License information access based on developer profiles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9563752-B2
Application number	US-201514624050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2015
Priority date	Oct 15, 2012
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software for facilitating application licensing. In at least one implementation, license information for an application is identified based at least in part on a developer profile associated with the application and a state of a license for the application identified from at least a portion of the license information. Presentation of the application in accordance with the state of the license for the application can then be initiated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more computer readable storage devices;
a processing system operatively coupled with the one or more computer readable storage devices;
a data structure stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices;
an operating system stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices and comprising a utility application; and
a productivity application not included in the operating system and stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices, the productivity application comprising program instructions executable by the processing system to facilitate enhanced application licensing for the productivity application, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to at least:
in response to the productivity application launching, communicate a request from the productivity application to the utility application to access license information, for a suite of productivity applications with which the productivity application is associated, in the data structure accessible based on an identity of a developer indicated by a developer profile for the productivity application;
determine a state of a suite license for the suite of productivity applications from the license information from a plurality of license states comprising a fully paid state, a free state, and a recently expired state;
determine an application mode based on the state of the suite license from a plurality of application modes comprising an unrestricted access mode and a restricted access mode; and
present the productivity application in the application mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the state of the license for the suite of productivity applications comprises the recently expired state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the application mode comprises the unrestricted mode when the state of the license for the suite of applications comprises the recently expired state.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the application mode comprises the unrestricted access mode when the state of the license for the suite of applications comprises the fully paid state.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the plurality of application modes further comprises a temporarily unrestricted access mode and wherein the application mode comprises the temporarily unrestricted access mode when the state of the license for the suite of productivity applications comprises the free state.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the data structure comprises a keychain data structure.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the utility application comprises a keychain utility.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the suite of productivity applications comprises a word processing application and a spreadsheet application.

9. A method for facilitating application licensing, the method comprising:
in a communication device having a plurality of productivity applications installed thereon and an operating system that includes a utility application, a productivity application of the plurality of productivity applications, not included in the operating system, communicating a request from the productivity application to the utility application to identify license information for the productivity application stored in a data structure accessible through the utility application based on an identity of a developer indicated by a developer profile associated with the productivity application;
in the communication device, the productivity application launching and responsively identifying a state of a license for the productivity application from at least a portion of the license information from a plurality of license states comprising a fully paid state, a free state, and an expired state;
in the communication device, the productivity application determining an application mode based on the state of the license from a plurality of application modes comprising an unrestricted access mode and a restricted access mode; and
in the communication device, the productivity application initiating presentation of the productivity application in the application mode.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the license comprises a suite license for a suite of productivity applications to which the application belongs.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the suite of productivity applications comprises a word processing application and a spreadsheet application.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the data structure comprises a keychain data structure.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the utility application comprises a keychain utility.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the application mode further comprises a temporality unrestricted access mode.

15. An apparatus comprising:
one or more computer readable storage devices;
a data structure stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices;
an operating system stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices and comprising a utility application; and
a productivity application not included in the operating system and stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices, the productivity application comprising program instructions executable by a processing system to facilitate enhanced application licensing for the productivity application, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to at least:
in response to the productivity application launching, communicate a request from the productivity application to the utility application to access license information, for a suite of productivity applications with which the productivity application is associated, in the data structure accessible based on an identity of a developer indicated by a developer profile for the productivity application;
determine a state of a suite license for the suite of productivity applications from the license information from a plurality of license states comprising a fully paid state, a free state, and an expired state;
determine an application mode based on the state of the suite license from a plurality of application modes comprising an unrestricted access mode and a restricted access mode; and
present the productivity application in the application mode.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the state of the license for the suite of productivity applications comprises the expired state.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the application mode comprises the unrestricted mode when the state of the license for the suite of applications comprises the expired state.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the application mode comprises the unrestricted access mode when the state of the license for the suite of applications comprises the fully paid state.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the plurality of application modes further comprises a temporarily unrestricted access mode and wherein the application mode comprises the temporarily unrestricted access mode when the state of the license for the suite of productivity applications comprises the free state.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Novick Steven M
• Sinha Avijit

Classifications

• G06F21/10 Primary

  Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material (protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16) {; Digital rights management [DRM]} · CPC title

• G06Q50/184

  Intellectual property management · CPC title

• G06F21/105 Primary

  Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level · CPC title