LICENSING FOR SERVICES

• US 20130198864A1
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Karvell, Donner, Robert, Garg, Sanjay, Wadhwa, Amit, Amirault, Danny R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,384,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1073 Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1075 Editing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1076 Revocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1077 Recurrent authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable storage media for providing licensing for services are provided herein. The method includes determining, via a service partner, whether a user exists in a user provisioning cache and whether the user is provisioned to use a service provided by the service partner. The method also includes querying a licensing service to determine updates to the user provisioning cache if the user does not exist in the user provisioning cache or is not provisioned to use the service, or both. Further, the method includes determining whether the user is provisioned to use the service based on the updates to the user provisioning cache and, if the user is provisioned to use the service, allowing the user access to the service.

Claims

1. A method for providing licensing for services, comprising:

determining, via a service partner, whether a user exists in a user provisioning cache and whether the user is provisioned to use a service provided by the service partner;

if the user does not exist in the user provisioning cache or is not provisioned to use the service, or both, querying a licensing service to determine updates to the user provisioning cache;

based on the updates to the user provisioning cache, determining whether the user is provisioned to use the service; and

if the user is provisioned to use the service, allowing the user access to the service.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising allowing the user access to the service if the user exists in the user provisioning cache and is provisioned to use the service.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising denying the user access to the service if it is determined that the user is not provisioned to use the service based on the updates to the user provisioning cache.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising storing provisioning information relating to the user within the user provisioning cache for a specified period of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein provisioning information indicating that the user is provisioned to use the service is stored in the user provisioning cache for a longer period of time than provisioning information indicating that the user is not provisioned to use the service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service comprises a roaming settings service.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving updates to the user provisioning cache from the licensing service at configurable time periods.

8. A system for providing licensing for services, comprising:

a service partner configured to;

determine whether a user exists in a user provisioning cache and whether the user is provisioned to use a service provided by the service partner;

if the user exists in the provisioning cache and is provisioned to use the service, allow the user access to the service;

if the user does not exist in the user provisioning cache or is not provisioned to use the service, or both, query a licensing service to determine provisioning updates to the user provisioning cache;

determine whether the user is provisioned to use the service based on the provisioning updates; and

if the user is provisioned to use the service, allow the user access to the service; and

the licensing service configured to return the provisioning updates to the service partner.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the service partner is configured to deny the user access to the service if it is determined that the user is not provisioned to use the service based on the provisioning updates.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the licensing service automatically sends provisioning updates to the service partner at configurable time periods.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the service partner is configured to store provisioning information relating to the user within the user provisioning cache for a specified period of time.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein provisioning information indicating that the user is provisioned to use the service is stored in the user provisioning cache for a longer period of time than provisioning information indicating that the user is not provisioned to use the service.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the service partner is configured to determine whether the user exists in the user provisioning cache and whether the user is provisioned to use the service in response to receiving a request to access the service from the user.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the service comprises a roaming settings service.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the service partner queries the licensing service via an application programming interface (API) call.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

determine whether a user is provisioned to use a service provided by the service partner;

if the user is not provisioned to use the service, query a licensing service to determine provisioning updates to the user provisioning cache;

determine whether the user is provisioned to use the service based on the provisioning updates; and

if the user is provisioned to use the service, allow the user access to the service.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

determine whether the user exists in the user provisioning cache; and

if the user does not exist in the user provisioning cache, query the licensing service to determine the provisioning updates.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to deny the user access to the service if it is determined that the user is not provisioned to use the service based on the provisioning updates.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to store provisioning information relating to the user within the user provisioning cache for a specified period of time.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the process to store provisioning information indicating that the user is provisioned to use the service in the user provisioning cache for a longer period of time than provisioning information indicating that the user is not provisioned to use the service.