# US 2003/0160823 A1 · Method and system for indicating a license status of an object > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2003/0160823 A1 - Document ID: US20030160823A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 10/382,720 - Filed: 2003-03-04 - Published: 2003-08-28 - Earliest claimed: 2000-01-27 - Assignees: SmartDraw.com - Inventors: Paul R. Stannard - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20030160823A1 ## CPC - G06F 21/10: Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material (protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16) {; Digital rights management [DRM]} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A tag is attached to an unlicensed object indicating that a user does not have an appropriate license for using the object. The tag partially obscures the object while allowing the object to function as a licensed object. The tag may be indicia that indicates the unlicensed status of the object. Drawings created with unlicensed objects may also be partially obscured with a tag. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: determining a license status of an object; and attaching a tag to the object in accordance with the license status, the tag modifying a perception of the object when the object is presented through a video output device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the object is a graphic object and the tag modifies the perception of the object by partially obscuring the object when the object is displayed through the video output device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising displaying the object through a video output device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the device through a video monitor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the object on a printed output media produced by the video output device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the determining comprises: analyzing an object record corresponding to the object, the object record comprising construction information adapted to produce the object when interpreted by an application program interface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the analyzing comprises: detecting license indicator data within the object record. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the attaching comprises providing a tag record to the application program interface, the tag record providing construction information adapted to produce the tag when interpreted by the application program interface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A method in accordance with claim 8 further comprising: inserting the license indicator data into the object record when the object record is created; and creating the object record in response to an object insertion instruction indicating placement into a document. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the object insertion instruction comprises: a selection instruction indicating selection of the object from a library. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising: modifying the license indicator data in the object record to indicate the object is licensed in response to a detection of a valid license corresponding to the library. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A method in accordance with claim 11, comprising displaying the object through a video output device without the tag when the license indicator data indicates the object is licensed. ### Claim 13 A method of opening a library comprising: determining a license requirement of the library based on a contents of a library license field within the library; and creating a library record in accordance with the library, the library record including an open library license indicator based on the detection of a license corresponding to the library, wherein the open library license indicator results in a display of tag partially obscuring an object selected from the library when the license corresponding to the library is not detected. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising: searching a memory for a license name string within the library license file to detect the license corresponding to the library. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the open library indicator corresponds to license indicator data within an object record created when the object is inserted into a document from the library, the license indicator data resulting in the display of the tag partially obscuring the object. ### Claim 16 A method of opening a document within a graphics program running on a local processor, the method comprising: determining a license requirement of the document based on a contents of a document license field within the document; searching for a license within a memory of the local processor if the license is required, the license indicated by the contents of the document license field; and if the license is not located, displaying an object within the document with a tag partially obscuring the object when the object is displayed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein the displaying of the object further comprises displaying the tag if a license indicator within an object record corresponding to the object indicates the object is unlicensed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A method in accordance with claim 17, further comprising: adapting the contents of the document license field to indicate no license is required for the document if a license corresponding to the contents of the document license filed is located in the memory of the local processor; and displaying the object without the tag when the document is displayed. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A method in accordance with claim 18 further comprising: adapting the license indicator within the object record to indicate no license is required for the object. ### Claim 20 An object record created in a document, the object record corresponding to an object when the document is displayed, the object record comprising: an object description string describing an appearance of the object when the object is displayed; and a license indicator indicating a license status of the object, the license indicator resulting in a display of a tag partially obscuring the object when the object is displayed. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) An object record in accordance with claim 20, wherein the license indicator corresponds to an instruction to attach a tag record to the object record, the tag record corresponding to the tag when the object is displayed. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) An object record in accordance with claim 21, wherein the instruction is adapted for execution by an application program interface. ### Claim 23 A method of providing an object for use with a graphics program, the method comprising: supplying a license corresponding to the object, wherein the object is displayed with a tag partially obscuring the object when a document created without the license is displayed. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) A method in accordance with claim 23, further comprising: providing access to a library containing the object; wherein the supplying the license comprises supplying the license in response to a fee payment. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) A method in accordance with claim 24 wherein the providing access to the library comprises providing access to electronic data representing the library through a packet switched network. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) A method in accordance with claim 25 wherein the supplying the license comprises: transmitting a license loading file through the packet switched network to a local processor; and executing the license loading file on the local processor to load the license within a license table on a memory of the local processor.