License activation and management

• US 10,013,536 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Dean, Loren, Cotter, Linda, Mehrez, Leslie, McElhinney, Gerard, Little, John N.
• Primary Examiner(s): OBEID, MAMON A
• Application Number:
  US12/246,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,556 Days
• Field of Search: 705 59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/12 Protecting executable software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

A software license management system may include an activation server that provides permission to activate a software product. The activation server may receive receiving a request to validate activation of the software and refreshing license information for the software in response to the request to validate. The server may additionally receive a request to re-designate the license information for the software product and may update license information for the software in response to the request to re-designate the software product.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first request to activate a software product for a first device or a first user,

the receiving the first request to activate being performed by a server;

providing, based on the first request and on license information for the software product, permission for a first activation of the software product for the first device or the first user,

the providing the permission for the first activation being performed by the server;

receiving, subsequent to the first activation of the software product, a request to validate the first activation of the software product,

the receiving the request to validate being performed by the server;

validating the first activation of the software product based on the request to validate the first activation,

the validating the first activation of the software product including verifying that the first device or a user device associated with the first user includes a valid license to the software product, and

the validating the first activation of the software product being performed by the server;

receiving a second request to activate the software product for a second device or a second user,

the receiving the second request to activate being performed by the server;

re-designating, based on the second request, the license information,

the re-designating the license information moving the software product from the first device to the second device,

the re-designating the license information including changing one or more settings of the license information, and

the re-designating the license information being performed by the server;

providing, based on the request to validate and the re-designating the license information, permission for a second activation of the software product,

the providing the permission for the second activation being performed by the server;

deactivating the software product on the first device or for the first user based on providing permission for the second activation of the software product,

the deactivating the software product being performed by the server; and

updating, based on the providing the permission for the second activation, the license information,

the updating the license information being performed by the server.

2. The method of claim 1, where providing the permission for the first activation of the software product is performed separately from providing permission to install the software product.

3. The method of claim 1,

where re-designating the license information for the software product includes assigning the license information for the software product for use by an identified user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to validate the second activation of the software product.

5. The method of claim 1, where updating the license information for the software product is performed based on satisfaction of pre-defined rules.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating an activation key received by the server in order to provide the permission for the first activation of the software product.

7. The method of claim 1, where the server is maintained by a publisher of the software product.

8. The method of claim 1, where the request to validate the first activation of the software product is generated automatically by the software product.

9. The method of claim 1, where the request to validate the first activation of the software product is generated periodically by the software product.

10. The method of claim 1, where the updating the license information includes updating an expiration date for the license information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to deactivate the software product; and

deactivating the software product on the first device based on receiving the request to deactivate the software product.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

modifying the license information for the software product to indicate that an additional copy of the license for the software product is available for activation.

13. The method of claim 1, where the license information includes a license type that comprises one of:

an individual license associated with one of a designated computing device or an identified user;

or

a group license associated with one of two or more designated computing devices or two or more identified users.

14. The method of claim 13, where, for the individual license, the one of the designated computing device or the identified user is defined via one of:

during installation of the software product,

during activation of the software product, or

by an input provided by an administrator.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

associating the individual license with the one of the designated computing device or the identified user.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request, from the first user device, to view the license information;

determining whether a user of the first device is authorized to view the license information;

providing for display the license information to first device when the user is authorized to view the license information;

enabling the license information to be changed by the user in order to generate changed license information; and

providing for display the changed license information to the first device.

17. The method of claim 16, where the user is associated with a license administrator.

18. The method of claim 16, where the changed license information includes information associated with at least one of:

switching a license for the software product from the first device to the second device;

setting an expiration date for the license;

associating another user with the license;

or

deactivating the software product installed on the first device.

19. The method of claim 18, where the changed license information includes information associated with:

updating the license information at the first device based on receiving a second request to validate the second activation of the software product.

20. The method of claim 1, where the software product comprises a technical computing environment.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, subsequent to providing the permission for the second activation of the software product, another request to validate the first activation of the software product for the first device or the first user; and

where the software product is deactivated on the first device or for the first user based on receiving the other request to validate.

