KR101428979B1 - Portable storage device, System and method for providing application program using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable storage device, a system and a method for providing an application program using the portable storage device, and more particularly to a portable storage device that prevents unauthorized use while ensuring security when using an application program stored in a portable storage device through a host computer, Thereby minimizing the burden on the user. According to the present invention, when the host computer recognizes the connection of the portable storage device, the virtualization engine of the portable storage device is driven to establish a virtual environment. The host computer drives the user interface engine of the portable storage device to display the virtual environment menu window. When a purchase request of a specific application program is requested through the virtual environment menu window, the host computer accesses the application program providing server through the running user interface engine and purchases a specific application program through payment of a fee for the specific application program. The host computer receives the license information according to the payment plan and the specific application program purchased from the application program providing server through the user interface engine that the host computer is operating, and stores the license information in the portable storage device. When the host computer receives the activation request of the specific application program through the virtual environment menu window, the authentication module is activated to authenticate the use of the selected application program. When the host computer passes the authentication, the virtualization engine is activated to display the selected application program on the virtual environment .

Virtual environment, menu window, application, software, host computer

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a portable storage device, a system and a method for providing an application program using the same,

The present invention relates to an application program service technology in a host computer, and more particularly, to a portable storage device for storing a virtual environment in which a host computer can use an application program stored in a portable storage device, And an application program providing system and method using the same.

Generally, the host computer has a plurality of applications installed on the operating system. The user can perform document editing, image editing, game, and the like using various application programs installed in the host computer.

In addition, when a user wants to perform a job on another host computer by moving a file in his or her host computer through a physical location, the user can use a USB memory as a storage medium for moving a file created by his / her host computer to another host computer .

However, if another host computer does not have an application that can execute files stored in the USB memory, you can not use the file.

In order to solve such a problem, a portable storage device which stores an application program and provides a virtual environment so that a user can perform an operation using a stored application program when connected to a host computer is also introduced. Accordingly, the user can execute an application program through a virtual environment built on a host computer to which the portable storage device is connected, and perform necessary operations on the file.

Thus, the conventional portable storage device provides the user with the convenience of carrying necessary application programs. However, it is also true that users are required to purchase necessary applications together with portable storage devices, which is costly for users. For users who do not frequently work with files on other host computers, purchasing portable storage devices, including expensive applications, is not easy.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable storage device that can be used for a certain period of time by purchasing an application program through various charging plans so as to minimize burden on a user in purchasing a portable storage device storing expensive application programs, And to provide an application providing system and method.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable storage device capable of preventing unauthorized use while ensuring security when an application program stored in a portable storage device is used through a host computer, and an application program providing system and method using the same.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a portable storage device that performs authentication by checking identification information previously stored in a portable storage device and license information of an application program, and activates the application program in a virtual environment when authentication is passed, And an application program providing system and method using the same.

The present invention provides an application program providing system including a portable storage device and a host computer. The portable storage device may include identification information, at least one application program, usage right information of the application program, a virtualization engine for constructing a virtual environment capable of running the application program, authentication for authenticating use of the application program in the virtual environment, Module and a user interface engine that guides the use and purchase of the application program in the virtual environment. When the portable storage device is connected to the host computer, the host computer activates the virtualization engine to construct a virtual environment capable of driving the application program, and drives the user interface engine to store application program items stored in the portable storage device And when receiving a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items through the user interface engine that is being driven, drives the authentication module to authenticate the license information of the selected application program And if the authentication is passed, drives the virtualization engine to drive the selected application program on the virtual environment.

The present invention also provides a portable storage device of an application program providing system including a communication unit and a storage unit. The communication unit performs communication with the host computer. The storage unit may store identification information of the portable storage device, at least one application program, usage right information of the application program, a virtualization engine for constructing a virtual environment for driving the application program on the host computer, And stores an authentication module for authenticating use of the application program. Wherein the storage further stores a user interface engine that guides the use and purchase of the application program in a virtual environment built on the host computer.

The present invention also provides a host computer of an application program providing system including a transmitting / receiving unit and a control unit. The transceiver communicates with a portable storage device and an application program providing server having identification information, at least one application program, license information of the application program, a virtualization engine, a user interface engine, and an authentication module. Wherein the control unit is configured to establish a virtual environment capable of driving the application program by driving the virtualization engine when the portable storage device is connected to the portable storage device, A virtual environment menu window is displayed and when receiving a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items through the user interface engine in operation, the authentication module is activated to perform authentication using the license information of the selected application program And if the authentication is passed, drives the virtualization engine to drive the selected application program on the virtual environment.

