Method of licensing computer program or data to be used legally

• US 20030135745A1
• Filed: 01/17/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yu-Chin Liu
• Original Assignee: Yu-Chin Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Yu-Chin
• Application Number:
  US10/046,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135745A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• 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]

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of licensing computer program or data to run or use, and more specifically, using a network transmission protocol to license program or data. This method is to store (embed) register number entered in client side into computer storage, and when the client-side is to execute/use the program or data, the register number is automatically read (fetched) and transmitted to server side through network after encrypting for authorization. Besides identifying the validity, the server also judge whether there are same register numbers to apply for certification at the same time from another client side. If there is not error, the program or data is permitted to execute/use in client side. Otherwise, only partial functions are permitted to use or no functions can be used. So, one method that can ensure program or data to be used legally is provided.

Claims

1. A method of licensing program to be used legally, which comprises the steps of:

using register number to licensing the client-side program;

as executing the program, automatically fetching the data of register number and encrypting the data and then transmitting it to server to apply for authorization;

after server accepting above request, checking the legality and the validity of the register number, and then transmitting back the acknowledgment signal to client-side computer;

after client-side receiving licensing signal from server, the program being unlocked and operating normally.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the register number is embedded in storage of client side.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein communication protocol using special encrypting method is applied between client side and server side.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein server checks the legality and the validity of the received register numbers and whether there are identical register numbers concurrently to apply for authorization;

5. The method of claim 4, wherein if illegal register number (for example:

the register number does not exist or is expired) or invalid register number (for example;

a “

legal”

register number is received from a forbidden ip address) is found, the program at client side can be set to forbid the executing of program or only partial function can be executed.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein when identical and valid register numbers are found concurrently and do not exceed the original agreed number of users, authorization is permitted for the client sides to execute the full functions of the programs. Otherwise, authorization is permitted to the earliest request only, and the latter may be forced to quit or only able to execute the function of trial version program.

7. A method of licensing data to be used legally, which comprises the steps of:

encrypting the data that contains some or many of following information;

charging information, register number, music, text, and movie, then transmitting the encrypted data to the storage of the user'"'"'s device (or computer;

computer is one type of devices);

when using the data that contains music, text or movie, etc, the client-side program automatically reading the encrypted data, register number and charging information from the storage, after encrypting again, it is transmitted to server to apply for authorization;

after server receiving the above request, checking the legality and the validity of the register number and charging, then transmitting back the acknowledgment signal to client side;

after client-side program receiving the acknowledgment signal from the server, decrypting the required data to the types that can be read or played.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein communication protocol using special encrypting method is applied between client side and server side.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein client sides that have different and valid register numbers can use the same data concurrently. Or if client-sides that have identical and valid register numbers but do not exceed the original agreed users can use the same data concurrently.

10. The method of claim 7, the register number must be stored (or embedded) in the storage of the client side. But the register number is not necessary to be transmitted to user by the same method, or at the same time with the other encoded data.

11. The method of claim 7, the charging procedure (information) can be decided online by the server according to the register number, so the charging information is not necessary to be stored in the storage of client side.