Software use method control system

• US 5,968,175 A
• Filed: 06/23/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Morishita, Akira, Doi, Miwako, Muratani, Hirofumi, Miike, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DIEU MINH T
• Application Number:
  US08/880,396
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 395/186, 395/187.01, 395/188.01, 380/3, 380/4, 380/23, 380/25, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 364/222.5, 364/286.4, 364/286.5, 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 707/9, 707/10
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A software use method control system including a storage device and an access controller. The storage device stores information for designating a right to access system resources of operating systems which are to be executed in the software use method control system. The access controller controls access to the system resources of the operating systems. The system also includes a privilege protecting section. The privilege protecting section includes an input receiver for receiving an execution request made by a software user, a program-executing device for executing a program having a right to access all system resources of the operating systems, and a program-execution inhibiting device for determining whether the program-executing device is allowed to executed the program, from the execution request which the input receiver has received, and for inhibiting the program executing device from executing the programs when the programs are not allowed to be executed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising;

storage means for storing software, software managing means for managing the software and authorization information corresponding to a method for secondary use of the software as a set of information;

authorization managing means for utilizing the software in accordance with the authorization information stored in said storage means;

authentication information managing means for managing authentication information showing a condition the software assumes when the software is used;

copyright managing means for managing copyright information which controls an access to said authorization managing means; and

copyright control means for making an access to said copyright managing means and to said authorization managing means by using the copyright information and the authentication information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said copyright control means edits the software in at least one of three control schemes of "software can be edited in any way," "software cannot be edited at all" and "software can be edited only in ways designated."

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said authorization managing means and said copyright control means includes means for treating at least one of a use method control program and a copyright control program as an execution unit protected from access from any other program, and for using the copyright information as a software ID indicating an access right of each execution unit.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein, when said copyright control means edits the software in the control scheme of "software can be edited in any way," at least one of said authorization managing means and said copyright control means includes means for treating the use method control program, the copyright control program and the software, as execution units protected from access from any other program, and for using the copyright information as a software ID indicating an access right of each of these execution units.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said authorization managing means and said copyright control means includes means for protecting a program and data access by use of the program, as independent execution units.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said authorization managing means and said copyright control means include means for inhibiting an access to data of at least one program when said at least one program and at least one data item have different execution unit IDs.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of said authorization managing means and said copyright control means include means for allowing an access to the data of the program.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said copyright control means includes a copyright control program;

and

wherein said authorization managing means includes a use method control program and means for executing a program as an execution unit protected from an access from any other program and for using the authentication information as a software ID indicating the access right of the execution unit.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the program to be used, the use method control program, the copyright information and the authentication information include at least one of a personal ID assigned to a specific person, an apparatus ID assigned to a specific apparatus and a software ID assigned to specific software.

10. A software use method control system comprising:

a plurality of software use method control means, each including software, software managing means for managing software, first storage means for storing authorization information corresponding to a use method for secondary use of the software and means for utilizing the software in accordance with the authorization information stored in the storage means; and

communication means for achieving communication among software use method control units,

each of said software use method control means further comprising;

means for receiving, through said communication means, a request for using the software in a specific manner;

second storage means for storing a program for controlling a manner of using the software, the program being stored at a storage location designated by the authorization information;

means for determining, from the authorization information, whether the program is stored at the storage location designated by the authorization information; and

copying means for copying the program from any other software use method control means storing the program, when the means for determining determines that the program is not stored at the storage location designated by the authorization information.