JP2005099963A - License management system and method, and recording medium for license management - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a license managing system, a license managing method for executing accurate license management without generating any failure that although license management is permitted, it is not available, and to provide a recording medium for license management . <P>SOLUTION: This license management system is provided with a program storage means for storing a program, a license management acquiring means for acquiring execution possibility/impossibility information for the program, a judgement means for judging whether or not the execution of the program is made possible according to the acquired execution possibility/impossibility information and a program application means for performing only the program whose application is judged to be made possible by the judgement means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a license management system, a license management method, and a license management recording medium.

  Software that realizes a specific function by controlling the operation of various devices such as a personal computer, by its nature, is easily duplicated and used without a license. In recent years, in order to prevent such illegal use of software, technology development for actively managing licenses has been active.

  For example, a production number and a password are assigned to each recording medium such as a CDROM storing software, and it is determined whether or not the number is correctly input at the time of installation. There is a way to allow.

  However, in such a method, if the combination of the serial number and the password is obtained by another user, it can be easily used by another user, so that it is not a very effective method.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a recording medium such as a CDROM storing software is distributed in advance, and the software is installed using a medium called a dongle and a chip corresponding to the software of the recording medium. A method of permitting or permitting the installation of the software via the Internet has been proposed. This method permits installation for an ID number such as a so-called Mac address assigned to a computer or an identification number assigned to each dongle. Therefore, only the computer connected to the authorized dongle or the authorized computer can install the licensed software.

However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, only a computer connected to an authorized dongle or an authorized computer can be used. Therefore, for example, even if an attempt is made to use the software using another computer due to a malfunction of the computer, the installation is not permitted even though the license is permitted, and the software There was a problem that it could not be used.
JP 2002-108482 A

  Therefore, the present invention provides a license management system, a license management method, and a license management recording medium capable of performing accurate license management without causing a problem that the license cannot be used even though the license is permitted. Is an issue.

  Other problems of the present invention will become clear from the following description.

  The above problems are solved by the following inventions.

(Claim 1)
Program storage means for storing the program;
Executability information acquisition means for acquiring license information for the program;
Determination means for determining whether or not the execution of the program is possible based on the acquired execution availability information;
A license management system comprising: a program execution unit that executes only a program that is determined to be executable by the determination unit.

(Claim 2)
2. The execution capability information includes information indicating an available time, and the determination unit determines that the program can be executed when the available time is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The described license management system.

(Claim 3)
2. The execution capability information includes information indicating the number of times of use, and the determination unit determines that the program can be executed when the number of times of use is other than zero. License management system.

(Claim 4)
4. The license management system according to claim 1, further comprising execution availability information changing means for changing the execution availability information.

(Claim 5)
5. The license management system according to claim 4, wherein the execution availability information changing unit changes an available time before making a determination in the determination unit.

(Claim 6)
5. The license management system according to claim 4, wherein the execution availability information changing unit changes the number of times that the information can be used before the determination by the determination unit.

(Claim 7)
The license management system according to claim 1, wherein the execution availability information acquisition unit acquires execution availability information by reading execution availability information recorded on a recording medium.

(Claim 8)
The license management system according to claim 1, wherein the execution availability information acquisition unit acquires execution availability information via a communication line.

(Claim 9)
A program storage process storing the program;
An executable information acquisition step for acquiring executable information for the program;
A determination step of determining whether or not the execution of the program is possible based on the acquired execution availability information;
A license management method comprising: a program execution step that executes only a program that is determined to be executable in the determination step.

(Claim 10)
10. The execution capability information includes information indicating an available time, and the determination step determines that the program can be executed when the available time is equal to or greater than a specified amount. The license management method described.

(Claim 11)
10. The execution capability information includes information indicating the number of times of use, and the determination step determines that the program can be executed when the number of times of use is other than 0. License management method.

(Claim 12)
12. The license management method according to claim 9, further comprising an execution availability information changing step for changing the execution availability information.

(Claim 13)
13. The license management method according to claim 12, wherein the execution availability information changing step changes a usable time before making a determination in the determination step.

(Claim 14)
13. The license management method according to claim 12, wherein the execution availability information changing step changes the usable number of times before making the determination in the determination step.

(Claim 15)
15. The license management method according to claim 9, wherein the execution availability information acquisition step acquires execution availability information by reading execution availability information recorded on a recording medium.

(Claim 16)
15. The license management method according to claim 9, wherein the execution availability information acquisition step acquires execution availability information via a communication line.

