# US 2013/0160137 A1 · Environmental condition identifying type license consumption system and method, and function providing server and program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0160137 A1 - Document ID: US20130160137A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/820,683 - Filed: 2011-09-12 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2010-09-28 - Assignees: NEC Infrontia Corporation - Inventors: Yasuomi Ooki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130160137A1 ## CPC - G06F 21/105: {Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level} - 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 21/51: at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A license consumption system includes an information device on which application software operates based on a given license; and a function providing server which grants the license to the information device. The function providing server stores the license and an operating condition for granting the license, when attempting to start the application software, the information device transmits to the function providing server a licensing request of the application software and an operating environment of the information device, and the function providing server compares an operating condition of the application software corresponding to the requested license with the operating environment of the information device, and grants the license to the information device when the operating environment satisfies the operating condition. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A license consumption system comprising: an information device on which application software operates based on a given license; and a function providing server which grants the license to the information device, wherein the function providing server stores the license and an operating condition for granting the license, the operating condition comprising a condition of a configuration of at least hardware, when attempting to start the application software, the information device transmits to the function providing server a licensing request of the application software and an operating environment comprising information on a configuration of at least hardware of the information device, and the function providing server compares an operating condition of the application software corresponding to the requested license with the operating environment of the information device, and grants the license to the information device when the operating environment satisfies the operating condition, wherein the information device is provided in plurality, and when one of the plurality of information devices updates the application software, the operating condition for the information devices other than the corresponding information device is also rewritten. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The license consumption system according to claim 1, wherein the operating condition is changeable even for the same application software according to a version of the application software. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The license consumption system according to claim 1, wherein the license exists at respective functions of the application software, and when the information device attempts to validate any one of the functions, a licensing request of application software having the corresponding function and an operating environment of the corresponding information device are transmitted to the function providing server. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The license consumption system according to claim 1, wherein, in the comparison, when the operating environment does not satisfy the operating condition, information indicating which operating condition is mismatched within the operating condition is displayed on the information device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The license consumption system according to claim 1, wherein the function providing server periodically communicates with exterior to check whether the operating condition is not changed, and rewrites the stored operating condition to the changed operating condition when it is checked that the operating condition is changed. ### Claim 6 (canceled) ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The license consumption system according to claim 1, wherein the application software stores an operating condition for granting the license, when attempting to start the application software, the information device transmits the operating condition of the application software, a licensing request of the application software, and an operating environment of the information device to the function providing server, and the function providing server compares the operating condition stored therein with the operating condition received from the information device, and rewrites the stored operating condition to the received operating condition when the comparison result shows that the received operating condition is new. ### Claim 8 (canceled) ### Claim 9 A license consumption method which is performed by a system including an information device on which application software operates based on a given license, and a function providing server which grants the license to the information device, the license consumption method comprising: by the function providing server, storing the license and an operation condition for granting the license, the operating condition comprising a condition of a configuration of at least hardware; when the information device attempts to start the application software, transmitting to the function providing server a licensing request of the application software and an operating environment comprising information on a configuration of at least hardware of the information device; and by the function providing server, comparing an operating condition of the application software corresponding to the requested license with the operating environment of the information device, and granting the license to the information device when the operating environment satisfies the operating condition, wherein the information device is provided in plurality, and when one of the plurality of information devices updates the application software, the operating condition for the information devices other than the corresponding information device is also rewritten. ### Claim 10 (canceled)