Patents Portfolio
U.S. Patent: 8,296,757
Patent Title
Copy protection of software and/or data
Meta Information
Issued Date: October 23, 2012
Inventor: William Ho Chang et al
External Links: UPSTO, Google Patents
Technical Fields
Abstract
Autorun functionality is incorporated into a portable device such as a flash drive, a wireless adapter, a communication adapter, or any USB peripheral device. The portable device is connectable to a computing device (e.g. USB). The portable device may act as a security key to protect software or data running on the computing device from unauthorized use. At least part of the protected software or data may be stored in a protected memory component of the portable device which is not accessible by the user. Upon connecting the integrated circuit memory device to the computing device, the at least part of the protected software or data may run automatically on the computing device to enable the function of the protected software or data; whereby the user may run the protected software or data on the computing device while the portable integrated circuit memory device remains connected to the computing device.
Sample Claim
1. A portable memory device connectable by a user to a host computing device for enabling said user to run or execute at the host computing device a protected software or data and not enabling said user to copy the protected software or data, the portable memory device comprising:
a controller for controlling interaction between the portable memory device and the host computing device;
a memory component that includes a protected memory component storing at least part of the protected software or data that is installable or executable on the host computing device by said user and at least part of the protected software or data stored in the protected memory component cannot be accessed and copied by said user from the protected memory component; and
an autorun software stored on the memory device and executable on the host computing device upon connection and activation of the portable memory device to the host computing device, the autorun
software stored on the portable memory device including:
software for running automatically on the host computing device upon connection and activation of the portable memory device with the host computing device;
software for accessing, by the autorun software, at least part of the protected software or data from the protected memory component of the portable memory device in dependence of a successful
authentication of the autorun software; and
software for installing, executing, or running, on the host computing device at least part of the protected software or data accessed from the protected memory component of the portable memory device;
whereby the portable memory device enables said user to operate, to run or to execute the protected software or data on the host computing device upon connection and activation of the portable memory device with the host computing device and not enabling said user access to the protected memory component for copying at least part of the protected software or data from the protected memory component of the portable memory device.