Patent Application: US-201314342473-A

Abstract:
the invention relates to a method and a device for starting limited - time licenses for a telecommunication system in a controlled manner , said system comprising a number of ip terminals connected thereto , preferably ip telephone devices . the licenses acquired by the respective customer for the telecommunication system are downloaded from a central license server on the internet . a date and a time , and thus an activation time period , are configured via a browser dialog using the web - based management component which is connected to the internet for the purpose of an activation the first time the telecommunication system is started , whereby the maximally allowed use time for using the licenses at no charge is set . after the maximally allowed use time expires , the use of those licenses for which no right of use has been acquired is prohibited .

Description:
embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the figures . the embodiment of a telecommunication system shown in fig1 includes the following components , designated by the following references the telecommunication system oso mx , also called a telephone system or telecommunication setup , is described in detail as “ openscape office mx ” in literature citations [ 1 ] to [ 5 ] in the literature list on the last page of the description . functionalities of this telecommunication system oso mx are licensed . among other things , licenses are required in this telecommunication system for the system software itself as well as for registering and using ip terminals . the component “ customer site component , modular ” cscm is the application interface between the “ web - based management ” wbm and the “ customer license agent ” cla and the “ central license server ” cls . this interface is used : to establish a connection with the “ central license server ” cls for “ online licensing ,” to download a license file from the “ central license server ” cls , to select the content of the downloaded license file and record it in the “ web - based management ” wbm . the “ central license server ” cls generates license files , and the customer or a technician can access the “ central license server ” cls from the “ customer site component , modular ” cscm via the internet using a browser ( such as internet explorer or mozilla firefox ) installed on a personal computer pc or laptop , for example . the “ license authorization code ” lac is required in order to download a license file on line from the “ central license server ” cls . the “ customer license agent ” cla can manage one or more license files that have been generated by the “ central license server ” and downloaded . the “ customer license agent ” cla manages license requests and the timed expirations of licenses that applied temporarily to certain features . a “ graceperiodfile ” is also offered as a file by the “ customer license agent ” cla and by the “ central license server ” clc . the “ customer license client ” clc is a client that is used as the application interface through a library by the “ license management feature process ” lmfp . through this application interface , the product can communicate with the “ customer license agent ” cla that provides the licenses . the file called “ graceperiodfile ” contains the features to be licensed for the product with the maximum number of licenses and the maximum cost - free usage duration ( the “ grace period ”) after the initial activation . this “ graceperiodfile ” is supplied preinstalled by the manufacturer with the telecommunication system oso mx and is activated in the “ customer license agent ” cla the first time it is started up . “ web - based management ” wbm is used to manage the telecommunication system oso mx . the telecommunication system oso mx includes a web server with an interface to a browser . via such a browser , which is connected to the internet , the telecommunication system oso mx can be managed . the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp is the interface to all license users in the telecommunication system . the “ license management feature process ” lmfp ties the “ central license server ” cls interface to the “ customer license agent ” cla and supports this central interface . the licensee feature in the telecommunication system oso mx is a “ comfort user ” license , for example . this “ comfort user ” license allows an ip terminal , such as an ip phone , to be incorporated into the telecommunication system and used . as an example , 150 of these devices can be operated for 30 days in the “ grace period .” with a regular license file , only the number of ip terminals that the customer has purchased is covered by licenses . a basic license package includes 10 “ comfort user ” licenses , for example . customer - specific and process - specific data are stored in the “ internal system memory ” isp and can be retrieved from it or entered into it using either the “ license management feature process ” lmfp or the “ web - based management ” wbm . as shown in fig1 , the telecommunication system oso mx is supplied with a “ graceperiodfile .” this file contains all license features for this telecommunication system oso mx with the maximum possible number of licenses . the “ grace period ” is intended to allow for testing of all license features and to span the time period until the customer has downloaded his purchased license file from the “ central license server ” cls . this “ grace period ” can run only once and lasts for 30 days , for example . previously , those 30 days were counted as active operating hours . this means that , if the system is switched on , the “ grace period ” time is running , and if the system is switched off , the “ grace period ” time does not run . here , the end point up to which the “ grace period ” license can be used depends only on the cumulative time during which the operation hour counter is running , so the end point is not predefined . the first time the telecommunication system oso mx is switched on in fig1 , the component “ license management feature process ” lmfp creates a connection through the “ central license server ” cls to the “ customer license agent ” cla , and the “ grace period ” starts automatically . all licensees on the system can obtain or release the required licenses through the “ license management feature process ” lmfp . when the “ grace period ” expires after 30 days of operation , the licensees are removed by the “ license management feature process ” lmfp . new license requests receive negative replies after that . the arrangement of the telecommunication system oso mx , described in detail in literature citations [ 1 ] to [ 5 ], and especially in literature citation [ 1 ], as the “ openscape office mx ” system , is shown in fig1 and summarized below . the telecommunication system oso mx includes the licensing components on its motherboard . the first time the telecommunication system oso mx is switched on , licensing starts automatically . a 30 - day “ grace period ” is started . this “ grace period ” allows all features that require licenses to be used for 30 days . before the end of that time , the customer must download his purchased license file via a technician &# 39 ; s pc . this purchased license file is shown in fig1 as 7 licenses for feature a in a right - side comment box . with a basic license , generally the software for a single telecommunication setup is activated only once . in order for telephone calls to be made over this telecommunication system oso mx , setup using a browser is necessary . the browser is started on a separate connectable technician &# 39 ; s pc and can be connected directly to the telecommunication system . this browser is used to start the “ web - based management ” wbm . the “ web - based management ” wbm offers menus for configuring and allocating licenses for the telecommunication system oso mx . the license file ( shown in fig1 as 7 licenses for feature a in the right - side comment box ) can be downloaded either through a technician &# 39 ; s pc or on line from the “ central license server ” cls via the “ customer site component , modular ” cscm to the “ customer license agent ” cla . users and trunk lines , among other things , can be set up . if one wishes to use ip terminals such as “ openstage 80 ” ip telephones — see [ 2 ], page 4 — on a long - term basis on the telephone system oso mx , the customer must purchase licenses for these ip terminals . these licenses must be assigned to the designated users of these devices . without these licenses , only internal telephoning is possible . only the license allows full use of ip terminals and also other telephony through a private or public telephone switching system . with the prior art telecommunication system oso mx described as in fig1 , each licensing process must be initiated directly on the telecommunication system oso mx , wherein the licenses are started when the licensing process takes place . the embodiments of the telecommunication system oso mx ′ per the invention described in fig2 to 5 have the same basic configuration as the telecommunication system oso mx described in fig1 with the components described there , wherein the reference designations for all components that perform the same basic functions have the same letters but differ in that a apostrophe is added at the end , so that , for example , cla ′ has the same basic function as cla , wbm ′ the same basic function as wbm , etc . therefore , for each description of the components of the embodiments of the invention , only each component &# 39 ; s functions that go beyond the components of the telecommunication system oso mx as described in fig1 are described . fig2 shows a block diagram of the first embodiment of the invention with an improved telecommunication system oso mx ′ comprising the connection and use of applications and new features , with further explanations added . a new licensing functionality , instead of the “ grace period ,” is the addition of an “ activation period ” for licensed features . the 30 days (= 30 × 24 hours ) used as an example for the “ grace period ” must be changed to 30 actual calendar days . for this reason , the “ grace period ” is renamed as the “ activation period .” this means that , when the activation period is started , the current date is used as the starting value for a licensed feature , e . g ., 30 calendar days , and the expiration date , i . e . the end of the period for using the licensed feature , is determined from that . so that licensing does not start with the first factory test and perhaps already be expired by the time the system is delivered to the customer , the invention includes the possibility of starting licensing on a certain input date . the advantage of this is that telecommunication systems can be configured for operation in advance and then licensed later by the customer . in this first embodiment of the invention , individual licensed features can be purchased with one limited - time license file ( shown in fig1 as a license file with 5 licenses for feature a in a comment box in the center of the diagram ), so that the customer can decide for himself when he wants to start using them . this allows an “ interactive ” transaction . the functional process of the first embodiment of the invention , shown in fig2 , is described below in connection with the flow diagram (“ message chart ”) shown in fig3 . the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ assigns two different features a and b for the licensee , i . e ., for the customer , as a basic license during the first startup for the duration of the “ grace period .” as a basic license during the first startup and the “ grace period ,” feature a encompasses , for example , up to 100 licenses ( e . g ., for up to 100 ip terminals ), and feature b encompasses up to 50 licenses ( e . g ., for voicemail on 50 ip terminals ), as shown in a left - side comment box in fig2 . the first time that the telecommunication system os mx ′ per the invention as in fig2 is switched on , the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ is in standby mode . the internal system memory of the “ web - based management ” wbm ′ queries and tests whether basic licensing has already been started . in the case shown in the flow diagram ( message chart ) in fig3 , licensing has not yet been activated after first startup , and the queried internal system memory of the “ web - based management ” wbm ′ gives the response : “ licensing enabled : no .” the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ is blocked and waits for activation , i . e ., a start message from the component “ customer license agent ” cla ′. therefore , license queries from applications , i . e ., from components ( e . g ., ip terminals , ip telephones , and additional functions such as voicemail ) to the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ receive negative responses during that time . this prevents the use of unavailable licenses . once a date and time are configured via the wbm ′ by means of a data box in a browser installed , for example , on a personal computer ( pc ), laptop , or smartphone , the “ licensing started ” message (“ notification start licensing ”) is sent to the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′. the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ establishes a connection through the “ customer license client ” clc to the “ customer license agent ” cla ′ and the “ grace period ” is started . from this point on , all licensees on the system can obtain or release the required licenses through the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′. when the “ grace period ” expires after 30 calendar days of operation , for example , the licensees are blocked by the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′. new license requests receive negative replies after that . so that no other licenses can be loaded on the “ customer license agent ” cla ′, the corresponding tcp port ( e . g ., cla ′ port — 61740 ) is blocked , so that only the tcp port ( cla ′ port — 61740 ) corresponding to the “ customer license agent ” can be addressed . this cla ′ port is not opened until licensing is activated . a tcp port is a port according to the transmission control protocol ( tcp ). the configuration of the telecommunication system per the invention ( also called a telecommunication setup or telephone system ) according to the first embodiment of the invention shown in fig2 is designed for small and medium - sized businesses and has the licensing components on the motherboard , like the telecommunication system oso mx shown in fig1 . however , the first time the customer starts up the telecommunication system , licensing does not start yet . however , in order for the customer to make phone calls using this system , the telecommunication system must be set up . the windows application “ managere ,” for example , can be used to configure the telecommunication system . however , because all terminals and trunk lines in this telecommunication system example require a license , this configuration is still not complete . it supports only internal telephony . this functional configuration can be used , for instance , by the retailer to configure the telecommunication before it is delivered to the customer . full use of the ip terminals and trunkline must be obtained by licensing . a browser , preferably installed on a technician &# 39 ; s pc , is used to start the “ web - based management ” wbm ′. here one is first required to enter the date and time for the respective licensing feature a or b . these data are used to initiate licensing . the users connected to the telecommunication system oso mx ′ ( e . g ., ip terminals ) can then have their designated licenses assigned using a licensing dialog box . this involves a one - time license to use the device and then multiple licenses for using additional features . when licensing is activated , an “ activation period ” is started that supports the full licensing scope for , e . g ., 30 calendar days . within these 30 calendar days , purchased licenses must be downloaded into the system . as soon as a purchased license file is loaded , it supersedes the “ activation period ”. the purchased license file is generated on the “ central license server ” cls ′ and can be loaded onto the system through a direct online connection via the “ web - based management ” wbm ′ with the “ customer site component , modular ” cscm ′. a second possibility is direct access to the cls ′ through a browser . in this way , a license file can be loaded first through the browser onto a pc and then from there to the telecommunication system oso mx ′. in the telecommunication system oso mx ′ ( also called a telephone system ) as in fig2 , the software is preinstalled and activation is controlled by entry of the date . in the flow diagram in fig3 , the software components needed to activate licensing are specified . after the first system startup , the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ sends a request to the “ internal system memory ” isp ′, in which the customer - specific and process - specific data are stored , for example , in an eeprom memory , asking whether licensing has already been activated . because it is the first system startup and activation through the “ web - based management ” wbm ′ has not yet been initiated , licensing is still blocked . the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ therefore goes into standby mode and waits for an activation message from the “ web - based management ” wbm ′. all licensees must request their licenses through the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′. because it is in standby mode , all license requests are refused . the “ customer license agent ” cla ′ manages the license file containing the license data . so that no components can access this “ customer license agent ” cla ′, even through a network connection , the corresponding tcp port ( e . g ., cla ′ port — 61740 ) is blocked in the firewall . as soon as the customer or technician enters the license activation data on the “ web - based management ” wbm ′, a message from the “ web - based management ” wbm ′ is sent to the “ internal system memory ” isp ′, in which customer - specific and process - specific data are stored , for example on an eeprom memory . this component stores the activation and informs the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′. the “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ then opens the corresponding tcp port for the “ customer license agent ” cla ′ in the firewall and establishes a connection to the “ customer license agent ” cla ′. through this connection , all licensees can now obtain and release licenses . a second embodiment of the telecommunication system oso mx ′ per the invention , shown in fig4 , goes beyond the first embodiment of the invention shown in fig2 with an additional component that tests for the “ license authorization code ” lac and controls online activation on an individual basis with the relevant activation data . a “ license authorization code ” lac is generally required for online licensing . the unique factor here is that a code with a predefined point in time is stored . online licensing is started in accordance with the configured point in time . an explanation is provided below of how a possible “ interactive transaction ” can be achieved using such a “ license authorization code ” lac , for example . here the other components function as described in fig1 - 3 , with any differences indicated in additional comment boxes near the respective components . a licensed telecommunication system can be expanded with licenses purchased later , and here a license expansion is shown as the aforementioned on - line licensing . here a customer who has purchased additional licenses receives a “ license authorization code ” lac for license activation . this “ license authorization code ” lac contains all of the licenses with a validity period , such as one year . on - line licensing is started via the “ web - based management ” wbm . through it , the telecommunication system sends the mac addresses and “ license authorization codes ” lac to the “ central license server ” cls ′. the “ central license server ” cls ′ generates a new license file from that data and any other existing license file . this new license file is downloaded into the telecommunication system as an encoded license file . the validity period for the activated licenses begins when the license file is downloaded . according to the invention , the customer must be actively registered through the wmb on the “ central license server ” cls ′. the time control for the second embodiment takes place as follows . with the “ web - based management ” wbm , a table can be configured in which the start time for the license package and its respective “ license authorization codes ” lac are stored . individual license packages could be , for example : a number of limited - time terminal licenses , e . g ., for one year , and an additional quantity of trunk line licenses . this allows a number of temporary employees to be supported with temporary access to a license , such as project workers or call center employees . this new system component in “ customer site component , modular ” cscm ′ tests the activation data in cycles . if a configured date is entered , the telecommunication system connects with the “ central license server ” cls ′ and sends the appropriate mac address and “ license authorization codes ” lac . the new license file generated by the “ central license server ” cls ′ is downloaded and activated . the process described here is explained in fig4 with respect to the block diagram for the first embodiment as in fig2 with additional comments for some components . it offers the advantage that the telecommunication system can be preconfigured once on one day , and the licenses can be started later at a preconfigured point in time . a third embodiment of the telecommunication system oso mx ′ per the invention , shown in fig5 , goes beyond the first embodiment of the invention shown in fig2 with an additional two groups of ip terminals that are connected to the licensing component “ license management feature process ” lmfp ′ through a local area network ( lan ). the first group consists of five ip terminals , each with voicemail ( also called an answering machine ), that are designated with the information “ previous license ” and which — as indicated in the comment box with “ license file ( old )”— are licensed with a license for a group of five ip terminals through “ license file ( old ),” wherein three of the five ip terminals have the additional feature of “ voicemail ” under “ license file ( old ).” the second group consists of two newly connected ip terminals , designated with the information “ additional license ” and also labeled “ not in use .” by means of a licensing change , the new license file for the two additional ip terminals in the second group has been downloaded on line , and the previous license file — designated in the comment box as “ license file ( old )”— should be expanded as of the moment of activation . from the moment of activation , the telecommunication system oso mx ′ now has a license for all seven ip terminals from the first and second groups together , and the additional feature of “ voicemail ” is licensed for only three ip terminals . this third embodiment shows how additional ip terminals can easily be connected by the customer as licensee on line by later expansion of the telecommunication system oso mx ′ per the invention by simply activating additional licenses , without a technician having to make hardware changes to the telecommunication system oso mx ′. in one modification to this third embodiment , corresponding to the second embodiment shown in fig4 , at the start of on - line licensing the “ web - based management ” wbm ′ sends the mac address of the telecommunication system oso mx ′ and the “ license authorization code ” lac to the “ central license server ” cls ′, whereupon the “ central license server ” cls ′ downloads the additional license file for the two additional ip terminals in the second group into the telecommunication system oso mx ′ as an encoded license file ; the new license file “ license file ( new )” is then generated from this encoded license file and the previous license file “ license file ( old ),” and the validity time period for the licenses activated , for example , by downloading the encoded license file for all seven ip terminals begins with that moment of activation . 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