Selectively authorizing software functionality after installation of the software

• US 7,472,286 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, Jason, Jhanwar, Raj, Jayaseelan, Vijayachandran, Burkhardt, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr.; Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lashley; Laurel
• Application Number:
  US10/653,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/123 by using dedicated hardware, e.g. dongles, smart cards, cryptographic processors, global positioning systems [GPS] devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6281 at program execution time, where the protection is within the operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect

Abstract

Controlling access to functionality within an installed software product. The invention includes an authorization module that dynamically references authorization information when specific functionality is requested by a requesting entity such as a user or an application program to determine if the requested functionality is authorized to be executed. Further, the invention dynamically provides an opportunity to the requesting entity to purchase unauthorized functionality. In this manner, functionality within the software product may be enabled or disabled at any time (e.g., during installation, post-installation, and re-installation).

Claims

1. A method of enabling functionality within a software product after installation of the software product on a computing device of a user, said method comprising:

receiving authorization information associated with the software product, said software product including a plurality of installed components, said installed components each being associated with a functionality of the software product, said functionality being defined by a manifest specifying libraries and functions within libraries of the installed components, said software product executing in accordance with the received authorization information, wherein the functionality of the installed software product is enabled based on the received authorization information and the manifest;

receiving a request for functionality associated with at least one of the plurality of components during execution of the software product;

determining in response to the request for functionality access rights for the requested functionality based on the received authorization information;

if the determined access rights indicate an authorization of access to the requested functionality, providing in response to the request for functionality the requested functionality in accordance with the determined access rights by enabling the installed components corresponding to the requested functionality as specified in the manifest; and

if the determined access rights indicate a denial of access to the requested functionality providing in response to the request for functionality a purchase offer to the user to enable the requested functionality;

if the user accepts the purchase offer in response to providing the purchase offer, receiving updated authorization information wherein the requested functionality is provided to the user in accordance with the determined access rights based on the received updated authorization information by enabling the installed components corresponding to the requested functionality as specified by the manifest; and

if the user declines the purchase offer in response to providing the purchase offer, denying access to the requested functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the authorization information associated with the software product comprises receiving licensing data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request further comprises:

intercepting, by the operating system of the computing device a function call from a process to the component; and

in response to the operating system of the computing device intercepting the function call to the component, determining, by the licensing component, the access rights for the requested functionality; and

wherein providing the requested functionality comprises allowing the intercepted function call to access the component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request from the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the authorization information comprises receiving data specifying functionality or features within the software product.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request for functionality comprises receiving a request for functionality associated with a dynamic-link library.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the requested functionality comprises providing access to all functionality within the component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the requested functionality comprises denying access to any functionality within the component.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the received authorization information on a tangible computer-readable medium associated with the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the received authorization information is digitally signed, and wherein determining the access rights comprises validating the signed authorization information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request for functionality comprises receiving at least one of the following:

a component identifier, a function identifier, a component name, and an argument.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the access rights comprises searching the received authorization information for an entry relating to the component.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the authorization information comprises storing a value corresponding to the access rights for the requested functionality.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the access rights comprises:

retrieving the stored value; and

sending the retrieved value to the component, wherein the component determines whether to provide the requested functionality responsive to the sent value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving authorization information associated with the software product comprises receiving authorization information associated with at least one of an operating system and an application program.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the software product is fully installed on the computing device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the authorization information comprises receiving the authorization information via a network.

