System and related methods for managing and enforcing software licenses

• US 7,343,297 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Parsons, John E. Jr., Hagan, Breen E., Bergler, Peter M., Brockway, Tad Dennis, Leitman, Robert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASLER, TRACI
• Application Number:
  US09/882,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20020194010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/52
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

A system and method for managing and enforcing software licenses through automating per-seat software licensing using a “leased license” approach provides vendors with the assurance that purchasers are complying with software licenses while maximizing a customer'"'"'s use of purchased software licenses. Licenses are automatically enforced by expiring leased licenses and making the expired licenses available again for use by client computers. A system includes a licensing clearinghouse, a license server, clients, and terminal servers. A terminal server assists a client in obtaining a license with an expiration date from a license server, and helps maintain the client'"'"'s license status through license requests to the license server. Licenses that expire are recycled and made available again to clients. Prior to expiring, licenses are automatically updated during a license update period, and if a license is lost, a temporary license is issued. After the license update period, clients may receive a license update or a new license. Temporary licenses are replaced with permanent licenses that are returned to the available license pool, thus netting out the overall distribution of purchased licenses and assuring that a customer'"'"'s use of purchased licenses in not lost.

Claims

1. A method performed on a processor of managing a software license, comprising:

issuing a software license to a client, the software license entitling the client to access software resources, the software license having an expiration date, the software license being identified as a previously issued software license;

receiving a license request from the client;

determining that the expiration date of the previously issued software license has been reached without the client making a license request because the previously issued software license has been lost or because the previously issued software license is not lost but has not been used in a license update period, resulting in the return of the previously issued software license to an available pool of software licenses;

reissuing the previously issued software license to the client if the previously issued software license is available because the previously issued software license has been returned to the available pool of software licenses and has not been issued to another client, the reissued software license having a new expiration date;

issuing a new software license to the client if a new software license is available and the previously issued software license is not available, the new software license having a new expiration date; and

denying the client access to software resources if the previously issued software license is not reissued and a new license is not issued.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the software resources are located on a terminal server.

3. Computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions for performing the method as recited in claim 1.

4. A system for managing a software licensing, comprising:

an available license pool database to store software licenses;

a license server configured to issue a software license to a client machine, the software license entitling the client machine to access software resources, the software license having an expiration date, the software license being identified as a previously issued software license;

a terminal server configured to receive a license request from the client machine;

the licenser server configured to determine that the expiration date of the previously issued software license been reached without the client machine making a license request because the previously issued software license has been lost or because the previously issued software license is not lost but has not been used in a license update period, resulting in the return of the previously issued software license to the available pool of software licenses;

the license server further configured to reissue the previously issued software license to the client machine if the previously issued software license is available because the previously issued software license has been returned to the available pool of software licenses and has not been issued to another client machine, the reissued software license having a new expiration date; and

issue a new software license to the client machine if a new software license is available and the previously issued software license is not available, the new software license having a new expiration date; and

deny the client machine access to software resources if the previously issued software license is not reissued and a new license is not issued.