System, method, and software application for dynamically generating a link to an online procurement site within a software application

• US 8,392,267 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Katharyn E. Owen
• Original Assignee: MindJet LLC (Corel Holdings LP)
• Inventors: Mendelson, Neil S., Hirschman, Kenneth E.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAQ, NAEEM U
• Application Number:
  US12/803,601
• Time in Patent Office: 980 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 30/0607 Regulated

Abstract

The present invention provides a system, method, and software application for providing a link to an online procurement site from within a supported software application. In one embodiment, when a user starts up a supported software application on a client computer, the client computer sends a request to a server for the Universal Resource Locator (URL) to use in the link. The server, which may be a server associated with a software vendor or the supported client application, determines whether or not the user of the client computer is associated with a business that has a procurement site from which the user can purchase a related application. If the server determines that the user is associated with a business that has a procurement site from which the user can purchase a related software application, then the server provides the client computer with the URL for the procurement site, and the supported client application generates a link to the procurement site.

Claims

1. A method for providing a link to an online site from within a supported software application, wherein a related software program can be purchased from the online site, the method comprising:

in response to a user starting the supported software application, determining whether or not the user is associated with a business that has a procurement site from which the user can try or buy a related software application, wherein determining comprises determining whether or not the user'"'"'s computer has an IP address that is associated with a business that has a procurement site from which the user can elect to try or buy related software;

in response to determining that the user is associated with a business that has a procurement site from which the user can elect to try or buy a related software application, displaying a hyperlink to the procurement site in the user interface of the supported software application; and

in response to not being able to determine that the user is associated with a business that has a procurement site from which the user can elect to try or buy a related software application, displaying a hyperlink to a default site from which the user can buy or try a related software application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises:

determining whether or not the user'"'"'s computer is from a domain that is associated with a business that has a procurement site from which the user can elect to try or buy related software.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hypertext link is in the form of a button.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the button is for trying the related software.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the button is for buying the related software.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a hyperlink comprises displaying both a button for trying the related software and a button for buying the related software.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the supported software application is a trial version of the related software application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the supported software application is a free software application, and the related software application has more functionality than the supported software application and is available for a license fee.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the supported software application is run within a web browser.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the supported software application is a desktop application.

11. A method for dynamically providing a link to an online site from within a supported software application running on a client computer, wherein a related software program can be purchased from the online site, the method comprising:

maintaining a registry of domains and IP addresses of client computers having a procurement site from which a user can purchase or try the related software application;

in response to a user starting the supported software application on the client computer, determining whether or not the client computer has a domain or IP address within the registry; and

in response to finding the domain or IP address of the client computer in the registry, retrieving a URL to a procurement site in the registry corresponding to such domain or IP and using the URL to display a hyperlink to the procurement site within the user interface of the supported client application.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to the domain of the client computer not being in the registry, retrieving a URL to a default website from which a user can purchase the related software application and using the URL to display a hyperlink to the default website within the user interface of the supported client application.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the hypertext link is in the form of a button.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the button is for trying the related software.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the button is for buying the related software.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying a hyperlink comprises displaying both a button for trying the related software and a button for buying the related software.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the supported software application is a trial version of the related software application.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the supported software application is a free software application, and the related software application has more functionality than the supported software application and is available for a license fee.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the supported software application is run within a web browser.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the supported software application is a desktop application.

21. A method for dynamically providing a link within an email message to an online site from which a user can purchase or try a product, the method comprising:

maintaining on a proxy server a registry of domains and IP addresses of client computers associated with a procurement site from which a user can purchase or try the product;

providing a link to the proxy server from within an email message on a client computer;

in response to a user clicking on the link, determining at the proxy server whether or not the client computer has a domain or IP address within the registry;

in response to finding the domain or IP address of the client computer in the registry, retrieving a URL to a procurement site in the registry corresponding to such domain or IP and downloading a webpage from the procurement site to the client computer; and

in response to not finding the domain or IP address of the client computer in the registry, downloading a webpage from a default website from which the user can purchase or try the product to the client computer.

22. A method for dynamically providing a link within a website to another online site from which a user can purchase or try a product, the method comprising:

maintaining on a proxy server a registry of domains and IP addresses of client computers associated with a procurement site from which a user can purchase or try the product;

providing a link to the proxy server from within the website;

in response to a user clicking on the link, determining at the proxy server whether or not the user'"'"'s computer has a domain or IP address within the registry;

in response to finding the domain or IP address of the user'"'"'s computer in the registry, retrieving a URL to a procurement site in the registry corresponding to such domain or IP and downloading a webpage from the procurement site to the user'"'"'s computer; and

in response to not finding the domain or IP address of the client computer in the registry, downloading a webpage from a default website from which the user can purchase or try the product to the user'"'"' computer.