Firewall for licensing protected software on a computer

• US 20050273435A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher D. Coley, Ralph E. Wesinger Jr
• Original Assignee: Christopher D. Coley, Ralph E. Wesinger Jr
• Inventors: Coley, Christopher D., Wesinger, Ralph E. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US11/113,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273435A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps

Abstract

A licensing module for licensing protected software is disclosed. The licensing module may be operatively disposed on a gateway device that is operating between a computer and an IP-compliant network. In disclosed embodiments, the licensing module may be configured to detect the use of a protected software application residing on the computer and send a license validity inquiry request to a license server over the IP-compliant network. The licensing module may then operate the protected software application in accordance with the contents of a response message received from the license server.

Claims

1. A firewall for licensing protected software on a computer comprising:

a firewall operatively disposed between a computer and an IP-compliant network;

the firewall including a licensing module configured to;

detect the use of a protected software application residing on the computer;

send a license validity inquiry request to a license server over the IP-compliant network regarding said protected software application; and

operate said protected software application in accordance with the contents of a response message received from the license server.

2. The firewall of claim 1, the licensing module further configured to update a cache component with information regarding the use of said protected software application.

3. The firewall of claim 2, wherein the contents of said cache are provided to said license server.

4. The firewall of claim 2, wherein information contained in said cache component is converted into a billing statement by said license server.

5. The firewall of claim 3, wherein said billing occurs on a per-use basis.

6. The firewall of claim 1, wherein said firewall appears as the only IP address visible outside of the firewall.

7. The firewall of claim 1, wherein said licensing module manages a plurality of protected software applications operating on a protected network.

8. An apparatus for securely licensing protected software on a computer comprising:

firewall means for securely managing communications between a computer and an IP-compliant network;

the firewall means further comprising;

means for detecting the use of a protected software application residing on the computer;

means for sending a license validity inquiry request to a license server over the IP-compliant network regarding said protected software application; and

means for operating said protected software application in accordance with the contents of a response message received from the license server.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising means for updating a cache component means with information regarding the use of said protected software application.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for providing the contents of said cache component means to a license server means.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for converting the contents of said cache component into a billing statement.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for billing on a per-use basis.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said proxy agent appears as the only IP address visible outside of the firewall.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising means for managing a plurality of protected software applications operating on a protected network.

15. A licensing module for licensing protected software on a computer comprising:

a licensing module operatively disposed on a gateway device, the gateway device being disposed between a computer and an IP-compliant network;

the licensing module being configured to;

detect the use of a protected software application residing on the computer;

send a license validity inquiry request to a license server over the IP-compliant network regarding said protected software application; and

operate said protected software application in accordance with the contents of a response message received from the license server.

16. The module of claim 15, the licensing module further configured to update a cache component with information regarding the use of said protected software application.

17. The module of claim 16, wherein the contents of said cache are provided to said license server.

18. The module of claim 16, wherein information contained in said cache component is converted into a billing statement by said license server.

19. The module of claim 18, wherein said billing occurs on a per-use basis.

20. The module of claim 15, wherein said is disposed in a gateway device, the gateway device appearing as the only IP address visible outside of the firewall.

21. The module of claim 15, wherein said licensing module manages a plurality of protected software applications operating on a protected network.