WO1994017650A2

WO1994017650A2 - A method and system for controlling the use of software

Info

Publication number: WO1994017650A2
Application number: PCT/GB1994/001204
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Stanley Hobday
Original assignee: The Solicitor's Law Stationery Society Limited
Priority date: 1993-06-03
Filing date: 1994-06-02
Publication date: 1994-08-18
Also published as: GB2276741A; GB9311421D0; AU6852094A; GB2276741B; WO1994017650A3

Abstract

The system is for controlling use of software which comprises information on a large number of documents each having a number of units allocated thereto and comprises electronic storage media (1) for storing the information; output apparatus (2) for printing a selected document and electronic control apparatus (3) capable of accessing the information stored within the electronic storage media (1); the electronic storage media including a record (4) which is accessed to determine whether or not the software may be used for printing a selected document, the record (4) including a counter for recording units such that the printing of a selected document is only permitted if the number of units held in the counter is sufficient relative to the number of units allocated to the selected document.

Description

A METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE USE OF SOFTWARE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a method and system for controlling the use of software, to allow users access to software which would otherwise be expensive to purchase.

BACKGROUND ART

With the increasing complexity and sophistication of computer software, many software packages are becoming increasingly expensive as the software designers try to re-coup the very large expense involved in creating the software. Similarly, with the increase in memory capacity ot computers, software packages containing a very large amount of information are now also available. Due to the high cost of creating such software and/or its very high value, it is very expensive to purchase and its use is therefore restricted to organisations which are large enough to afford the high costs involved.

This invention aims to alleviate or avoid these problems and so allow other users to access such software.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect oϊ the invention, there is provided a system for allowing use of software which comprises information on a plurality of documents each having a number oϊ units allocated thereto, the system comprising electronic storage media storing said information; output apparatus for printing or enabling the printing oϊ a selected document and electronic control apparatus capable of accessing said information stored within said electronic storage media; the electronic storage media including record means which is accessed to determine whether or not the software may be used for printing or enabling the printing of a selected document, the record means comprising a counter for recording a number of units, the arrangement being such that the printing or enabling of the printing of a selected document is only permitted if the number of units held in the counter is sufficient relative to the number oϊ units allocated to the selected document.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided electric storage media, e.g. a floppy disc, for use in a system as detailed above, the electronic storage media comprising software which comprises information on a plurality of documents and record means for use in determining whether or not the software may be accessed by the user to print or enable the printing of a selected document.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of allowing use of software comprising information on a plurality of documents in which the use of the software to print or enable the printing of a selected document is controlled by record means which is accessed to determine whether or not the said use of the software is permitted and in which the record means is altered upon said use of the software.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the subsidiary claims of the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram, illustrating apparatus used in a preferred form ot the invention; and

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the content of record means used in a preferred form of the invention.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Although the system described herein may be used in many different applications, one particular situation relating to the the printing of documents will be described in detail. Businesses such as firms of solicitors use a large number of specialised documents, such as forms, and it is common practice to purchase a stock of suitable forms from a stationer. This is inconvenient as a very large stock is required to ensure that all the documents required are available and to ensure that a sufficient quantity of each document is available (as many of the documents are protected by copright they cannot freely be copied). The expense involved in purchasing and storing such a stock of documents may also be considerable.

With the use of computers and high quality printers becoming commonplace in such businesses, it has become possible to purchase software which stores details of a large number of documents and from which selected documents may be printed. However, in view of the large number of documents stored on such software, it can be expensive to purchase. Furthermore, it is difficult for the software supplier to prevent unauthorised use of such software.

Figure 1 illustrates a system comprising memory means 1 for storing details of a large number of documents. This may be in the form of a floppy disc, hard disc or other electronic storage media. Printing means 2 in the form of a conventional office printer, e.g. a laser printer, is also provided and is operated under the control of control means 3 such as electronic apparatus capable of accessing information held on the memory means, e.g. a conventional computer or word processor as typically used in an office tor preparing letters etc. Figure 1 also illustrates record means 4. As will be described further below, this may form part of the memory means 1 or may form part of the control means 3 or, indeed, it may be a separate device or form part of some other apparatus.

The information held in the record means determines whether or not a selected document stored in the memory means 1 may be printed. When the control means 3 receives instructions to print a document from a user 6, e.g. via a conventional keyboard, the control means 3 checks the information held in the record means 4 to determine whether or not the document may be printed. Furthermore, when a - - selected document is printed, the information held in the record means is altered or updated as a consequence of this.

The method of operating the system to control the printing of documents stored in the memory means 1, will now be described with particular reference to the printing of forms. In this case, the memory means stores details of a large number, e.g. 200 or more, different forms as typically used, for instance, by a firm of solicitors. Access to the information held in the memory means 1 is, however, controlled by the record means A. Firstly, the record means A includes a counter 5 which may be credited with a number of units and which is decremented when particular forms are printed. Thus, in order to be able to print a form, the counter 5 must hold sufficient units, or credits, to allow that form to be printed. In many cases, the printing of a single form may require just one unit although more complex forms, or those requiring more than one sheet of paper, may require more than one unit. On receiving a print instruction, the control means 3 thus checks whether the counter 5 holds sufficient units to allow the instruction to be carried out. If sufficient units are held in the counter 5, the print instruction is implemented and the contents of the counter 5 decremented by the appropriate number of units (which will depend on which forms are printed and how many copies are printed).

