Application Wrapper for Mobile License Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing licenses for various software applications on mobile devices is complex for large organizations due to different license constraints and user roles, requiring efficient and scalable solutions to enforce licensing policies and secure mobile devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing application wrappers that provide a policy enforcement layer between software applications and operating systems, intercepting inputs and function calls to enforce licensing policies based on device state information, user roles, and usage monitoring, while incorporating license management and payment functionalities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If application wrappers are implemented to enforce licensing policies, then license management control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an application wrapper that acts as an intermediary layer between the application and the operating system. This wrapper intercepts function calls and enforces licensing policies without requiring modifications to the core application or OS, thereby improving license management control while adding minimal complexity through a focused intermediary component rather than system-wide changes.
2Reliability
If individual license management is implemented for each application, then licensing policy enforcement is improved, but administrative burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The application wrapper implements a universal license management mechanism that can enforce licensing policies across multiple applications through a common interface and policy framework. The system provides both fine-grained per-application control and organization-wide policy enforcement, allowing administrators to manage licenses at multiple levels without increasing administrative burden, as the wrapper handles enforcement automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates usage monitoring that tracks application usage patterns and automatically enforces licensing policies based on predefined rules. This feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically adjust license enforcement decisions based on actual usage data, reducing administrative burden by eliminating manual monitoring and intervention while maintaining precise policy enforcement.
3Measurement precision
If usage monitoring is implemented to generate billing information, then billing accuracy is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The application wrapper pre-defines licensing policies and billing rules before usage occurs. Usage monitoring leverages these pre-configured parameters to accurately track and bill for application usage without requiring complex real-time calculations. The system prepares billing templates and rate structures in advance, enabling accurate billing with minimal processing overhead during actual usage monitoring.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for enforcing licensing policies using an application wrapper are presented. In one or more embodiments, a computing device may monitor, using a first application wrapper of a first application on the computing device, usage of the first application. The first application wrapper of the first application may provide a policy enforcement layer between the first application and an operating system of the computing device, and the policy enforcement layer may control execution of the first application based on one or more mobile device management policies. Subsequently, the computing device may enforce, using the first application wrapper of the first application, one or more licensing policies on the first application at runtime based on the usage of the first application. In some embodiments, the policy enforcement layer may control execution of the first application by intercepting input to the first application, intercepting output from the first application, and intercepting function calls made by the first application.