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request to install software on a first device or a user device associated with a first user;

provide software installation information when the first device or the first user is authorized for installation of the software;

receive a first request for activation of a license associated with the software for the first device or the first user;

provide license information when the first device or the first user is authorized for activation of the license;

activate the license associated with the software, for the first device or the first user, when the first device or the first user is authorized for activation of the license,

the license being activated based on the license information;

receive a request to validate activation of the software;

validate the activation of the software, based on the request to validate the activation of the software, by verifying that the first device or the user device associated with the first user includes a valid copy of the software;

receive a second request for activation of the license associated with the software for a second device or a second user;

re-designate the license information based on the second request,

the one or more instructions, that cause the re-designating the license information, further causing the one or more processors to move the software from the first device to the second device;

activate, based on the request to validate and the re-designated license information, the license associated with the software, for the second device or the second user; and

deactivate the software on the first device or for the first user based on activating the license associated with the software for the second device or the second user.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

provide a key for software installation via the software installation information.

23. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

cause the second device to execute an installer application;

request login information from a user of the second device via the installer application;

receive the login information from the second device; and

authorize the user of the second device for installation of the software on the second device based on the login information.

24. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

launch an activation application;

cause information associated with the activation application to be displayed via the first device;

request login information from a user of the first device via the information associated with the activation application;

receive the login information from the first device;

validate the login information;

authorize the user of the first device for activation of the license when the login information is validated;

receive a selection of a license activation type when the user of the first device is authorized for activation of the license;

activate the license associated with the software based on the license activation type when the user of the first device is authorized for activation of the license; and

activate the software based on the license activation type when the user of the first device is authorized for activation of the license.

25. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24, where the license activation type comprises one of:

an individual license associated with one of the first device or the user of the first device;

or

a group license associated with one of two or more designated computing devices, including the first device, or two or more identified users of the first device.

26. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 25, where the first device or the user of the first device is identified via one of:

during installation of the software,

during activation of the software, or

by an input provided by an administrator.

27. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from the first device, a request to view the license information;

determine whether a user of the first device is authorized to view the license information;

provide for display the license information to the first device when the user of the first device is authorized to view the license information;

enable the license information to be changed by the user of the first device in order to generate changed license information; and

provide for display the changed license information to the first device.

28. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 27, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

provide for display a group of licenses, associated with the user of the first device, the first device;

receive selection of a particular license from the group of licenses; and

provide for display, to the first device, at least one of;

attributes associated with the particular license,

information identifying software associated with the particular license,

an expiration date associated with the particular license,

user information associated with the particular license, or

contact information associated with the particular license.

29. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 28, where the changed license information includes information associated with at least one of:

switching the particular license from a first computing device to a second computing device;

setting expiration dates for the group of licenses;

associating a particular user with the particular license;

removing an association of the user with the particular license;

or

deactivating the first computing device associated with the particular license.

31. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, where the software comprises a technical computing environment.

30. A system, comprising:

one or more server devices, comprising one or more processors, to;

receive a request to install software on a first device or a user device associated with a first user,

determine if the first device or the first user is authorized for installation of the software;

provide software installation information to the first device or the user device associated with the first user when the first device or the first user is authorized for installation of the software;

receive a first request for activation of a license associated with the software;

determine, based on license information, whether the first device or the first user is authorized for the activation of the license;

activate the license associated with the software when the first device or the first user is authorized for the activation of the license;

receive a request to validate the activation of the software on the first device or the user device associated with the first user,

validate the activation of the software, based on a request to validate the activation of the software, by verifying that the first device or the user device associated with the first user includes a valid license to the software;

receive a second request for activation of the license associated with the software for a second device or a second user;

re-designate the license information based on the second request,

the one or more server devices, when re-designating the license information, are to move the software from the first device to the second device;

activate, based on the request to validate and the re-designated license information, the license associated with the software, for the second device or the second user; and

deactivate the software on the first device or for the first user based on activating the license associated with the software for the second device or the second user.

32. The system of claim 30, where the one or more server devices are further to:

receive, from the first device, a request to view the license information;

determine whether a user of the first device is authorized to view the license information;

provide for display the license information to the first device when the user of the first device is authorized to view the license information;

enable the license information to be changed by the user of the first device in order to generate changed license information; and

provide for display the changed license information to the first device.