Method and apparatus for storing a software license
View Patent ↗In accordance with an example embodiment of the invention there is provided a method, comprising: associating an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMSI) with a mobile telecommunication device, the IMSI configured to identify the device to a mobile telephone network; storing a software program in memory associated with the device; storing a licence, necessary for allowing the operation of the software program on the device, in memory associated with the device; and locking the licence to said IMSI such that the software application cannot be operated on the device without said IMSI being associated with the device; wherein, the licence and the IMSI are stored on the same memory medium such that they are transportable from the device together.
1. A method, comprising:
associating an international mobile subscriber identity with a mobile device, the international mobile subscriber identity configured to identify the mobile device to a mobile telephone network; and
locking a license to the international mobile subscriber identity such that a software program cannot be operated on the mobile device without the international mobile subscriber identity being associated with the mobile device, wherein the license includes an expiration;
wherein the license and the international mobile subscriber identity are stored on at least one removable memory medium associated with the mobile device, wherein the at least one removable memory medium comprises at least one of a removable memory card or a subscriber identity module configured to enable removal of the at least one removable memory medium storing the license locked to the international mobile subscriber identity to enable operation at another mobile device, and wherein the software program is allowed to operate on the mobile device, or the other mobile device if the license is ascertained as valid and not allowed to operate on the mobile device if the license is ascertained as invalid.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the software program is stored on memory integral with the mobile device, on memory remote from the mobile device, or a combination of both.
3. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
associate an international mobile subscriber identity with a mobile device, the international mobile subscriber identity configured to identify the mobile device to a mobile telephone network; and
lock the license to the international mobile subscriber identity such that the software application cannot be operated on the mobile device without the international mobile subscriber identity being associated with the mobile device, wherein the license includes an expiration;
wherein the license and the international mobile subscriber identity are stored on at least one removable memory medium associated with the mobile device, wherein the at least one removable memory medium comprises at least one of a removable memory card or a subscriber identity module configured to enable removal of the at least one removable memory medium storing the license locked to the international mobile subscriber identity to enable operation at another mobile device, and wherein the software program is allowed to operate on the mobile device if the license is ascertained as valid and not allowed to operate on the mobile device if the license is ascertained as invalid.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the software application is stored on memory integral with the mobile device, on memory remote from the mobile device, or a combination of both.
5. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code, when executed by at least one processor, causing operations comprising:
associating an international mobile subscriber identity with a mobile device, the international mobile subscriber identity configured to identify the mobile device to a mobile telephone network; and
locking the license to said international mobile subscriber identity such that the software application cannot be operated on the mobile device without said international mobile subscriber identity being associated with the mobile device, wherein the license includes an expiration;
wherein the license and the international mobile subscriber identity are stored on at least one removable memory medium associated with the mobile device, wherein the at least one removable memory medium comprises at least one of a removable memory card or a subscriber identity module configured to enable removal of the at least one removable memory medium storing the license locked to the international mobile subscriber identity to enable operation at another mobile device, and wherein the software program is allowed to operate on the mobile device if the license is ascertained as valid and not allowed to operate on the mobile device if the license is ascertained as invalid.
6. The computer program product according to claim 5 , wherein the software application is stored on memory integral with the mobile device, on memory remote from the mobile device, or a combination of both.
7. A method, comprising:
associating an international mobile subscriber identity with a mobile device, the international mobile subscriber identity configured to identify the mobile device to a mobile telephone network; and
locking a license to the international mobile subscriber identity such that a software program cannot be operated on the mobile device without the international mobile subscriber identity being associated with the mobile device, wherein the license includes an expiration;
wherein the license and the international mobile subscriber identity are stored on the same removable memory medium associated with the mobile device, wherein the same removable memory medium comprises a removable memory card or a subscriber identity module configured to enable removal of the at least one removable memory medium storing the license locked to the international mobile subscriber identity to enable operation at another mobile device, and wherein the software program is allowed to operate on the mobile device if the license is ascertained as valid and not allowed to operate on the mobile device if the license is ascertained as invalid.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the expiration includes at least one of a time, a date, a number of usage, or a combination thereof.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the enabled operation at the other mobile device includes the software program being allowed to operate on the other mobile device if the license is ascertained as valid and not allowed to operate on the other mobile device if the license is ascertained as invalid.