System and method for consumer-to-consumer lending of digital content
A consumer-to-consumer lending system and method for digital content such as digital ebooks. The lending system invention enables a user who has purchased digital content to lend that content to another user. The lending system enables a lender to extend a lending offer to a lendee and a lendee to respond to the lending offer. A lendee may accept or reject a lending offer. Upon acceptance, the lending system provides the lent content to the lendee who controls the content until returning it, purchasing it or until a predetermined lending period expires. During the lending period the lender does not have access to the lent digital content item. The lending system assists a lender with initiating a lending offer, such as providing a pre-populated email form, and delivers the lend offer notification to the target lendee. Lending offers may be initiated and notifications received over common channels, including email systems, mobile devices, and web-based user accounts. The lending process can be initiated directly from a consumer device.
1. A method for lending a digital content item from a lender to a lendee comprising:
receiving, at a lending server, a lending offer from the lender of the digital content item, the lending offer identifying at least the digital content item to be loaned and identifying the lendee, the lending server associating the lending offer with a lending offer ID;
generating, by the lending server, a lending notice identifying at least the digital content item, wherein the lending notice comprises an email, the email including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) by which the lendee can connect to the lending server, wherein the URL contains parameters including a combination of the lending offer ID and an encrypted security hash code;
transmitting, by the lending server, the email to the lendee;
preventing access by the lender to the digital content item after the lending notice has been transmitted;
receiving, at a lending server, an acceptance or rejection of the lending offer from lendee;
verifying, by the lending server, that the parameters contained in the URL used by the lendee matches an existing, valid, unexpired lending offer; and
if the lendee has accepted the lending offer, the lending server providing the lendee with access to the digital content item and preventing access by the lender to the digital content item.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a browser-based interface for the lender and the lendee to interface with the lending server.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the act of generating and transmitting the lending notice further comprises providing notice to the lendee on an electronic device of the lendee that is not registered with the lending server.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a copy of the digital content item is stored on an electronic device of the lender, the act of preventing access by the lender to the digital content item further comprising:
removing the digital content item from the lender's electronic device.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the lender and the lendee have electronic devices by which they access the lending server, the method further comprising:
synchronizing the electronic devices with the lending server.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the act of providing the lendee with access to the digital content item further comprises transmitting a copy of the digital content item from the server to an electronic device of the lendee.
7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising encrypting the copy of the digital content item before it is transmitted from the server to the electronic device of the lendee.
8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
setting an expiration period for the lending notice during which the lendee must accept the lending offer.
9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
setting a loan period for the loan of the digital content item; and
after the expiration of the loan period, the lending server preventing access by the lendee to the digital content item and granting access to the digital content item by the lender.
10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
setting a predetermined numbers of times that a lender can loan the digital content item.
11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
providing an interface for the lender to view a plurality of digital content items to which the lender has access.
12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
providing an identification of which of the plurality of digital content items are capable of being loaned.
13. A system for controlling the lending of a digital content item from a lender to a lendee comprising:
a lending server operable to:
receive a lending offer from the lender of the digital content item, the lending offer identifying at least the digital content item to be loaned and identifying the lendee, the lending server associating the lending offer with a lending offer ID,
generate a lending notice identifying at least the digital content item, wherein the lending notice comprises an email, the email including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) by which the lendee can connect to the lending server, wherein the URL contains parameters including a combination of the lending offer ID and an encrypted security hash code,
transmit the email to the lendee,
prevent access by the lender to the digital content item after the lending notice has been transmitted,
receive an acceptance or rejection of the lending offer from lendee,
verify that the parameters contained in the URL used by the lendee matches an existing, valid, unexpired lending offer, and
if the lendee has accepted the lending offer, provide the lendee with access to the digital content item and prevent access by the lender to the digital content item.
14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the lending server further comprises:
a customer account database storing information related to accounts of the lender and lendee with the lending server;
a lending offer database storing information related to the lending offer including the acceptance or rejection of the lending offer; and
a digital locker database storing information related to the digital content item.
15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the lending server further comprises:
customer data software coupled to the customer account database, the lending offer database and the digital locker database, the customer data software is operable to:
validate the lending offer,
create the lending notice, and
mark the digital content item as lent in a lender's digital locker in the digital locker database.
16. The system according to claim 13 , where in the lending server further comprises:
a digital content file database storing the digital content item, and
content control software, the content control software operable to encrypt the digital content item.
17. A system for controlling the lending of a digital content item from a lender to a lendee comprising:
a computer server;
a user interface operable on the computer server, the user interface communicating with the lender and the lendee, the user interface receive a lending offer from the lender of the digital content item, the lending offer identifying at least the digital content item to be loaned and identifying the lendee;
a customer account database stored on the computer server, the customer account database storing information related to accounts of the lender and lendee with the system;
a lending offer database stored on the computer server, the lending offer database storing information related to the lending offer, the lending offer being associated with a lending offer ID in the lending offer database;
a digital locker database stored on the computer server, the digital locker database storing information related to the digital content item;
customer data software operable on the computer server, the customer data software coupled to the customer account database, the lending offer database and the digital locker database, the customer data software being operable to validate the lending offer, create a lending notice to the lendee, and mark the digital content item as lent in a lender's digital locker in the digital locker database, wherein the lending notice comprises an email, the email including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) by which the lendee can connect to the lending server, wherein the URL contains parameters including a combination of the lending offer ID and an encrypted security hash code, wherein the customer data software is further operable to prevent access by the lender to the digital content item after the lending notice has been transmitted, and wherein the customer data software is further operable to verify that the parameters contained in the URL used by the lendee matches an existing, valid, unexpired lending offer;
a digital content file database stored on the computer server, the digital content file database storing the digital content item, and
content control software operable on the computer server, the content control software coupled to the digital content file database, the content control software operable to encrypt the digital content item.
18. A system for lending a digital content item from a lender to a lendee comprising:
a lender electronic device, the lender electronic device generating a lending offer identifying at least the digital content item to be loaned and identifying the lendee;
a lending server, the lending server:
receiving the lending offer from the lender, the lending server associating the lending offer with a lending offer ID,
generating a lending notice identifying at least the digital content item to be loaned, wherein the lending notice comprises an email, the email including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) by which the lendee can connect to the lending server, wherein the URL contains parameters including a combination of the lending offer ID and an encrypted security hash code,
transmitting the lending notice to the lendee,
preventing access by the lender to the digital content item after the lending notice has been transmitted; and
a lendee electronic device, the lendee electronic receiving the lending offer, generating an acceptance or rejection of the lending offer and transmitting the acceptance or rejection to the lending server from lendee,
wherein if the lendee has accepted the lending offer, the lending server:
verifies that the parameters contained in the URL used by the lendee matches an existing, valid, unexpired lending offer, and
provides the lendee with access to the digital content item and prevents access by the lender to the digital content item.