1. A method for administering an autonomous rights component of a computer system, comprising:
recording devices of the computer system connected to the rights component;
determining at least one invariable, unique identifier for each recorded device;
permanently storing each newly determined unique identifier in a first database;
determining a usage rights contingent based on information stored in the first database;
determining a usage rights requirement based on information stored in the first database;
comparing the usage rights contingent with the usage rights requirement; and
activating at least one application function, if the determined usage rights contingent exceeds the determined usage rights requirement.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising requesting further usage rights, if the determined usage rights requirement exceeds the determined usage rights contingent; and permanently storing unique identifiers of provided further usage rights in a second database with known usage rights, wherein, in the step of determining the usage rights contingent, the usage rights contingent is determined on a basis of the unique identifiers stored in the first database and unique identifiers stored in the second database.
3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising requesting a surplus contingent; checking whether the determined usage rights contingent exceeds the determined usage rights requirement by the surplus contingent; exporting at least one unique identifier to which the surplus contingent of usage rights is allocated if the check is positive; and permanently storing the exported unique identifier in the second database as negative usage rights.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein defining the usage rights requirement comprises defining a first time of a first connection of a device to the rights administration component for each known device of the first database, defining a second time of a last connection of a device to the rights administration component for each known device of the first database, wherein the second time corresponds to actual time if the device is currently connected to the rights administration component, and corresponds to time of disconnection if the device has been disconnected from the rights administration component, defining a usage period for each known device of the first database based on the first time and the second time; and addition of all determined usage periods to define the usage rights requirement.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein defining the usage rights contingent comprises multiplying the number of unique identifiers stored in the first database by a predetermined usage period to define the usage rights contingent.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a marker allocated to the unique identifier of a device indicating whether the respective device has been connected for the first time to a rights administration component is additionally permanently stored; and in the step of multiplying the number of unique identifiers stored in the first database, only the number of those identifiers whose marker is set is taken into account.
7. An autonomous rights administration system for a computer system comprising at least one autonomous rights administration component (9); at least one non-volatile mass memory that stores the first database; and at least one application software configured to check with the rights administration component whether the computer system is authorized to execute at least one application function before execution of the at least one application function; wherein the at least one autonomous rights administration component is configured: recording devices of the computer system connected to the at least one rights administration component; determining at least one invariable, unique identifier for each recorded device; permanently storing each newly determined unique identifier in the first database; determining a usage rights contingent based on information stored in the first database; determining a usage rights requirement based on the information stored in the first database; comparing the usage rights contingent with the usage rights requirement; and authorizing execution of the at least one application function if the determined usage rights contingent exceeds the determined usage rights requirement.
8. The system according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the following entries is additionally stored in the first database for each unique identifier: a time of a first connection of an allocated device, a time of a first disconnection of the allocated device, a marker indicating whether the allocated device has been connected for the first time to the rights administration component, a version identifier of an allocated device or a country code of an allocated device.
9. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a second database with known usage rights, wherein the at least one autonomous rights administration component is also configured to perform:
requesting further usage rights if the determined usage rights requirement exceeds the determined usage rights contingent; and
permanently storing unique identifiers of provided further usage rights in the second database with known usage rights,
wherein, in determining the usage rights contingent, the usage rights contingent is determined on the basis of the unique identifiers stored in the first database and the unique identifiers stored in the second database.
10. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a time device, wherein the at least one autonomous rights administration component is also configured to perform:
determining a first time of a first connection of a device to the rights administration component for each known device of the first database,
determining a second time of a last connection of a device to the rights administration component for each known device of the first database, wherein the second time corresponds to actual time provided by the time device if the device is currently connected to the rights administration component, and corresponds to time of disconnection if the device has been disconnected from the rights administration component,
determining a usage period for each known device of the first database based on the first time and the second time; and
adding all determined usage periods to define the usage rights requirement.
11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one autonomous rights administration component is also configured to perform multiplication of the number of unique identifiers stored in the first database by a predetermined usage period to define the usage rights contingent.
12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising at least one device comprising a fuse for permanently storing a marker indicating whether the respective device has been connected for the first time to a rights administration component, wherein the at least one autonomous rights administration component is also configured to perform:
in multiplying the number of unique identifiers stored in the first database, only the number of those identifiers whose marker is set is taken into account.
13. A device for use with an autonomous rights administration component of a computer system comprising:
at least one non-writable, non-volatile first memory, wherein a unique identifier for the device is stored in the first memory; and
at least one write-once, non-volatile second memory, wherein a marker indicating whether the device has already been connected to at least one autonomous rights administration component is stored in the second memory.
14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the second memory comprises a fuse, wherein the device is set up to blow the fuse when the unique identifier is first retrieved by an autonomous rights administration component to permanently record that the device was already connected to the autonomous rights administration component.
15. The device according to claim 13, wherein device-specific service data including a date of a first commissioning of the device or a date of a first connection of the device to a server computer, are stored in the second memory.
16. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program instructions that performs a method for an autonomous rights administration comprising:
recording devices of a computer system connected to a rights administration component;
determining at least one invariable, unique identifier for each recorded device;
permanently storing each newly determined unique identifier in a first database;
determining a usage rights contingent based on information stored in the first database;
determining a usage rights requirement based on the information stored in the first database;
comparing the usage rights contingent with the usage rights requirement; and
activating at least one application function if the determined usage rights contingent exceeds the determined usage rights requirement.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-22. (cancelled).
23. A method of contraception which comprises administering for 21 successive days to a female of child bearing age a combination of ethinyl estradiol and desogestrel in a contraceptively effective daily dosage in which there is a first phase of 7 days wherein the combination comprises an ethinyl estradiol daily dosage of 25 \u03bcg and a desogestrel daily dosage of 0.100 mg; followed by a second phase of 7 days wherein the combination comprises an ethinyl estradiol daily dosage of 25 \u03bcg and a desogestrel daily dosage of 0.125 mg; followed by a third phase of 7 days wherein the combination comprises an ethinyl estradiol daily dosage of 25 \u03bcg and a desogestrel daily dosage of 0.150 mg; and followed by 7 days free of estrogen and desogestrel administration.
24. A triphasic oral contraceptive unit having 21 separate dosage units adapted for successive daily oral administration comprising: 7 dosage units containing, in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, a combination of an ethinyl estradiol daily dosage of 25 \u03bcg and a desogestrel daily dosage of 0.100 mg as a first phase; followed by 7 dosage units containing, in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, a combination of an ethinyl estradiol daily dosage of 25 \u03bcg and a desogestrel daily dosage of 0.125 mg as a second phase; followed by 7 dosage units containing, in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, an ethinyl estradiol daily dosage of 25 \u03bcg and a desogestrel daily dosage of 0.150 mg as a third phase; and optionally containing 7 additional dosage units free of ethinyl estradiol and desogestrel.