Application usage time limiter

• US 6,678,824 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1999
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mooney, Philip D., Cannon, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Dennis M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Eric
• Application Number:
  US09/432,119
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 713/502, 713/200, 713/151, 705/412, 705/59, 455/405
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

An application usage time limiter monitors certain pre-configured application programs when opened or otherwise executed on a computer (e.g. a PC). The application usage time limiter is itself a program running either as a front end to various selected programs for monitoring, or as a separate program running in a time-sharing operating system environment. Pre-configurable options in a usage limiter configuration file or other memory area are set to limit real time ranges that particular application programs on a particular computer can be started and run, and a limit to a length of time that a specific program (or category of programs-an be operated given a number of available credits for a current user. The user is given credits at a pre-configured rate per hour of usage of an application program designated in the usage limiter configuration file as being beneficial, and the user gives back (or looses) credits at a pre-configured rate per hour of usage for use of programs designated as non-beneficial. Preferably, continued usage of beneficial programs is detected, e.g., by keystrokes. Application programs selected for monitoring in the usage limiter configuration file can be identified on an application by application basis, as a specific category of applications identifiable when the particular application is started, or as being stored in a specific directory (e.g., folder in a Windows™ operating system). A credit-giving (i.e., beneficial program) must be run by a particular user to earn credits before a credit-taking (i.e., non-beneficial program) can be run by that user. Up front credits may be provided to a particular user in a user log.

Claims

1. An application usage time limiter, comprising:

a time limiter; and

a usage limiter configuration file including at least one entry associating an educational application program with a number of credits given based on usage of said educational software application program, and at least one entry associating a non-educational software application program with a number of credits taken away based on usage of said non-educational software application program;

wherein said application usage time limiter limits use of said non-educational software application program based on a number of available credits for a particular user.

2. The application usage time limiter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a continual program use detector adapted to detect continual use of said educational software application program.

3. The application usage time limiter according to claim 1, wherein:

said time limiter outputs a halt signal to an operating system to terminate operation of said non-educational software application after a predetermined number of credits for said particular user are exhausted.

4. The application usage time limiter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a monitor log adapted to contain entries relating to use of at least one of said educational software application program and said non-educational application program.

5. The application usage time limiter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user file associating a number of available credits for said particular user.

6. The application usage time limiter according to claim 1, wherein:

said educational software application program is operated on a separate processor than said non-educational software application program.

7. The application usage time limiter according to claim 6, further comprising:

an external interface to allow information regarding usage of said educational software application program on said separate processor to be communicated to said time limiter.

8. The application usage time limiter according to claim 1, wherein:

said application usage time limiter is a front end for at least one of said educational software application program and said non-educational software application program.

9. The application usage time limiter according to claim 1, wherein:

said application usage time limiter is a background program operated in a multi-tasking operating system of a computer.

10. A method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer, comprising:

monitoring a usage of an educational software application program; and

crediting a usage of a non-educational software application program based on said monitored amount of usage of said educational software application program.

11. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 10, wherein:

said usage of said non-educational software application program is monitored for a particular user of said computer.

12. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 10, wherein:

said monitoring monitors an amount of usage.

13. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 12, wherein:

said amount of usage is measured in time.

14. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 13, wherein:

said time is measured starting substantially from when said non-educational software application program is commenced.

15. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 12, wherein:

said amount of usage is measured in an amount of user input.

16. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 15, wherein:

said user input is keystrokes.

17. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 10, wherein:

said monitoring monitors a quality of usage.

18. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 17, wherein:

said quality is determined by an evaluation of associated learning by said user.

19. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 10, further comprising:

restricting operation of at least one of said educational software application program and said non-educational software program to within a configured time of day.

20. The method of limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 10, further comprising:

terminating operation of said non-educational software application program after said credited amount of allowed usage is exhausted.

21. Apparatus for limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer, comprising:

means for monitoring an amount of usage of a an educational software application program; and

means for crediting an amount of allowed usage of a non-educational software application program based on said monitored amount of usage of said educational software application program.

22. The apparatus for limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 21, wherein:

said means for monitoring monitors an amount of usage of said educational software application program for a particular user of said computer.

23. The apparatus for limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for restricting operation of at least one of said educational software application program and said non-educational software program to within a configured time of day.

24. The apparatus for limiting usage of a non-educational application program on a computer according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for terminating operation of said non-educational software application program after said credited amount of allowed usage is exhausted.