Method for indicating the integrity of use-information of a computer program
US6898555B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 14, 2003 |
| Grant date | May 24, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 3, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F21/121
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for indicating the integrity of the use-information of a program, comprising: providing a mechanism based on the state of a marker file (being one or more files dedicated especially for this purpose) for generating upon request an asymmetric (i.e. can be read by a user but cannot be altered by him) and unique or pseudo-unique value; instructing the mechanism to generate a value; sealing the use-information with the generated value; and indicating the integrity of the sealed data by the correspondence of the stored value with the current value returned by the mechanism. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the information is stored in a secure manner (e.g. encrypted, digitally signed, and so forth). The invention may be implemented in any licensing model in which the use-information is important, like a Try before you Buy model, renting a program, and so forth.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.