Apparatus for managing software bending machines

Patent 4787050 Issued on November 22, 1988. Estimated Expiration Date:

November 12, 2006. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventor

Suzuki, Takamitsu

Assignee

Brother Industries, Ltd. (JP)

Application

No. 06/930332 filed on 11/12/1986

US Classes:

700/232, Operator or payment initiated700/236, Data collection or reporting (e.g., sales, inventory)700/241, Central control of plural dispensing units709/219Accessing a remote server

Examiners

Primary: Ruggiero, Joseph

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Kane, Dalsimer, Sullivan, Kurucz, Levy, Eisele & Richard

International Classes

G06F 1/00 (20060101)
G07F 17/00 (20060101)
G07F 17/16 (20060101)
G07F 5/18 (20060101)
G07F 5/00 (20060101)

Foreign Application Priority Data

1985-11-12 JP

Abstract

An apparatus for managing a plurality of software vending machines each connected to the apparatus through a communication line and each arranged so that any software program selected by a customer out of a plurality of software programs stored in the machine is duplicated onto an external storing medium. The apparatus communicates with each of the plurality of software vending machines through the communication line. The apparatus stores at least one sotfware program and can detect the frequency of duplication of each program in each of the software vending machines through information sent on the communication line. Software programs are replaced in each of the software vending machines based on their frequency of duplication for a predetermined period of time. The duplicating frequency is corrected so that the detected value of the frequency of duplication is high in inverse proportion to the length of time elapsed from the registration of that program.