Process for the on-line sale of a software product

• US 8,645,278 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Original Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Inventors: Fernandez Gutierez, Alvaro
• Primary Examiner(s): OBEID, MAMON A
• Application Number:
  US12/785,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/59, 717174-178
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

Online sale of software product use licenses through a data network by offering software products (SOFT) through vendor sites, purchasing a license on-line on one of said vendor sites, and activating said license on-line by a different licensing site. A specific component (COMP) is provided with the software product (SOFT) and identifying data (IDV) of the vendor site are transmitted during the download of the software product (SOFT). When the component (COMP) is executed in an equipment, the component (COMP) locally accesses said data (IDV) and identifying data (IDL) of the licensing site and activates the license by setting up an on-line communication with the licensing site.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a. a supervising site transmitting a software module to a licensing site associated with a software company;

b. the supervising site receiving from the licensing site a software product comprising the software module;

c. the supervising site transmitting the software product comprising the software module to a vendor site;

d. the vendor site transmitting the software product to a programmable computing device;

e. the programmable computing device determining, by executing instructions of the software module stored in the programmable computing device, that a software product license is not stored in the programmable computing device;

f. in response to determining that the software product license is not stored in the programmable computing device, the programmable computing device determining, by executing instructions of the software module that a license purchase receipt for the software product is not stored in the programmable computing device;

g. in response to determining that the software product license and the license purchase receipt for the software product are not stored in the programmable computing device, the programmable computing device executing instructions of the software module to create a graphical interface at the programmable computing device, the graphical interface displaying one or more purchase options for the software product;

h. the programmable computing device locally accessing identification data of the vendor site and setting up a communication with the vendor site, using the locally accessed identification data of the vendor site, by executing instructions of the software module;

i. the programmable computing device executing instructions of the software module for purchasing online a license for the software product from the vendor site;

j. in response to receiving a license purchase request from the programmable computing device, the vendor site transmitting to the programmable computing device the license purchase receipt;

k. the licensing site receiving from the programmable computing device the license purchase receipt transmitted from the vendor site;

l. the licensing site receiving from the programmable computing device an identifier associated with the programmable computing device; and

m. in response to receiving said license purchase receipt and said identifier, the licensing site transmitting to the programmable computing device the software product license, the software product license is bound to the identifier of the programmable computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the vendor site communicating with the licensing site to verify the license purchase receipt for the software product.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the vendor site transmitting to the licensing site the license purchase receipt for the software product.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the vendor site paying the software company a part of the payment received for the sale of the software product license.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the programmable computing device transmitting to the licensing site data identifying the vendor site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the software product stored in the programmable computing device comprises identifying data of the vendor site.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the software product stored in the programmable computing device comprises identifying data of the licensing site.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical interface displays a purchase option to use the software product, or upgrades thereof.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical interface displays a purchase option to use the software product, or upgrades thereof, with the use being for a definite period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the software module comprises one or more of a class, a set of classes, a set of functions, a dynamic link library or source code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the software module incorporated in the software product comprises a set of instructions which can be loaded in the memory of the programmable computing device to be executed together with the software product and provide specific functions.