SOFTWARE ACTIVATION IN A MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20070238450A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hogberg, Lena
• Application Number:
  US11/279,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20070238450A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

An activation and reporting mechanism for software in a mobile terminal allows the software to be activated by an end-user. In one implementation, a mobile terminal receives an indication that an end-user of the mobile terminal is attempting to use the software and gathers registration information from the end-user. The mobile terminal transmits the registration information and then activates the software.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a memory including a software application for use at the mobile terminal; and

logic configured to;

receive an indication that an end-user of the mobile terminal is attempting to use the software application;

transmit registration information to a registration entity; and

activate the software application for use by the end-user.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the registration information includes an identification of the software application being activated and is used to count the number of activations relating to the software application.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to:

gather the registration information from the end-user.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the registration entity includes one or more of a manufacturer of the mobile terminal, an application provider that authored the software, or a service provider for the mobile terminal.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the registration information includes one or more of a name, address, or a telephone number of the mobile terminal.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the registration information includes a unique identification number of the mobile terminal or an account number of the user associated with the mobile terminal.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the registration information includes payment information for the software application.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein transmitting the registration information includes transmitting the registration information as an email message or an SMS message.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a license key at the mobile terminal in response to the transmitting the registration information.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein activating the software application for use by the end-user is performed using the license key.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the software application is stored in the memory of the mobile terminal during manufacture of the mobile terminal.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the software application is downloaded to the memory of the mobile terminal.

13. A method for activating software in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that an end-user of the mobile terminal is attempting to use the software;

gathering information from the end-user for registering the software;

transmitting the registration information using the mobile terminal to one or more of a manufacturer of the mobile terminal, an application provider associated with the software, or a service provider for the mobile terminal; and

activating the software for use by the end-user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the registration information includes one or more of a name, address, a telephone number of the mobile terminal, a unique identification number of the mobile terminal, or an account number of the user associated with a chip installed in the mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the registration information includes payment information for the software.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting the registration information includes transmitting the registration information as an email message or an SMS message.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a license key at the mobile terminal in response to the transmitting the registration information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein activating the software for use by the end-user is performed using the license key.

19. A method of activating software in a mobile terminal comprising:

determining location information or language preference information for an end-user of the mobile terminal;

selecting a software license agreement based on the determined information;

presenting the selected software license agreement to the end-user; and

activating the software when the end-user accepts the presented software license agreement.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the location information is automatically determined in response to the end-user attempting to use the software.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the determined location information includes at least one of a city, zip code, or country of residence.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the end-user relating to whether the end-user accepts the software license agreement; and

transmitting the indication to one or more of a manufacturer of the mobile terminal, an application provider that associated with software, or a service provider for the mobile terminal.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the software is pre-stored in the mobile terminal.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the software is downloaded to the mobile terminal by an end-user.

25. A device comprising:

means for determining location information for an end-user of a mobile terminal;

means for selecting a software license agreement based on the location information;

means for presenting the selected software license agreement to an end-user of the device; and

means for activating the software when the end-user accepts the presented software license agreement.

26. A mobile device comprising:

a memory storing a software application that requires activation before an end-user is provided with full use privileges for the software application, the activation being performed via an activation process, performed using an interface specified by a designer of the software application, using an application programming interface (API) provided by a manufacturer of the mobile terminal; and

logic configured to provide wireless communication to an end-user of the mobile device, the activation process including communicating with a registration entity via the logic.

27. The mobile device of claim 26, wherein the registration entity includes one or more of a manufacturer of the mobile terminal, an application provider that authored the software application, or a service provider for the mobile device.

28. The mobile device of claim 26, wherein the logic is configured to transmit an email message or an SMS message to activate the software application.