The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 31, 2010
Filed:
Dec. 27, 2005
Avi Ben-menahem, Sammamish, WA (US);
Nir Ben-zvi, Redmond, WA (US);
Ronald W. Miller, Sammamish, WA (US);
Avi Ben-Menahem, Sammamish, WA (US);
Nir Ben-Zvi, Redmond, WA (US);
Ronald W. Miller, Sammamish, WA (US);
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
Software is governed by a digital license that specifies a certificate that must be present in order for the software (or certain features thereof) to be used. A root authority authorizes a license server to issue certificates that are called for in the digital license for an item of software. The software and the digital license are installed on a machine, and the machine enrolls with the license server to obtain the certificate. When the software is run, an enforcement component evaluates the license to determine what certificate is required, and then evaluates the certificate to determine whether it meets the requirements of a license. If the certificate is invalid, the enforcement component may disable the software, or may disable certain features of the software.