The present invention further provides a virtualization system including a construction step of constructing a virtual environment capable of driving an application program stored in the portable storage device by driving a virtualization engine of the portable storage device when the host computer recognizes the connection of the portable storage device, Displaying a virtual environment menu window by driving a user interface engine of the connected portable storage device when the computer requests purchase of a specific application program through the virtual environment menu window; A purchasing step of accessing an application program providing server through an engine and purchasing the specific application program through payment of a fee for the specific application program; a step of purchasing the specific application program from the application program providing server through the user interface engine One And a storing step of receiving the usage right information according to the payment plan with the specific application program, and storing the received usage right information in the portable storage device. The present invention also provides an application program providing method using the portable storage device.

The present invention further provides a virtualization system including a construction step of constructing a virtual environment capable of driving an application program stored in the portable storage device by driving a virtualization engine of the portable storage device when the host computer recognizes the connection of the portable storage device, A display step of causing a computer to drive a user interface engine of the portable storage device to display an application program item that can be driven in the virtual environment by calling from the portable storage device and displaying the application program item; An authentication step of, upon receipt of a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items, activating an authentication module of the portable storage device to perform authentication using license information of the selected application program; remind The said selected application via the virtualization engine provides an application providing method using a portable storage device that includes a driving stage for driving on the virtual environment.

The present invention also relates to a virtualization engine transferring step of transferring a virtualization engine necessary for establishing a virtual environment to the host computer when the portable storage device is connected to the host computer, To the host computer, a step of transmitting an application program to the portable computer, the application program item being transmitted from the portable storage device to the host computer in response to a request from the host computer for receiving a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items, The portable storage device transmits the selected application program to the host computer in response to a request from the host computer that has authenticated the use of the selected application program through the usage right information and the identification information, It provides an application providing method and transmits it to the computer using a portable storage device that includes an application driving step of driving in the virtual environment.

The present invention also provides a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for implementing the above-described application program providing method is recorded.

According to the present invention, since the user can use the application program for a necessary period through various payment plans for the required application program, the user can minimize the burden on the user by purchasing the portable storage device storing the expensive application program .

When the application program stored in the portable storage device is used in a virtual environment through the host computer connected to the portable storage device, the user authentication is performed by checking the identification information of the portable storage device and the usage right information of the application program. Unauthorized use of the application can be suppressed. That is, in the authentication step, the availability of the application program is confirmed through the usage check according to the charge plan included in the license information, and if available, whether the identification information included in the license information matches the identification information of the portable storage device . Therefore, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use through unauthorized copying of the application program.

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

The application program providing system 100 using the portable storage device 10 according to the present embodiment provides an application program service through the portable storage device 10 as shown in FIG. The application program providing system 100 provides various application programs in the application program providing server 40 and is capable of downloading necessary application programs from the application program providing server 40 through the portable storage device 10 to provide. At this time, the user can download the required application program to the portable storage device 10 through the selection of the charge plan according to the usage period.

The application program providing system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a portable storage device 10 and a host computer 20 connected via a wired or wireless communication network 31 and a host computer 20 connected to the host computer 20 via a network 33 And an application providing server (40).

The wired / wireless communication network 31 is a data communication network for data transmission and information exchange between the portable storage device 10 and the host computer 20 located at a short distance. The wired / wireless communication network 31 may include a wired communication network using a USB, a USB2, a serial / parallel port, an Ethernet, a TCP / IP, a communication cable, and a short-range wireless communication network. Bluetooth, Zigbee, Ruby, Infrared Data Association (IrDA), and Ultra Wide Broadband (UWB) may be used as the short-range wireless communication method.

The portable storage device 10 provides the user with an application program that can be used without installing an application program on the host computer 20 by applying application virtualization technology. The portable storage device 10 performs an authentication step for the application program before the application program is activated in the virtual environment according to a user's request.

The host computer 20 is connected to the portable storage device 10 through the wired / wireless communication network 31 and is connected to the application program providing server 40 via the network 33. The host computer 20 establishes a virtual environment capable of driving an application program stored in the portable storage device 10 when the portable storage device 10 is connected through the wired / wireless communication network 31. The host computer 20 requests and drives an application program from the portable storage device 10 in response to a user's request in a virtual environment. The host computer 20 purchases an application program from the application program providing server 40 in response to a user's request in a virtual environment, receives the license information together with the purchased application program, and stores the received license information in the portable storage device 10.

