Apparatus for licensing software applications

• US 6,173,446 B1
• Filed: 02/02/1999
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Holdings LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ultimus Incorporated (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Khan, Rashid N., Andrade, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US09/241,457
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 395/701, 395/712, 717/11, 707/203, 707/204, 705/1, 705/59, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 713/1, 380/1
• US Class Current: 717/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks

Abstract

An apparatus for monitoring software usage on a network having a network of computers capable of running at least portions of a computer program. One of the computers in the network acts as a node that monitors the usage by users on the network. The monitoring node is programmed to determine active usage of the computer program by the users on various incidents involving the software, ascertain the total number of unique users using the software at a given time, compare the ascertained total number with an authorized number and issue a signal if the ascertained total number exceeds the authorized number. The present invention further includes a method of determining software license fees for software used intermittently by a plurality of users using the software on a network. The method includes determining active usage of the software by users on the network on various incidents involving the software, ascertaining the total number of unique users using the software at a given time, comparing the ascertained total number with an authorized number, and issuing a signal if the ascertained total number exceeds the authorized number.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring software usage for a computer program used intermittently by a plurality of users using the program on computers on a network comprising:

a network of computers capable of running at least portions of a computer program, the usage of which is to be monitored,

one of the computers in the network acting as a node that monitors usage of the program by active users in the network,

said monitoring node programmed to

determine active usage of the program by users on various incidents involving the program, the incidents being configured to take place at two or more computers on the network or to involve two or more users at a single computer, active usage being defined as actual real time participation by a participant in an incident and non-real time benefits from incidents involving a user that has participated or is expected to participate in the incident and thereby be deemed a participant,

ascertain the total number of unique participants actively using the program for ongoing incidents at a given time,

compare the ascertained total number with an authorized number, and

issue a signal if the ascertained total number exceeds the authorized number.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said network is configured in a client/server arrangement and said node is a server.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said node is programmed to determine active usage of the program at discrete intervals.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said intervals take place together with other housekeeping tasks for the node.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said node is programmed to ascertain the total number of unique participants using the program for ongoing incidents at a given time by determining the number of current users determining the incident of each of said users, calculating a participant list as a sum of all incident participants, and determining the number of unique active users.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said node issues a signal of excess usage to permit a commercial transaction that increases the authorized number.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said node issues a signal of excess usage to update a usage data storage that is used in sending a periodic accounting of usage for updated billing.

8. An apparatus for monitoring software usage for software used intermittently by a plurality of users using the software on computers comprising:

a plurality of client computers running at least one software application for performing work on at least one incident involving said software application, said incident being configured to take place at two or more computers on the network or to involve two or more users at a single computer;

a server computer connected to said client computers for monitoring the activity of said incident involving said software application; and

means for determining the number of active users using said software application, wherein active users are those that are participating in an incident in progress and those benefiting from incidents in progress by having participated in the incident previously or by being expected to participate in the incident.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said active users perform work on more than one incident.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein a plurality of active users may access said software application through one of said client computers, and each such user is counted as an active client user.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said server determines a licensing fee for using said software applications, said server registering a first fee for the time said user actively uses said software application and a second fee for the remainder of said time that said incident remains in progress.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of said incidents includes a plurality of steps completed in a defined order in which one of said active users initiates said incident and upon completion of a first step, a subsequent step of said incident begins, said incident being completed when all of said steps have been performed.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said steps within said incidents are performed in a parallel arrangement.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said server computer is electronically coupled to said client computers via electronic mail, Internet, intranet, local area network, or data files.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said server computer monitors a total number of users accessing said software and a total number of unique active users.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said server computer outputs to a system administrator, said server computer providing a message to said system administrator regarding the status of said incidents.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said server computer prevents new unique users from accessing said software application when a total number of active users exceeds a predetermined amount.

18. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said server computer provides feedback to said users, tracks the status of said incidents, and manages said incidents.

19. A computer readable medium having a program configured to monitor the usage of software used intermittently by a plurality of users comprising

an electronic storage medium holding electronic information which, when loaded on a server computer and a plurality of user computers electronically coupled to the server computer, causes said server computer and said user computers to be configured to enable said server computer to track the number of users actively using said software, active usage being defined as actual real time participation by a participant in an incident and non-real time benefits from incidents involving a user that has participated in the incident or is expected to participate in the incident and thereby be deemed a participant by determining the number of participants who have participated in an incident involving said software that remains in progress.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said server computer outputs to a system administrator, said server computer providing information to said system administrator including number of active users and status of each of said incidents.

21. A method of determining software license fees for software used intermittently by a plurality of users using the software on computers on a network comprising:

determining active usage of the software by ones of the users on the network on various incidents involving the software, said incidents being configured to take place at two or more computers on the network or to involve two or more users at a single computer, active usage being defined as actual real time participation by a participant in an incident and non-real time benefits from incidents involving a user that has participated or is expected to participate in the incident and thereby be deemed a participant;

ascertaining the total number of unique participants using the software at a given time;

comparing the ascertained total number with an authorized number; and

issuing a signal if the ascertained total number exceeds the authorized number.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising the step of sending status reports to an administrator.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of denying access to said software by a user when said number of active users exceeds said authorized number.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of accruing a first fee for active usage time and a second fee for the remainder of the time the incident remains in progress.

25. A method of determining software license fees for software used intermittently by a plurality of users using the software on computers on a network comprising:

determining active usage of the software by ones of the users on the network on various incidents involving the software, said incidents being configured to take place at two or more computers on the network or to involve two or more users at a single computer, active usage being defined as actual real time participation by a participant in an incident and non-real time benefits from incidents involving a user that has participated in the incident and thereby be deemed a participant;

ascertaining the total number of unique participants using the software at a given time;

comparing the ascertained total number with an authorized number; and

issuing a signal if the ascertained total number exceeds the authorized number.

26. A method of determining software license fees for software used intermittently by a plurality of users using the software on computers on a network comprising:

determining active usage of the software by ones of the users on the network on various incidents involving the software, said incidents being configured to take place at two or more computers on the network or to involve two or more users at a single computer, active usage being defined as actual real time participation by a participant in an incident and non-real time benefits from incidents involving a user that is expected to participate in the incident and thereby be deemed a participant;

ascertaining the total number of unique participants using the software at a given time;

comparing the ascertained total number with an authorized number; and

issuing a signal if the ascertained total number exceeds the authorized number.