# How External Hardware Keys Secure Digital Purchases and Downloads > A system using a physical hardware device to prove your identity to a server, allowing you to securely download and decrypt digital assets. - **Patent:** US 7404202 - **Original title:** System, device, and method for providing secure electronic commerce transactions - **Owner:** Line 6 Inc - **Granted:** 2008 - **Status:** Public domain (expired) - **Times cited:** 16 - **Field:** consumer_electronics, software, telecommunications ## What it does This patent describes a hardware-based security system where a physical device, like a USB dongle, connects to a computer to authenticate a user. When the computer tries to access a server, the server asks the hardware device for a unique serial number. If the serial number is recognized, the server sends a digital challenge to the device. The device uses a secret key stored in its secure memory to solve the challenge and sends the answer back. If the answer is correct, the server confirms the user's identity and can send encrypted digital assets that only that specific hardware device can help decrypt. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover software-only authentication methods like passwords or two-factor authentication codes sent via SMS. - Does not cover authentication methods that do not use a physical, separate hardware device connected via an I/O connector. - Does not cover biometric authentication such as fingerprint or facial recognition systems. ## The clever bit The system links the physical hardware identity to the decryption process: the server encrypts the asset key using the user's secret hardware key, meaning the file is useless without the specific physical device to unlock it. ## Real-world examples 1. Line 6 hardware dongles for audio software authorization 2. Physical USB security keys used for software license management 3. Hardware-locked digital content delivery systems ## Why it matters This technology was developed by Line 6, a company known for digital guitar modeling and audio equipment. It provided a way to protect intellectual property, such as digital audio software or presets, by ensuring that only users with the physical hardware key could access and decrypt the purchased content. It represents an early approach to hardware-locked digital rights management (DRM) for professional creative tools. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How External Hardware Keys Secure Digital Purchases and Downloads cover? A system using a physical hardware device to prove your identity to a server, allowing you to securely download and decrypt digital assets. ### Who owns patent US 7404202? Line 6 Inc owns this patent, granted in 2008. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on July 22, 2028, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 7404202 cited by? This patent has been cited by 16 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This technology was developed by Line 6, a company known for digital guitar modeling and audio equipment. It provided a way to protect intellectual property, such as digital audio software or presets, by ensuring that only users with the physical hardware key could access and decrypt the purchased content. It represents an early approach to hardware-locked digital rights management (DRM) for professional creative tools. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover software-only authentication methods like passwords or two-factor authentication codes sent via SMS. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7404202/netflix-dvd-by-mail-queue **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US7404202 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How a Local Server Decides to Save or Degrade Digital Content](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9934408/windows-information-protection) — A system that checks if incoming digital files are authentic, fake, or unknown, and then either saves them, rejects them, or lowers their quality accordingly. - [How Wearable Devices Act as Secure Bridges for Transactions](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9699159/microsoft-teams) — A system where a wearable device acts as a secure middleman between your phone and a payment terminal or electronic lock to verify your identity and complete transactions. - [How to Buy Digital Media Once and Get Multiple Formats](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7877330/kindle-e-reader) — A system that lets you pay for a digital file once and download it in different formats from various providers without paying again. - [How Cable Networks Manage Virtual Ownership of Digital Movies](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9021535/netflix-user-profiles) — A system for cable providers to let users 'own' digital movies on a server instead of buying physical discs, allowing the provider to update that content remotely. - [Securing Data Storage Commands with Passcodes](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10102356/macos-dark-mode) — This patent describes a system for securely executing commands on data storage systems by requiring a generated passcode, which is based on user authentication and specific storage entity attributes.