System and method for dynamic adjustment of expiration date for authorization key for antivirus products

• US 9,355,224 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaspersky Lab ZAO
• Original Assignee: Kaspersky Lab ZAO
• Inventors: Billy, Damiem M., Kazachkov, Andrey V., Kulaga, Andrey A., Shiyafetdinov, Damir R., Kalgin, Alexey Y., Le Hir, Stephane, Bodemer, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Casey, Alexis
• Application Number:
  US12/122,067
• Time in Patent Office: 2,937 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• 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 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code

Abstract

A system for a dynamic adjustment of expiration date of an authorization key, the system comprising: a security product that will be installed on a predetermined number of computers. The administration key allows a use of the software product on the predetermined number of computers during a predetermined period of time. The plurality of authorization units purchased from a vendor that are the smallest increments of time that a duration period of the authorization key is measured in. The expiration date for all the computers can be updated at any time, depending on the number of computers on which the software is installed at any given time. The administration server determines a beginning and an ending date of a functionality of the authorization key for the security product. The data base receives and stores the beginning and the ending date of the functionality of the authorization key for the security product. The communication means that send the beginning and the ending date of the functionality of the authorization key to the software product. The expiration date of the authorization date dynamically changes when the number of computer on which the product is installed increases or decreases.

Claims

1. A system for a dynamic adjustment of authorization for antivirus software, the system comprising:

a predetermined number of computers having an antivirus product installed thereon;

an authorization key that allows a use of the antivirus product on the predetermined number of computers during a predetermined period of time, wherein the authorization key is computer-independent and is associated with all the computers in the number of computers and not with any particular computer;

a plurality of authorization units obtained from a vendor of the antivirus product, each authorization unit representing the smallest increment of time for measuring a duration of the authorization key, wherein the authorization unit represents a correlation between the predetermined number of computers and a predetermined period of the duration of the authorization key;

an administration server that is configured to determine a beginning and an ending date of the authorization key for the antivirus product, and provides configuration data to the antivirus product, including frequency of updating of the antivirus product;

a database that is configured to receive and store the beginning and the ending date of the authorization key for the antivirus product;

wherein the administration server executes a console application that interfaces to the computers and to the vendor of the antivirus product, and sends the authorization key to computers having the antivirus product installed thereon;

wherein the console application executing on the administration server changes an expiration date of the authorization key on each computer dynamically as time expires, such that the expiration date increases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed decreases and decreases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed increases,

wherein the console application executing on the administration server notifies the vendor of the antivirus product of a new expiration date and a new number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed,

wherein the console application executing on the administration server is configured to acquire additional authorization units to extend or shorten the expiration date of the authorization key to the new expiration date,

wherein the authorization key is maintained as a file and is stored on each of the computers, and the duration period of the authorization key is written into the file,

wherein the predetermined number of computers are divided into several groups, such that computers in a group have a common expiration date for the authorization key, but each group has its own expiration date, and

wherein the duration period for the authorization key is determined by the console application using the formula;

D=(T0−

Tnow)*N0/N1, T0 is the number of initial authorization units for each computer, Tnow is a current time, N1 is a new total number of computers, and N0 is a number of computers with the authorization key on which the antivirus product was initially installed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ending date of the authorization key is determined as the beginning date plus the duration period of that authorization key.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ending date of the authorization key of the antivirus product is embedded into the authorization key.

4. A method for a dynamic adjustment of an expiration date for an antivirus product, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of authorization units from a vendor of the antivirus product, each authorization unit representing the smallest increment of time for measuring a duration of a first authorization key, wherein the authorization unit represents a correlation between a predetermined number of computers and a predetermined period of the duration and an expiration date of the first authorization key;

installing the antivirus product with the first authorization key on a predetermined number of the computers, wherein the first authorization key is computer-independent and is associated with all the computers in the number of computers and not with any particular computer;

beginning operation of the installed antivirus product on the predetermined number of the computers;

using a console application that executes on an administration server, changing the number of computers with the installed antivirus product and thereby changing the expiration date for the first authorization key; and

sending new parameters of the first authorization key to computers with the installed antivirus product, the first authorization key and the new parameters modifying the expiration date; and