(Claim 17)
8. A license management recording medium that is connectable to the license management system according to claim 1 and that stores executable information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a license management system, a license management method, and a license management recording medium capable of performing accurate license management without causing a problem that the license cannot be used even though the license is permitted. Can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a license management system that implements the license management method of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a license management system according to the present invention includes a computer 100 that performs various processes, a CDROM drive 200 as a recording medium reading unit that reads a program from a recording medium such as a CDROM that records the program, and a display unit that performs various displays. The monitor 300 includes a keyboard 400 for performing various inputs, a mouse 500, and a USB port 600.

  The computer 100 performs various processes while controlling the scanner 200, the monitor 300, the keyboard 400, and the mouse 500 by installing a program that implements the processes of the present invention.

  The CDROM drive 200 reads a program from a recording medium such as a CDROM in which a program to be licensed is recorded. Reading of the program is performed based on the control of the computer 100. The read program is sent to the computer 100.

  The monitor 300 performs a display for prompting an operation input, or displays necessary for executing the program. The monitor 300 has a touch panel function as necessary, and can also serve as an input device.

  The keyboard 400 and the mouse 500 are used by a user as necessary in a program storage process for storing a program, an execution availability information acquisition process for acquiring execution availability information, a determination process for determining whether a program can be executed, or the like. Used as an input device.

  The USB port 600 is used as an interface for acquiring execution availability information from a recording medium on which execution availability information is recorded when acquisition execution availability information is acquired from a recording medium on which execution availability information is recorded.

  In the license management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the computer 100 can send and receive data to and from an external device such as a server by communication means (not shown). The communication means may be either wired or wireless, and any form such as the Internet, a LAN, or a dedicated communication line may be used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer 100 used in the license management system.

  The computer 100 includes a main control unit 101 that controls each unit of the license management system, a main storage unit 102 that stores a program and other various data, and an execution availability information acquisition process that performs execution availability acquisition processing. A processing unit 103, an external input unit 104 that inputs various data acquired from a recording medium through various external interfaces such as the CDROM drive 200 and the USB port 600, and a determination processing unit that performs a process of determining whether or not the program is executable 105, a program execution processing unit 106 that performs program execution processing, an operation input unit 107 that receives operation inputs, a display control unit 108 that controls display means such as the monitor 300, an external device such as a server, and a communication line And an external communication unit 109 that transmits and receives data through the network.

  In the license management system of the present invention, it is a preferred aspect that the computer 100 includes an execution permission / inhibition information change processing unit 110 that performs processing for changing execution permission / inhibition information.

  In the present invention, the feasibility information is recorded in advance on a recording medium connectable to a USB port or an external device such as a server connected via a communication line.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the execution availability information according to the present invention is recorded, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of a state in which the execution availability information according to the present invention is recorded.

  In FIG. 3, the first bit to the fourth bit of the first byte record the executable information on the additional function 1 of the software A, and the fifth to eighth bits execute the software A. Information is recorded. Similarly, the second to first bits from the first bit to the fourth bit record the feasibility information regarding the font 1 of the software A, and the fifth to eighth bits relate to the additional function 2 of the software A. Executability information is recorded. In the third bit, execution feasibility information relating to the additional function 1 of the software B is recorded from the first bit to the fourth bit, and execution feasibility information relating to the software B is recorded from the fifth bit to the eighth bit. It is recorded. In the 4th bit, execution feasibility information related to the additional function 3 of the software B is recorded from the 1st bit to the 4th bit, and the 5th to 8th bits are related to the additional function 2 of the software B. Executability information is recorded.

  In this way, 4 bits can be allocated and recorded in units of licenses for one software function, one font, and the like. Therefore, if a 32-byte recording area is secured, a maximum of 64 types of software licenses can be managed. The meaning of the information recorded in 4 bits can be, for example, “0” for disapproval and “1” for permission.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the execution availability information of the present invention includes information indicating available time or information indicating the number of times of use. An example of the availability information in this case is shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, information on the usage time indicating the time when the software A can be used or the usage count indicating the available time is recorded at the 10th byte, and the usage time of the additional function 1 of the software A is recorded at the 11th byte. Alternatively, information indicating the number of times of use is recorded, and information indicating the time of use or the number of times of use of the additional function 2 of the software A is recorded at the 12th byte.

