the
expiration of a specified period of time, e.g., fifteen days.
In accordance with the "Max Out" approach described herein, once
the maximum number of A/V items 512 have been rented to a
particular customer 502, then no additional A/V items 512 are
rented until one or more rented A/V items 512 are returned to
provider 504, or unless a surcharge is applied to the particular
customer 502. Alternatively, the rental agreement between the
particular customer 502 and provider 504 may be modified to
increase the maximum number of A/V items 512 that may be rented
simultaneously to the particular customer 502.
The rental agreement between customers 502 and provider 504 may
also specify a maximum number of turns in combination with the "Max
Out" approach. In this situation, a maximum number of turns
restricts how quickly customers 502 may refresh their A/V item 512
inventories. For example, suppose that a particular customer 502
agrees with provider 504 to rent up to four movies with a maximum
of four turns per month. Under this agreement, the particular
customer 502 may maintain a personal inventory of up to four movies
and rent four new movies per month. Thus, the particular customer
502 can completely "replace" his personal inventory once per month.
If the particular customer 502 agreed to a maximum of up to eight
turns per month, then the particular customer 502 would be able to
completely replace his personal inventory twice per month.
Provider 504 is illustrated as a single entity for purposes of
explanation only. Provider 504 may be centralized or distributed
depending upon the requirements of a particular application. For
example, provider 504 may be a central warehouse from which all A/V
items 512 are provided. Alternatively, provider 504 may be
implemented by a network of distributed warehouses.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that illustrates an approach for renting
A/V items 512, e.g., movies, to customers over a communications
network such as the Internet using both "Max Out" and "Max Turns"
according to an embodiment. Referring also to FIG. 5, after
starting in step 602, in step 604, a customer 502 enters into a
rental agreement with provider 504. In the present example,
customer 502 uses a generic web browser to access an Internet web
site associated with provider 504 and enter into a rental agreement
that specifies that customer 502 may maintain a personal inventory
of four movies ("Max Out" of four) and receive up to four new
movies per month ("Max Turns" of four). Furthermore, the rental
agreement specifies that new movies will be delivered upon return
of a rented movie from customer 502, i.e., the delivery criteria is
a return of a movie by the customer.
In step 606, customer 502 creates and provides movie selection
criteria to provider 504 that indicates movies that customer 502
desires to rent. For example, the movie selection criteria may
specify particular movie titles that customer 502 desires to rent.
The movie selection criteria may also specify an order or priority
in which customer 502 wishes to rent the movies. Instead of
identifying particular movie titles, the movie selection criteria
may specify movie preferences for customer 502, e.g., types of
movies, directors, actors, or any other movie preferences or
attributes. In this situation, provider 504 automatically selects
particular titles that satisfy the movie selection criteria. For
example, the movie selection criteria may specify a preference for
action movies starring a particular actor, with a preference for
"new release" movies. Provider 504 attempt to provide movies to
customer 502 that best satisfy the preferences indicated by the
movie selection criteria.
In step 608, one or more initial movies 512 are delivered to
customer 502 over delivery channel 514. The one or more initial
movies 512 may be delivered to customer 502 via mail, courier,
delivery agent or any other suitable means negotiated between
customer 502 and provider and the invention is not limited to any
particular type of delivery mechanism. For purposes of explanation
only, is presumed in the present example that movies are mailed
between customer 502 and provider 504.
The one or more initial movies 512 establish the personal movie
inventory of customer 502. Customer 502 may choose to receive any
number of movies up to the "Max Out" limit of four movies.
Typically, customer 502 will choose to initially receive four
movies in the initial delivery.
Once the one or more initial movies 512 have been mailed to
customer 502, then in step 610, a determination is made whether any
movies 512 have been returned by customer 502 to trigger another
movie delivery. In the present example, the delivery of additional
movies is triggered by the receipt, e.g., via mail, of one or more
movies from customer 502. In the situation where customer 502
elects to not receive the maximum number of movies 512 in the
initial delivery, then the delivery of additional movies 512 may
also be triggered by a request from customer 502 for additional
movies 512. For example, customer 502 may notify provider 504 via
telephone, email or by accessing the web site associated with
provider. 504.
