Method for causing a digital product to revert to a demo mode

• US 7,353,205 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SL Patent Holdings LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SL Patent Holdings LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schull, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Worjloh; Jalatee
• Application Number:
  US11/026,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/02 Viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2213/025 Sightline detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Software lineages arise through purchase and reproduction. Lineages are tracked by storing lineage-relevant information in variable regions of software instances and/or in a central database according to methods disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium including computer executable code for locking a feature of a digital product, the code performing the steps of:

enabling a first user to access a first feature of a digital product in a first context;

passing a copy of the digital product to a second user;

determining whether the second user attempts to access the digital product in a second context distinct from the first context; and

locking the feature from the second user when the second user attempts to access the digital product in the second context, wherein locking the feature causes the digital product to revert to a demo mode.

2. A method for locking a feature of a digital product, the method comprising:

enabling a first user to access a first feature of a digital product in a first context;

passing a copy of the digital product to a second user;

determining whether the second user attempts to access the digital product in a second context distinct from the first context; and

locking the feature from the second user when the second user attempts to access the digital product in the second context, causing the digital product to revert to a demo mode.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising enabling the second user to purchase a password to unlock the feature.

4. A method for controlling access to a digital product, the method comprising:

enabling a first user to access a first feature of a digital product in a first context;

passing a copy of the digital product to a second user;

determining whether the second user attempts to access the digital product in a second context distinct from the first context; and

causing the digital product to revert to a demo mode when the second user attempts to access the digital product in the second context.