Purchasing of individual features of a software product

• US 8,239,274 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karki, Mukesh, Ansari, Mohammed Zubair, Atas, Yusuf, Oliver, Robert Ian, Unal, Serdar
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiaszek, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/652,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

In various embodiments, a user may, via a processing device, indicate a desire to purchase a feature of an installed software product. A purchase request may be sent to an e-commerce server, or other server. The purchase request may be validated and information concerning the software product, the feature of the software product, and the processing device may be stored. Enabling information may be sent to the processing device to enable the feature of the software product. In some embodiments, the user may request a trial of a feature of a software product before purchasing the feature. In other embodiments, the user may deactivate a purchased feature of a software product on one processing device and may activate the purchased feature of the software product on a different processing device.

Claims

1. A method for providing features of a software product for purchase on a feature-by-feature basis, the method comprising:

receiving, by a second processing device via a network, a purchase request from a first processing device for adding a feature associated with a software product installed on the first processing device, the purchase request including identifying information, the identifying information including information identifying the software product, information identifying the feature associated with the software product, information identifying the first processing device, and information identifying a user; and

;

validating, at the second processing device, a payment for the feature associated with the software product;

storing, by a product activation processing device, the identifying information;

sending first enabling information to the first processing device to enable the feature associated with the software product;

receiving, from the first processing device, a deactivation request with respect to the feature associated with the software product, the deactivation request including the information identifying the user, the information identifying the software product, the information identifying the feature associated with the software product, and the information identifying the first processing device;

disassociating the stored information identifying the first processing device from the stored identifying information in response to the receiving a deactivation request with respect to the feature associated with the software product;

receiving an activation request from a third processing device to activate the feature associated with the software product, the activation request including the information identifying the user, the information identifying the software product, the information identifying the feature associated with the software product, and information identifying the third processing device;

causing the information identifying the third processing device to be stored and to associate the information identifying the third processing device with the feature associated with the software product; and

sending second enabling information to the third processing device to enable the feature associated with the software product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first enabling information sent to the first processing device is for enabling the feature associated with the software product for a predetermined time period, the method further comprising:

receiving a request from the first processing device to activate the feature associated with the software product; and

sending permanently enabling information to the first processing device to permanently enable the feature associated with the software product.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the second processing device from the first processing device, a request for a free trial period for the software feature associated with the software product;

sending, by the second processing device, temporary enabling information to the first processing device to temporarily enable the feature associated with the software product for a predetermined time period, wherein;

the receiving a request for a free trial period for the software feature associated with the software product, and the sending temporary enabling information to the first processing device to temporarily enable the feature associated with the software product for a predetermined time period are performed before the receiving, by a second processing device via a network, a purchase request from a first processing device for a feature associated with a software product installed on the first processing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the second processing device from the first processing device, a request for a free trial period for the software feature associated with the software product, the received request having been sent by the first processing device in response to a user requesting the software feature when presented with information about the software feature while using the software product;

sending, by the second processing device, temporary enabling information to the first processing device to temporarily enable the feature associated with the software product for a predetermined time period, wherein;

the receiving a request for a free trial period for the software feature associated with the software product, and the sending temporary enabling information to the first processing device to temporarily enable the feature associated with the software product for a predetermined time period are performed before the receiving, by a second processing device via a network, a purchase request from a first processing device for a feature associated with a software product installed on the first processing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user is an entity, a subset of an entity, or an individual.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user is an entity, a subset of an entity, or an individual, and

the method further comprises;

receiving a request for information with respect to the user, the requested information with respect to the user including the information identifying the software product, the information identifying the feature associated with the software product, and information identifying a processing device associated with the user;

providing the information with respect to the user;

receiving a request to disassociate a hardware item associated with the user from the feature of the software product;

disassociating the hardware item associated with the user from the feature of the software product in response to receiving the request to disassociate the hardware item;

receiving a request to activate the feature of the software product with respect to a different hardware item associated with the user;

associating the different hardware item associated with the user with the feature of the software product in response to receiving a request to activate the feature of the software product with respect to the different hardware item associated with the user; and

sending third enabling information to the different hardware item associated with the user to enable the feature associated with the software product.

