Alpha ii license management system

Abstract

The Alpha II installation architecture requires extra management of per-seat installations to ensure the games are only installed with as many instances as were sold to the site. The License Management method manages and enforces proper per-license activation since a mechanism is present on the gaming machines to copy the software which is sold on compact flashes and installed onto hard drives. A method for providing license management using an activation application to manage and enforce proper per-license activation is disclosed. The method includes: adding purchased game titles to an active license database; requesting activation installations for game titles that are desired to be activated on associated gaming machines; creating activation installations on a portable memory device that associates the activation installations with associated gaming machines; enabling software to be installed onto each machine which the software is inserted using the portable memory device; enabling return of the portable memory device to the activation application where the portable memory device is read, after completion of the gaming machines being updated; and passing the current snapshot and confirmation data to a central licensing host to confirm the activation installations and free any uninstalled software licenses.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.