Patent · US Expired

Decryption key management scheme for software distribution system

US6075862A · kind A · utility

65Cited by
17References
34Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 30, 1996
Grant dateJun 13, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 30, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2211/007
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A decryption key management scheme for a software distribution system utilizing the decryption key, which can enable the re-install of the software that was decrypted once by a proper procedure, without requiring a re-acquisition of the decryption key from the software vender, so that a user can freely delete and re-install the software that was properly obtained once. The decryption key is searched in a memory device of a user's computer, or acquired from a distribution source of the encrypted software when the decryption key is not found in the memory means. Then, the encrypted software is decrypted by using the obtained decryption key, and a decrypted software content is installed into the memory device, while the decryption key acquired from the distribution source is stored into the memory device, such that the decryption key stored in the memory device is utilizable in decrypting the encrypted software at a time of re-installing the encrypted software.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.