Method and system for subscription-based, entitlement-driven license key generation and distribution for digital goods

• US 20050131833A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexera Software LLC
• Original Assignee: Intraware Inc. (Flexera Software LLC)
• Inventors: Pieper, Tobid, Northing, Richard, Martinelli, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

A method and system for subscription-based, entitlement-driven license key generation and distribution for digital goods allows digital goods vendors to manage rights of customers having maintenance contracts or subscriptions. Rights management includes the ability of the vendor to specify upgraded license rules and automatically update entitlements for all customers having current contracts and/or subscriptions, as specified by the upgraded license rules. Upgrades and accompanying license keys are proactively offered to customers without requiring additional sales transactions.

Claims

1. A method of distributing digital goods and managing accompanying licenses comprising the steps of:

upgrading a ‘

Catalog Item’

on a system for electronic software distribution;

updating ‘

Entitlements’

to said ‘

Catalog Item’

to allow all entitled customers usage of said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item;

’

if a new license key is required to unlock said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item,’

automatically offering said key and said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’

to said customers without requiring placement of a new order for said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item.’

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

providing a vendor of digital goods a network presence on said system on a subscription basis; and

distributing digital goods offered by a subscribing vendor from said vendor'"'"'s network presence by an operator of said system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of upgrading a ‘

Catalog Item’

comprises the steps of;

creating a new ‘

Product;

’

associating said new product to said ‘

Catalog Item;

’

associating at least one file to said ‘

Product;

’ and

uploading said least at one file to said system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a product comprises a deliverable product release.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a file comprises an actual data file that an entitled customer downloads.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

specifying licensing rules for said new ‘

Product.’

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of specifying licensing rules comprises the step of:

specifying that a new key, distinct from original license keys obtained by said customer, is required to unlock or control usage of said new ‘

Product.’

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a software vendor creates said new product and specifies said licensing rules through any of:

an automated data feed to a server on said system; and

manually creating said product and specifying said rules by means of a user interface to said system.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of storing said license rules and metadata about said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’

on said system.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

analyzing said licensing rules and metadata about said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’ and

‘

Product;

’ and

alerting said system regarding said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item,’

product and entitled customers.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said steps of offering said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’

comprise the steps of;

receiving at a first server an alert from a second server that an upgrade is available;

notifying an entitled customer by said communications server that said new product is available.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of simultaneously offering said key comprises the step of notifying said customer that a new key is required to unlock said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item.’

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of requesting said new key by said customer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of generating said new key on said system.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

storing said generated key;

reading said stored key; and

presenting said key to said customer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of viewing said presented key by said customer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of viewing said presented key comprises any of the steps of:

viewing said key on a client display;

printing said key;

saving said key locally;

’ and

receiving said key in an email notification.

18. An article of manufacture comprising:

a processor-readable storage medium having embodied thereon processor-readable code for programming a processor to perform a method of distributing digital goods and managing accompanying licenses comprising the steps of;

automatically offering said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’

to said entitled customers; and

if a new license key is required to unlock said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item,’

simultaneously offering said key and said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’

to said customers without requiring placement of a new order for said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item.’

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of upgrading a ‘

Catalog Item’

comprises the steps of;

creating a new ‘

Product,’

wherein a product comprises a new version of a digital good; and

associating said new product to said ‘

Catalog Item.’

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

specifying licensing rules for said new ‘

Product.’

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said step of specifying licensing rules comprises the step of:

specifying that a new key, distinct from original license keys obtained by said customer, is required to unlock said new ‘

Product.’

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a software vendor creates said new product and specifies said licensing rules through any of:

an automated data feed to a server on said system; and

manually creating said product and specifying said rules by means of a user interface to said system.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

storing said license rules and metadata about said upgraded ‘

Entitlement’

on said system;

analyzing said licensing rules and metadata about said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’ and

‘

Product;

’ and

alerting said system regarding said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item,’

said product and entitled customers.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said steps of offering said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’

comprise the steps of;

receiving at a first server an alert from a second server that a new product is available;

notifying a customer by said first server that said new product is available.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of simultaneously offering said key comprises the step of notifying said customer that a new key is required to unlock said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item.’

