Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – For cost/price
Patent
1996-11-12
1999-02-09
Cosimano, Edward R.
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
For cost/price
G06F 1760
Patent
active
058707263
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the renting ot computerized means (software and/or hardware) in accordance with a schedule which depends on the actual use of this facility.
This schedule can be compiled on the basis of various measures such as the period for which a piece of software is made available, the duration of use of this piece of software, the number of transactions made or dossiers created, the number and quality (difficulty or rarity) of calculations, the number and quality of files consulted, especially, and more generally of any computing or remote-computing service made available to a user, and the operation of which is enabled at least in part by the said software.
A fair number of proposals have already been made for providing protection for the supplier (or designer) of a piece of software, especially: EP-A-0,430,734; IEICE transactions, vol. E 73, No. 7, July 1990, JP, pp 1133-1146; EP-A-0,265,183.
Thus, the concept is known of a computerized device, of the type including: together with memory means allowing it to load an operating system and to implement at least one piece of software on the basis of this operating system, and together with at least one connection interface which can be accessed through a function of the operating system, and smart-card reader, connected to the central processing unit by the said connection interface of the latter, purposes of conditioning the conduct of the execution of the said software, depending on the state of certain data contained in the removable memory medium.
This is done in EP-A-0 430 734, with the intention of the software sending results to the smart card which it will have to be able to retrieve therefrom subsequently, failing which the software cannot be fully executed.
These known solutions are not entirely satisfactory from the security standpoint, it being observed that a perfect security system is inconceivable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is therefore aimed firstly at improving security as regards protecting a piece of software against unauthorized use.
The invention is aimed, more precisely, at improving this security sufficiently for it to be possible for example to rely on it for pricing the charges for renting the software, as will be seen later.
The object of the invention is also to provide a solution which is applicable for several renters, several pieces of software and several possible simultaneous lessors.
The Applicant has observed that the difficulties of implementation originate from the manner in which the rental and protection processes are associated.
The invention stems from a computerized device of the aforesaid type.
According to one aspect of the invention the specific calls are configured in the form of communication commands, possessing send arguments, and whose completion state is suspended while awaiting a response of particular form, and the removable unit comprises: communication command originating from the central processing unit, depending on first conditions involving the expression of the communication command, and information contained in the card, and command and of according it a favourable response, in the said particular form, only if second conditions pertaining to the arguments of the said command and to information contained in the card are complied with.
The responsive module can be a usage metering module, such as an electronic purse and/or a time metering module.
Provision may then be made for the said response of particular form to include a first state, affording authorization of normal operation of the software, and a second state, affording authorization of operation at the very most only in downgraded mode (reduced capabilities).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge on examining the detailed description below, and the attached drawings in which:
FIGS. 1, 1A and 1B are the general diagrams of three examples of installations in which the invention can be implemented,
FIGS. 2, 2A ill
REFERENCES:
patent: 4683553 (1987-07-01), Mollier
patent: 4796181 (1989-01-01), Wiedemer
patent: 5047928 (1991-09-01), Wiedemer
patent: 5083309 (1992-01-01), Beysson
patent: 5155680 (1992-10-01), Wiedemer
patent: 5327497 (1994-07-01), Mooney et al.
patent: 5386369 (1995-01-01), Christiano
patent: 5689560 (1997-11-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 5761651 (1998-06-01), Hasebe et al.
S. Tashiro, et al.,; "Implementation of a Small-Scale Protype for Software Service System (SSS)", Systems and Computers in Japan, Vol. 19, No. 5 (1988), pp. 50-61.
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