The network 33 performs a series of data transmission / reception operations for data transmission and information exchange between the host computer 20 and the application program providing server 40. The network 33 may be an IP network that provides large capacity data transmission / reception services and seamless data services through IP, and may be an ALL-IP network that is an IP network structure in which different networks are integrated based on IP. The network 33 may be one of a wired communication network, a mobile communication network, a WiBro (Wireless Broadband) network, a High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network, and a satellite communication network.

And the application providing server 40 is connected to the host computer 20 via the network 33. [ The application providing server 40 includes a plurality of application programs and a database 41 for storing usage right information of users who have purchased application programs. The application providing server 40 performs a response function in accordance with a user's request through the host computer 20 to which the portable storage device 10 is connected. The application providing server 40 provides the application program to the portable storage device 10 of the user through various charging systems.

The portable storage device 10 of the application program providing system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the portable storage device 10 of FIG.

The portable storage device 10 includes a communication unit 11 and a storage unit 13.

The communication unit 11 communicates with the host computer 20 through the wired / wireless communication network 31. [

The storage unit 13 stores identification information 15 of the portable storage device 10, an application program 16, license information 17, a virtualization engine 14, a user interface (UI) engine 17, 19, and is made up of one or more volatile memory elements and a nonvolatile memory element. The identification information 15 is a unique identification given to the portable storage device 10. The application program 16 includes an application program previously stored or purchased from the application providing server 40 when the portable storage device 10 is purchased. The license information 17 is license information for the application program and is received from the application program providing server 40 together with the application program when the application program is purchased. The virtualization engine 14 constructs a virtual environment in the host computer 20 that can drive the application program 16 stored in the portable storage device 10 in the host computer 20 to which the portable storage device 10 is connected . The user interface engine 18 provides a user interface that guides the use and purchase of applications in a virtual environment built on the host computer 20. [ Then, the authentication module 19 confirms the validity of the license by checking the license information 17 and the identification information 15 for the application program, and authenticates whether or not the application program is used according to the result of the validity check.

In particular, when the portable magnetic field device 10 is connected to the host computer 20, the host computer 10 transmits the virtualization engine 14 necessary for establishing the virtual environment. At this time, the host computer 20 drives the virtualization engine 14 to establish a virtual environment in the host computer 20. [ The virtualization engine 14 running on the host computer 20 calls the user interface engine 18 to the host computer 20 and displays the virtual environment menu window 22 on the screen. The virtualization engine 14 may also call the authentication module 19 to the host computer 20 and mount it in the memory portion (25 in FIG. 3).

The portable storage device 10 transmits an application program item that can be driven in the virtual environment to the host computer 20. [ At this time, the host computer 20 recognizes the application programs 16 stored in the portable storage device 10 through the user interface engine 18 in operation and displays a virtual environment menu window including application program items on the screen.

The portable storage device 10 transmits the license information and the identification information of the selected specific application program to the host computer 20 in response to a request from the host computer 20 that receives the selection signal for a specific application item among the application program items do. The portable storage device 10 transmits the selected application program to the host computer 20 at the request of the host computer 20 confirming that the license is valid, and drives the selected application program in the virtual environment. At this time, the host computer 20 determines the validity of the license by checking the license information and the identification information received through the virtualization engine 14 in operation.

The portable storage device 10 transmits the usage right information and the identification information of the application program capable of executing the specific file to the host computer 20 at the request of the host computer 20 receiving the execution request of the specific file. The portable storage device 10 transmits the application program to the host computer 20 at the request of the host computer 20 confirming the validity of the license, and drives the virtual machine in the virtual environment to execute the specific file. Of course, the host computer 20 determines the validity of the license by checking the license information and the identification information received through the virtualization engine 14 in operation.

The portable storage device 10 receives the application program 16 purchased from the application program providing server 40 via the host computer 20 and the license information 17 for the payment plan paid upon purchase of the application program 16 And stores it in the storage unit 13.

The host computer 20 of the application program providing system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the host computer 20 of FIG.

The host computer 20 includes a transmitting and receiving section 21, an input section 23, a memory section 25, a display section 27, and a control section 29.

The transceiver unit 21 communicates with the portable storage device 10 via the wired / wireless communication network 31 and communicates with the application program providing server 40 via the network 33. [ The transceiver unit 21 transmits and receives data necessary for driving the application program 16 stored in the portable storage device 10 and purchasing an application program through the application program providing server 40. [

The input unit 23 provides a plurality of keys for operating the host computer 20 and receives a selection signal according to a user's selection of keys to transmit the selection signal to the control unit 29. The user can request purchase and operation of the application program through the input unit 23, and can perform work through the application program in operation. As the input unit 23, an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, or a touch screen may be used.

