Key interface for secure object manipulation
First Claim
1. A method for controlling access to a certain functionality of a first software, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving, at the first software, a key associated with at least one desired functionality of the first software, wherein the key is provided by a second software;
verifying the key; and
allowing the second software to access the at least one desired functionality when the key is verified.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for controlling access to various tiers of functionality of core software are provided. A software developer/vendor can develop a single version of software having one or more limited-access functionalities and provide the single version of the software to various types of customers. Each customer, using the single version of the core software, may develop additional software that utilizes one or more functionalities of the core software as authorized by the software developer/vendor. Access to a certain functionality or set of functionalities by the customer developed software is obtained by adapting the customer developed software to submit a key, provided by the software developer/vendor, to the core software through, for example, an application programming interface (API) of the core software. The core software is adapted to verify the provided key and, if the provided key is correct, allow the customer developed software access to the corresponding one or more functionalities of the core software.
35 Citations
51 Claims
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1. A method for controlling access to a certain functionality of a first software, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving, at the first software, a key associated with at least one desired functionality of the first software, wherein the key is provided by a second software;
verifying the key; and
allowing the second software to access the at least one desired functionality when the key is verified. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for controlling access to at least one functionality of a first software, the system comprising:
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a key verification module being adapted to verify a key provided by a second software, the key being associated with at least one desired functionality of the first software to be used by the second software;
a tier functionality application programming interface (API) being adapted to interface with the second software to provide the at least one desired functionality to the second software; and
a tier access control module operably connected to the key verification module and the tier functionality API and being adapted to direct the tier functionality API to allow the second software to access the at least one desired functionality of the first software when the key is verified by the key verification module. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer readable medium for controlling access to at least one functionality of a first software, the computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions being adapted to manipulate a processor to:
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receive, from a second software, a key associated with at least one desired functionality of the first software;
verify the key; and
allow the second software to access the at least one desired functionality of the first software when the key is verified. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. In a network gateway of a distributed communications network, a system for controlling access to at least one functionality of a first software of the network gateway, the system comprising:
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a key verification module being adapted to verify a key provided by a second software, the key being associated with at least one desired functionality of the first software to be used by the second software;
a tier functionality application programming interface (API) being adapted to interface with the second software to provide the at least one desired functionality of the first software to the second software; and
a tier access control module operably connected to the key verification module and the tier functionality API and being adapted to direct the tier functionality API to allow the second software to access the at least one desired functionality when the key is verified by the key verification module. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. An operating system comprising:
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a key verification module being adapted to verify a key provided by software external to the operating system, the key being associated with at least one desired functionality of the operating system to be used by the external software;
a tier functionality application programming interface (API) being adapted to interface with the external software to provide the at least one desired functionality of the operating system to the external software; and
a tier access control module operably connected to the key verification module and the tier functionality API and being adapted to direct the tier functionality API to allow the external software to access the at least one desired functionality of the operating system when the key is verified by the key verification module. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A network protocol stack comprising:
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a key verification module being adapted to verify a key provided by a component external to the network protocol stack, the key being associated with at least one desired functionality of the network protocol stack to be used by the external component;
a tier functionality application programming interface (API) being adapted to interface with the external component to provide the at least one desired functionality of the network protocol stack to the external component; and
a tier access control module operably connected to the key verification module and the tier functionality API and being adapted to direct the tier functionality API to allow the external component to access the at least one desired functionality of the network protocol stack when the key is verified by the key verification module. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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Specification