Wireless entertainment system
A wireless entertainment system includes a delivery station, a wireless telephone network, and a receiver. Entertainment, such as a motion picture, is ordered by a customer through a wireless telephone, and is delivered to the customer through the wireless telephone network. The entertainment is delivered in a non-permanent method (streaming) to the customer through the network, to a receiver, such as a television viewing set in the customer's home, or to an intermediate storage medium, such as a memory device, that is then communicated directly to a viewing device.
1. A method for providing entertainment, comprising:
ordering entertainment using a telephone;
billing an account associated with a telephone;
delivering said entertainment through a wireless network to a first receiver, and storing said entertainment in a receiver memory for subsequent use;
relaying entertainment from said first receiver to a second receiver after delivering the entertainment through the wireless network, and wherein said second receiver is a television.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first receiver comprises a wireless communications device having audio and video components, further including automatically identifying said account by using information submitted while ordering, and wherein the method further comprises communicating said entertainment from said wireless communications device to the second receiver that the wireless communications device is connected to for viewing.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein ordering entertainment is accomplished through an Internet, and identifying said account is accomplished automatically by using information submitted while ordering.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said ordering is communicated to a central station, wherein said central station downloads said entertainment to a local station, and wherein said delivering is accomplished by said local station communicating said entertainment to said first receiver.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering is accomplished by delivering entertainment to the first receiver in accordance with selected restricted use criteria.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering is accomplished by downloading entertainment to the first receiver, said entertainment having an ability to play only a specified number of times.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering is accomplished by downloading entertainment with access for a limited time period, wherein the first receiver comprises a wireless communications device having audio and video components, and wherein said ordering is communicated over the internet using a URL and using a series of entries made in response to web-enabled queries.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said telephone comprises a wireless telephone communicating with a delivery company using a wireless network, wherein customer information from ordering entertainment is used in selecting said first receiver, and further including the step of gathering customer information automatically from pre-programmed entries from said wireless telephone.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising relaying entertainment from a central station to a local station when the ordering occurs, and then delivering said entertainment from said location station to said first receiver at a later time when a customer desires the entertainment.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the entertainment is a motion picture, a television show, a video game, an educational, cultural or political event, sports programming, news, financial news, weather, or music.