# US 10,769,249 B2 · Distributor product programming system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,769,249 B2 - Document ID: US10769249B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/812,598 - Filed: 2017-11-14 - Published: 2018-05-17 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-15 - Assignees: Sanuwave, Inc. - Applicants: Sanuwave, Inc. - Inventors: Cary McGhin; Iulian Cioanta; Christopher Cashman; Clifford Martin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10769249B2 ## CPC - G06F 21/105: {Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level} - G06F 21/123: {by using dedicated hardware, e.g. dongles, smart cards, cryptographic processors, global positioning systems [GPS] devices} - G06F 21/1077: {Recurrent authorisation} - G16H 40/40: for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract A product programming system includes a product subject to maintenance, part refurbishment and/or part replacement that has a security device communicatively coupled to a computing device programmed to re-authorize normal operation of the product when a predetermined number of uses has been reached or a predetermined period of time has lapsed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for controlling and monitoring service activities of an authorized distributor for a product of a manufacturer comprising: a product including a hardware security device that only permits authorized operation of the product for a predetermined number of uses before disabling normal operation of the product and requiring authorization to permit further use when the predetermined number of uses is reached, wherein the predetermined number of uses is based on at least one service activity of an authorized distributor of the product that includes required maintenance, part refurbishment, part replacement, reprocessing and production activity for the product; and a product programming interface hardware unit having computer-readable storage memory programmed with reset instructions for product service authorization that is communicatively coupled to the hardware security device and to a computing device running an application program having proprietary access to authenticate and authorize the authorized distributor to conduct the at least one service activity through the application program accessing a license file having a predetermined number of distributor service activity transactions supplied by the manufacturer and stored on secure storage media of the product programming interface hardware unit and upon confirmation by the application program that there are one or more distributor service activity transactions remaining permits the distributor as part of providing the at least one service activity to unlock and cause the reset instructions to be provided from the programming interface hardware unit to the hardware security device of the product, wherein said reset instructions add a further number of authorized uses of the product to the security device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computing security device is selected from the group consisting of a SIM card, secure memory device, and security key. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the product is a medical treatment device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the medical treatment device includes a serviced element of a shock wave applicator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the product is a medical treatment device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the medical treatment device includes a serviced element of a shock wave applicator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the license file includes one or more information elements for authentication and authorization by the application program selected from the group consisting of unique distributor's machine identification, license issue number, transaction limit for the number of manufacturer's products where service or maintenance has been performed, a production quantity limit to the manufacturer's products or accessories produced by the distributor, and a license expiration period. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the license file includes one or more information elements for authentication and authorization by the application program selected from the group consisting of unique distributor's machine identification, license issue number, transaction limit for the number of manufacturer's products where service or maintenance has been performed, a production quantity limit to the manufacturer's products or accessories produced by the distributor, and a license expiration period. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the license file includes one or more information elements for authentication and authorization by the application program selected from the group consisting of unique distributor's machine identification, license issue number, transaction limit for the number of manufacturer's products where service or maintenance has been performed, a production quantity limit to the manufacturer's products or accessories produced by the distributor, and a license expiration period. ### Claim 10 A system for controlling and monitoring service activities of an authorized distributor for a product of a manufacturer comprising: a product including a hardware security device that only permits authorized operation of the product for a predetermined number of uses before disabling normal operation of the product and requiring authorization to permit further use when the predetermined number of uses is reached, wherein the predetermined number of uses is based on at least the service activity of an authorized distributor of the product that includes required maintenance, part refurbishment, part replacement, reprocessing and production activity for the product; and a product programming hardware interface unit having computer-readable storage memory programmed with reset instructions for product service authorization that is communicatively coupled to the hardware security device and to a computing device running an application program having a wide area network connection to a server software application of the manufacturer on a remote server that remotely authenticates and authorizes the authorized distributor to conduct the at least one service activity and permits the authorized distributor through the application program to unlock and cause the reset instructions to be provided from the programming interface hardware unit to the hardware security device of the product, wherein said reset instructions add a further number of authorized uses of the product to the security device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the computing security device is selected from the group consisting of a SIM card, secure memory device, and security key. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the product is a medical treatment device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the product is a medical treatment device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the medical treatment device includes a serviced element of a shock wave applicator. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the medical treatment device includes a serviced element of a shock wave applicator. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the server software application includes at least one criteria for determining whether to permit the distributor to conduct the at least one service activity selected from the group consisting of process quantity limit, date controlled limit and terminated at will by the manufacturer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the server software application includes at least one criteria for determining whether to permit the distributor to conduct the at least one service activity selected from the group consisting of process quantity limit, date controlled limit and terminated at will by the manufacturer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the server software application is configured to retrieve one or more information elements from an operational data file for authenticating and authorizing the authorized distributor to conduct the at least one service activity selected from the group consisting of a definition of distributor login requirements, information for authorizing the application program to access the security device, protocol attributes for accessing the security device, and data definition for initializing, configuring or resetting the security device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the server software application is configured to retrieve one or more information elements from an operational data file for authenticating and authorizing the authorized distributor to conduct the at least one service activity selected from the group consisting of a definition of distributor login requirements, information for authorizing the application program to access the security device, protocol attributes for accessing the security device, and data definition for initializing, configuring or resetting the security device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the server software application includes at least one criteria for determining whether to permit the distributor to conduct the at least one service activity selected from the group consisting of process quantity limit, date controlled limit and terminated at will by the manufacturer.