Software protection mechanism

• US 20020147922A1
• Filed: 04/09/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Kiesel, Martin, Hartinger, Andreas
• Application Number:
  US09/829,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147922A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs

Abstract

A method for determining authorization to use software components of a computer system or a controller using a unique hardware identification code is disclosed. An identification number is generated by an encoding algorithm from a hardware identification code and license information, optionally including additional information. Comparison of encoded and decoded identification numbers will permit or restrict access to the software components.

Claims

1. A method for preventing unauthorized use of software components for a computer system or a control unit having a unique hardware identification, wherein an identification number for a distinct allocation of hardware identification and license information is generated from the invariant hardware identification code of a computer-readable data medium and additional license information by means of an encoding algorithm, and is sent in the form of the computer-readable data medium to the computer system or the control unit on which the software components run.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein additional information is also used to generate the identification number.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more identification numbers can be generated for one hardware identification code.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification numbers are stored in a readable and writeable area of the computer-readable data medium.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein license information and/or additional information is also stored on the computer-readable data medium.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a component that is already present for the operation of the system is used as the data medium.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a memory card is used as the data medium.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a multimedia memory card is used as the data medium.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data medium may be designed as a key which contains information.