The memory unit 25 stores a program necessary for controlling the operation of the host computer 20 and data generated during the execution of the program, and is composed of one or more volatile memory elements and nonvolatile memory elements. The memory unit 25 mounts the virtualization engine 14, the user interface engine 18, the authentication module 19 and the application program 16 received from the connected portable storage device 10. The virtualization engine 14, the user interface engine 18, the authentication module 19, and the application program 16, which are mounted in the memory unit 25, are disconnected when the communication connection between the host computer 20 and the portable magnetic- Is removed from the memory unit 25. [

The display unit 27 displays information stored in the memory unit 25 as well as various function menus executed in the host computer 20. [ The display unit 27 displays a virtual environment menu window under the control of the control unit 29 and displays application program items that can be operated in the virtual environment. As the display unit 27, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a touch screen may be used. The touch screen serves both as a display device and as an input device.

The control unit 29 is a microprocessor that performs overall control operations of the host computer 20. The control unit 29 loads the virtualization engine 14 received from the connected portable storage device 10 into the memory unit 25 and uses the application program in the virtual environment through the virtualization engine 14 And controls application service through the portable storage device 10 including purchase.

Particularly, when recognizing the connection of the portable storage device 10, the control unit 29 drives the virtualization engine 14 to establish a virtual environment in which the application program 16 stored in the portable storage device 10 can be driven. The control unit 29 displays a virtual environment menu window including application program items that can be driven in the virtual environment by driving the user interface engine 18. [ When the control unit 29 receives a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items, the control unit 29 drives the authentication module 19 to check whether the license for the selected application program is valid. If the license is valid, the control unit 29 drives the selected application program through the virtualization engine 14 on the virtual environment. Also, the control unit 29 receives the application program purchased from the application program providing server 40 and the license information about the payment plan settled upon purchase of the application program, and stores it in the portable storage device 10.

The application service through the host computer 20 to which the portable storage device 10 is connected will be described in more detail as follows.

The control unit 29 receives the virtualization engine 14 from the portable storage device 10 via the transceiver unit 21 when the portable storage device 10 is connected to the host computer 20 via the wired or wireless communication network 31 And mounted on the memory unit 25. The control unit 29 drives the virtualization engine 14 mounted in the memory unit 25 to construct a virtual environment and drives the user interface engine 18 to create a virtual environment menu window for application service in the virtual environment Display it on the screen.

At this time, the virtualization engine 14 calls the user interface engine 18 to the host computer 20 to display a virtual environment menu window on the screen. The virtualization engine 14 may also call the authentication module 19 to the host computer 20 and mount it in the memory section 25. [

The virtual environment menu window 22 includes a menu window 24, an application item window 26, and an application program purchase window 28, as shown in FIG. The menu window 24 includes To Go SW menu 24a, My Storage menu 24b, My PC menu 24c, My Life menu, and Setting menu. The My Storage menu 24b is a menu that a user can select when checking a file stored in the portable storage device 10. [ The My PC menu 24c is used to confirm the file information stored in the portable storage device 10 or to change the environment of the host computer 20 to which the portable storage device 10 is connected, to be. The My Life menu is a menu that you can choose when you want to use your online communication channels, blogs, and albums such as emails, short messages, and instant messages. And the To Go SW menu (24a) is a menu item to be selected when purchasing and using the application program.

In particular, when the To Go SW menu 24a is selected, the user interface engine 18 displays the application item window 26 and the application purchase window 28 on the right side of the menu window 24. [ The application item window 26 displays an item of an application program stored in the portable storage device 10, and the application item item may be displayed as a list or an icon. In this embodiment, examples of AA, BB, and CC application programs stored in the portable storage device 10 are shown as icons.

When a specific application item is selected in the application item window 26, the virtualization engine 14 performs authentication for the selected application program through the authentication module 19, and if the authentication is passed, And is called from the device 10 to be driven in a virtual environment.