If, in step 610, a determination is made that one or more movies
512 were received from customer 502, then in step 612, a
determination is made whether the maximum number of turns ("Max
Turns") limit has been reached for the current cycle. In the
present example, a determination is made whether four or more
movies have been mailed in the current month. If not, then control
returns to step 608, where one or more additional movies 512 are
mailed to customer 502 via delivery channel 514 up to the "Max Out"
limit of four.
If, in step 612, a determination is made that the "Max Turns" limit
has been met for the current cycle, i.e., in the present example,
four movies 512 have been mailed to customer 502 in the current
month, then in step 614 a determination is made whether to override
the current "Max Turns" limit. If so, then in step 616, a surcharge
is applied to customer 502 and control returns to step 608 where
the additional movies 514 are mailed to customer 502. If not, then
in step 618, a determination is made whether to continue the
subscription service. If so, then no additional movies are mailed
to customer 502 during the current cycle, e.g., the current month,
and the control returns to step 610. If, in step 618, a
determination is made that service is not to be continued, then the
process is complete in step 620.
In some situations, customer 502 may desire to increase or decrease
the size of customer's 502 personal movie inventory by changing the
current "Max Out" limit. According to one embodiment, customer 502
notifies provider 504, e.g., by telephone, mail, email or by
accessing the web site associated with provider 504, that customer
502 wishes to change the "Max Out" limit. The movie rental
agreement between customer 502 and provider 504 is then modified to
reflect the change of the "Max Out" limit. In the situation where
the "Max Out" limit is increased, then additional movies 512 may be
immediately mailed to customer 502.
6. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
The approach described herein for renting items to customers
provides superior inventory management to prior approaches.
Specifically, the use of item selection criteria provides for
efficient inventory management by allowing the greatest number of
items to be rented at any given time. Moreover, the greatest number
of customers are provided with their most preferred items. For
example, customers may specify priorities for the items indicated
by the item selection criteria. Thus, if a particular customer's
first choice is not available, or already rented, then the item
having the next highest priority can be rented to the particular
customer. According to one embodiment, customers may indicate items
that are not yet available for rent. Then, the items are delivered
to customers when they become available.
For example, referring again to FIG. 5, suppose that a particular
customer 502 desires to rent an as-yet-unreleased movie entitled
"ABC." The particular customer 502 indicates this movie to provider
504 by the item selection criteria. Since the movie ABC is not yet
available, it cannot be delivered to the particular customer 502.
However, when the movie ABC does become available, it can be
shipped immediately to the particular customer 502, as well as
other customers 502 who may have also requested the movie. This
allows provider 504 to maximize the number of items rented while
ensuring that customers 502 are able to rent the highest priority
items that they requested.
According to another embodiment, as yet unknown items may also be
rented by specifying attributes of the unknown items. For example,
the particular customer 502 may request to rent the next new movie
of a particular director, for which the exact name is unknown to
the particular customer. As another example, the particular
customer 502 may request to rent the next album of a particular
group that is currently in process and does not yet have a
title.
7. IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS
The approach described herein for renting items to customers is
applicable to any type of rental application and (without
limitation) is particularly well suited for Internet-based rental
applications for renting movies and music to customers. The
invention may be implemented in hardware circuitry, in computer
software, or a combination of hardware circuitry and computer
software and is not limited to a particular hardware or software
implementation.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 700
upon which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented.
Computer system 700 includes a bus 702 or other communication
mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 704
coupled with bus 702 for processing information. Computer system
700 also includes a main memory 706, such as a random access memory
(RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 702 for
storing information and instructions to be executed by processor
704. Main memory 706 also may be used for storing temporary
variables or other intermediate information during execution of
instructions to be executed by processor 704. Computer system 700
further includes a read only memory (ROM) 708 or other static
storage device coupled to bus 702 for storing static information
and instructions for processor 704. A storage device 710, such as a
magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 702
for storing information and instructions.
Computer system 700 may be coupled via bus 702 to a display 712,
such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a
computer user. An input device 714, including alphanumeric and
other keys, is coupled to bus 702 for communicating information and
command selections to processor 704. Another type of user input
device is cursor control 716, such as a mouse, a trackball, or
cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and
command selections to processor 704 and for controlling cursor
movement on display 712. This input device typically has two
degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second
axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a
plane.
The invention is related to the use of computer system 700 for
renting items to customers. According to one embodiment of the
invention, the renting of items to customers is provided by
computer system 700 in response to processor 704 executing one or
more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory
706. Such instructions may be read into main memory 706 from
another computer-readable medium, such as storage device 710.
Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory
706 causes processor 704 to perform the process steps described
herein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement
may also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions
contained in main memory 706. In alternative embodiments,
hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with
software instructions to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments
of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of
hardware circuitry and software.
The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to any
medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 704
for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not
limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission
media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or
magnetic disks, such as storage device 710. Volatile media includes
dynamic memory, such as main memory 706. Transmission media
includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including
the wires that comprise bus 702. Transmission media can also take
the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during
radio wave and infrared data communications.
Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a
floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any
other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch
cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of
holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory
chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any
other medium from which a computer can read.
Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in
carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to
processor 704 for execution. For example, the instructions may
initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The
remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory
and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A
modem local to computer system 700 can receive the data on the
telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data
to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupled to bus 702 can
receive the data carried in the infrared signal and place the data
on bus 702. Bus 702 carries the data to main memory 706, from which
processor 704 retrieves and executes the instructions. The
instructions received by main memory 706 may optionally be stored
on storage device 710 either before or after execution by processor
704.
Computer system 700 also includes a communication interface 718
coupled to bus 702. Communication interface 718 provides a two-way
data communication coupling to a network link 720 that is connected
to a local network 722. For example, communication interface 718
may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a
modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding
type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface
718 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data
communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may
also be implemented. In any such implementation, communication
interface 718 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or
optical signals that carry digital data streams representing
various types of information.
Network link 720 typically provides data communication through one
or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link
720 may provide a connection through local network 722 to a host
computer 724 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service
Provider (ISP) 726. ISP 726 in turn provides data communication
services through the world wide packet data communication network
now commonly referred to as the "Internet" 728. Local network 722
and Internet 728 both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical
signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the
various networks and the signals on network link 720 and through
communication interface 718, which carry the digital data to and
from computer system 700, are exemplary forms of carrier waves
transporting the information.
Computer system 700 can send messages and receive data, including
program code, through the network(s), network link 720 and
communication interface 718. In the Internet example, a server 730
might transmit a requested code for an application program through
Internet 728, ISP 726, local network 722 and communication
interface 718. In accordance with the invention, one such
downloaded application provides for the renting of items to
customers as described herein.
The received code may be executed by processor 704 as it is
received, and/or stored in storage device 710, or other
non-volatile storage for later execution. In this manner, computer
system 700 may obtain application code in the form of a carrier
wave.
The novel approach described herein for renting items to customers
provides several advantages over prior approaches for renting items
to customers. First, the decision of what items to rent may be
separated from the decision of when to rent the items. Customers
may specify what items to rent using the item selection criteria
and receive the items at a future point in time, without having to
go to the provider to pick up the items. The selection criteria may
be user specific and may indicate a desired fulfillment sequence.
Furthermore, customers are not constrained by conventional due
dates and instead may establish continuous, serialized rental
streams of items. The approach also allows more efficient inventory
management.
The "Max Out" approach for inventory management allows users to
maintain their own inventory of items that are periodically
replaced by other items according to specified event criteria. The
event criteria that trigger sending another item to a customer are
very flexible and may be tailored to the requirements of a
particular application. For example, as described herein, the event
criteria may include a return of any of the items currently in use
by the customer or merely customer notification. This is very
convenient in the context of movie rentals since a the return of a
movie to the provider automatically triggers the sending of another
movie to the customer. The "Max Turns" approach for inventory
management, when used alone or in combination with "Max Out,"
provides even greater flexibility for customers and providers. The
max number of turns can be selected individually for particular
customers depending upon their particular needs.
The "Max Out" and "Max Turns" approaches provide great flexibility
in establishing subscription models to satisfy the needs of a
particular application. Specifically, the size and replacement
frequency of customer inventories can be tailored to each customer
with individualized subscription plans.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described as
applicable to an implementation anticipating Internet based
ordering and mail or other long-distance delivery of the items,
where the special advantages of the method are very attractive.
However the same invention may be applied in a more conventional
video, games, or music rental-store setting, where subscription
customers may be allowed rentals of a specified number of movies,
games, or music selections at any time, and/or in one subscription
period, without rental return due dates, in exchange for a periodic
rental subscription fee.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described
with reference to specific embodiments thereof. However, various
modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing
from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The
specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
* * * * *
References