AGGREGATED RESOURCE LICENSE

• US 20080083040A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, Meijer, Henricus Johannes Maria, Zaner-Godsey, Melora, Glasser, Daniel S., Snyder, Ira L., Bergstraesser, Thomas F., Dani, Nishant V., Gates, William H.
• Application Number:
  US11/536,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20080083040A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A user-centric or identity-centric resource licensing system that manages access to ‘cloud-based’ resources (e.g., applications and services) is provided. A ‘cloud’ refers to a collection of resources (e.g., hardware and/or software) provided and maintained by an off-site or off-premise party (e.g., third party), wherein the collection of resources can be accessed by an identified user via a network. In accordance with the user-centric licensing model, the resource license (and subscription) rights can migrate with a user without regard to physical location, device used, or other contextual factors (e.g., activity engaged). Effectively, the rights are mapped (and tracked) as a function of a user identity, which can be a core identity or an identity based upon activity engaged, role, capacity, etc.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates user-centric licensing of a plurality of resources, comprising:

an interface component that receives a request from a user for access to a subset of the resources; and

an aggregated license component that processes the access request and grants or denies access to the subset of resources based upon a persistent license as a function of identity of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, at least one of the subset of resources is an off-premise resource.

3. The system of claim 1, at least one of the subset of the resources is an on-premise resource.

4. The system of claim 1, the persistent license is stored on-premise or off-premise.

5. The system of claim 1, the aggregated license component comprises:

an identity analysis component that determines the identity of the user; and

an access management component that locates and verifies the license based upon the identity.

6. The system of claim 5, the aggregated license component grants or denies use of the subset of resources based at least in part upon a scope of the license.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a tracking component that monitors the use and refines the scope based at least in part upon the use.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising a mapping component that maps the identity to the license.

9. The system of claim 8, the resource is a subscription-based service.

10. The system of claim 5, further comprising an information gathering component that locates information relating to the identity of the user.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising an identity analysis component that evaluates the information to determine the identity.

12. The system of claim 11, the information is at least one of a username, a password, a role, an organization affiliation, a context, and a biometric criterion.

13. A computer-implemented method of aggregating a plurality of licenses, comprising:

receiving a resource access request from a user;

establishing an identity of the user; and

processing the access request to provide authorization services for the resource based upon the identity.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising locally processing the access request to provide authorization services for the resource based upon the identity, the resource is one of an on or off-premise resource.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising remotely processing the access request to provide authorization services for the resource based upon the identity, the resource is one of an on or off-premise resource.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising selecting the identity from a plurality of identities associated with the user as a function of a context.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising mapping the selected identity to a persistent license right, the license right determines scope of authorization associated with the resource.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

tracking use of the resource; and

updating the license right as a function of the use.

19. A computer-executable system that facilitates enforcing a license for access to a plurality of resources, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a user for access to a subset of the resources, the subset of the resources are located on-premise or off-premise;

means for establishing an identity;

means for mapping the identity to the license; and

means for rendering or accessing the resource based upon the license.

20. The computer-executable system of claim 19, further comprising means for inferring the identity based at least in part upon a context of the user.