Method and apparatus for executing code in accordance with usage rights

• US 7,266,529 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Stefik, Mark J., Pirolli, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdi; Kambiz
• Application Number:
  US11/135,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705 50- 59, 707/9, 700/237
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0046 with a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable for prosthetic joint-implanting tools A61F2/4603
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/031 torque limiting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0113 Mechanical advancing means, e.g. catheter dispensers
• 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 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 : Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 : Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 : Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 : Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/146 : using digital cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 : Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 : involving discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 : Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 : Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 : applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 : Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 : wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 : using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 : using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 : using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 : Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 : Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 : received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 : using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 : involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 : for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 : Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 : Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26613 : for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 : directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 : directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 : Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/83555 : using a structured language for describing usage rules of the content, e.g. REL
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 : Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and system for controlling execution of a computer program in accordance with usage rights, including receiving, by a server repository, a request from a requestor repository to execute the computer program; determining, by a server repository, based on usage rights associated with the computer program, whether the request should be granted, the usage rights including a manner of use; granting the request of the requestor repository, by the server repository, if the determined result is that the request should be granted; and executing the computer program in accordance with the granted manner of use. The manner of use included in the usage rights specifies how the associated computer program can be used. The request from the requestor repository specifies a particular manner of use and whether the particular manner of use specified in the request corresponds to a manner of use included in the usage rights also is determined.

Claims

1. A method for controlling execution of a computer program in accordance with usage rights, said method comprising;

receiving, by a server repository, a request from a requestor repository to execute said computer program;

determining, by a server repository, based on usage rights associated with said computer program, whether said request should be granted, said usage rights including a manner of use;

granting said request of said requestor repository, by said server repository, if the result of said determining step is that said request should be granted;

executing said computer program in accordance with said granted manner of use; and

enforcing by said requestor repository said granted manner of use based on said usage rights;

said manner of use included in said usage rights specifies how said associated computer program can be used;

said request from a requestor repository specifies a particular manner of use; and

said determining step further comprises determining whether said particular manner of use specified in said request corresponds to a manner of use included in said usage rights,

wherein the said usage rights are created from a grammar including one or more symbols selected from a set of predetermined symbols to define a valid sequence of symbols to indicate, from a plurality of possible manners of use, the manner of use included in the usage rights.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said executing step is accomplished by an execution engine.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said server repository and said requestor repository are the same device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said server repository and said requestor repository are separate devices.

5. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein said requester repository and said server repository communicate using a transmission protocol, and

said executing step comprises executing said computer program in an address space of said server repository and permitting said execution engine to access said computer program only through said transmission protocol.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein versions of usage rights that are available are determined.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said usage rights further include at least one of:

a manner of distributing said computer program; and

a manner of accessing said computer program.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said usage rights include at least one condition that must be satisfied to exercise said manner of use.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein versions of usage rights that are available are presented to the requestor repository.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said executing step comprises executing at least a portion of said computer program on an execution device and further comprising removing said computer program from the memory of said execution device, after said executing step.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said computer program comprises plural components, each of said components having a usage right associated therewith, said determining step comprises determining based on a usage right associated with at least one component, whether said request should be granted, and said executing step comprises executing said component if the result of said determining step is that said request should be granted.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said usage rights and said computer program are stored in different storage means.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said usage rights and said computer program are stored on different devices.

14. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein at least one of said conditions is presentation of a digital ticket to said server repository.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising creating said usage rights using a usage rights language.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of accomplishing one or more transactions with respect to said computer program.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the said computer program is stored on a removable storage device.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said transactions include session initiation transactions.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said usage rights are stored in one or more repositories.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising accomplishing a session initiation transaction.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, further comprising establishing a secure and trusted communication link.

22. A system for controlling the execution of a computer program in accordance with usage rights associated with said computer program, said system comprising:

a server repository, comprising;

means for receiving a request to execute said computer program, said request being received from a requestor repository, and

means for determining, based on usage rights associated with said computer program, whether said request should be granted,

wherein said server repository is adapted to grant said request of said requestor repository, if the result of the determination is that said request should be granted; and

a requestor repository, comprising;

means for executing said computer program in accordance with said granted manner of use; and

means for enforcing by said requestor repository said granted manner of use based on said usage rights,

wherein said manner of use included in said usage rights specifies how said associated computer program can be used,

said request from a requester repository specifies a particular manner of use, and

said means for determining is adapted to determine whether said particular manner of use specified in said request corresponds to a manner of use included in said usage rights,

wherein the said usage rights are created from a grammar including one or more symbols selected from a set of predetermined symbols to define a valid sequence of symbols to indicate, from a plurality of possible manners of use, the manner of use included in the usage rights.

23. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said means for executing is an execution engine.

24. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said server repository and said requestor repository are the same device.

25. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said server repository and said requestor repository are separate devices.

26. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said requestor repository and said server repository are adapted to communicate using a transmission protocol, and

said means for executing comprises means for executing said computer program in an address space of said server repository and for permitting said execution engine to access said computer program only through the transmission protocol.

27. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein the usage rights further include at least one of:

a manner of distributing said computer program; and

a manner of accessing said computer program.

28. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said means for executing comprises means for executing at least a portion of said computer program on an execution device and further comprising means for removing said computer program from the memory of said execution device after executing said computer program.

29. A system as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

means for assigning said usage rights to said computer program; and

means for associating said usage rights with said computer program.

30. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein versions of usage rights that are available are determined.

31. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said computer program comprises plural distinguishable parts.

32. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein versions of usage rights that are available are presented to the requestor repository.

33. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein at least some of said distinguishable parts have distinct usage rights associated therewith.

34. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said usage rights are created from a usage rights language.

35. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said means for determining comprises means for accomplishing one or more transactions with respect to said computer program.

36. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein the said computer program is stored on a removable storage device.

37. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said usage rights are stored in one or more:

repositories.

38. A system as recited in claim 35, wherein said means for accomplishing includes means for accomplishing session initiation transactions.

39. A system as recited in claim 35, wherein said means for accomplishing includes means for accomplishing registration transactions.

40. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said manner of use indicates a specific instance of how said computer program can be executed.

41. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said usage rights include at least one condition that must be satisfied to exercise said manner of use.

42. A system as recited in claim 41, wherein at least one of said conditions is possession of a digital ticket.

43. A system as recited in claim 22, further comprising means for enforcing various security levels of said system for controlling.

44. A system as recited in claim 22, further comprising an identification certificate associated with at least one of said repositories.

45. A system as recited in claim 35, wherein said means for accomplishing transactions comprises means for accomplishing a billing transaction.