The application purchase window 28 is a user interface through which an application program can be purchased even if the user does not directly access the application program providing server 40. [ The application purchase window 28 can provide an application program that can be purchased from the application program providing server 40 as a list or an item and further includes application program search windows 28a and 28b for quickly searching for an application program . The application search windows 28a and 28b may include a search word input window 28a and a search button 28b, but are not limited thereto. For example, if the search word 28b is input after inputting the search word "DD" in the search word input window 28a, the icon 28c of the application program corresponding to "DD" is displayed in the application program purchase window 28. [ The user can request purchase by dragging and dropping the icon 28c of the application program into the application item window 26. [

A payment plan that you pay for an application purchase is either a duration plan that you can use for a certain period of time or a permanent plan that you can use permanently. The plan includes a single plan with a usage fee allocated to each application program and a package plan with a usage fee allocated to a plurality of packaged application programs. The license under the plan may be either a fixed license or a permanent license. In the case of a fixed-term license, the period may be in hours, days, weeks, months, or years. The license information includes a charge plan selected at the time of purchase of a specific application program and identification information of the portable storage device 10 purchasing a specific application program. Or the license information may further include information of the user who purchased the specific application program. At this time, the user information may be identification information given to the user.

Upon receipt of a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items, the control unit 29 requests and receives the usage right information 17 and the identification information 15 of the application program selected by the portable storage device 10. The control unit 29 confirms whether the usage right of the application program selected by the usage right information 17 and the identification information 15 is valid. The control unit 29 checks the received license information 16 and the identification information 15 using the authentication module 19 loaded in the memory unit 25 to determine the validity of the license. That is, the authentication module 19 first verifies whether or not the application program is usable by checking the usage according to the usage plan included in the usage right information 17, performs authentication first, and includes the license information 17 if available It is possible to perform authentication in a secondary manner based on whether or not the identified identification information matches the identification information 15 of the portable storage device 10. By performing the authentication in this way, it is possible to block the use of the pirated application program on the portable storage device other than the authenticated portable storage device 10.

If the license is valid, the control unit 29 drives the selected application program on the virtual environment. The control unit 29 controls the virtualization engine 14 mounted on the memory unit 25 to use the virtualization engine 14 mounted on the memory unit 25, And requests and receives an application program selected by the storage device 10. The virtualization engine 14 drives the received application program on the virtual environment.

On the other hand, if the license is invalid, that is, if the authentication fails, the control unit 29 displays the unavailable message of the selected application program on the display unit 27.

The user can perform an operation using an application program running in a virtual environment.

On the other hand, the control unit 29 can receive the execution request of the specific file through the virtual environment menu window 22 and execute the specific file. That is, when the control unit 29 is requested to execute a specific file through the virtual environment menu window 22, an application program (not shown) to execute a specific file among the application programs stored in the portable storage device 10 via the user interface engine 28 . The control unit 29 drives the authentication module 19 to check whether the license of the selected application program is valid. If the license is valid, the control unit 29 drives the virtualization engine 14 to run the selected application program on the virtual environment, and then executes the specific file. For example, the user can select a specific file through the My Storage menu 24b or the My PC menu 24c of the virtual environment menu window 22.

On the other hand, when the communication connection between the host computer 20 and the portable storage device 10 is disconnected, the control unit 29 controls the virtualization engine 14, the user interface engine 18, the authentication module 19 And the application program 16 being executed in the memory unit 25. [

The application program providing method of the application program providing system 100 according to the present embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an application program providing method using the portable storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the portable storage device 10 is connected to the host computer 20 in step S50, the host computer 20 recognizes this and constructs a virtual environment in step S60. Next, in step S70, the host computer 20 determines whether the purchase or selection of the application program in the virtual environment is performed according to the user's selection signal. If it is determined in step S70 that purchase of the application program is selected, the host computer 20 performs a procedure of purchasing the application program to the application program providing server 20 in step S80. If it is determined in step S70 that the application program to be driven is selected, the host computer 20 calls and selects the application program selected from the portable storage device 10 in step S110.

More specifically, an application program purchase step according to an application program providing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 as follows. Here, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the purchasing step of the providing method of FIG. FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a virtual environment menu window 22 displayed on the host computer 20 in the purchasing step of FIG.

The portable storage device 10 transfers the virtualization engine 14 to the host computer 20 in step S61 when the portable storage device 10 is connected to the host computer 20 in step S50.

Next, in step S63, the host computer 20 drives the virtualization engine 14 to establish a virtual environment. The virtualization engine 14 may call the user interface engine 18 and the authentication module 19 from the portable storage device 10 and mount the same in the memory section 25. [ At this time, the virtualization engine 14 requests the user to log in by inputting the user information, and can establish a virtual environment when the login is passed. If the login fails, the virtualization engine 14 may display on the display unit 27 an unusable message of the portable storage device 10 in response to the login failure.

