Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Business processing using cryptography – Usage protection of distributed data files
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-06
2003-09-02
Millin, Vincent (Department: 3624)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Business processing using cryptography
Usage protection of distributed data files
C713S152000, C713S152000, C705S039000, C705S041000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615191
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This application relates generally to software licensing and distribution systems and methods that employ biometric sample authentication.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Piracy currently exacts an immense toll on the revenues of software publishers. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Software Publishers Association (SPA) estimate that revenue losses to the worldwide computer software industry due to piracy amounted to $11.4 billion in 1997, with as many as four in every ten business software applications being pirated. The entertainment software industry is also heavily burdened, with foreign counterfeit markets for video games estimated to range as high as 93%, according to the Douglas Consulting Group. The music industry is similarly affected, with as many as one in three copies produced globally being pirated.
These levels of piracy continue to take their toll despite enforcement actions and technical countermeasures. While particular enforcement actions have successfully stopped individual counterfeiting operations, they have failed to entirely deter others from taking their places. And while various technical piracy countermeasures, such as copy protection and mandated registration, have been proposed and deployed, none of these has been widely successful in ensuring that manufactures of mass-market software do not suffer substantial lost revenue from piracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one general aspect, the invention features a software distribution method that includes offering software to a customer and storing biometric identification information received from the customer in a customer storage area. A biometric identification signal is received in response to customer interaction with a biometric interface, a match is detected between the biometric identification signal and the identification information stored in the customer storage area by the step of storing, and the customer is permitted to use the software in response to the step of detecting a match, after the step of offering.
In preferred embodiments, the method can further include receiving a payment commitment from the customer before the step of permitting the customer to use the software. The method can include presenting a selection of payment choices including at least one choice involving access based on biometric identification and at least one choice involving access without biometric identification, with the step of receiving a payment commitment being performed after the step of presenting the selection. The customer identification information can be received electronically through a public network and the step of receiving a payment commitment can also be conducted electronically through a public network. The biometric identification information can be stored in a portable machine-readable storage element, which can have a size on the order of a credit-card or smaller. A copy of the software can be conveyed to the user. The method can further include the steps of recording the software in a proprietary format and conveying to the customer a proprietary player capable of reading the proprietary format. The method can further include the steps of detecting a mismatch between the biometric identification signal and the identification information stored in the customer storage area, and permitting the customer to use the software a limited number of times in response to detecting a mismatch and after the step of offering. The step of permitting the customer to use the software a limited number of times may require a password from the customer. The method can further include the steps of storing replacement biometric identification information received from the customer in a customer storage area, receiving a biometric identification signal in response to customer interaction with a biometric interface, detecting a match between the biometric identification signal and the replacement identification information stored in the customer storage area by the step of storing, and permitting the customer to use the software in response to the step of detecting a match between the biometric identification signal and the replacement identification information. A biometric interface can be registered to validate the received biometric identification signal. The biometric identification information received from the customer can be stored in one of a plurality of customer storage entries in a centralized customer database. The step of offering can offer software for playing audio recordings. The step of offering can offer software for playing video recordings.
In another general aspect, the invention features a software distribution system that includes means for offering software to a customer, storage means for storing biometric identification information received from the customer in a customer storage area, and biometric sensing means. The system also includes means for detecting a match between a biometric identification signal from the biometric sensing means and the identification information stored in the customer storage area, and means for permitting the customer to use the software in response to a match signal from the means for detecting a match.
In a further general aspect, the invention features a licensed software use validation method that includes presenting a biometric interface to a customer, receiving a biometric identification signal in response to customer interaction with the biometric interface, detecting a match between the biometric identification signal and an entry in a customer storage area, which entry indicates that the customer is registered to access the software, and permitting the customer to use the software in response to the step of detecting a match.
In preferred embodiments, the steps of presenting, receiving, detecting, and permitting can be performed by a player with the steps of presenting, receiving, detecting, and permitting taking place after the player and rights in the software have been conveyed to the customer.
In another general aspect, the invention features a software player assembly for playing software for licensed customers that includes a biometric information storage area for storing an entry in a customer storage area, which entry indicates that a customer is registered to access the software, a biometric sensor having a data output, a match detector responsive to the biometric sensor and to the biometric information storage area and having a match signal output, and storage for the software having an access gate that has an enable signal input responsive to the match detector.
In preferred embodiments, the biometric information storage area, the biometric sensor, the match detector, and the storage for the software can all be housed in a single housing. The player assembly can weigh less than three pounds. The biometric sensor can be a fingerprint detector. The player assembly can be an audio recording player assembly. The player assembly can be a video recording player assembly.
In a further general aspect, the invention features a software player for playing software for licensed customers, which includes means for presenting a biometric interface to a customer, means for receiving a biometric identification signal in response to customer interaction with the biometric interface, means for detecting a match between the biometric identification signal and an entry in a customer storage area, which entry indicates that the customer is registered to access the software, and means for permitting the customer to use the software in response to detection of a match by the means for detecting a match.
In another general aspect, the invention features a software distribution system that includes an offer interface for offering software to a customer, an identification interface for receiving biometric information from a customer, and means for storing biometric identification information received from the customer in a customer storage area. In preferred embodiments, the identification interface can be operative to read the bi
Elbing Kristofer E.
Millin Vincent
Patel Jagdish N
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