Software security system using remove function to restrict unauthorized duplicating and installation of an application program

• US 6,067,622 A
• Filed: 01/02/1996
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven Jerome Moore
• Original Assignee: Steven Jerome Moore
• Inventors: Moore, Steven Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DIEU MINH T
• Application Number:
  US08/581,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 395/186, 395/188.01, 395/187.01, 395/704, 395/709, 395/712, 395/567, 395/568, 395/580, 395/183.14, 380/3, 380/4, 380/25, 380/23, 380/45, 364/222.5, 364/286.4, 364/286.5, 713/200, 713/201, 713/202
• US Class Current: 726/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs

Abstract

Disclosed is a software-based system and method for restricting unlicensed software duplication and installation. The invention features a software security system using a remove function for restricting unauthorized duplication and installation of an application program onto one or more data processing systems. The software security system includes an installation program and an application program. The application program as written is "un-runnable" owing to nonsense instruction sets dispersed throughout the actual programming instructions of the application program. An installation program routine comprises software instruction sets for removing the nonsense instruction sets in the application program. The software security system executes an instruction set to delete the nonsense instruction sets upon installation of the application program into one or more data processing systems thereby allowing application program to be executed once loaded onto the system(s), upon correspondence between an internal run key and an execution-time run key.

Claims

1. A software security system for restricting unauthorized duplications and installation of an application program comprising:

a software instruction-set means for restricting the installation of said application program to persons authorized to install said application program, said software instruction-set means for restricting installation being incorporated into an installation program routine for installing said application program onto one or more data processing systems;

a software instruction-set means for restricting utilization of said installed application program to said one or more data processing systems onto which said application program was originally installed, said software instruction-set means for restricting data processing system utilization being incorporated into said application program;

wherein said application program has nonsense instruction sets dispersed throughout its program routine;

wherein said installation program routine includes a software instruction set means for removing said nonsense instruction sets in said application program upon installation of said application program on said one or more data processing systems;

and wherein said application program is permitted to be executed upon confirmation of an internal run key.

2. The software security system of claim 1 wherein said software instruction-set means for restricting installation of said application program employs a time-variable authorization code.

3. The software security system of claim 1 wherein said software instruction-set means for restricting utilization of said application program to the one or more data processing systems on which said programming was installed employs an authorization code related to fixed parameters of the operating system of said data processing system.

4. A method for protecting against unauthorized duplication and installation of a software application program recorded within a storage medium for use in a data processing unit comprising the steps of:

storing within said software application program a nonsense instruction-set such as to make said software application program unexecutable;

performing a first predetermined operation upon initiation of installation of said software application program onto said data processing unit to determine an application program installation key;

storing said application program installation key in a first data storage area of said data processing unit;

performing a second predetermined operation upon initiation of installation of said software application program onto said data processing unit to determine an internal run key;

storing said internal run key in a second data storage area of said data processing unit;

obtaining said installation key from the purveyor of said software application program;

inputting said purveyor installation key into said data processing unit;

comparing said purveyor installation key with the installation key in said first data storage area;

installing said application program in a data storage area of said data processing unit upon match between said purveyor installation key and said installation key stored in said first data storage area;

performing a third pre-determined operation upon initiation of execution of said installed software application program to determine an execution-time run key;

comparing said execution-time run key within said internal run key stored in said second data storage area;

permitting full execution of said application program upon determining correspondence between said execution-time run key and said internal run key stored in said second data storage area;

placing within an installation program for installing said application program onto said data processing unit an instruction-set for removing, by deleting, nonsense instruction sets placed in said application program, upon installation of said application program.

5. A software security system for restricting unauthorized duplications and installation of an application program comprising:

an application program having nonsense instruction sets placed in its instruction routine;

an installation program having a software instruction-set for removing, by deleting said nonsense instruction sets from said application program;

a software instruction set for storing information unique to the profile of an authorized user in said application program;

an input means for inputting information unique to the profile of said authorized user;

software comparison means for comparing said unique stored profile information with said inputted unique profile information;

wherein said application program further has a software instruction set for limiting access to said application if said stored unique profile information does not match said inputted unique profile information.