  As described above, if a 1-byte recording area is secured for information on the usage time or the number of times of use, it is possible to manage information from 0 to 255 time units in terms of time and 0 to 255 times in terms of times. For example, if a 30-byte area is secured, license management of up to 20 types of programs can be performed.

  By storing the execution availability information described with reference to FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 in a recording medium connectable to the license management system of the present invention, it can be used as the license management recording medium of the present invention. As a recording medium preferably used at this time, for example, a hardware key (recording medium having a readable / writable memory connected to a USB port), USB flash memory, smart media (registered trademark), compact flash (registered trademark) ), An SD memory card (registered trademark), a specific file in the hard disk executed by the license management program, and the like.

  Next, the operation when the license management method of the present invention is processed using the license management system of the present invention will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the license management method processed by the license management system of FIG.

  First, a program is stored in the main storage unit 102 (S1).

  The trigger for storing the program corresponds to receiving an instruction to store (install) the user's program by an input unit such as the keyboard 400 or the mouse 500.

  The stored program includes a mode in which a program stored in a server or the like is acquired via a communication line such as the Internet, and a mode in which a CDROM or other recording medium in which the program is recorded is read by the CDROM drive 200. The acquired program is stored in the main storage unit 102.

  In the license management system of the present invention, the program is installed with the license management target program stored in the main storage unit 102. Until the license is permitted (program execution permission), the program is installed. The program is in a restricted execution state.

  The process of S1 may be performed by the user after purchasing hardware such as the personal computer 100 that executes the program, or may be performed in advance before shipping the hardware product. In the aspect performed by the user after purchasing the hardware, since the program that the user may use can be selected and stored, the area of the main storage unit 102 for storing useless programs can be eliminated. is there. If the process of S1 is performed in advance before product shipment, it is convenient for the case of hardware that does not require the user to install or that cannot be installed.

  Next, execution permission / prohibition information for the program to be licensed is acquired (S2).

  Execution availability information includes a mode in which execution availability information stored in a server or the like is acquired via a communication line such as the Internet, or a mode in which a recording medium on which execution availability information is recorded is read by the USB port 600. . The acquired program is stored in the main storage unit 102.

  As triggers for acquiring execution availability information, an instruction to execute a user's license management target program is received by an input unit such as a keyboard 400 or a mouse 500, and a recording medium on which execution availability information is recorded is a USB port. This corresponds to the determination by the main control unit 101 that it is connected to 600.

  Based on such a trigger for acquiring execution availability information, the execution availability information acquisition processing unit 103 performs processing for acquiring execution availability information. Specifically, when acquiring via a communication line, based on the trigger, the execution availability information acquisition processing unit 103 makes an acquisition request for execution availability information to a server (not shown) via the external communication unit 109, and A process of acquiring the execution permission / inhibition information sent based on the acquisition request via the external communication unit 109 is performed. Further, when acquiring the executable information recorded on the recording medium, the executable information acquisition processing unit 103 acquires the executable information recorded on the recording medium through the interface such as the USB port 600 based on the trigger, A process of acquiring the acquired execution availability information via the external input unit 104 is performed.

  When the execution availability information is acquired by the process of S3, it is determined whether or not the program can be executed based on the acquired execution availability information (S3).

  The determination processing is performed by the determination processing unit 105. The determination as to whether the program can be executed is made based on the execution availability information acquired in S2. When the execution availability information includes information indicating the available time, it can be determined based on whether the available time is equal to or greater than the specified amount, and includes information indicating the number of times the execution availability information can be used. In this case, it can be determined on the basis that the number of available times is other than zero.

  When it is determined in S3 that the program can be executed, processing for executing the program is performed (S4).

  The program execution processing unit 106 performs processing for executing the license target program stored in the main storage unit 102.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S3 that the program cannot be executed, the process ends without executing the program. At this time, it is preferable that the display control means 108 displays a warning message such as “the target program is not licensed” on the display means such as the monitor 300 to notify the user that the program is not licensed. is there. Since the user knows that the reason why the program cannot be executed is not licensed, there is an effect of prompting the user to obtain a new license.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow when performing a license change process in the license management method processed by the license management system of FIG.

  When the process of S4, that is, the program execution process is performed in the flow, the timer is started assuming that the program execution has started (S10).

  Specifically, the timer is performed by counting time by the main control unit 101. The time can be counted using, for example, a clock mechanism included in the CPU.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not one hour has elapsed since the timer was started (S11).

