TRACKING, DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGEMENT OF APPORTIONABLE LICENSES GRANTED FOR DISTRIBUTED SOFTWARE PRODUCTS

• US 20080162360A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickover, Clifford A., Hamilton, Rick A., Seaman, James W., Mastrianni, Steven J., Chefalas, Thomas E., Jalan, Srikant, BANTZ, DAVID
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing

Abstract

A computer controlled implementation for distributing portions of a license to use software entities, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to subsequent secondary licensees comprising determining a dividable value for the primary license to use a software entity, enabling the primary licensee to grant a portion of the dividable value of the primary license to use the software entity to a secondary licensee, enabling the licensor, the licensee and the secondary licensee to add value to said values of the licenses and tracking said value of the license and of the portion granted to said secondary licensee.

Claims

1. A computer controlled method for distributing portions of a license to use software entities, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to subsequent secondary licensees comprising:

determining a dividable value for said primary license to use a software entity;

enabling said primary licensee to grant a portion of said dividable value of said primary license to use said software entity to a secondary licensee;

enabling said licensor, said licensee and said secondary licensee to change said values of said licenses; and

tracking said value of said license and of said portion granted to said secondary licensee.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said licensor is enabled to add value to said value of said primary license and incentive for primary licensee to grant portions of the value of said primary license to a secondary licensee.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of enabling the selective display of said values of each of said licenses.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the duration time of said licenses is a factor in said values.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of automatically changing values of a plurality of said primary and secondary licenses responsive to predetermined changes in the number of licensees of a licensed software entity.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of enabling a secondary licensee to grant a portion of said dividable value of said secondary license to use said software entity to a subsequent licensee.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said tracking of the values of said license and said portions granted to said secondary and additional licensees is done by the steps of:

forming a displayable hierarchy including;

a primary node representing said primary licensee;

at least one secondary node representing at least one secondary licensee; and

a subsequent node for each subsequent licensee.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the step of enabling the display of the value of each license in association with the node representing each licensee.

9. A computer controlled system for distributing portions of a license to use software entities, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to subsequent secondary licensees comprising:

means for determining a dividable value for said primary license to use a software entity;

means for enabling said primary licensee to grant a portion of said dividable value of said primary license to use said software entity to a secondary licensee;

means for enabling said licensor, said licensee and said secondary licensee to add value to said values of said licenses; and

means for tracking said value of said license and of said portion granted to said secondary licensee.

10. The computer controlled system of claim 9, wherein said licensor is enabled to add value to said value of said primary license and incentive for primary licensee to grant portions of the value of said primary license to a secondary licensor.

11. The computer controlled system of claim 9 further including means for enabling the selective display of said values for the licensing of each of said licenses.

12. The computer controlled system of claim 9 wherein the duration time of said licenses is a factor in said values.

13. The computer controlled system of claim 9 wherein the cost of said licenses is a factor in said values.

14. The computer controlled system of claim 9 further including means for enabling a secondary licensee to grant a portion of said dividable value of said secondary license to use said software entity to a subsequent licensee.

15. The computer controlled system of claim 14 wherein said means for tracking the values of said license and said portions granted to said secondary and additional licensees comprises:

means for forming a displayable hierarchy including;

a primary node representing said primary licensee;

at least one secondary node representing at least one secondary licensee; and

a subsequent node for each subsequent licensees.

16. The computer controlled system of claim 15 further including means enabling the selective display of the value of each license in association with the node representing each licensee.

17. A computer program having code recorded on a computer readable storage medium for distributing portions of a license to use software entities, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to subsequent secondary licensees comprising:

means for determining a dividable value for said primary license to use a software entity;

means for enabling said primary licensee to grant a portion of said dividable value of said primary license to use said software entity to a secondary licensee;

means for enabling said licensor, said licensee and said secondary licensee to add value to said values of said licenses; and

means for tracking said value of said license and of said portion granted to said secondary licensee.

18. The computer program of claim 17 further including means for enabling the selective display of said values of each of said licenses.

19. The computer program of claim 17 further including means for enabling a secondary licensee to grant a portion of said dividable value of said secondary license to use said software entity to a subsequent licensee.

20. The computer program of claim 17 wherein said means for tracking the values of said license and said portions granted to said secondary and additional licensees comprises:

means for forming a displayable hierarchy including;

a primary node representing said primary licensee;

at least one secondary node representing at least one secondary licensee; and

a subsequent node for each subsequent licensees.

21. The computer program of claim 17 further including means enabling the selective display of the value of each license in association with the node representing each licensee.