Dedicated applications for user stations and methods for downloading dedicated applications to user stations

• US 7,146,645 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hellsten, Harri, Kivisto, Kari
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lipman, Jacob
• Time in patent office: 2532 Days
• Field of Search: 713/201, 726/26, 726/29, 726/33
• US Class Current: 726/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/0744 Unique instance G06F2221/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a copy-protected dedicated software application and methods for downloading copy-protected dedicated applications to user stations so that the unique dedicated applications are executable upon downloading to the user station and so that the unique dedicated applications will only run on that particular authorized user station. A method of downloading the unique dedicated applications directly from a distributor to the user station is also included which eliminates the need for contact between the original manufacturer of an application and the user station.

Claims

1. A method of downloading copy protected dedicated applications to a user station from an application source comprising the steps of:

a) sending an order from a user station for an application to an application source, the order comprising at least a unique identification information in the form of an identification code of the user station equipment which identifies the particular user station equipment which the copy protected dedicated application is to be downloaded to and which identifies the user of the user station to the application source;

b) upon identification of the particular user station equipment by the application source, preparing a dedicated executable application that can only run on the particular user station identified by configuring a general application accessible to the application source to include the unique identification information specific to the particular user station equipment identification code; and

c) downloading the dedicated executable application from the application source directly to the particular user station identified wherein the downloaded dedicated executable application is copy protected by virtue of being configured by the application source to have the equipment identification code of the particular ordering user station to run only on the particular ordering user station and no other user station.

2. The method of claim 1 including the further step of:

comparing the unique identification information in the order sent to the application source to identify the user station to the application source by using a library of identification information accessible to the application source for authentication purposes.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of including the time and date of placing the order for a dedicated executable application and the time and date of downloading the dedicated executable application in the unique identification information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the dedicated application is a setup application.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the step of identifying identifies the user station for billing purposes.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the steps of sending the order, and downloading the dedicated executable application, occur via a wireless network.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identification code of the user station equipment is an IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) code.

8. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identification code of the user station equipment is an ESN (Electronic Serial Number) code.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identification code of the user station equipment is a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) code.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

before the step of downloading occurs, the steps occur of;

saving the dedicated executable application to a location accessible by the particular user station identified and informing the particular user station identified that the dedicated executable application configured to the particular user station identified is ready to be downloaded to the particular user station identified from the location.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the identification information is checked by the user station every time the dedicated executable application is run.

12. A method of directly automatically downloading copy protected applications from a distributor to a user station from an application source without requiring contact between a user of the user station and a manufacturer of the application comprising the steps of:

a) the manufacturer sending a template version of an application from a manufacturer to a distributor, the template version including a variable of known value;

b) ordering an application from the distributor including automatically identifying the user station to which the copy protected application is to be downloaded to via an information code specific to the identified user station equipment identification code;

c) upon placing the order, automatically replacing the variable with the information code specific to the identified user station equipment identification code to make the application a dedicated executable application which is copy protected, and which dedicated executable application will only run on the a user station with a matching equipment information code; and

d) automatically downloading the dedicated executable application to the user station having said matching equipment information code wherein the downloaded dedicated executable application is copy protected by virtue of the template version being configured by the distributor to have the equipment identification code of the identified user station to run only on the identified user station and no other user station.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

replacing the variable is performed by a binary patch method.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the steps are performed over a wireless network.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the step of ordering includes automatically checking the information code specific to the identified user station equipment identification code against a library of authorization codes accessible to the distributor.

16. A system for ordering and downloading copy protected dedicated applications to a user station from an application source, the system comprising:

a) a user station that signals at least one unique identification code when placing an order wherein said unique identification code identifies the particular user station equipment to which the copy protected dedicated application is to be downloaded to;

b) an application source responsive to the user station signaling the at least one unique identification code for receiving and checking the user station equipment identification code for authentication purposes;

c) an application including a variable set by a manufacturer of the application, said application responsive to;

(a) a command for substituting the particular user station equipment identification code for the variable to create a dedicated executable application that will only run on a user station having the matching equipment information code, (b) to a command for sending the dedicated executable application to the particular user station identified, (c) to a command for executing the dedicated application at the particular user station identified, and (d) to a command for comparing and matching the user station equipment identification code of the dedicated application to the particular user station equipment identification code of the user station to run the downloaded dedicated executable application wherein the downloaded dedicated executable application is copy protected by virtue of the manufacturer'"'"'s application being configured to have the equipment identification code of the particular user station equipment to run only on the particular user station and no other user station.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a library of user station equipment identification codes accessible to the particular user station for providing comparison data to the particular user station when the particular user station checks the unique identification code signaled from the user station to the application source for authorization purposes.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the dedicated application has the additional feature of:

whenever the dedicated application is executed the unique identification code is checked.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein:

the application source is located remotely from the manufacturer of the application.