Software license authorization system

• US 7,703,142 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Workman, Adam C., Wilson, Patrick D., Teixeira, Joao C., George, Kenneth V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie; Oscar A
• Application Number:
  US10/840,317
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains

Abstract

An authorization system is described that includes a first interface, a processing system, and a second interface. The first interface is configured to receive an authorization instruction from an enterprise and receive an authorization request from a user device. The authorization instructions indicate authorization parameters. The user device transfers the authorization request each time the application is selected for execution. The authorization instructions are based on a license obtained by the enterprise for an application and wherein a user device operated by a user has the application. The processing system is configured to process the authorization request and authorization parameters to determine if the execution of the application is authorized. The second interface is configured to transfer an authorized message to the user device if the execution of the application is authorized and transfer an unauthorized message to the user device if the execution of the application is not authorized.

Claims

1. A method of operating an authorization network, the method comprising:

in a service provider network, providing a wireless communication service to a user device operated by a user, wherein a service provider operates the service provider network and an authorization system;

in an enterprise system, obtaining a license for an application from an application vendor and transferring authorization instructions for the license based on the license to the authorization system over an internet, wherein the enterprise system is operated by an enterprise, wherein the enterprise is not the service provider, wherein the user device has the application;

in the authorization system, receiving the authorization instructions from the enterprise system, wherein the authorization instructions indicate authorization parameters comprising a quantity of users allowed to be authorized under the license and a quantity of users authorized under the license, receiving an authorization request from the user device through the service provider network, wherein the authorization request is transmitted wirelessly to the service provider network by the user device, wherein the user device transfers the authorization request each time the application is selected for execution, and wherein the authorization request indicates the application, the enterprise, and at least one of the user and the user device, and processing the authorization request and the authorization parameters to determine if the execution of the application is authorized based on the enterprise and a determination that the quantity of users authorized under the license is less than the quantity of users allowed to be authorized under the license, if the execution of the application is authorized, transferring an authorized message to the user device, wherein the user device executes the application in response to the authorized message and, if the execution of the application is not authorized, transferring an unauthorized message to the user device, wherein the user device does not execute the application in response to the unauthorized message.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising processing the authorization request and the authorization parameters to determine if the execution of the application is authorized based on at least one of the user and the user device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising in the authorization system, if the execution of the application is authorized, transferring a notification of a status of the license to the enterprise system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user device deletes the application in response to the unauthorized message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorization message indicates an expiration date of the license.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the application comprises an instant messaging application.

7. An authorization system located in a service provider network operated by a service provider that provides a wireless communication service to a user device operated by a user where the enterprise is not the service provider, the authorization system comprising:

a first interface configured to receive authorization instructions from an enterprise system operated by the enterprise and receive an authorization request from the user device through the service provider network, wherein the user device has an application, wherein the authorization instructions are transferred over an internet, wherein the authorization instructions indicate authorization parameters, wherein the authorization parameters comprise a quantity of users allowed to be authorized under the license and a quantity of users authorized under the license, and are based on a license obtained by the enterprise system from an application vendor for the application, wherein the authorization request is transmitted wirelessly to the service provider network, wherein the user device transfers the authorization request each time the application is selected for execution, and wherein the authorization request indicates the application, the enterprise, and at least one of the user and the user device;

a processing system configured to process the authorization request and the authorization parameters to determine if the execution of the application is authorized based on the enterprise and a determination that the quantity of users authorized under the license is less than the quantity of users allowed to be authorized under the license; and

a second interface configured to transfer an authorized message to the user device if the execution of the application is authorized and transfer an unauthorized message to the user device if the execution of the application is not authorized, wherein the user device executes the application in response to the authorized message and wherein the user device does not execute the application in response to the unauthorized message.

8. The authorization system of claim 7 wherein the processing system is configured to process the authorization request and the authorization parameters to determine if the execution of the application is authorized based on at least one of the user and the user device.

9. The authorization system of claim 7 wherein the second interface, if the execution of the application is authorized, is further configured to transfer a notification of a status of the license to the enterprise system.

10. The authorization system of claim 7 wherein the user device deletes the application in response to the unauthorized message.

11. The authorization system of claim 7 wherein the authorization message indicates an expiration date of the license.

12. The authorization system of claim 7 wherein the application comprises an instant messaging application.

13. An authorization network comprising:

a service provider network, wherein the service provider network provides a wireless communication service to a user device, wherein a service provider operates the service provider network and an authorization system;

an enterprise system, wherein the enterprise system obtains a license for an application from an application vendor and transfers authorization instructions for the license based on the license to the authorization system over an internet, wherein the enterprise system is operated by an enterprise, wherein the enterprise is not the service provider, wherein the user device operated by a user has the application; and

the authorization system, wherein the authorization system receives the authorization instructions from the enterprise system, wherein the authorization instructions indicate authorization parameters comprising a quantity of users allowed to be authorized under the license and a quantity of users authorized under the license, receives an authorization request from the user device through the service provider network, wherein the authorization request is transmitted wirelessly to the service provider network by the user device, wherein the user device transfers the authorization request each time the application is selected for execution, and wherein the authorization request indicates the application, the enterprise, and at least one of the user and the user device, and

wherein the authorization system processes the authorization request and the authorization parameters to determine if the execution of the application is authorized based on the enterprise and a determination that the quantity of users authorized under the license is less than the quantity of users allowed to be authorized under the license, transfers an authorized message to the user device if the execution of the application is authorized, and transfers an unauthorized message to the user device if the execution of the application is not authorized, wherein the user device executes the application in response to the authorized message and wherein the user device does not execute the application in response to the unauthorized message.

14. The authorization network of claim 13 wherein the authorization system processes the authorization request and the authorization parameters to determine if the execution of the application is authorized based on at least one of the user and the user device.

15. The authorization network of claim 13 wherein the authorization system, if the execution of the application is authorized, transfers a notification of a status of the license to the enterprise system.

16. The authorization network of claim 13 wherein the user device deletes the application in response to the unauthorized message.

17. The authorization network of claim 13 wherein the authorization message indicates an expiration date of the license.

18. The authorization network of claim 13 wherein the application comprises an instant messaging application.