Next, in step S65, the host computer 20 drives the user interface engine 18 to display the virtual environment menu window 22 on the display unit 27. [ For example, the virtual environment menu window 22 includes a menu window 24, an application item window 26, and an application program purchase window 28, as shown in FIG. At this time, the virtual environment menu window 22 is a user interface screen displayed by selecting the To Go SW menu 24a of the menu window 24, which is merely an example and can be variously modified.

In step S70, the host computer 20 searches for and selects a specific application program in the application program purchase window 28 of the virtual environment menu window 22 according to the user's selection signal through the input unit 23. In step S81, Requests the application providing server 40 to purchase the selected application program through the user interface engine 18 in operation. At this time, in step S70, the user searches for an application program necessary through the application program purchase window 28 and requests purchase of the found application program. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, if the search word 28b is pressed after inputting the search word "DD" in the search word input window 28a, the icon 28c of the application program corresponding to "DD" And displays it on the purchase window 22. The user can request purchase by dragging and dropping the icon 28c of the application program into the application program item window 26. [

Next, in step S83, the application program providing server 40 requests payment of the selected application program. At this time, the plan is either a fixed-rate plan or a permanent plan.

Next, in step S85, the payment is made through the selection of a payment plan according to the user's selection signal through the input unit 23. In step S87, the host computer 20 transmits the payment information to the application program providing server 40 ). The host computer 20 can transmit the identification information 15 of the portable storage device 10 connected through the user interface engine 18 to the application program providing server 40 in step S81 or step S87.

Next, in step S89, the application program providing server 40 transmits the selected application program and the license information of the selected application program to the host computer 20.

Next, in step S91, the host computer 20 transmits the application program and the license information received through the user interface engine 18 to the portable storage device 10.

In step S93, the portable storage device 10 stores the received application program and the usage right information in the storage unit 13. At this time, the user interface engine 18 displays an icon 28c matching the purchased DD application program in the application item window 26. [

An example of driving an application program according to an application program providing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. Here, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the application program driving step of the providing method of FIG.

The virtual environment menu window 22 is displayed on the display unit 27 of the host computer 20. In step S70, in accordance with the user's selection signal through the input unit 23, The host computer 20 requests the portable storage device 10 of the license information and identification information of the selected application program through the active authentication module 19 in operation S111.

Next, in step S113, the portable storage device 10 extracts the usage right information 17 and the identification information 16 of the selected application program and transmits the same to the host computer 20.

Next, in step S115, the host computer 20 confirms the validity of the license of the selected application program by using the license information 17 and the identification information 15 received via the authentication module 19 being driven.

Next, in step S117, the authentication module 19 determines whether or not the authentication has passed according to whether the validity of the license is confirmed. In other words, the license information 17 includes the payment plan selected at the time of purchase of the application program and the identification information of the portable storage device purchasing the application program. Therefore, the authentication module 19 determines whether the license according to the plan included in the license information 17 is valid. If the license information is valid, the authentication module 19 transmits the identification information included in the license information 17 and the identification information 15 of the portable storage device 10, Is coincident with each other. If the two conditions are satisfied at the same time, the authentication module 19 determines that the authentication has passed, and if not, the authentication module 19 determines that the authentication is failed.

If it is determined in step S117 that the authentication is to be passed, the host computer 20 requests the portable storage device 10 to transmit the selected application program through the user interface engine 18 in operation in step S119. The portable storage device 10 then transfers the selected application program to the host computer 20 in step S119.

Next, in step S123, the host computer 20 drives an application program received in the virtual environment via the virtualization engine 18 in operation. At this time, the virtualization engine 14 receives the minimum amount of data necessary for driving the application program from the portable storage device 10 and drives it in the virtual environment. For example, the virtualization engine 14 may receive application programs on a packet, block, or file basis.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S117 that the authentication is unsuccessful, the host computer 20 may display the unavailable message of the selected application program on the display unit 27 through the user interface engine 18 in operation .

However, the present invention is not limited to this example. In the example of FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, an application program is operated by selecting a file displayed in the virtual environment menu window 22 to perform an operation.

Another example of the application program driving step according to the application program providing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 and 8. FIG. Here, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another example of the application program driving step of the providing method of FIG.

