Application licensing using sync providers

• US 9,406,095 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Karvell, Donner, Robert, Wadhwa, Amit, Garg, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US14/662,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1073 Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1075 Editing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1076 Revocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1077 Recurrent authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable storage media for licensing an application using sync providers are provided herein. The method includes receiving a request for a license for an application from a client sync provider at a licensing service and receiving information relating to the license from a commerce partner offering the application via a commerce partner sync provider. The method also includes returning the license for the application to a client computing device, receiving information relating to a state of the license from the client sync provider, and adjusting conditions of the license according to the state of the license.

Claims

1. A method for licensing an application using sync providers, comprising:

receiving a request for a license for an application from a client sync provider at a licensing service;

receiving information relating to the license from a commerce partner offering the application via a commerce partner sync provider, wherein the commerce partner sync provider is an abstraction layer that exposes an application programming interface (API) of the licensing service to the commerce partner without enabling the commerce partner access to a provisioning layer of the licensing service;

returning the license for the application to a client computing device if the application has a licensing service signature that matches to the commerce partner, wherein the license comprises device specific information associated with the client computing device;

receiving information relating to a state of the license from the client sync provider; and

adjusting a condition of the license according to the state of the license.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the license for the application is to request a status update from the licensing service at a configurable time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the licensing service returns a response to a license state check that is to indicate a valid license only for a number of times the application is used.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the license is managed by a user, the managed license to be assigned by the user to a specific computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the license provided to the computing device performs a license state check asynchronously from a core system of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the license for the application is to deactivate based on a total time of use of the application, a time since last renewal of the license, a time since connection to the licensing service, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the license permits additional use of the application after a license state check indicates a license for an application is no longer active.

8. A system for providing user based licensing of an application, comprising:

a server communicatively coupled to a server computing device, the server comprising a processing device to carry out operations of a licensing service configured to;

receive a request for a license for an application from a first client sync provider at a licensing service;

receive information relating to the license from a commerce partner offering the application via a commerce partner sync provider, wherein the commerce partner sync provider is an abstraction layer that exposes an application programming interface (API) of the licensing service to the commerce partner without providing the commerce partner access to a provisioning layer of the licensing service;

return the license for the application to a computing device of a second client;

receive information relating to a state of the license from the first client sync provider; and

adjust a condition of the license according to the state of the license that is to adjust a function of the application for the computing device of the second client in response to adjusting a condition of the license.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the license for the application is to request a status update from the licensing service at a configurable time.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the licensing service returns a response to a license state check that is to indicate a valid license only for a number of times the application is used.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the license provided to the computing device performs a license state check asynchronously from a core system of the computing device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the license is managed by the second client, the managed license to be assigned by the second client to a specific computing device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the license is to synchronize a license deprovision time for the application on a device that shares the application license with the computing device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the license for the application deactivates based on a total time of use of the application, a time since last renewal of the license, a time since connection to the licensing service, or any combination thereof.

15. A computer-readable storage device comprising a plurality of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a request for a license for an application from a client sync provider at a licensing service;

receive information relating to the license from a commerce partner offering the application via a commerce partner sync provider, wherein the commerce partner sync provider is an abstraction layer that exposes an application programming interface (API) of the licensing service to the commerce partner without providing the commerce partner access to a provisioning layer of the licensing service;

return the license for the application to a computing device of a second client, wherein the license comprises computing device specific information and an offline grace period;

receive information relating to a state of the license from the client sync provider; and

adjust a condition of the license according to the state of the license.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the licensing service returns a response to a license state check that is to indicate a valid license only for a number of times the application is used.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the license provided to the computing device performs a license state check asynchronously from a core system of the computing device.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the license for the application deactivates based on a total time of use of the application, a time since last renewal of the license, a time since connection to the licensing service, or any combination thereof.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the license is to synchronize a license deprovision time for the application on a device that shares the application license with the computing device.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the license for the application will request a status update from the licensing service at a configurable time.