sending configuration data to the installed antivirus product, including frequency of updating of the installed antivirus product,

wherein the installed antivirus product start working according to the new parameters of the first authorization key,

wherein the console application changes the expiration date of the first authorization key on each computer dynamically as time expires, such that the expiration date increases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed decreases, and decreases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed increases; and

notifying the vendor of the antivirus product of the expiration date based on the new parameters and a new number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed,

wherein the first authorization key is maintained as a file and is stored on each of the computers, and the duration period of the first authorization key is written into the file,

wherein additional authorization units are acquired from the vendor of the antivirus product by the console application executing on an administration server, wherein the console application interfaces to the computers and to the vendor of the antivirus product, and wherein the console application executing on the administration server extends or shortens the expiration date of the first authorization key, and

wherein the predetermined number of computers are divided into several groups, such that computers in a group have a common expiration date for the first authorization key, but each group has its own expiration date, and

wherein the duration period for the first authorization key is determined by the console application using the formula;

D=(T0−

Tnow)*N0/N1, where T0 is the number of initial authorization units for each computer, Tnow is a current time, N1 is a new total number of computers, and N0 is a number of computers with the first authorization key on which the software product was initially installed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein installing the antivirus product with the first authorization key on the predetermined number of computers further comprises:

using the console application, sending a command to the administration server to install the antivirus product with the first authorization key;

registering in a database an ending date of the first authorization key;

calculating the expiration date of the first authorization key, which does not exceed a sum of a beginning date and a key duration period; and

notifying each installed antivirus product of the expiration date of the first authorization key.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

using the console application, reviewing attributes of the first authorization key and changing a number of the computers that use the antivirus product;

using the console application, determining the expiration date of the first authorization key after the new parameters have been applied and displaying this date to the administrator; and

registering in a database the determined expiration date of the first authorization key and a new number of the computers using the antivirus product.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising purchasing additional authorization units to extend the expiration date of the first authorization key, and distributing the additional authorization units to the computers having the antivirus product installed thereon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the expiration date of the first authorization key is a sum of a current date plus a duration period of the functionality of the authorization key.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the expiration date is embedded into the first authorization key.

10. A computer useable non-transitory storage medium having computer executable program logic stored thereon, the computer executable program logic executing on a processor for implementing the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of authorization units from a vendor of the antivirus product, each authorization unit representing the smallest increment of time for measuring a duration of a first authorization key, wherein the authorization unit represents a correlation between a predetermined number of computers and a predetermined period of the duration and an expiration date of the first authorization key;

installing the antivirus product with the first authorization key on a predetermined number of the computers, wherein the first authorization key is computer-independent and is associated with all the computers in the number of computers and not with any particular computer;

beginning operation of the installed antivirus product on the predetermined number of the computers;

using the console application that is executing on an administration server, changing the number of computers with the installed antivirus product and thereby changing the expiration date for the first authorization key; and

sending new parameters of the first authorization key to computers with the installed antivirus product, the first authorization key and the new parameters modifying the expiration date; and

sending configuration data to the installed antivirus product, including frequency of updating of the installed antivirus product,

wherein the installed antivirus product start working according to the new parameters of the first authorization key,

wherein the console application changes the expiration date of the first authorization key on each computer dynamically as time expires, such that the expiration date increases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed decreases, and decreases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed increases; and

notifying the vendor of the antivirus product of the expiration date based on the new parameters and a new number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed,

wherein the first authorization key is maintained as a file and is stored on each of the computers, and the duration period of the first authorization key is written into the file,

wherein additional authorization units are acquired from the vendor of the antivirus product by the console application executing on the administration server, wherein the console application interfaces to the computers and to the vendor, and wherein the console application extends or shortens the expiration date of the first authorization key, and

wherein the predetermined number of computers are divided into several groups, such that computers in a group have a common expiration date for the first authorization key, but each group has its own expiration date, and

wherein the duration period for the first authorization key is determined by the console application using the formula;

D=(T0−

Tnow)*N0/N1, where T0 is the number of initial authorization units for each computer, Tnow is a current time, N1 is a new total number of computers, and N0 is a number of computers with the first authorization key on which the software product was initially installed.