System and method for licensing applications on wireless devices over a wireless network

• US 20030032406A1
• Filed: 08/13/2001
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gardner, Richard Wayne III, Sprigg, Stephen A., Minear, Brian, Nguyen, Phil Tien, Oliver, Mitchell B., Lekven, Eric J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,120,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/410
• 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 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A system and method for controlling software applications on one or more wireless devices where each wireless device is in selective communication with one or more application managing servers over a wireless network. Each wireless device has one or more selectively executable resident software applications and at least one software application requires a valid license for each execution, and upon the attempted execution of a software application, the wireless device determines if a license is present. If a license is not present, the wireless device selectively prompts, either automatically or at the direction of the user of the wireless device, an application managing server for transmission of a license, receives the transmitted license, and installs the license on the wireless device such that the software application is again licensed and executable.

Claims

1. A system for controlling software applications on one or more wireless devices, comprising:

one or more wireless devices, each wireless device in selective communication with a wireless network and having one or more resident software applications selectively executable on the wireless device, each software application requiring a license for each execution of the software application, and upon the attempted execution of a software application, the wireless device determining if a license is present to execute the software application;

one or more application managing servers, each application managing server selectively communicating with the one or more wireless devices across the wireless network and selectively providing a license for the use of a software application; and

wherein, upon the attempted execution of a software application on the wireless device for which a license is not present, the wireless device selectively prompting the application managing server for transmission of a license, receiving the transmitted license, and installing the license on the wireless device such that the licensed software application is executable.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device, upon the attempted execution of a software application for which a license is not present, prompts the user of the wireless device to obtain the requisite license for execution of the software application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application managing server also selectively downloads software applications and the requisite license for the software applications to wireless devices over the wireless network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application managing server stores the license for execution of a specific software application on a specific wireless device, and upon the attempted execution of a software application on a wireless device, the wireless device selectively prompting the application managing server for transmission of a copy of the license.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device stores the license for execution of a specific software application on the wireless device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the license is of a finite duration and expires on a fixed date.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the license expires after a predetermined number of executions of the software application on the wireless device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the license is of a finite duration and expires after the elapse of a predetermined duration since the software application was downloaded to the wireless device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the license is of a finite duration and expires after the elapse of a predetermined duration of usage of the software application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a cellular telephone.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a personal digital assistant.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a pager.

13. A system for controlling software applications on a wireless network, comprising:

wireless communication means for selectively communicating with a wireless network and having one or more resident software applications selectively executable thereon, each software application requiring a license for each execution of the software application, and upon the attempted execution of a software application, the wireless communication means determining if a license is present to execute the software application;

software application managing means for managing software applications on one or more wireless communication means, the software application managing means selectively in communication across the wireless network with the wireless communication means and selectively providing a license for the use of a software application; and

wherein, upon the attempted execution of a software application on the wireless communication means for which a license is not present, the wireless communication means selectively prompting the software application managing means for transmission of a license, receiving the transmitted license, and installing the license on the wireless communication means such that the licensed software application is executable.

14. A method for controlling software applications on one or more wireless devices, each wireless device in selective communication with a wireless network and having one or more resident software applications selectively executable on the wireless device and one or more software applications requiring a license for each execution of the software application, and the one or more wireless devices in selective communication with one or more application managing servers across the wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

attempting to execute a software application upon a wireless device;

determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application; and

if a license is not present, then the steps of;

selectively prompting the application managing server from the wireless device for transmission of a license;

selectively transmitting a license from the application managing server to the wireless device;

receiving the transmitted license at the wireless device; and

installing the license on the wireless device such that the licensed software application is executable.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of, upon the attempted execution of a software application for which a license is not present, prompting the user of the wireless device to obtain the requisite license for execution of the software application.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application is determining at the wireless device if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application is determining at the application managing server if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application is determining if the license has expired based upon passage of a fixed date.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application is determining if the license has expired based upon a predetermined number of executions of the software application having occurred on the wireless device.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application is determining if the license has expired after the elapse of a predetermined duration since the software application was downloaded to the wireless device.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application is determining if the license has expired after the elapse of a predetermined duration of usage of the software application.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of selectively transmitting a license from the application managing server to the wireless device is selectively transmitting a copy of a license for the software application of the wireless device held at the application managing server.

23. A method for controlling software applications on one or more wireless devices, each wireless device in selective communication with a wireless network and having one or more resident software applications selectively executable on the wireless device and one or more software applications requiring a license for each execution of the software application, and the one or more wireless devices in selective communication one or more application managing servers across the wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

an execution attempt step for attempting to execute a software application upon a wireless device;

a licensing determination step for determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application; and

if a license is not present, then the steps of;

a license transmission-prompting step for selectively prompting the application managing server from the wireless device for transmission of a license;

a transmission step for selectively transmitting a license from the application managing server to the wireless device;

a license receipt step for receiving the transmitted license at the wireless device; and

a license installation step for installing the license on the wireless device such that the licensed software application can be executed.

24. A wireless device in selective communication with a wireless network and having one or more resident software applications selectively executable on the wireless device, one or more of the resident software applications requiring a license for each execution of the software application, and upon the attempted execution of a software application, the wireless device determining if a license is present to execute the software application, the wireless device in selective communication with one or more application managing servers across the wireless network, and upon the attempted execution of a software application on the wireless device for which a license is not present, the wireless device selectively prompts the application managing server for transmission of a license, receives the transmitted license, and installs the license such that the software application is executable.

25. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the wireless device, upon the attempted execution of a software application for which a license is not present, prompts the user of the wireless device to obtain the requisite license for execution of the software application.

26. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the wireless device stores the license for execution of a specific software application on the wireless device.

27. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein the license is of a finite duration and expires on a fixed date.

28. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein the license expires after a predetermined number of executions of the software application on the wireless device.

29. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein the license is of a finite duration and expires after the elapse of a predetermined duration since the software application was downloaded to the wireless device.

30. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein the license is of a finite duration and expires after the elapse of a predetermined duration of usage of the software application.

31. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the wireless device is a cellular telephone.

32. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the wireless device is a personal digital assistant.

33. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the wireless device is a pager.

34. In a computer readable medium, a program that directs a wireless device having a computer platform and in selective communication with a wireless network, the wireless device further having one or more resident software applications selectively executable on the wireless device with at least one software application requiring a license for each execution of the software application, to perform the steps of:

attempting to execute a software application upon the wireless device;

determining if a license is present for the wireless device to execute the software application; and

if a license is not present, then the steps of;

selectively prompting, from the wireless device, an application managing server on the wireless network for transmission of a software application license;

receiving the transmitted software application license at the wireless device; and

installing the license on the wireless device such that the licensed software application is executable.