The virtual environment menu window 22 is displayed in the virtual environment menu window 22 in accordance with the user's selection signal through the input unit 23 in step S71 while the display unit 27 of the host computer 20 displays the virtual environment menu window 22. [ The host computer 20 selects an application program to execute a specific file among the application programs 16 stored in the portable storage device 10 through the user interface engine 18 in operation. In step S71, the user can select a specific file through the My Storage menu 24b or the My PC menu 24c. For example, if the My PC menu 24c is selected, the user interface engine 18 displays at least one submenu or folder. When a submenu or folder is selected, the user interface engine 18 displays the submenu or files contained in the folder. The user can select a particular file to work from among the displayed files. At this time, the specific file may be one of the files stored in the portable storage device 10.

Next, in step S111, the host computer 20 requests the portable storage device 10 of the usage right information 17 and the identification information 15 of the selected application program through the authentication module 19. [

The subsequent steps are performed in the same manner as the steps S113 to S125 shown in Fig. In step S123, the host computer 20 executes an application program received in the virtual environment via the virtualization engine 14, and then executes a specific file.

Meanwhile, the application program providing method according to the present embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command which can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. Program instructions to be recorded on a recording medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the present invention or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. For example, the recording medium may be a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, an optical medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD, a magneto-optical medium such as a floppy disk magneto-optical media, and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. Such a hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the present specification and drawings are only illustrative of specific examples for the purpose of understanding and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

The present invention relates to a portable storage device, and a system and method for providing an application program using the portable storage device. When a portable storage device is connected to a host computer, An application program stored in the storage device can be used. Since the user can use the application program for a necessary period through various payment for the required application program, the burden on the user due to the purchase of the portable storage device storing the expensive application program can be minimized. In addition, when the application program stored in the portable storage device is used in the virtual environment, the user authentication is performed by checking the identification information of the portable storage device and the license information of the application program. Therefore, unauthorized use of the application program can be suppressed .

1 is a block diagram showing an application program providing system using a portable storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the portable storage device of FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the host computer of FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an application program providing method using a portable storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a purchasing step of the providing method of FIG.

6 is a view illustrating a virtual environment menu window displayed on the host computer in the purchasing step of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of an application program driving step of the providing method of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing another example of an application program driving step of the providing method of FIG.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

10: Portable storage device 20: Host computer

31: wired / wireless communication network 33: network

40: application providing server 100: application providing system

Claims (20)