7. A system for enabling features associated with software products, via a network, the system comprising:

at least one server, the at least one server including at least one processor, and at least one memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor, the at least one memory comprising instructions for the at least one processor, the at least one memory comprising;

instructions for receiving a request for enabling an additional feature of a software product installed on a first processing device, the request including identifying information and information identifying a user of the first processing device, the identifying information further including information identifying the software product, information identifying the feature of the software product, and information identifying the first processing device;

instructions for storing the identifying information in a database and associating the additional feature of the software product with the first processing device, the instructions for storing the identifying information in a database and associating the additional feature of the software product with the first processing device further including instructions for storing the information identifying the user of the first processing device and associating the additional feature of the software product with the user;

instructions for sending first enabling information to the first processing device to enable the additional feature of the software product;

instructions for receiving, from a remote processing device via the network, a request for information with respect to at least one software product, and at least one feature of the at least one software product associated with the user, the request for information including the information identifying the user;

instructions for providing, to the remote processing device via the network, the information with respect to the at least one software product, and the at least one feature of the at least one software product associated with the user; and

instructions for disassociating one of the at least one feature of one of the at least one software product from a processing device in response to receiving a disassociation request from the remote processing device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the instructions for receiving a request for enabling an additional feature of a software product installed on a first processing device further include instructions for receiving a purchase request for purchasing the additional feature of the software product, and

the at least one memory further comprises instructions for validating a payment for the additional feature of the software product.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory further comprises:

instructions for authenticating the user, and

the instructions for disassociating one of the at least one feature of one of the at least one software product from being permitted to execute only when the instructions for authenticating the user successfully authenticate the user.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein

the instructions for disassociating one of the at least one feature of the one of the at least one software product being permitted to execute only a predetermined number of times with respect to the user.

11. At least one machine-readable memory having instructions recorded therein for at least one processor, such that when the instructions are executed, the at least one processor performs a method comprising:

receiving a request for enabling an additional feature of a software product installed on a first processing device, the request including identifying information and information identifying a user of the first processing device, the identifying information further including information identifying the software product, information identifying the feature of the software product, and information identifying the first processing device, the information identifying the first processing device including a first identifier based on a number of characteristics of the first processing device;

storing the identifying information and the information identifying a user of the first processing device in a database and associating the additional feature of the software product with the first processing device and with the user;

sending first enabling information to the first processing device to enable the additional feature of the software product for a predetermined time period;

receiving, from the first processing device, an activation request for the additional feature associated with the software product, the activation request including the identifying information;

validating the received activation request based on comparing the identifying information included in the activation request with the identifying information previously stored in the database;

sending second enabling information to the first processing device, after performing the validating the received activation request, to enable the additional feature associated with the software product;

receiving, from a remote processing device via a network, a request for information with respect to the software product and at least one feature of the software product associated with the user, the request for information including the information identifying the user;

providing, to the remote processing device via the network, the information with respect to the software product and the at least one feature of the software product associated with the user;

authenticating the user; and

disassociating the at least one feature of the software product from a processing device in response to receiving a disassociation request from the remote processing device, the disassociating the at least one feature of the software product being performed only when the authenticating the user successfully authenticates the user.

12. The at least one machine-readable memory of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from a second processing device after performing the disassociating the at least one feature of the software product from a processing device, a second request from a second processing device for enabling the at least one feature of the software product, the second request including second identifying information, the second identifying information further including the information identifying the software product, information identifying one of the at least one feature of the software product, and information identifying the second processing device;

validating the second identifying information included in the second request; and

sending third enabling information to the second processing device, after performing the validating the second identifying information included in the second request, to enable the at least one feature associated with the software product.

13. The at least one machine-readable memory of claim 12, wherein:

the sending third enabling information to the second processing device is performed after the validating the second identifying information included in the second request determines that the at least one feature of the software product and the software product are associated with the user, but are not associated with a processing device.

14. The at least one machine-readable memory of claim 12, further comprising:

storing the second identifying information after the validating the second identifying information included in the second request determines that the at least one feature of the software product and the software product are associated with the user, but are not associated with a processing device.