Patent ID: 7707115

Claim:
A periodic software licensing system for authorizing a plurality of users to concurrently use a plurality of application files, that correspond to a plurality of software licenses, during predetermined time periods, the system comprising: a plurality of software license servers, each of which provides an associated set of users with access to application files, that correspond to ones of a plurality of software licenses allocated to said software license server; a single customer license entity for managing said plurality of software license servers, comprising: software license scheduler for storing data indicative of both a sequence of predetermined time periods and a corresponding maximum number of software licenses, which changes from time period to time period, that are available for use by said plurality of software license servers to concurrently serve said users, associated with each corresponding software license server, during each of said corresponding predetermined time periods; interval selector for determining a present one of said predetermined time periods in said sequence during which concurrent usage of said plurality of application files is available; and license manager for authorizing concurrent usage of said plurality of application files at said plurality of software license servers by said users of said single customer license entity during said present predetermined time period up to said corresponding maximum number of software licenses that are authorized for use by said single customer license entity during said present predetermined time period.