Use right management system and storage medium

• US 20030055678A1
• Filed: 11/04/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nakayama, Yukio, Sakamoto, Kaoru, Fujiya, Chiaki, Mashiko, Junko
• Application Number:
  US10/286,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055678A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• 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

Abstract

A right-of-use database stores one or more rights of use of merchandise. Also provided are a unit permitting merchandise to be used when it is determined by referring to the right-of-use database that a right of use is obtained, and prohibiting the merchandise from use when it is determined that there is no right of use or the right of use has expired, and a unit performing a job using the merchandise when using the merchandise is permitted, and decreasing an amount of use from the right of use stored in the right-of-use database.

Claims

1. A use right management system managing to use merchandise, comprising:

a right-of-use database storing one or more rights of use of merchandise;

a unit permitting merchandise to be used when it is determined by referring to said right-of-use database that a right of use is obtained, and prohibiting the merchandise from use when it is determined that there is no right of use or the right of use has expired; and

a unit performing a job using the merchandise when using the merchandise is permitted, and decreasing an amount of use from the right of use stored in said right-of-use database.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the right of use stored in said right-of-use database is retrieved and exported when a division request is satisfied, and simultaneously deleted from the right-of-use database.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising

a unit storing a right of use on said right-of-use database when the right of use is imported or purchased.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising

a unit storing in said right-of-use database an undiscounted right of use, a discounted right of use, or a right of use whose discount is restored when the right of use is imported or purchased and an import or purchase target is a first unit or a second or subsequent unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising

a unit making a check by issuing an inquiry to a purchase source or a predetermined center when a predetermined period passes from a predetermined date such as a date of issue, check, start of operation of the right of use, setting a right of use available when a result of the check indicates validity of the right of use, and setting the right of use kept unavailable or setting the right of use unavailable when a result of the check indicates invalidity of the right of use.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising

a unit suppressing subtraction of a non-use period from the right of use when a previous use date and time is compared with a current date and time for the right of use, and it is determined that the non-use period is detected.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program implementing the method comprising:

storing in a right-of-use database one or more rights of use of merchandise;

permitting merchandise to be used when it is determined by referring to said right-of-use database that a right of use is obtained, and prohibiting the merchandise from use when it is determined that there is no right of use or the right of use has expired; and

performing a job using the merchandise when using the merchandise is permitted, and decreasing an amount of use from the right of use stored in said right-of-use database.