Such a system allows the scrtware holding the information required to print a large number of forms to be provided free of charge, or at nominal cost, the user only being charged for the number oi units 'credited' to the counter 5. The user may, therefore, estimate how many units they will use in a given month and thus purchase the sottware with this number ot units credited to the counter. As the software is used to print forms, the number of units held in the counter will decrease accordingly and when it reaches zero, or a predetermined level, e.g. 1CH of its initial count, a warning is given that no more forms may be printed or that very few units are left. The predetermined level may be a negative number if, for instance, the user is allowed to go 'overdrawn' to a given level or number of units or the system may be arranged so that the word 'SPECIMEN' is printed across any forms printed after the count has beed reduced to zero.

The user then contacts the software supplier 7 to 'purchase' more units. This is conveniently done by the supplier 7 issuing the user with a password over the telephone 8 which, when entered into the control means 3, automatically 'credits' the counter with the required number of units. To facilitate this, the supplier may have details of the various users, together with details of their password held on computer. When a request for further units is received, the supplier enters the details into his computer and this generates a new password which can then be relayed to the user over the telephone. When the new password is entered into the user's system, it re-sets the information in the record means as appropriate (having checked the details already held therein) and credits the counter with the required number of units.

To prevent the system being abused, the password should preferably include information identifying the following:

1) the identity of the software supplier

2) the identity of the user

3) the identity of the system, or other apparatus, used to print the forms

4) the number of units to be credited to the counter

As shown in Figure 2, the record means should also hold corresponding information so that when the password is entered into the system, the details in the password can be compared with those held in the record means to check that they match, before the specified number of units are credited to the counter 5. Other factors may, of course, be included to increase the security of the system.

Although the above description relates to the printing of forms, it will be appreciated that a similar system can be used to control the printing of any kind of document. The system thus uses a restrictive device within the software to control access to the information or program held in the software. The device refers to the record means, which contains a number of units, before allowing access to the software facilities. The 'cost' of using the facilities is compared with the number of units within the record means and access to the software is only allowed if sufficient units are available. If access to the software is allowed, the number of units held by the record means is reduced by the 'cost' of that particular access.

It will be appreciated that the system described above provides significant advantages over the existing methods of using expensive software:

A) the user only pays for the use actually made

B) the system is equally attactive to all users, irrespective of their size, as there is no major financial outlay involved in obtaining the system, the cost being dependent only on the degree of use.

C) the income to the supplier is a direct function of the degree of use of the system.

D ) additional units can be easily obtained by purchasing a new password. This can be done quickly and conveniently by means of a telephone call.

E) the cost of each access is determined simply by setting the number of units required for specific types of use. Certain types of use may be supplied free ot charge by setting their unit charge at zero.

F) general price increases can be achieved simply by increasing the cost of purchasing units. G) credit control can be exercised at the time of issuing passwords by supplying only a limited number of credits prior to payment being received.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The system, electronic storage media and method described above may all be used individually for allowing use of software in accordance with the payment for credits as described above.

Claims

1. A system for allowing use of software which comprises information on a plurality of documents each having a number of units allocated thereto, the system comprising electronic storage media storing said information; output apparatus for printing or enabling the printing of a selected document and electronic control apparatus capable of accessing said information stored within said electronic storage media; the electronic storage media including record means which is accessed to determine whether or not the software may be used for printing or enabling the printing of a selected document, the record means comprising a counter for recording a number of units, the arrangement being such that the printing or enabling of the printing of a selected document is only permitted if the number of units held in the counter is sufficient relative to the number of units allocated to the selected document.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the electronic storage media comprises a floppy or hard disc for use in the electronic control apparatus.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the electronic control apparatus comprises a computer or word processor.

. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the output apparatus comprises a printer.

5. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the record means records information for matching with that carried by a password which allows the number of units held by the counter to be increased, e.g. information identifying the user.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 arranged such that a new password supplied by the software supplier may be entered into the control means by the user to increase the number of units held by the counter, the control means being arranged to check that information held in the record means matches that carried by the password, before enabling the number of units held by the counter to be increased.

7. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the software comprises information for printing 200 or more different documents.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7 in which the software comprises details of a plurality of forms, e.g. such as those used by a firm of solicitors.

9. A system for allowing use of software substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. Electronic storage media, e.g. a floppy disc, for use in a system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, the electronic storage media comprising software which comprises information on a plurality of documents and record means for use in determining whether or not the software may be accessed by the user to print or enable the printing of a selected document.

11. A method of allowing use of software comprising information on a plurality of documents in which the use of the software to print or enable the printing of a selected document is controlled by record means which is accessed to determine whether or not the said use of the software is permitted and in which the record means is altered upon said use of the software.

12. A method of allowing use of software substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.