Creating managing, and provisioning packages of online applications

• US 10,235,701 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mohammed, Yunus, Dalia, Apurva F., Gariepy, Christopher, Moram, Venugopala Rao, Bhattacharyya, Joydeep, Karanth, Sandeep P., Saam, Christopher J., Huang, Lizhong, Lode, Rodrigo Junqueira
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette, Jonathan P
• Application Number:
  US15/171,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 705 11-912, 705304
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes

Abstract

Methods and computer-readable media are provided herein for implementing custom application programming interfaces (API) for creating, managing, and provisioning packages of online applications. An offer management service API is implemented that provides methods for creating and modifying offers for packages of online applications. An offer provisioning API is implemented that provides methods enabling the provisioning of online applications for subscribers to offers. An application provider API is published and utilized to provision and maintain individual instances of online applications provided by application providers.

Claims

1. A computer storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

provide an online management user interface to a first user device for creating and managing packages of online applications in an online store;

receive a request from the first user device that a package be created and added to the online store, the request specifying properties of the package including at least one online application to be included in the package;

create the package;

create an identifier for the package;

send the identifier for the package to the first user device;

receive a package modification request from the first user device or a second user device for modification of a specified package in a plurality of packages in the online store, the package modification request including an identifier for the specified package and at least one property of the specified package to be modified;

locate the specified package in the online store; and

update the properties of the specified package in the online store.

2. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one property of the specified package includes an identification of at least one online application which is included in the specified package or which is to be included in the specified package.

3. The computer storage medium of claim 2, having additional computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

determine subscribers to the specified package; and

update properties of the identified at least one online application for the subscribers.

4. The computer storage medium of claim 1, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a removal request from the first user device or the second user device for removal of a package of online applications from the online store, the removal request specifying the identifier of the package to be removed;

locate the package in the online store based on the identifier which was specified in the removal request;

delete the identified package from the online store.

5. The computer storage medium of claim 1, having additional computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

provide to the first user device or the second user device a listing of online applications which are available to be included in the online store;

receive an inclusion request from the first user device or the second user device for inclusion of at least one available online application to be included in one or more packages, the inclusion request specifying properties of the at least one available online application;

create a record of the at least one available online application with the properties specified in the inclusion request;

include the at least one available online application in the online store; and

return an identifier for the at least one available online application to the first user device or the second user device.

6. The computer storage medium of claim 1, having additional computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a modification request from the first user device or the second user device that the properties for an online application in the online store be modified, the request specifying an identifier of the online application to be modified and at least one property of the online application to be modified;

locate the record of the online application in the online store having the specified identifier; and

update the at least one property of the identified online application in the online store.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 1, having additional computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

add at least one of a DNS service application, an email service application, or a webhosting service application to the package.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, with a computer, an online management user interface to a first user device for creating and managing packages of online applications in an online store;

receiving, with the computer, a request from the first user device that a package be created and added to the online store, the request specifying properties of the package including at least one online application to be included in the package;

automatically creating the package, with the computer;

automatically creating an identifier for the package, with the computer;

automatically sending the identifier for the package to the first user device, with the computer;

receiving, with the computer, a package modification request from the first user device or a second user device for modification of a specified package in a plurality of packages in the online store, the package modification request including an identifier for the specified package and at least one property of the specified package to be modified;

automatically locating, with the computer, the specified package in the online store; and

automatically updating, with the computer, the properties of the specified package in the online store.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the at least one property of the specified package includes an identification of at least one online application which is included in the specified package or which is to be included in the specified package.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a removal request from the first user device or the second user device for removal of a package of online applications from the online store, the removal request specifying the identifier of the package to be removed;

locating the package in the online store based on the identifier which was specified in the removal request;

deleting the identified package from the online store.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing to the first user device or the second user device a listing of online applications which are available to be included in the online store;

receiving an inclusion request from the first user device or the second user device for inclusion of at least one available online application to be included in one or more packages, the inclusion request specifying properties of the at least one available online application;

creating a record of the at least one available online application with the properties specified in the inclusion request;

including the at least one available online application in the online store; and

returning an identifier for the at least one available online application to the first user device or the second user device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a modification request from the first user device or the second user device that the properties for an online application in the online store be modified, the request specifying an identifier of the online application to be modified and at least one property of the online application to be modified;

locating the record of the online application in the online store having the specified identifier; and

updating the at least one property of the identified online application in the online store.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

provide an online management user interface to a first user device for creating and managing packages of online applications in an online store;

receive a request from the first user device that a package be created and added to the online store, the request specifying properties of the package including at least one online application to be included in the package;

create the package;

create an identifier for the package;

send the identifier for the package to the first user device;

receive a package modification request from the first user device or a second user device for modification of a specified package in a plurality of packages in the online store, the package modification request including an identifier for the specified package and at least one property of the specified package to be modified;

locate the specified package in the online store; and

update the properties of the specified package in the online store.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one property of the specified package includes an identification of at least one online application which is included in the specified package or which is to be included in the specified package.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed on the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to:

determine subscribers to the specified package; and

update properties of the identified at least one online application for the subscribers.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed on the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to:

receive a removal request from the first user device or the second user device for removal of a package of online applications from the online store, the removal request specifying the identifier of the package to be removed;

locate the package in the online store based on the identifier which was specified in the removal request;

delete the identified package from the online store.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed on the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to:

provide to the first user device or the second user device a listing of online applications which are available to be included in the online store;

receive an inclusion request from the first user device or the second user device for inclusion of at least one available online application to be included in one or more packages, the inclusion request specifying properties of the at least one available online application;

create a record of the at least one available online application with the properties specified in the inclusion request;

include the at least one available online application in the online store; and

return an identifier for the at least one available online application to the first user device or the second user device.