Integrated application feature store

• US 10,102,354 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Wessling, Cynthia D., Macbeth, Steven William, Lange, Danny, Jiang, Zhaowei (Charlie)
• Primary Examiner(s): Tank, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US12/950,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,888 Days
• Field of Search: 715739, 715733, 715738, 726 26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

An application feature store may be integrated with an application. The feature store may be accessed by a user through a feature storefront hosted within the application. The user may search the feature store for additional desired features available for the augmentation of the productivity application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

presenting a user interface of a productivity application, the user interface of the productivity application including an application storefront of an application feature store;

the application storefront displaying one or more controls corresponding to one or more application features available for selection;

receiving a selection of one of the controls corresponding to an application feature available within the application feature store;

in response to receiving the selection, integrating the selected application feature into the productivity application;

determining that the productivity application comprises one or more security boundaries;

executing the selected application feature within the productivity application, while enforcing the one or more security boundaries to prevent the selected application feature from accessing features or data protected by the one or more security boundaries; and

executing another application feature within the productivity application without enforcing the one or more security boundaries.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising searching the contents of the application feature store to determine the one or more application features to display on the application storefront in response to the search.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more application features displayed on the application storefront are determined by the productivity application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the selected application feature is accessible from a local area network prior to accessing the application feature store, and accessing the selected application feature from the local area network.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the selected application feature from the application feature store.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising after integrating the selected application feature into the productivity application, displaying a representation of the selected application feature within the productivity application.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the representation of the selected application feature is a tabular representation and is indistinguishable from another application feature representation within the productivity application.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the representation of the selected application feature is an icon usable to initiate the selected application feature.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application storefront is further configured to display a “

buy it”

option usable to purchase the selected application feature, a “

try it”

option usable to try the selected application feature, and/or a “

get it”

option usable to access the selected application feature for free.

10. A system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors coupled to the memory;

an application stored in the memory and operable on the one or more processors, the application comprising;

an integrated portal configured to access a feature store, the feature store comprising one or more application features compatible with the application; and

a representation of an application feature selected from the feature store and installed within the application, the representation consistent with representations of one or more application features previously installed within the application; and

a security module configured to;

determine one or more boundaries associated with the application;

during execution of the selected application feature within the application, enforcing the one or more boundaries to prevent the selected application feature from accessing data or features secured by the one or more boundaries; and

during execution of an application feature included with an initial installation of the application, allowing execution without enforcing the one or more boundaries.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the integrated portal is further configured to present the one or more application features compatible with the application and to facilitate user-selection of a desired application feature.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the integrated portal is further configured to include a search option enabling a search of available application features within the feature store.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the integrated portal is disposed within a tab, the tab representing an original application feature.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the application is a base productivity application comprising a limited number of original features.

15. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the data or features secured by the one or more boundaries comprise one or more of:

user personal information;

content within the application;

calls and functions of the application;

user interface aspects of the application;

or

content within another application.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

presenting a user interface usable to interact with a feature storefront;

receiving a selection of an application feature available from the feature storefront;

determining that a base application comprises one or more security boundaries;

in response to receiving the selection;

integrating the application feature with the base application based, at least in part, on the one or more security boundaries; and

presenting a representation of the application feature within the base application;

during execution of the application feature within the base application, enforcing the one or more security boundaries to prevent the application feature from accessing data or features protected by the one or more security boundaries; and

during execution of an application feature that was included with the base application, not enforcing the one or more security boundaries.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein presenting a representation of the application feature within the base application comprises presenting the representation of the application features such that the application feature is identified in a similar format to one or more original application features.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying a feature store search option on the feature storefront;

receiving one or more natural language search terms in the search option; and

presenting search results comprising one or more available features corresponding to the search terms.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein each of the one or more available features presented comprises an individual application feature available for purchase, an individual application feature available for free, and/or a bundle of application features available for purchase as a group.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 16, wherein the data or features protected by the one or more security boundaries comprise one or more of:

user personal information;

content within the base application;

calls and functions of the base application;

user interface aspects of the base application;

or

content within another application.