Method and system to remotely enable software-based options for a trial period

• US 7,962,416 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2000
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc. (General Electric Company), General Electric Company
• Inventors: Zhang, Kun, Zettel, Hubert A., Durbin, Winnie C., Butler, Timothy D, Singh, Karamjeet, Lamoureux, Thomas Leroy, Mehring, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johns; Christopher C.
• Application Number:
  US09/681,017
• Time in Patent Office: 3,856 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/50, 705/51, 705/521, 705/55, 705/56, 705/59, 705/52, 705/400, 726/4, 726/5, 726/28, 726/31
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data

Abstract

A system and method to remotely enable software based options for a trial period in remote equipment is disclosed. The invention includes receiving and authenticating a user, and receiving an option-enabling request from the user specifying the particular option requested to be enabled in a particular piece of equipment at a remote location. A system I.D. is validated, and the system ensures that the option has not already been enabled at least once before, and if it has not, a software enabling key is generated and sent to activate the option in the remote equipment.

Claims

1. An option-enabling system comprising:

a subscribing station including;

a central server;

a plurality of in-field products networked to the central server; and

a computer separate from the central server and the plurality of in-field products that is programmed to control a transfer of data to and from the plurality of in-field products so as to function as a centralized management system there for;

an on-line center programmed to receive and authenticate a user I.D., validate an option request for at least one of the plurality of in-field products, and create an option key in response to the option request; and

a communications network to relay data from the on-line center to the subscribing station, the communications network including a first component in the on-line center and a second component in the subscribing station, and wherein the communications network is programmed to connect the on-line center to the subscribing station through an external communications network and transmit the option key from the on-line center to the subscribing station in response to receipt and authorization of a user I.D., and receipt of a valid option request;

wherein the computer at the subscribing station transmits each of the user I.D. and the option request for a specified in-field product to the on-line center by way of the central server and the communications network; and

wherein the computer at the subscribing station installs the option key on the specified in-field product.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a computer within the on-line center programmed to:

receive a user I.D. at the on-line center from a user and validate the user I.D.;

receive an option request from the user;

if the user I.D. is validated, receive a system I.D. and validate the system I.D.;

if the system I.D. is validated, check whether the option requested was previously enabled; and

if the option requested was not previously enabled, enable the option requested.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the computer within the on-line center is further programmed to generate an option key specific to the system I.D.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the computer within the on-line center is further programmed to:

download and install the option key in medical equipment at the subscribing station; and

verify option enablement in the medical equipment.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the computer within the on-line center is further programmed to send an electronic verification of the option enablement.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of in-field products includes at least one medical imaging device.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the computer within the on-line center is further programmed to transmit the option key to a user identified by the user I.D. via one of an FTP or an email so as to allow the user to manually enable the option.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the computer within the on-line center is further programmed to generate the option key with a disablement feature to disable the option after a predetermined time period.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the option key includes therein software to be installed on a specified in-field product.

9. A method for enabling an option in a device comprising:

receiving a user I.D. at a centralized facility;

receiving an option-enabling request specifying an option requested to be enabled in the device at a subscribing station, the subscribing station including a central server, a plurality of in-field products networked to the central server, and a computer separate from the central server and the plurality of in-field products that is programmed to control a transfer of data to and from the plurality of in-field products so as to function as a centralized management system there for;

confirming that the option has not already been enabled; and

if not,

generating an enabling feature at the centralized facility upon confirmation that the option has not already been enabled, the enabling feature comprising software to be installed in the device;

sending the enabling feature from the centralized facility to the device in the subscribing station by way of a communications network, the communications network including a first component at the centralized facility and a second component at the subscribing station; and

installing the software so as to enable the option in the device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the device includes medical imaging scanners and further includes designing a software key to enable the option in the medical image scanner for a predetermined trial period.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

authenticating the user I.D. after receiving the user I.D. at the centralized facility; and

wherein sending the enabling feature includes downloading the enabling feature to the equipment and remotely enabling the feature automatically and without further user input.