License information of the application program including identification information, identification information of at least one application program, a charge plan selected at the time of purchase of the application program and identification information of the portable storage device purchasing the application program, and a virtual environment capable of driving the application program A portable storage device comprising an authentication module for authenticating use of an application program in the virtual environment and a user interface engine for guiding the use and purchase of the application program in the virtual environment; And The virtualization engine may be operated to establish a virtual environment in which the application program can be driven when the portable storage device is connected, and a virtual environment menu including application program items stored in the portable storage device, And when receiving a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items through the user interface engine that is being driven, drives the authentication module to display the usage information according to the fee plan included in the license information of the selected application program, A host computer which confirms whether the identification information included in the license information and the identification information included in the license information match the identification information of the portable storage device and drives the selected application program on the virtual environment when the validity of the license is valid and the identification information matches; And an application program providing system using the portable storage device. A communication unit for communicating with the host computer; The license information of the application program including identification information of the portable storage device, at least one application program, identification information of the portable storage device that purchased the application program and the selected program at the time of purchase of the application program, An authentication module for authenticating use of the application program by confirming whether or not the identification information included in the usage term and the usage right information according to the charging plan matches the identification information of the portable storage device and a virtual environment for driving the application program, A storage unit for storing a virtualization engine in the host computer, the virtualization engine executing the selected application program on a virtual environment when the usage period of the selected application program is valid and the identification information matches; Wherein the portable storage device is a portable storage device of an application program providing system. The apparatus according to claim 2, Further comprising a user interface engine for guiding the use and purchase of the application program in a virtual environment built in the host computer. And a portable type portable communication device having identification information, at least one application program, license information of the application program including identification information of a portable storage device purchasing an application program selected at the time of purchase of the application program, a virtualization engine, A transmitting and receiving unit for communicating with a storage device and an application program providing server; The virtualization engine may be operated to establish a virtual environment in which the application program can be driven when the portable storage device is connected, and a virtual environment menu including application program items stored in the portable storage device, And when a specific application program among the application program items is selected through the user interface engine in operation, the authentication module is driven and included in usage license information and license information according to the charge plan included in the license information of the selected application program A control unit for checking whether or not the identified identification information matches the identification information of the portable storage device and driving the selected application program in a virtual environment in which the selected application program is valid and the identification information matches; And a host computer of the application program providing system. delete 5. The apparatus of claim 4, The user interface engine is operated to connect to the application program providing server to purchase the specific application program through payment of a fee for a specific application program and to acquire the specific application program from the application program providing server And receives the license information and stores the license information in the portable storage device. Constructing a virtual environment capable of driving an application program stored in the portable storage device by driving a virtualization engine of the portable storage device when the host computer recognizes the connection of the portable storage device; A display step of the host computer driving a user interface engine of the connected portable storage device to display a virtual environment menu window; When the host computer requests purchase of a specific application program through the virtual environment menu window, the host computer accesses the application program providing server through the user interface engine in operation, and transmits the specific application program Purchase step to buy; A storage step of receiving license information according to a payment plan established with the purchased specific application program from the application program providing server through the user interface engine in which the host computer is running and storing the license information in the portable storage device; The method comprising the steps of: 8. The method of claim 7, Receiving a virtualization engine from the portable storage device when the host computer recognizes the connection of the portable storage device; Generating a virtual environment by driving the virtualization engine received by the host computer; The method of claim 1, further comprising: 8. The method according to claim 7, Displaying an application program item window for displaying an application program item stored in the portable storage device by driving the user interface engine; and displaying an application program purchase window that can be purchased from the application program providing server; Selecting and purchasing a specific application program through the application program purchase window according to a user's selection signal through the user interface engine in which the host computer is running; The method of claim 1, further comprising: 10. The method according to claim 9, An application program list, an application program icon, or an application program search window. 10. The method according to claim 9, And the host computer purchases the specific application program when a specific application program of the application program purchase window moves to the application program window by drag and drop. Way. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the application program is one of a periodic fee plan that can be used for a certain period of time and a permanent fee plan that can be used permanently. 13. The method of claim 12, A single charging fee allocated to each application program, and a package charging fee allocated to a plurality of packaged application programs. 14. The method of claim 13, And the identification information of the portable storage device that has purchased the specific application program. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable storage device is a portable storage device. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: A display step of the host computer displaying an application program item stored in the portable storage device through the virtual environment menu window; When receiving a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items through the user interface engine in which the host computer is running, activates the authentication module of the portable storage device to generate license information of the selected application program and the identification information An authentication step of confirming and performing authentication; A driving step of causing the host computer to drive the virtualization engine to drive the selected application program on the virtual environment when the authentication is passed; The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: A request step of the host computer requesting execution of a specific file through the virtual environment menu window; A selecting step of selecting an application program to execute the specific file from the application programs stored in the portable storage device through the user interface engine in which the host computer is running; An authentication step of the host computer activating the authentication module to confirm the license information of the selected application program and the identification information to perform authentication; A driving step of causing the host computer to drive the virtualization engine to drive the selected application program on the virtual environment when the authentication is passed; An executing step of executing the specific file by using an application program which the host computer is running; The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: Constructing a virtual environment capable of driving an application program stored in the portable storage device by driving a virtualization engine of the portable storage device when the host computer recognizes the connection of the portable storage device; A display step of calling from the portable storage device an application program item that the host computer can drive in the virtual environment by driving a user interface engine of the portable storage device; When receiving a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items through the user interface engine in which the host computer is running, activates the authentication module of the portable storage device, An authentication step of confirming whether the identification information included in the usage period and the usage right information according to the identification information of the portable storage device coincides with the identification information included in the usage period and the usage right information, A driving step of causing the host computer to drive the selected application program on the virtual environment when the usage period is valid and the identification information matches; The method of claim 1, further comprising: Transferring a virtualization engine necessary for establishing a virtual environment to the host computer when the portable storage device is connected to the host computer; The portable storage device receives the license information including the application program purchased from the application program providing server through the host computer, the charge paid upon purchase of the application program, and the identification information of the portable storage device selected upon purchase of the application program A storage step of storing; An application program item transmission step of transmitting the application program item that the portable storage device can drive in the virtual environment to the host computer; A license information transfer step of transferring license information and identification information of the selected application program to the host computer in response to a request from the host computer in which the portable storage device receives a selection signal for a specific application program item among the application program items; Wherein the portable storage device transmits the selected application program to the host computer in response to a request from the host computer authenticating the use of the selected application program through the license information and the identification information, ; The method of claim 1, further comprising: delete 19. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program embodying the method according to any one of claims 7 to 18.

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