  The determination of S11 can be made by the main control unit 101. Here, as an example, the case where the elapsed time is determined on the basis of one hour has been described, but the time used as the criterion for determination can be freely determined.

  The process of S11 is continued until it is determined that one hour (reference time) has elapsed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S11 that one hour (the reference time) has elapsed, a change process of the availability information is performed (S12).

  Execution availability information change processing is performed by the execution availability information change processing unit 110 generating the changed execution availability information based on the acquired execution availability information and transmitting the generated execution availability information to the acquisition destination. Done.

  When the information indicating the available time is included as the execution availability information, the execution availability information is generated by subtracting the time counted by the timer from the available time and replacing the execution availability information with the reduced time. .

  When the information indicating the number of times of use is included as the execution permission information, the number of times of use is decreased by one, and the execution permission information changed by replacing the execution permission information with the reduced number of times is generated.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the program can be executed based on the changed execution availability information (S13).

  The determination in S13 is processed in the same manner as the processing in S3 based on the execution availability information after the change.

  If it is determined in S13 that the program can be executed, the process returns to S11.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S13 that the program cannot be executed, the program is stopped (S14).

  Specifically, the execution of the program may be stopped immediately by the program execution processing unit 106. However, the display control unit 108 causes the display unit such as the monitor 300 to display “target program”. It is preferable to stop the execution of the program after displaying a warning message such as “The license period has ended” and notifying the user that the license period of the program has ended.

The figure which shows an example of schematic structure of the license management system which enforces the license management method of this invention Block diagram of computer 100 used in the license management system The figure which shows an example of a mode that the execution availability information which concerns on this invention was recorded The figure which shows the other example of the mode which recorded the availability information which concerns on this invention The figure which shows an example of the processing flow of the license management method processed by the license management system of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the processing flow in the case of performing a license change process in the license management method processed by the license management system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

100: Computer 200: CDROM drive 300: Monitor 400: Keyboard 500: Mouse 600: USB port 101: Main control unit 102: Main storage unit 103: Executability information acquisition processing unit 104: External input unit 105: Judgment processing unit 106: Program execution processing unit 107: Operation input unit 108: Display control unit 109: External communication unit 110: Executability information change processing unit

Claims (17)

Program storage means for storing the program;
Executability information acquisition means for acquiring executability information for the program;
Determination means for determining whether or not the execution of the program is possible based on the acquired execution availability information;
A license management system comprising: a program execution unit that executes only a program that is determined to be executable by the determination unit.   2. The execution capability information includes information indicating an available time, and the determination unit determines that the program can be executed when the available time is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The described license management system.   2. The execution capability information includes information indicating the number of times of use, and the determination unit determines that the program can be executed when the number of times of use is other than zero. License management system.   4. The license management system according to claim 1, further comprising execution availability information changing means for changing the execution availability information.   5. The license management system according to claim 4, wherein the execution availability information changing unit changes an available time before making a determination in the determination unit.   5. The license management system according to claim 4, wherein the execution availability information changing unit changes the number of times that the information can be used before the determination by the determination unit.   The license management system according to claim 1, wherein the execution availability information acquisition unit acquires execution availability information by reading execution availability information recorded on a recording medium.   The license management system according to claim 1, wherein the license information acquisition unit acquires execution permission / inhibition information via a communication line. A program storage process storing the program;
An executable information acquisition step for acquiring executable information for the program;
A determination step of determining whether or not the execution of the program is possible based on the acquired execution availability information;
A license management method comprising: a program execution step that executes only a program that is determined to be executable in the determination step.   10. The execution capability information includes information indicating an available time, and the determination step determines that the program can be executed when the available time is equal to or greater than a specified amount. The license management method described.   10. The execution capability information includes information indicating the number of times of use, and the determination step determines that the program can be executed when the number of times of use is other than 0. License management method.   12. The license management method according to claim 9, further comprising an execution availability information changing step for changing the execution availability information.   13. The license management method according to claim 12, wherein the execution availability information changing step changes a usable time before making a determination in the determination step.   13. The license management method according to claim 12, wherein the execution availability information changing step changes the usable number of times before making the determination in the determination step.   15. The license management method according to claim 9, wherein the execution availability information acquisition step acquires execution availability information by reading execution availability information recorded on a recording medium.   15. The license management method according to claim 9, wherein the execution availability information acquisition step acquires execution availability information via a communication line.   8. A license management recording medium that is connectable to the license management system according to claim 1 and that stores executable information.

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