Software distribution system and software utilization scheme for improving security and user convenience

A software distribution system in which a desired software is provided in an encrypted form from a software provider to a user, comprising:

• a shared key generation unit provided at the user side and configured to generate a shared key, the shared key having a guaranteed correspondence with an ID information regarding a payment of a software fee by the user;
• shared key storing units respectively provides at both a software provider side and a user side and configured to store the shared key before any request for a software is issued from the user to the software provider;
• a request transmission unit provided at the user side and configured to transmit a request for the desired software to the software provider side by using the shared key stored in the shared key storage unit on the user side;
• a software encryption unit provided at the software provider side and configured to encrypt the desired software by using the shared key stored in the shared key storage unit on the software provider side;
• an encrypted software transmission unit provided at the software provider side and configured to transmit the desired software in an encrypted form to the user side;
• and
• a software decryption unit provided at the user side and configured to receive the desired software in an encrypted form from the software provider, and to decrypt the desired software received from the software provider by using the shared key stored in the shared key storage unit on the user side, so as to obtain the desired software in a decrypted form that can be utilized at the user side.

A software distribution system in which a desired software is provided from a software provider to a user through a network comprising:

• a client terminal on a user side, which is connected with a server on a software provider side through the network, and including;
• a registration unit configured to generate a shared key and register a user charging information and the shared key into the server such that the shared key is stored at both the software provider side and the user side before any request for a software is issued from the user to the software provider;
• a request unit configured to send a request for a desired software to the server;
• and
• an install unit configured to install each software downloaded from the server in response to the request sent by the request unit;
• and
• a server on the software provider side, including:
• a charging processing unit configured to carry out a charging processing according to the user charging information registered by the registration unit, when the desired software requested by the request is a fee charged software;
• and
• a download unit configured to download software in response to the request sent by the request unit, the software to be download being encrypted by using the shared key registered by the registration unit when the software to be downloaded is required to be encrypted.

A method of purchasing a software at a user-side computer, comprising the steps of:

• carrying out a user registration by generating a shared key at a user side and storing the shared key at both a software provider side and the user side, the shared key being guaranteed to correspond to an ID information of the user regarding a payment of a software fee;
• receiving, in response to a request for a desired software by the user using the shared key, the desired software in a form encrypted using the shared key from the software provider, without requiring the user to give the ID information to the software provider;
• and
• decrypting the desired software received from the software provider using the shared key stored at the user side.

A method of selling a software at a provider-side computer, comprising the steps of:

• registering a user at a software provider side by storing a shared key generated at a user side, the shared key being guaranteed to correspond to an ID information of the user regarding a payment of a software fee;
• receiving a request of a desired software from the user using the shared key, where the request is not accompanied by the ID information;
• and
• transmitting, in response to the request, the desired software in a form encrypted using the shared key stored at the software provider side.