Method of distributing electronic license keys

• US 20060004668A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hamnen, Jan Hakan, Nicolaysen, Vidar
• Application Number:
  US10/883,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004668A1
• 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 21/12 Protecting executable software
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

A method of distributing to a plurality of computer appliances, an electronic license key that enables the appliance to access protected software. A selling party sends “license tokens” to a user. Each token enables the user to load a license key on one of the user'"'"'s appliances. Tokens may be forwarded by the user for loading license keys onto other appliances. Tokens may be loaded onto a portable laptop computer, which can then be connected to “off-line” appliances in order to load license keys onto appliances that are not connected to a network through which the electronic license key can be downloaded.

Claims

1. A method of distributing an electronic license key from a selling party to a plurality of computer appliances, wherein loading the electronic license key on an appliance enables the appliance to access a protected software portion, said method comprising the steps of:

distributing a plurality of license tokens from the selling party to a user having a plurality of computer appliances that require the electronic license key, wherein each license token enables the user to load the electronic license key onto one of the computer appliances; and

loading the electronic license key by the user onto a plurality of computer appliances.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of loading the electronic license key by the user includes loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances that is less than or equal to the plurality of license tokens distributed from the selling party.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of license tokens are received by the user in a first part of the user'"'"'s organization, and the step of loading the electronic license key by the user includes:

dividing the plurality of license tokens received by the user into a first subset and a second subset;

loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances within the first part of the user'"'"'s organization that is equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the first subset;

forwarding the second subset of license tokens from the first part of the user'"'"'s organization to a second part of the user'"'"'s organization; and

loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances within the second part of the user'"'"'s organization that is equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the second subset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the user'"'"'s computer appliances is an off-line appliance that is not connected to a network through which the electronic license key can be downloaded, and the step of loading the electronic license key by the user includes:

loading a subset of license tokens on a portable appliance;

connecting the portable appliance to the off-line appliance; and

loading the electronic license key onto the off-line appliance from the portable appliance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

distributing a plurality of license tokens from the selling party to a distributor;

dividing the plurality of license tokens received by the distributor into a first subset and a second subset;

sending the first subset of license tokens from the distributor to a first end-user; and

loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances within the first end-user'"'"'s organization that is equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the first subset.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

sending the second subset of license tokens from the distributor to a second end-user; and

loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances within the second end-user'"'"'s organization that is equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the second subset.

7. A method of distributing an electronic license key to a plurality of computer appliances, wherein loading the electronic license key on an appliance enables the appliance to access a protected software portion, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving by a distributor, a plurality of license tokens distributed by a selling party, wherein each license token enables an end-user to load the electronic license key onto one of the end-user'"'"'s computer appliances; and

sending at least one license token from the distributor to a first end-user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising loading the electronic license key onto a computer appliance by the first end-user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of sending at least one license token from the distributor to the first end-user includes:

dividing the plurality of license tokens received by the distributor into a first subset and a second subset; and

sending the first subset of license tokens from the distributor to the first end-user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances by the first end-user, said number of computer appliances being equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the first subset.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending the second subset of license tokens from the distributor to a second end-user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances by the second end-user, said number of computer appliances being equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the second subset.

13. A method of distributing an electronic license key from a selling party to a plurality of computer appliances, wherein loading the electronic license key on an appliance enables the appliance to access a protected software portion, said method comprising the steps of:

sending a plurality of license tokens from the selling party to a user having a plurality of computer appliances that require the electronic license key, wherein each license token enables the user to load the electronic license key onto one of the computer appliances;

receiving the plurality of license tokens in a first part of the user'"'"'s organization;

dividing the plurality of license tokens received by the user into a first subset and a second subset;

loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances within the first part of the user'"'"'s organization that is equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the first subset;

forwarding the second subset of license tokens from the first part of the user'"'"'s organization to a second part of the user'"'"'s organization; and

loading the electronic license key onto a number of computer appliances within the second part of the user'"'"'s organization that is equal to or less than the number of license tokens in the second subset.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one of the user'"'"'s computer appliances is an off-line appliance that is not connected to a network through which the electronic license key can be downloaded, and the method further comprises:

loading a license token on a portable appliance;

connecting the portable appliance to the off-line appliance; and

loading the electronic license key onto the off-line appliance from the portable appliance.

15. A method of distributing an electronic license key from a selling party to a plurality of computer appliances, wherein loading the electronic license key on an appliance enables the appliance to access a protected software portion, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a license token that provides a user with a right to load the electronic license key onto the plurality of computer appliances; and

distributing the license token from the selling party to the user.

16. A method of distributing a plurality of electronic license keys from a selling party to a user having at least one computer appliance, wherein each electronic license key enables the appliance to access a different protected software feature, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a license token that provides the user with a right to load the plurality of electronic license keys onto the at least one computer appliance; and

distributing the license token from the selling party to the user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of creating the license token also includes creating a license token that enables the user to pass on the license token to a specified number of other users.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of creating a license token that enables the user to pass on the license token to a specified number of other users includes creating a license token that enables the user to pass on a license token that provides another user with the right to load only a selected license key onto a computer appliance.