18. One or more tangible computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

19. One or more tangible computer-readable storage media having computer-executable modules for enabling functionality within a software product having at least one component after installation of the software product on a computing device of a user, said modules comprising:

an interface module for receiving authorization information associated with the software product, said software product including a plurality of installed components, said installed components each being associated with a functionality of the software product, said functionality being defined by a manifest specifying libraries and functions within libraries of the installed components information, said software product executing in accordance with the received authorization information and the manifest;

an authorization module for receiving a request for functionality associated with the component during execution of the software product, said authorization module further determining access rights for the requested functionality based on the authorization information received via the interface module, said authorization module further providing the requested functionality in accordance with the determined access rights; and

an upgrade module for providing a purchase offer to the user to enable the requested functionality if the access rights determined by the authorization module deny access to the requested functionality;

if the user accepts the purchase offer, receiving updated authorization information wherein the requested functionality is provided to the user by the authorization module in accordance with the determined access rights based on the received updated authorization information by enabling the installed components corresponding to the requested functionality as specified in the manifest; and

if the user declines the purchase offer, denying access to the requested functionality to the user by the authorization module.

20. The tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the software product comprises a first component and a second component, and wherein the second component represents a different version of the first component.

21. The tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the software product comprises at least one of an operating system and an application program.

22. The tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the authorization information comprises licensing information.

23. The tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the component comprises a dynamic-link library.

24. The tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the software product is fully installed on the computing device.

25. A method of dynamically providing a purchase opportunity to a user to enable functionality within a software product installed on a computing device of a user, said software product having at least one component therein, said method comprising:

receiving authorization information associated with the software product, said software product including a plurality of installed components, said installed components each being associated with a functionality of the software product, said functionality being defined by a manifest specifying libraries and functions within libraries of the installed components, said software product executing in accordance with the received authorization information and the manifest;

receiving a request for functionality associated with the component during execution of the software product;

determining access rights for the requested functionality based on the received authorization information;

if the determined access rights deny access to the requested functionality;

providing a purchase offer to the user, wherein acceptance of the provided purchase offer enables the requested functionality;

if the user accepts the purchase offer, receiving updated authorization information wherein the requested functionality is provided to the user in accordance with the determined access rights based on the received updated authorization information by enabling the installed components corresponding to the requested functionality as specified in the manifest; and

if the user declines the purchase offer, denying access to the requested functionality; and

if the determined access rights authorize access to the requested functionality, providing the requested functionality in accordance with the determined access rights by enabling the installed components corresponding to the requested functionality as specified in the manifest.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein providing the purchase offer to the user comprises directing the user to a network address of an electronic commerce web site wherein the user may purchase access to the requested functionality.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving authorization information associated with the software product comprises receiving authorization information associated with at least one of an operating system and an application program.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the software product is fully installed on the computing device.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving the authorization information comprises receiving the authorization information via a network.

30. One or more tangible computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 25.

31. A tangible computer-readable storage media having stored thereon an operating system, said operating system including computer-executable modules, said computer-executable modules comprising:

authorization information associated with the operating system, said operating system including a plurality of installed components, said components each being associated with a functionality of the operating system, said components comprising a COM object (component object module) or a DLL (dynamic-link library), said functionality being defined by a manifest specifying libraries and functions within libraries of the components, said manifest further specifying a version and dependencies related to said components, said operating system being installed on a computing device and executing in accordance with the authorization information and the manifest;

an authorization module for receiving a request for functionality associated with the operating system during execution of the operating system, said authorization module further determining access rights for the requested functionality based on the authorization information, said authorization module further providing the requested functionality in accordance with the determined access rights; and

an upgrade module for providing a purchase offer to the user to enable the requested functionality if the access rights determined by the authorization module deny access to the requested functionality;

if the user accepts the purchase offer, receiving updated authorization information wherein the requested functionality is provided to the user by the authorization module in accordance with the determined access rights based on the received updated authorization information by enabling the components corresponding to the requested functionality as specified in the manifest; and

if the user declines the purchase offer, denying access to the requested functionality to the user by the authorization module.

32. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the authorization information comprises a first authorization rule providing access to first functionality within the operating system, said authorization information further comprising a second authorization rule providing access to second functionality within the operating system, said second functionality differing from said first functionality.

33. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the operating system is fully installed on the computing device.

34. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the operating system comprises a first component and a second component, and wherein the second component represents a different version of the first component.