Secure download manager

• US 7,814,023 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Trapa, Valerie, Rao, Santhpur N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II; Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nigh; James D
• Application Number:
  US11/222,997
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 51, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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]

Abstract

A software licensing method and system are in which a set of transient state information 154 for the target computational device at a selected point in time is used to generate a license key 144 to validate that the use of the licensed application is in accordance with the terms and conditions of a license.

Claims

1. A software licensing method executed at a target computational device, comprising:

A processor sending a request to a server download manager to download a licensed application;

the processor receiving from the server download manager the licensed application and a primary license key;

in response to the request to download the licensed application, the processor obtaining a set of transient state information for the target computational device, wherein transient state information is information descriptive of a configuration of the target computational device that changes over time;

the processor generating a secondary license key with the transient state information and the primary license key;

the processor storing the secondary license key and the transient state information in the memory;

the processor sending the secondary license key to a server download manager;

the server download manager generating an installation key from the secondary license key and the primary license key and receiving, by the processor the installation key from the server download manager in response to the sending of the secondary license key;

the processor validating the installation key, with the stored transient state information; and

in response to validating the installation key, the processor installing the licensed application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transient state information is at least one available volatile memory, available nonvolatile memory, unavailable volatile memory, unavailable nonvolatile memory, a number of processes executing, available disk space, a file system characteristic or a clock setting at a specified event, an available memory in the target device at a selected time, an unavailable memory in the target device at a selected time, a number of processes running in the target device at a selected time, available disk space, file system characteristics, and process identifiers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the use of the licensed application is validated successfully and further comprising:

generating, by a processor and from at least one of the primary and secondary license keys, an installation key; and

using, by the target computational device, the installation key to enable execution of the licensed application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the primary license key and secondary license key generated from the primary license key are each unique and wherein, for each request to execute the licensed application, a different set of transient state information is obtained and a different secondary license key generated, whereby a number of installation attempts can be tracked.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the loading step, the application comprises a piracy guard, the piracy guard disabling the application, wherein the use of the licensed application is validated successfully and further comprising:

removing, by a processor, the piracy guard to activate the licensed application, wherein the piracy guard is at least one of (i) a byte code inserted into the licensed application code;

(ii) a byte code removed from the licensed application code; and

(iii) an altered byte code in the licensed application code.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein a secure download manager generates the installation key from both the primary and secondary license keys.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the licensed application exits and further comprising:

storing, by the target computational device, the licensed application, transient state information, and license key in volatile memory,

as a result of the licensed application exiting, removing, by the target computational device, the transient state information and license key from volatile memory and not retaining, by the target computational device, the transient state information, and license key in nonvolatile memory of the target computational device, whereby, after each exit of the licensed application, the licensed application is deactivated and the receiving, obtaining, generating and using steps are repeated to reactivate the licensed application.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving step comprises:

receiving, by the secure download manager, a request from the target computational device to download the licensed application;

in response, installing, by the secure download manager, a privacy guard in the licensed application;

preventing, by the piracy guard, execution of the licensed application;

obtaining, by the secure download manager, the primary license key, wherein the primary license key is unique for each download of the licensed application;

registering, by the secure download manager, the primary license key and registering, by the secure download manager, the download;

packaging the primary license key, the licensed application, and a download client for downloading onto the target computational device;

transmitting the package to the target computational device;

directing, by the download client, execution of the licensed application; and

as a result, the licensed application not executing on the target computational device when the download client is not running.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

before the client exits, replacing the piracy guard in the licensed application.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the transient state information is determined at a selected point in time, and the selected point in time is a time when the target computational device receives a request to execute the licensed application.

10. A target computational device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising computer readable instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the steps of;

the processor sending a request to a server download manager to download a licensed application;

the processor receiving from the server download manager the licensed application and a primary license key;

in response to the request to download the licensed application, the processor obtaining a set of transient state information for the target computational device, wherein transient state information is information descriptive of a configuration, of the target computational device that changes over time;

the processor generating a secondary license key with the transient state information and the primary license key;

the processor storing the secondary license key and the transient state information in the memory;

the processor sending the secondary license key to a server download manager;

the server download manager generating an installation key from the secondary license key and the primary license key;

the processor receiving the installation key from the server download manager in response to the sending of the secondary license key;

and

the processor validating the installation key, with the stored transient state information; and

in response to validating the installation key, the processor installing the licensed application.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the secure download manager and secure download client are performed by processors and wherein the transient state information is at least one of a clock setting at a specified event, an available memory in the target device at a selected time, an unavailable memory in the target device at a selected time, a number of processes running in the target device at a selected time, available disk space, file system characteristics, and process identifiers.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the secure download client generates the secondary key using the transient state information and a primary key.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the primary and secondary license keys are each unique, wherein the secure download client receives a request to execute the licensed application, and wherein, in response to receipt of the request to execute and for each request to execute the licensed application, the secure download client obtains a different set of transient state information, and generates a different secondary license key, and wherein the secure download manager tracks a number of installation attempts.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein a piracy guard disables the application, wherein the secondary license key is validated successfully, wherein, in response to the license key being validated successfully, the secure download client removes the piracy guard and wherein the piracy guard is at least one of (i) a byte code inserted into the licensed application code;

(ii) a byte code removed from the licensed application code; and

(iii) an altered byte code in the licensed application code.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the licensed application exists and wherein, in response to the licensed application existing and after each exit of the licensed application, the at least one of the secure download manager and client obtains a different set of transient information and generates a different secondary license key.

17. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored onto a computer readable medium, when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the processor to execute a software licensing method at a target computational device, the software licensing method comprising:

sending a request to a server download manager to download a licensed application;

receiving from the server download manager the licensed application and a primary license key;

in response to the request to download the licensed application, obtaining a set of transient state information for the target computational device, wherein transient state information is information descriptive of a configuration of the target computational device that changes over time;

generating a secondary license key with the transient state information and the primary license key;

storing the secondary license key and the transient state information in the memory;

sending the secondary license key to a server download manager;

generating, by the server download manager, an installation key from the secondary license key and the primary license key;

receiving the installation key from the server download manager in response to the sending of the secondary license key;

validating the installation key, with the stored transient state information; and

in response to validating the installation key, installing the licensed application.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the transient state information is at least one available volatile memory, available nonvolatile memory, unavailable volatile memory, unavailable nonvolatile memory, a number of processes executing, available disk space, a file system characteristic or of a clock setting at a specified event, an available memory in the target device at a selected time, an unavailable memory in the target device at a selected time, a number of processes running in the target device at a selected time, available disk space, file system characteristics, and process identifiers.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the installation key is generated from the primary license key and the secondary license key.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the primary license key and secondary license key which is generated from the primary license key, are each unique and wherein, for each request to execute the licensed application, a different set of transient state information is obtained and a different secondary license key generated, whereby a number of installation attempts can be tracked.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the licensed application comprises a piracy guard, the piracy guard disabling the application, and further comprising:

in response to validating the installation key, the processor removing the piracy guard to activate the licensed application, wherein the piracy guard is at least one of (i) a byte code inserted into the licensed application code;

(ii) a byte code removed from the licensed application code; and

(iii) an altered byte code in the licensed application code.