Software activation systems

• US 9,110,759 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RealVNC Ltd.
• Original Assignee: RealVNC Ltd.
• Inventors: Morley, Jason Barrie
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US13/978,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20140040876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

We describe a method of activating functionality of an item of software installed on a mobile device, the method comprising: installing said software on said mobile device, wherein said installing includes registering in an operating system of said mobile device a link between an application URI scheme and said software such that a URI having said application URI scheme will be passed to said installed software for processing; scanning a code into said mobile device, wherein said code includes a code URI comprising said application URI scheme and activation data for said item of software; interpreting said application scheme of said code URI using said registered link to pass said code URI to said installed software; and processing said code URI using said installed software to activate a function of said item of software using said activation data in said code URI.

Claims

1. A method of enabling functionality of an un-activated item of software installed on a mobile device, the method comprising:

installing said item of software on said mobile device, wherein said installing includes registering in an operating system of said mobile device a link between an application Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme and said item of software, and wherein a URI having said application URI scheme will be passed to said installed software for processing;

scanning a code into said mobile device, wherein said code includes a code URI comprising said application URI scheme and enablement data for said installed item of software; and

subsequent to said installing and scanning steps,

interpreting said application URI scheme of said code URI using said registered link to pass said code URI to said installed item of software; and

then

processing said code URI using said installed item of software to enable a function of said installed item of software using said enablement data in said code URI;

wherein said installed item of software is run by said operating system in response to interpretation of said scanned code to identify presence of said application URI in said code; and

wherein said code URI is passed to said installed item of software when said installed item of software is run, and wherein said running of said installed item of software then processes said enablement data passed with said code URI to determine whether to enable said functionality of said installed item of software.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said running of said installed item of software processes said enablement data to validate said enablement data by determining whether said enablement data conforms to an allowed format.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from a user of said item of software, and forwarding to a server, a request for a said code for scanning, wherein said request for said code for scanning includes user identification data; and

providing to said user a said code for scanning, said enablement data in said code for scanning being dependent on said user identification data;

wherein said processing using said installed item of software processes said enablement data to validate said enablement data using said user identification data.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from a user of said item of software, and forwarding to a server, a request for a said code for scanning, wherein said request for said code for scanning includes device identification data of said mobile device; and

providing to said user a said code for scanning, said enablement data and said code for scanning being dependent on said device identification data;

wherein said processing using said installed item of software processes said enablement data to validate said enablement data using said device identification data.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising retrieving a generic version of said item of software from a supplier, and wherein said generic version of said installed item of software validates said enablement data without comparing with an internal data item unique to said retrieved generic item of software.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said scanning of said code comprises reading a 2D bar code including said code URI.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said scanning is performed by said mobile device.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said item of software comprises application software for said mobile device.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said registering comprises storing a pointer to said application software in a table indexed by said application URI scheme.

10. A method of enabling functionality of an item of software installed on a mobile device, the method comprising:

installing said item of software on said mobile device, wherein said installing includes registering in an operating system of said mobile device a link between an application Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme and said item of software, and wherein a URI having said application URI scheme will be passed to said installed software for processing;

receiving a code URI at said mobile device, said code URI comprising said application URI scheme and enablement data for said installed item of software; and

subsequent to said installing and receiving steps,

interpreting said application scheme of said code URI using said registered link to pass said code URI to said installed item of software; and

then

processing said code URI using said installed item of software to enable a function of said installed item of software using said enablement data in said code URI;

wherein said installed item of software is run by said operating system in response to interpretation of said application scheme of said code URI to identify presence of said code URI in said code; and

wherein said code URI is passed to said installed item of software when said installed item of software is run, and wherein said running of said installed item of software then processes said enablement data passed with said code URI to determine whether to enable said functionality of said installed item of software.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein receiving said code URI at said mobile device comprises receiving an electronic message at said mobile device including said code URI, the method further comprising inputting a user activation of said code URI in said electronic message, and running said installed item of software in response to said user activation.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said running of said installed item of software processes said enablement data to validate said enablement data by determining whether said enablement data conforms to an allowed format.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

receiving from a user of said item of software, and forwarding to a server, a request for a said electronic message, wherein said request for said electronic message includes user identification data; and

providing to said user a said electronic message, said enablement data in said electronic message being dependent on said user identification data;

wherein said processing using said installed item of software processes said enablement data to validate said enablement data using said user identification data.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

receiving from a user of said item of software, and forwarding to a server, a request for a said electronic message, wherein said request for said electronic message includes device identification data of said mobile device; and

providing to said user a said electronic message, said enablement data and said electronic message being dependent on said device identification data;

wherein said processing using said installed item of software processes said enablement data to validate said enablement data using said device identification data.

15. A method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising retrieving a generic version of said installed item of software from a supplier, and wherein said generic version of said installed item of software validates said enablement data without comparing with an internal data item unique to said retrieved generic item of software.

16. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said item of software comprises application software for said mobile device.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said registering comprises storing a pointer to said application software in a table indexed by said application URI scheme.

18. A mobile device configured to selectively enable a function of an item of software installed on the mobile device, the mobile device comprising:

software to receive a code into the mobile device, wherein said code includes a code Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) comprising an application URI scheme and enablement data for said installed item of software, and wherein said software to receive said code comprises;

scanning software to scan said code into said mobile device, interpreting software to interpret said application scheme of said code URI using a registered link to pass said code URI to said installed item of software, and processing software to process said code URI using said installed item of software to enable a function of said installed item of software using said enablement data in said code URI; and

a table of an operating system of said mobile device, said table storing a link between said application URI scheme and said installed item of software;

wherein said installed item of software is configured to validate said enablement data to enable a function of said installed item of software;

wherein said mobile device is configured such that scanning a said code URI using said software executes said installed item of software to process said scanned code URI to enable said function;

wherein said installed item of software is run by said operating system in response to interpretation of said scanned code to identify presence of said application URI scheme in said code; and

wherein said code URI is passed to said installed item of software when said installed item of software is run, and wherein said running of said installed item of software then processes said enablement data passed with said code URI to determine whether to enable said functionality of said installed item of software.