Distributed ledger system that facilitates device management

• US 11,126,698 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2018
• Issued: 09/21/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Vaish, Sonal Gaurav, Baumann, Timothy Paul, Gulabrani, Seema Lal, Moore, Brittany Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US16/172,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20200134139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 705 59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1805 Append-only file systems, e.g. using logs or journals to store data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/335 for accessing specific resources, e.g. using Kerberos tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A distributed ledger system includes a device registry and a software registry. The device registry includes a plurality of device identifiers. Each device identifier uniquely identifies a device that has been registered with the distributed ledger system. The software registry includes a plurality of software license identifiers. Each software license identifier uniquely identifies a software license that has been registered with the distributed ledger system. The distributed ledger system also includes transaction management components that are configured to record device transaction information associated with the plurality of devices and software transaction information associated with the plurality of software licenses. The distributed ledger system also includes access control components that are configured to enforce access control policies related to the plurality of devices and the plurality of software licenses.

Claims

1. A distributed ledger system that is configured to facilitate device management, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory in electronic communication with the one or more processors;

a device registry stored in the memory, the device registry comprising a plurality of device tokens representing a plurality of devices that have been registered with the distributed ledger system, wherein a device token corresponding to a device that has been registered with the distributed ledger system comprises;

logic that is configured to associate a software license token with the device token when a software license that has been registered with the distributed ledger system is purchased for the device; and

information identifying the software license token that is associated with the device token;

a software registry stored in the memory, the software registry comprising a plurality of software license tokens representing a plurality of software licenses that have been registered with the distributed ledger system;

transaction management components stored in the memory, the transaction management components being executable by the one or more processors to record, in a distributed ledger that is maintained by the distributed ledger system, device transaction information associated with the plurality of devices and software transaction information associated with the plurality of software licenses; and

access control components stored in the memory, the access control components being executable by the one or more processors to enforce access control policies related to the plurality of devices and the plurality of software licenses.

2. The distributed ledger system of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of device tokens are executable by the one or more processors to perform one or more of changing ownership of the device tokens, recording the device transaction information in the device registry, and enforcing device access control policies associated with the device tokens; and

the plurality of software license tokens are executable by the one or more processors to perform one or more of changing ownership of the software license tokens, recording the software transaction information in the software registry, enforcing software access control policies associated with the software license tokens, and tracking consumption of licensed software products on the plurality of devices.

3. The distributed ledger system of claim 2, wherein recording the device transaction information and recording the software transaction information comprise associating the device token with a software license token in response to a purchase of a registered software license for a registered device, the registered device being associated with the device token, and the registered software license being associated with the software license token.

4. The distributed ledger system of claim 2, wherein changing the ownership of the device tokens comprises changing an owner identifier associated with the device token in response to a change in ownership of a registered device, the registered device being associated with the device token.

5. The distributed ledger system of claim 2, wherein changing the ownership of the software license tokens comprises changing an owner identifier associated with a software license token in response to a purchase of a registered software license, the registered software license being associated with the software license token.

6. The distributed ledger system of claim 2, wherein enforcing the device access control policies associated with the device tokens comprises at least one of:

restricting visibility of the device token within the distributed ledger system;

or

defining one or more users who are authorized to modify attributes of the device token and record transactions associated with the device token.

7. The distributed ledger system of claim 2, wherein enforcing the software access control policies associated with the software license tokens comprises at least one of:

restricting visibility of a software license token within the distributed ledger system;

or

defining one or more users who are authorized to modify attributes of the software license token and record transactions associated with the software license token.

8. The distributed ledger system of claim 1, further comprising:

an application programming interface corresponding to the distributed ledger system; and

a user interface that facilitates access to data maintained by the distributed ledger system via the application programming interface.

9. The distributed ledger system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of software license tokens are executable by the one or more processors to track consumption of licensed software products on the plurality of devices.

10. A method for facilitating device management through use of a distributed ledger system, comprising:

registering a plurality of devices with the distributed ledger system;

creating a plurality of device tokens for the plurality of devices, each device token representing a device that has been registered with the distributed ledger system;

registering a plurality of software licenses with the distributed ledger system;

creating a plurality of software license tokens for the plurality of software licenses, each software license token representing a software license that has been registered with the distributed ledger system;

recording device transaction information associated with the plurality of devices in a device registry;

recording software transaction information associated with the plurality of software licenses in a software registry;

determining that a software license that has been registered with the distributed ledger system has been purchased for a device that has been registered with the distributed ledger system;

identifying a device token in the device registry that corresponds to the device;

identifying a software license token in the software registry that corresponds to the software license;

adding information about the software license token to the device token; and

enforcing access control policies related to the plurality of devices and the plurality of software licenses.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising managing ownership of the plurality of device tokens, wherein managing the ownership of the plurality of device tokens comprises changing an owner identifier associated with the device token in response to a purchase of a registered device, the registered device being associated with the device token.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising managing ownership of the plurality of software license tokens, wherein managing the ownership of the plurality of software license tokens comprises changing an owner identifier associated with a software license token in response to a purchase of a registered software license, the registered software license being associated with the software license token.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein enforcing the access control policies related to the plurality of devices comprises at least one of:

restricting visibility of the device token within the distributed ledger system;

or

defining one or more users who are authorized to modify attributes of the device token and record transactions associated with the device token.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein enforcing the access control policies related to the plurality of software licenses comprises at least one of:

restricting visibility of a software license token within the distributed ledger system;

or

defining one or more users who are authorized to modify attributes of the software license token and record transactions associated with the software license token.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein recording the device transaction information and recording the software transaction information comprise associating the device token with a software license token in response to a purchase of a registered software license for a registered device, the registered device being associated with the device token, and the registered software license being associated with the software license token.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

exposing an application programming interface corresponding to the distributed ledger system; and

providing a user interface that facilitates access to data maintained by the distributed ledger system via the application programming interface.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

registering a plurality of devices with a distributed ledger system;

creating a plurality of device tokens for the plurality of devices, each device token representing a device that has been registered with the distributed ledger system;

registering a plurality of software licenses with the distributed ledger system;

creating a plurality of software license tokens for the plurality of software licenses, each software license token representing a software license that has been registered with the distributed ledger system;

recording device transaction information associated with the plurality of devices in a device registry;

recording software transaction information associated with the plurality of software licenses in a software registry;

determining that a software license that has been registered with the distributed ledger system has been purchased for a device that has been registered with the distributed ledger system;

identifying a device token in the device registry that corresponds to the device;

identifying a software license token in the software registry that corresponds to the software license;

adding information about the software license token to the device token; and

enforcing access control policies related to the plurality of devices and the plurality of software licenses.