Method and apparatus for desktop product license portability with user identity subscription using durable tokens

• US 9,003,541 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Patidar, Mansukh
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad L
• Application Number:
  US12/644,205
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 713/158, 713/159, 726/26
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product relating to software license tokens is presented. A client system requests launching of a software application and retrieves a first software license token associated with the software application. The client system determines whether the license token associated with the software application is valid, wherein when the license token is valid, the client system launches the software application. When the license token is not valid then the client system requests a replacement license token. The client system receives the replacement license token and stores the replacement license token. The client system then retrieves the stored license token and determines whether the license token is valid. When the license token is valid, then the software application is launched, when the software license token is not valid then the client system refrains from launching of the software application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

allowing a software application to launch at a client device based on a first software license token stored at the client device;

determining, by the client device, that the first software license token has expired;

based on determining that the first software license token has expired, requesting a replacement software license token from a remote server and replacing the first software license token at the client device with the replacement software license token received from the remote server, wherein replacing the first software license token at the client device comprises receiving a denial token as the replacement software license token;

receiving, by the client device, a request to launch the software application at the client device; and

controlling, by the client device, launch of the software application at the client device based on the replacement software license token that replaced the first software license token, wherein launch of the software application at the client device is prohibited based on the replacement software license token.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the software application is launched based on the first software license token stored at the client device without communicating with the remote server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the denial token comprises an expiration date that has already occurred when the replacement software license token is received at the client device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein replacing the first software license token at the client device comprises receiving a valid software license token as the replacement software license token, wherein, after replacing the first software license token with the replacement software license token, launch of the software application at the client device is allowed until the replacement software license token expires.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein replacing the first software license token at the client device comprises receiving a valid software license token as the replacement software license token, wherein, after replacing the first software license token with the replacement software license token, launch of the software application at the client device is allowed until the replacement software license token is replaced with an invalid software license token.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein replacing the first software license token at the client device comprises requesting the replacement software license token by providing a user identifier and a system identifier to the server device, wherein the replacement software license is received based on the server device determining authorization based on the user identifier and monitoring token use on other devices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a denial token is received as the replacement software license token based on the server device monitoring token use on other devices.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the client device is prevented from manipulating the first software license token.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first software license token and replacement software license token are associated with a same software license.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the replacement software license token has a durability value comprising a value inversely proportional to a number of systems currently using tokens associated with the software license.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the replacement software license token has a durability value comprising a value inversely proportional to a frequency of switching of the software license between systems.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first software license token comprises a client system identifier and software license token expiration time information; and

the replacement software license token comprises different software license token expiration time information.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server device, a request for a replacement software license token associated with a software application, the request received from a client device having a first software license token that is to be replaced; and

based at least in part on token use on another device, issuing, by the server device, a denial token as the replacement software license token, the replacement software license token issued from the server device to the client device and replacing the first software license token at the client device, wherein launch of the software application at the client device is prohibited based on the replacement software license token.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said request for a replacement software license token associated with a software application includes at least one of a client system identifier and user identity information.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising authorizing the request by verifying at least one of the group consisting of user credentials, a license key and a system identifier.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the denial token comprises an expiration date that has already occurred.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon, the medium including instructions in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

allowing a software application to launch at a client device based on a first software license token stored at the client device;

determining, by the client device, that the first software license token has expired;

based on determining that the first software license token has expired, requesting a replacement software license token from a remote server and replacing the first software license token at the client device with the replacement software license token received from the remote server, wherein replacing the first software license token at the client device comprises receiving a denial token as the replacement software license token;

receiving, by the client device, a request to launch the software application at the client device; and

controlling, by the client device, launch of the software application at the client device based on the replacement software license token that replaced the first software license token, wherein launch of the software application at the client device is prohibited based on the replacement software license token.