MONETIZING PRODUCT FEATURES AS PART OF ENFORCING LICENSE TERMS

• US 20120150685A1
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinojosa, Jose Alberto Lozano, Ozhan, Ozan, Goffar, Linden D.
• Application Number:
  US12/962,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20120150685A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0607 Regulated

Abstract

Control access features include the use of a number of validation rules and capabilities of a target as part of proving license control and revenue generating functionalities, but the embodiments are not so limited. An exemplary role-based computing architecture includes the use of feature to command mappings and one or more validation rules to determine if a target of a command has a proper set of capabilities as part of allowing the command to execute. A computing method of one embodiment operates to provide a validation mechanism that performs a validation evaluation as part of a scope check to ensure that a target command is within the command issuer'"'"'s scope along with a validation rule check for a particular service feature.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a command input associated with an action;

using a mapping database to determine if the action is associated with a defined feature;

identifying any validation rules associated with the defined feature;

identifying one or more capabilities associated with a target of the action;

determining if a validation rule applies to the target; and

sending a communication to a command executor when the one or more capabilities of the target violate the validation rule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the action is associated with a mailbox feature and sending an error message to the command executor with information to inform the command executor of a reason for the error message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the defined feature is restricted from users having a set of capabilities that includes a first type of user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the defined feature is associated with an object having a restricted set of capabilities for the feature.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising examining a scope set and using any applicable validation rules associated with the defined feature.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more capabilities dictate a unique set of features that a customer can purchase or use.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein validation rules are used in part to control and manage an inadvertent or intentional administrator change, including a change that violates an assigned set of capabilities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein validation rules are implemented to control and manage an inadvertent or intentional administrator change, including a change that violates a license term.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if an administrator has been granted rights to perform the action and using a role-based control access (RBAC) runtime to perform a validation evaluation as part of a scope check to ensure that the target of the action is within an administrator scope.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying any restricted capabilities associated with the target of the action.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an error message to a command executor upon a validation rule violation including offering a new license for a fee to overcome the error message.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an error message to an administrator or an end-user when a validation rule is violated.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a set of capabilities based in part on a subscription type.

14. A system comprising:

an access control runtime component;

a feature mapping component including one or more feature to command mappings;

a validation component including validation rules associated with features of an online service; and

a capability identifier to identify capabilities associated with a target object, wherein the access control runtime component uses identified capabilities as part of sending error messages when one or more validation rules are violated.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the access control runtime component uses a scope check operation as part of validating administrator and end-user commands.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the capability identifier operates to read capabilities directly using a directory object including capability attributes, multi-valued properties, and associated values for a number of roles and scopes for one or more of an enterprise, a datacenter, and a tenant administrator.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the access control runtime component uses validation rules to ensure administrators do not violate a license by:

modifying a mailbox property using a global feature through a role assignment or assigning an inappropriate policy.

18. A computer-readable medium, having instructions which, when executed, control access by:

identifying a service feature associated with an action;

using a scope set and one or more validation rules to control use of the service feature;

identifying a set of capabilities associated with at least one target of the action; and

sending a message if the at least one target has a set of restricted capabilities associated with the one or more validation rules and the service feature.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, having instructions which, when executed, control access further by identifying restricted features of users lacking a certain capability.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, having instructions which, when executed, control access further controlling access to different portions of an online service as part of an online service offering.