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

requesting said new key by said customer;

generating said new key on said system;

storing said generated key;

reading said stored key;

presenting said key to said customer; and

viewing said presented key by said customer.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said step of viewing said presented key comprises any of the steps of:

viewing said key on a client display;

printing said key;

saving said key locally; and

receiving said key in an email notification.

28. A system for distributing digital goods and managing accompanying licenses comprising:

at least one module for upgrading ‘

Catalog Items’ and

‘

Entitlements’

to said upgraded ‘

Catalog Items’

to allow all entitled customers usage of an upgraded ‘

Catalog Item;

’ and

at least one module for automatically offering to said entitled customers both of said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’ and

a new license key to unlock said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item,’

if it is required, without requiring placement of a new order for said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item.’

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said system provides a vendor of digital goods a network presence through said system on a subscription basis;

and

wherein an operator of said system distributes digital goods offered by a subscribing vendor from said vendor'"'"'s network presence.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said module for upgrading ‘

Catalog Items’

comprises at least one server, said at least one server including elements for;

creating a new ‘

Product;

’

associating said new product to said ‘

Catalog Item;

’

associating at least one file to said ‘

Product;

’

uploading said at least one file to said system; and

updating said ‘

Entitlements;

’

and

at least one API (application programming interface) to grant a vendor access to said elements.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein a product comprises a deliverable product release.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein a file comprises an actual data file that an entitled customer downloads.

33. The system of claim 30, said server including elements for:

specifying licensing rules for said new ‘

Product;

’ and

specifying vendor account information.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said element for specifying licensing rules includes means for specifying that a new key, distinct from original license keys obtained by said customer, is required to unlock said new ‘

Product.’

35. The system of claim 33, wherein a software vendor creates said new product and specifies said licensing rules through any of:

an automated data feed to said server; and

manually creating said product and specifying said rules by means of a user interface to said system.

36. The system of claim 33, further comprising at least one data store for storing:

said license rules;

product metadata; and

‘

Entitlements;

’

wherein said data store shares data with at least a second data store.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein product metadata includes effective dates and hierarchical relationships;

and

wherein ‘

Entitlements’

include subscription dates.

38. The system of claim 29, wherein said module for upgrading a ‘

Catalog Item’

comprises at least one server, said at least one server including elements for;

reading any of license, product and ‘

Entitlement’

data from a data store;

analyzing any of said license, product and ‘

Entitlement’

data; and

alerting a second server regarding said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item,’ and

said entitled customers.

39. The system of claim 29, wherein said module for offering said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’ and

license key comprises a server, said server including elements for;

receiving an alert from a second server regarding an upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’ and

about customers entitled to use said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item;

’

notifying a customer that said new product is available; and

notifying said customer that a new key is required to unlock said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item.’

40. The system of claim 29, wherein said module for offering said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’ and

license key comprises a server, said server including elements for;

receiving a request for a new key from said customer;

generating said key;

storing said generated key;

reading said stored key from a data store;

presenting said key to said customer; and

viewing said presented key by said customer.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein said step of viewing said presented key comprises any of the steps of:

viewing said key on a client display;

printing said key;

saving said key locally; and

receiving said key in an email notification.

42. The system of claim 29, further comprising a data store, wherein said data store stores license keys and a license generation history for each customer;

wherein said data store shares data with at least a second data store.

43. The system of claim 29, further comprising at least one customer client and at least one vendor client, wherein said clients are in communication with said modules over a network connection.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein said network comprises a publicly-accessible data network.

45. The system of claim 43, further comprising a firewall, wherein said modules are located behind said firewall.

46. The system of claim 29, wherein said module for offering said upgraded ‘

Catalog Item’ and

license key comprises a license key generator.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein said license key generator is a third-party license key generator.