Software charging system and software data utilization permitting device
First Claim
1. A software charging system comprising a utilization permitting device permitting utilization of a software program, and an authorization center for setting a utilization amount on said utilization permitting device, wherein the utilization amount is a number of days of allowed use of the software program and said utilization permitting device includes:
- a clock obtaining a date and a time;
date and time storing means for storing the obtained date and time until obtaining a next date and next time;
a utilization permission processing part generating utilization permitting signals for utilization requests in accordance with a balance of the utilization amount set by the authorization center; and
a utilization amount managing part calculating the balance of the utilization amount based on the date and time obtained by said clock.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A software charging system includes a utilization permitting device for giving permission to use a software storing medium storing ciphered programs or data (software); and an authorization center capable of communicating with the utilization permitting device for setting a utilizable amount, totalling utilization amounts and charging a user. The utilization permitting device includes: a utilization permission processing part having a clock for obtaining date and time data, and having a date and time data storing unit for storing obtained date and time data until obtaining next data and time data; and a utilization amount managing part for calculating a software utilization amount of an end user. A software utilization amount is managed based on the number of days at the utilization permission processing part.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A software charging system comprising a utilization permitting device permitting utilization of a software program, and an authorization center for setting a utilization amount on said utilization permitting device, wherein the utilization amount is a number of days of allowed use of the software program and said utilization permitting device includes:
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a clock obtaining a date and a time; date and time storing means for storing the obtained date and time until obtaining a next date and next time; a utilization permission processing part generating utilization permitting signals for utilization requests in accordance with a balance of the utilization amount set by the authorization center; and a utilization amount managing part calculating the balance of the utilization amount based on the date and time obtained by said clock. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A software charging system comprising:
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an authorization center setting a utilization amount; and a utilization permitting device including a utilization amount managing part calculating a balance of the utilization amount set by the authorization center, and a utilization permission processing part allowing access to protected software in accordance with the balance of the utilization amount calculated by the utilization amount managing part, wherein, said utilization permitting device includes utilization key data storing means for storing utilization key data necessary for permitting software utilization, said utilization amount managing part includes credit balance storing means for each software program whose stored values are set and renewed by a credit balance setting command from the authorization center, said authorization center totals software programs provided when the utilization amount is set, said setting of said secret key is operated at the same time as setting of said credit balance, said utilization permitting device further comprises key storing means for storing device-specific key data and a nonrepeating count storing means for storing nonrepeating counts for preventing command reutilization, and said authorization center ciphers said nonrepeating counts and said credit setting command by said key data and sends said ciphered nonrepeating counts and credit setting command to said utilization permitting device, said utilization permitting device receives said ciphered credit setting command and the nonrepeating counts and deciphers said nonrepeating counts and credit setting command using key data read from said key storing means, said received deciphered nonrepeating counts are compared with a value stored in the nonrepeating count storing means, and only when its comparing result is correct, based on the received credit setting command, a credit balance is set in the credit balance storing means.
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12. A software charging system comprising:
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an authorization center setting a utilization amount; a utilization permitting device including a utilization amount managing part calculating a balance of the utilization amount set by the authorization center, and a utilization permission processing part permitting utilization of protected software in accordance with the balance calculated by the utilization amount managing part, wherein, said utilization permitting device includes utilization key data storing means for storing utilization key data necessary to permit software program utilization, said utilization amount managing part includes credit balance storing means shared by a plurality of software programs, and a plurality of groups of secret key storing means for storing secret keys, and said utilization key is ciphered by said secret keys and added to said software program. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A software charging system comprising:
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an authorization center setting a utilization amount; a utilization permitting device having a utilization permission processing part for permitting use of at least one of software programs and data protected so as to prevent illegal utilization and a utilization amount managing part for calculating a balance of the utilization amount set by the authorization center, wherein said utilization amount managing part includes a utilization amount integrating meter set for each software for calculating an integrated amount of the software utilization, and said utilization permission processing part monitors the utilization amount integrating meter and notifies the authorization center when the software utilization exceeds a specified amount. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A utilization permitting device for permitting access to protected software by a user, comprising:
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a clock obtaining date and time data each time the protected software is accessed by the user; date and time data storing means for storing obtained date and time data until a next access to the protected software by the user; utilization permission processing part generating utilization permitting signals for utilization requests in accordance with a balance of a utilization amount, the utilization amount being a number of days of allowed use of the software program and being set by an authorization center; and a utilization amount managing part calculating the balance of the utilization amount, based on date and time data obtained by the clock for a current access to the protected software by the user and time and date data stored by the date and time storing means for a previous access to the protected software by the user.
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22. A software charging system for permitting a user access to software, comprising:
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an authorization center which sets a number of days of allowed use of the software as a utilization balance; and a utilization permitting device which permits access to the software by the user in accordance with the utilization balance set by the authorization center, and reduces the utilization balance in accordance with the number of days the user has used the software while permitted access.
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23. A software charging system for permitting a user access to software, comprising:
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an authorization center which sets a number of days of allowed use of the software as a utilization balance; and a utilization permitting device which reduces the utilization balance in accordance with the number of days the user has used the software while permitted access, and permits access to the software by the user while there is a remaining utilization balance. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification