Security system against illegal use and copy of eletronic data
First Claim
1. A method for generating a physical key for use with computers with the aim of avoiding illegal use or copy of electronic data, said physical key is a computer readable/writable storage medium with a storage medium identity that cannot be changed or that can hardly be detected and changed by users, said storage medium contains also a counter that registers the number of times the electronic data to be protected is installed and an identity to identify the electronic data to be protected, said method comprising the lock of the counter and the identity of the electronic data to a specific storage medium by utilising the storage medium identity to create a unique and unambiguous relation between the counter, the identity of the electronic data and the storage medium.
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Abstract
The invention hereby presented is a security system against illegal use and/or copy of electronic data. This security system protects electronic data against being used and/or copied by users that have not purchased this right from the respective producer/provider.
The security system consists in four parts, namely; a computer program or any other form of electronic data that has to be protected (electronic data 9), a physical key containing key information (physical key 10), a component that generates the physical key (component 1) and a component that reads and updates the key information in the physical key (component 11).
The minimum information the physical key should contain is am identity that identifies the physical key (identity 3), a counter that registers the number of time the protected electronic data is installed (counter 4) and a link to the electronic data to be protected (application identity 5). In addition, the physical dey can also contain a limit value that establishes the limit to the maxim;um number a protected electronic data can be installed (limit value 6). If this limit value is not contained by the physical key, the limit value has to be contained by the electronic data to be portected of by the respective installation program.
When the electronic data is installed, the physical key has to be in place for the process to be carried out. The counter in the physical key is then compared with the limit value. If the counter in less than the limit value, the electronic data is installed and the counter updated (counter=counter+1). When the uninstallation process is started, the physical key has also to be in place. In this case, the counter is reduced (counter=counter−1).
The physical key loses its functionality if the key information it contains is manually changed. Copies of the physical key are not functional.
28 Citations
34 Claims
- 1. A method for generating a physical key for use with computers with the aim of avoiding illegal use or copy of electronic data, said physical key is a computer readable/writable storage medium with a storage medium identity that cannot be changed or that can hardly be detected and changed by users, said storage medium contains also a counter that registers the number of times the electronic data to be protected is installed and an identity to identify the electronic data to be protected, said method comprising the lock of the counter and the identity of the electronic data to a specific storage medium by utilising the storage medium identity to create a unique and unambiguous relation between the counter, the identity of the electronic data and the storage medium.
- 2. A method for generating a physical key for use with computers with the aim of avoiding illegal use or copy of electronic data, said physical key is a computer readable/writable storage medium with a storage medium identity that cannot be changed or that can hardly be detected and changed by users, said storage medium contains also a counter that registers the number of times the electronic data to be protected is installed, an identity to identify the electronic data to be protected and a limit value to establish the maximum number of times the electronic data can be installed, said method comprising the lock of the counter, the identity of the electronic data and the limit value to a specific storage medium by utilising the storage medium identity to create a unique and unambiguous relation between the counter, the identity of the electronic data, the limit value and the storage medium.
- 5. A system for generating a physical key for use with computers with the aim of avoiding illegal use or copy of electronic data, said physical key is a computer readable/writable storage medium with a storage medium identity that cannot be changed or that can hardly be detected and changed by users, said storage medium contains also a counter that registers the number of times the electronic data to be protected is installed and an identity to identify the electronic data to be protected, said method comprising the lock of file or files containing the counter and the identity of the electronic data to a specific storage medium by writing the storage medium identity in this/these files.
- 6. A system for generating a physical key for use with computers with the aim of avoiding illegal use or copy of electronic data, said physical key is a computer readable/writable storage medium with a storage medium identity that cannot be changed or that can hardly be detected and changed by users, said storage medium contains also a counter that registers the number of times the electronic data to be protected is installed, an identity to identify the electronic data to be protected and a limit value to establish the maximum number of times the electronic data can be installed, said method comprising the lock of file or files containing the counter, the identity of the electronic data and limit value to a specific storage medium by writing the storage medium identity in this/these files.
Specification