Installation and Management of Client Extensions

• US 20130185362A1
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Clagg, Steven Michael, Ouliankine, Oleg, Henderson, Jason Todd, Claux, David, Salamatov, Andrew, Wang, Yamin
• Granted Patent: US 9,679,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

Application extension management may be provided. Upon logging into a user device by a user, a list of a plurality of extensions associated with the user may be retrieved from a central repository. Access to each of the plurality of extensions associated with the user on the user device may then be provided to the user device.

Claims

1. A method for providing application extension management, the method comprising:

logging into a user device by a user;

retrieving a list of a plurality of extensions associated with the user from a central repository; and

providing access to each of the plurality of extensions associated with the user on the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein settings for each of the plurality of extensions are configured according to a manifest in the central repository.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of extensions comprises a mandatory installation for the user.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a request from a user to disable an extension;

determining whether the extension comprises the at least one mandatory extension; and

in response to determining that the extension comprises the at least one mandatory extension, disregarding the request from the user to disable the at least one mandatory extension.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a new extension to the central repository;

determining whether the user is configured to receive access to the new extension; and

in response to determining that the user is configured to receive access to the new extension, providing access to the new extension to the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, to an administrator, a list of at least a subset of the plurality of extensions enabled for the user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying a configuration option for the at least one optional extension to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a modification to a group membership of the user;

determining whether at least one new extension is associated with the user'"'"'s modified group membership; and

instantiating the at least one new extension on the user device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the user to install at least one new extension;

determining whether the at least one new extension is available in a central repository; and

in response to determining that the at least one new extension is available in the central repository, providing access to the at least one new extension.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the at least one new extension is not available in the central repository, transmitting a request for the at least one new extension to an administrator.

11. A system for providing application extension management, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operable to;

install a plurality of application extensions to a central repository,

receive a login request from a user of a user device,

identify at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the user, and

provide access to at least the subset of the plurality of application extensions to the user device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of plurality of application extensions is associated with the user according to a group membership of the user.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein access to at least one of the subset of plurality of application extensions is provided to all users associated with an organization.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of plurality of application extensions is configured as mandatory for the user.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further operative to provide an extension management interface for at least one of the plurality of application extensions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further operative to configure a usage policy for each of the plurality of application extensions.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit is further operative to:

receive a selection of at least one application extension of the plurality of application extensions via the extension management interface;

identify a plurality of users associated with the selected at least one application extension; and

display a status of each of the plurality of users associated with the selected at least one application extension.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the extension management interface is provided through an e-mail client application.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the central repository is associated with an e-mail server and processing unit is further operative to store the manifest of each of the plurality of extensions in a mailbox.

20. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing application extension management, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

providing an extension management interface via an e-mail application, wherein the extension management interface displays a plurality of mailboxes each associated with one of a plurality of application extensions;

configuring an access setting for at least one of the plurality of application extensions for at least one of the following;

an individual user, a group of users, and all users associated with an organization;

storing the access setting for the at least one of the plurality of application extensions in a manifest in a one of the plurality of mailboxes associated with the at least one of the plurality of application extensions;

installing a new application extension via the extension management interface, wherein installing the new application extension comprises;

creating a new mailbox for the new application extension,

configuring an access setting for the new application extension, and

storing the access setting for the new application extension in the new mailbox;

receiving a login request from at least one user on a remote user device;

identifying at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the at least one user wherein at least one first extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises a mandatory access setting on and at least one second extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises an optional access setting; and

providing access to each of the subset of the plurality of application extensions to the remote user device.