Licensing upsell

• US 7,921,059 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jorden, Michael P., Chicks, R. David, Hughes, Aidan T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II; Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, STEVEN S
• Application Number:
  US11/303,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/59, 705/71, 705/902, 705/908, 726/27, 717/168
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A licensing system provides for various versions of an application within a software product. A license type is identified from a product key that is associated with the software product. The license type may correspond to a hybrid license. When the license type is a hybrid license, an application state is determined for any applications included in the software product. A use experience for the applications is provided according to the application state when the application state is determined. For applications that are provided as upgradeable versions, an upgrade may be obtained by simply obtaining a new product key that is associated with the upgraded versions of the applications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for changing a licensing state of an installed software product, comprising:

receiving a selection, by a computing device, for changing the licensing state of the installed software product on the computing device;

wherein the installed software product comprises a first application, a second application, and a licensing file;

wherein the licensing file includes a mapping of channel identifier ID ranges to corresponding licensing states for the first application and the second application;

wherein each of the license states includes hybrid license indicator, application state, and feature state for the first and second application; and

wherein the hybrid indicator comprises a value used to determine that a license type of the first application and a license type of the second application are different;

prompting, by the computing device, for a product key, wherein the product key comprises a channel identifier ID and signature;

receiving the product key by the computing device;

parsing, by the computing device, the product key;

obtaining, by the computing device, a channel identifier ID from the parsing of the product key;

identifying, by the computing device, a hybrid license indicator from the licensing file based on the obtained channel identifier ID;

based on the identifying of the hybrid license indicator, accessing, by the computing device, application state and feature state of the first application and the second application from the license file using the obtained channel identifier ID;

wherein the application state includes license type of the first and second application; and

activating, by a computer processor of the computing device, the installed first application and the installed second application of the software product based on the application state and the feature state accessed from the license file.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the license type of the first application is a restricted license type and the license type of the second application is an unrestricted license type, wherein activating the first application and the second application includes providing access to less than all of the first number features of the first application and providing access to all of the second number of features of the second application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the restricted license type is a trial license type.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the license type of the first application is a trial license type having an expiration.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising generating a notification to indicate the trial version is expiring for the first application, and presenting the generated expiration notification on the computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising providing a prompt for entering a new product key upon expiration of the trial license type.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising receiving acceptance of the new product key in the prompt;

and permitting access to a larger number of features of the first application that is associated with the trial license type.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions which when executed a processor cause the processor to perform steps for changing a licensing state of an installed software product, the steps comprising:

receiving a selection for changing the licensing state of the installed software product on a computing device;

wherein the installed software product comprises a first application, a second application, and a licensing file;

wherein the licensing file includes a mapping of channel identifier ID ranges to corresponding licensing states for the first application and the second application;

wherein each of the license states includes hybrid license indicator, application state, and feature state for the first and second application; and

wherein the hybrid indicator comprises a value used to determine that a license type of the first application and a license type of the second application are different;

prompting for a product key, wherein the product key comprises a channel identifier ID and signature;

receiving the product key;

parsing the product key;

obtaining a channel identifier ID from the parsing of the product key;

identifying a hybrid license indicator from the licensing file based on the obtained channel identifier ID;

based on the identifying of the hybrid license indicator, accessing application state and feature state of the first application and the second application from the license file using the obtained channel identifier ID;

wherein the application state includes license type of the first and second application; and

activating the installed first application and the installed second application of the software product based on the application state and the feature state accessed from the license file.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the license type of the first application is a restricted license type and the license type of the second application is an unrestricted license type, wherein activating the first application and the second application includes providing access to less than all of the first number features of the first application and providing access to all of the second number of features of the second application.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the restricted license type is a trial license type.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the license type of the first application is a trial license type having an expiration.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising generating a notification to indicate the trial version is expiring for the first application, and presenting the generated expiration notification on the computing device.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising providing a prompt for entering a new product key upon expiration of the trial license type.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising receiving acceptance of the new product key in the prompt;

and permitting access to a larger number of features of the first application that is associated with the trial license type.

15. A system for changing a licensing state of an installed software product, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed by the processor cause the system to perform steps comprising;

receiving a selection for changing the licensing state of the installed software product on the system;

wherein the installed software product comprises a first application, a second application, and a licensing file;

wherein the licensing file includes a mapping of channel identifier ID ranges to corresponding licensing states for the first application and the second application;

wherein each of the license states includes hybrid license indicator, application state, and feature state for the first and second application; and

wherein the hybrid indicator comprises a value used to determine that a license type of the first application and a license type of the second application are different;

prompting for a product key, wherein the product key comprises a channel identifier ID and signature;

receiving the product key by the computing device;

parsing the product key;

obtaining a channel identifier ID from the parsing of the product key;

identifying a hybrid license indicator from the licensing file based on the obtained channel identifier ID;

based on the identifying of the hybrid license indicator, accessing application state and feature state of the first application and the second application from the license file using the obtained channel identifier ID;

wherein the application state includes license type of the first and second application; and

activating the installed first application and the installed second application of the software product based on the application state and the feature state accessed from the license file.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the license type of the first application is a restricted license type and the license type of the second application is an unrestricted license type, wherein activating the first application and the second application includes providing access to less than all of the first number features of the first application and providing access to all of the second number of features of the second application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the restricted license type is a trial license type.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the license type of the first application is a trial license type having an expiration.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising generating a notification to indicate the trial version is expiring for the first application, and presenting the generated expiration notification on the computing device.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising providing a prompt for entering a new product key upon expiration of the trial license type.