DOCUMENT TEMPLATE LICENSING

• US 20130198038A1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mowatt, David, Farrell, Terry
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and systems for licensing a document template are provided herein. The method includes obtaining, within a computing device, a license for a document template from a marketplace service. The method also includes downloading the document template to the computing device. The method includes providing a functional experience of a document derived from the document template to a licensed user. The method further includes sharing a license-restricted document with an unlicensed user in response to an input from the licensed user, wherein the license-restricted document provides a reduced-functionality experience of the document derived from the document template to the unlicensed user.

Claims

1. A method for licensing a document template, comprising:

obtaining, within a computing device, a license for a document template from a marketplace service;

downloading the document template to the computing device;

providing a functional experience of a document derived from the document template to a licensed user; and

sharing a license-restricted document with an unlicensed user in response to an input from the licensed user, wherein the license-restricted document provides a reduced-functionality experience of the document derived from the document template to the unlicensed user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the license for the document template from the marketplace service comprises:

sending a request for the license for the document template from the computing device to the marketplace service in response to an input by a purchaser;

accepting a token from the marketplace service at the computing device via a client platform, wherein the client platform is configured to allow the purchaser to assign a seat to a user and send the token to a third party service when the user attempts to access the document template, and wherein the marketplace service is configured to accept the token from the third party service, verify a validity of the token, and send a message verifying the validity of the token to the third party service; and

providing the user with access to specific levels of service within the document template in response to receiving the message verifying the validity of the token from the third party service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the licensed user comprises the purchaser or the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the license for the document template from the marketplace service comprises:

sending a request for the license for the document template from the computing device to the marketplace service in response to an input by the user; and

directly downloading the license for the document template from the marketplace service to the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the functional experience of the document derived from the document template to the licensed user comprises providing the document derived from the document template for use in accordance with the license for the document template in response to determining that the licensed user has the license.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sharing the license-restricted document with the unlicensed user comprises providing options for the unlicensed user to buy the document template or try the document template in response to determining that the unlicensed user does not have the license for the document template.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the functional experience of the document derived from the document template comprises loading the document derived from the document template within a target application on the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the document template is bound to a web add-in.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the license-restricted document comprises content with watermarks, sample content, content that has not been updated, or low quality content, or any combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the functional experience of the document derived from the document template to the licensed user comprises providing the licensed user with an ability to access high quality resources within the document, an ability to edit certain content within the document, or an ability to obtain fresh content via a third party service which has verified that the user has the license for the document template, or any combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the license comprises a trial license or a paid license, and wherein the paid license comprises a premium paid license or a basic paid license.

12. A system for licensing a document template, wherein the system comprises a computing device configured to:

obtain an entitlement for a document template in response to an input from a licensed user;

provide a rich experience of a document derived from the document template to the licensed user, wherein the rich experience comprises a quality and a functionality of the document that are in accordance with the entitlement; and

enable the licensed user to share a reduced-functionality experience of the document derived from the document template with an unauthorized user, wherein sharing the reduced-functionality experience of the document comprises sharing a license-restricted document.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the document template comprises a web add-in.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the license-restricted document comprises a static mode of the document derived from the document template or a reduced-functionality mode of the document derived from the document template.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the license-restricted document is available to the unauthorized user for a configurable level of time or to a configurable quality of service.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the document template comprises text, images, audio, or video, or any combinations thereof.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein enabling the licensed user to share the reduced-functionality experience of the document derived from the document template with the unauthorized user comprises one or more of:

providing the unauthorized user with a document comprising fresh data but preventing automatic updating of the fresh data within the document;

providing the unauthorized user with a document comprising customizations made to web add-in bound portions of the document but preventing the unauthorized user from making additional customizations to the web add-in bound portions of the document;

providing the unauthorized user with a document comprising watermarked images; and

allowing the unauthorized user to add comments into the document, rearrange a layout of the document, or enter text into the document, or any combinations thereof.

18. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions providing a document template licensing system when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer-readable instructions comprising code configured to:

acquire a document template in response to an input by a user;

determine if the user has an entitlement for the document template;

in response to determining that the user has the entitlement for the document template, provide the user with access to a functional experience of a document derived from the document template in accordance with conditions of the entitlement; and

in response to determining that the user does not have the entitlement for the document template, provide the user with access to a restricted experience of the document derived from the document template.

19. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the entitlement for the document template comprises an entitlement for web add-ins contained within the document template.

20. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the restricted experience of the document comprises use restrictions, time restrictions, or functionality restrictions, or any combinations thereof.