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System and method for executing a rental software program in distributed computing environment

  • US 7,171,390 B1
  • Filed: 08/18/2000
  • Issued: 01/30/2007
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A system for renting a software program in a distributed computing environment, wherein the rental software program includes a main executable file and optional files called by the main executable file that are executed by the main executable file to implement the rental software program without the rental software program being installed on the user computer system, comprising:

  • a user computer system including means for initially downloading the main executable file of the rental software program to begin execution of the rental software program and means, if an optional file is missing, for automatically requesting one or more optional files contained in the rental software program in order to continue execution of the rental software program using the optional files;

    a server computer system for downloading the main executable file contained in the rental software program to be executed in said user computer system and means for automatically downloading the one or more optional files as requested by said user computer system;

    wherein the user computer system further comprises a process manager means further comprising means for creating and running a process corresponding to the main executable file without installing the rental software program on the user computer system, means for suspending the process if the process requests one or more optional files, and means for re-starting the process if said process manager means receives the one or more optional files from said server computer system; and

    wherein the process manager flushes the main executable file and the optional files of the rental software program from the user computer system so that the rental software program is removed from the user computer system when the rental is completed.

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