Automated entitlement management method and apparatus for capturing maintenance renewals revenues

• US 8,180,681 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexera Software LLC
• Original Assignee: Intraware Inc. (Flexera Software LLC)
• Inventors: Pieper, Tobid, Martinelli, Paul, Northing, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): HAQ, NAEEM U
• Application Number:
  US12/121,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20080215492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.2, 705/26.25, 705/26.3, 705/26.35, 705/26.4, 705 2641- 2644, 705/26.5, 705 2661- 2664, 705/26.7, 705/26.8, 705/26.81, 705/26.82, 705/26.9, 705/27.1, 705/27.2
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The presently preferred embodiment of the invention provides a method and apparatus that enables software publishers and other sellers of subscription services. e.g. subscriptions, such as maintenance or license programs, to track when the subscription period for each customer expires, to inform interested contacts at the customer proactively that a renewal for their subscription is coming due, and to provide a way for those contacts at the customer to purchase a renewal of their subscription program.

Claims

1. A method for capturing maintenance renewal revenues in connection with digital goods, comprising steps of:

providing a system configured for creating a product hierarchy for modeling and managing complex product relationships among a vendor'"'"'s product and/or service offerings;

said system configured for creating customer account entitlements to said product and/or service offerings with an entitlement management module;

said system configured for distributing said product and/or service offerings to a customer according to said entitlements;

said system configured for transferring data from a source location at a software publisher or other seller of subscription programs to said entitlement management module;

said system configured for capturing and tracking customer and subscription data, wherein data captured and tracked comprises any of customer identification data, including any of customer name, unique customer ID, customer contact person, email address for customer contact person;

a unique identifier for a subscription program that said customer has purchased; and

effective and expiration dates of said subscription program that said customer has purchased, including any of effective and expiration dates;

said system configured for providing a renewals management module for enabling said software publisher or other seller of subscription services to establish automated business rules that define how, when, and to whom communications are sent to customers that have subscription renewals coming due; and

said system configured for providing a communication module for communicating with said customer contact.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

said software publisher or seller of subscription programs creating a template that forms the basis of said communications that are sent to said customer contact.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in addition to contact information retained for an original purchaser of said subscription program, capturing other contacts that have been added since the original purchase of said subscription program.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said additional contacts comprise end users of said subscription program who are added either by the software publisher or by an administrative user from the customer.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein all contacts associated with a single purchasing customer are associated with a single customer record or account.

6. The method of claim 1, said business rules comprising any of:

how soon prior to, or after, a subscription renewal is due that a renewal communication should be sent;

how many renewal communication messages are sent, and which contacts associated to a customer record (account) should receive these renewals communications;

whether said renewal communication message is sent directly to the customer contacts, or whether it is sent as a notification message to a sales representative at the software publisher of other seller of subscription services; and

which template should be used for the renewal communication notification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said renewal communication message that is sent to the customer contact describes which subscription is due for renewal and a price for the subscription renewal term.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

using said renewals management module to deliver renewals information to a customer relations management system at the software publisher or other seller of subscription programs.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

completing said delivery in an automated way through any of use of APIs or web service calls.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said renewals information delivered to said customer relations management system comprises any of customer, contacts, subscription program details and expiration dates, and customer usage information comprising any of customer'"'"'s product download history, license generation activity, and access to subscription services.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a link with said renewals communications that directs the customer contact to a sales representative from the software publisher or other seller of subscription services, or to an online commerce store where the customer can provide payment information to complete an online sale and renewal of the subscription.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

automatically supplying online renewals sales information captured from the customer contact in a commerce module to said entitlement module;

applying new subscription data to a customer record; and

using updated customer subscription data for future renewals communication messaging when a subscription expiration is reached.

13. An apparatus for capturing maintenance renewal revenues in connection with digital goods, comprising:

a repository comprising at least one server and associated mass storage;

said repository configured to provide a product hierarchy for modeling and managing complex product relationships among a vendor'"'"'s product and/or service offerings;

said repository configured to provide an entitlement management module for creating customer account entitlements to said product and/or service offerings;

said repository configured to distribute said product and/or service offerings to a customer according to said entitlements;

said repository configured to transfer data from a source location at a software publisher or other seller of subscription programs to said entitlement management module;

said repository configured to capture and track customer and subscription data, wherein data captured and tracked comprises any of customer identification data, including any of customer name, unique customer ID, customer contact person, email address for customer contact person;

a unique identifier for a subscription program that said customer has purchased; and

effective and expiration dates of said subscription program that said customer has purchased, including any of effective and expiration dates, including any of effective and expiration dates;

said repository configured to provide a renewals management module for enabling said software publisher or other seller of subscription services to establish automated business rules that define how, when, and to whom communications are sent to customers that have subscription renewals coming due; and

said repository configured to provide a communication module for communicating with said customer contact.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a template, created by said software publisher or seller of subscription programs, that forms the basis of said communications that are sent to said customer contact.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, said means for capturing and tracking further comprising:

means for capturing other contacts that have been added since the original purchase of said subscription program, in addition to contact information retained for an original purchaser of said subscription program.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said additional contacts comprise end users of said subscription program who are added either by the software publisher or by an administrative user from the customer.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein all contacts associated with a single purchasing customer are associated with a single customer record or account.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, said business rules comprising any of:

how soon prior to, or after, a subscription renewal is due that a renewal communication should be sent;

how many renewal communication messages are sent, and which contacts associated to a customer record (account) should receive these renewals communications;

whether said renewal communication message is sent directly to the customer contacts, or whether it is sent as a notification message to a sales representative at the software publisher of other seller of subscription services; and

which template should be used for the renewal communication notification.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said renewal communication message that is sent to the customer contact describes which subscription is due for renewal and a price for the subscription renewal term.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, said renewals management module further comprising:

means for delivering renewals information to a customer relations management system at the software publisher or other seller of subscription programs.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for completing said delivery in an automated way through any of use of APIs or web service calls.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said renewals information delivered to said customer relations management system comprises any of customer, contacts, subscription program details and expiration dates, and customer usage information comprising any of customer'"'"'s product download history, license generation activity, and access to subscription services.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a link that is provided with said renewals communications that directs the customer contact to a sales representative from the software publisher or other seller of subscription services, or to an online commerce store where the customer can provide payment information to complete an online sale and renewal of the subscription.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for automatically supplying online renewals sales information captured from the customer contact in a commerce module to said entitlement module;

for applying new subscription data to a customer record; and

for using updated customer subscription data for future renewals communication messaging when a subscription expiration is reached.