Installation and management of client extensions

• US 9,679,163 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Claux, David, Ouliankine, Oleg, Salamatov, Andrew, Clagg, Steven Michael, Henderson, Jason Todd, Wang, Yamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US13/351,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,974 Days
• Field of Search: 709206, 709207, 709221, 709225, 709223, 709204, 709226, 709217, 709201, 709205, 709230, 709232, 709215, 726 27, 726 1, 707E17005, 707785, 707999009
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

Application extension management may be provided. Upon logging into a user device by a user, a list of a plurality of extensions associated with the user may be retrieved from a central repository. Access to each of the plurality of extensions associated with the user on the user device may then be provided to the user device.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computing environment for providing application extension management, the method comprising:

installing a plurality of application extensions in a central repository;

providing, by an extension management application, an extension management interface configured for;

identifying a plurality of users associated with the plurality of application extensions;

displaying a usage status of each of the plurality of users associated with the plurality of application extensions, the usage status identifying one or more of;

enabled, disabled, and actively in use;

configuring a usage policy for the plurality of application extensions, wherein the usage policy is based at least in part on the usage status of each of the plurality of users, and wherein the usage status indicates whether the at least one application extension is actively in use by at least one of the plurality of users;

based at least in part on the usage policy and a usage status of the at least one of the plurality of users, receiving a selection of at least one application extension of the plurality of application extensions for access by the at least one user;

providing access to the at least one selected application extension via the extension management interface on a device of the at least one user;

identifying at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the at least one user, wherein at least one first extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises a mandatory access setting and at least one second extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises an optional access setting; and

providing access to each of the subset of the plurality of application extensions via the extension management interface on the device of the at least one user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access setting for the at least one selected application extension is configured according to a manifest in the central repository.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the access setting for the at least one selected application extension comprises a mandatory installation for the at least one user.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a request from the at least one user to disable the at least one selected application extension;

determining that the at least one selected application extension comprises the mandatory installation; and

in response to determining that the at least one selected application extension comprises the mandatory installation, disregarding the request from the at least one user to disable the at least one selected application extension.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a new application extension to the central repository;

determining that the at least one user is configured to receive access to the new application extension; and

in response to determining that the at least one user is configured to receive access to the new application extension, providing an access setting for the new application extension to the at least one user device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, to an administrator, a list of at least the subset of the plurality of application extensions enabled for the at least one user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying a configuration option for at least one optional application extension for the at least one user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a modification to a group membership of the at least one user;

determining whether at least one new application extension is associated with the at least one user'"'"'s modified group membership; and

instantiating the at least one new application extension on the at least one user device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the at least one user to install at least one new application extension;

determining whether the at least one new application extension is available in the central repository; and

in response to determining that the at least one new application extension is available in the central repository, providing an access setting for the at least one new application extension.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the at least one new application extension is not available in the central repository, transmitting a request for the at least one new application extension to an administrator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the extension management interface is provided through an e-mail client application.

12. A system for providing application extension management, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is configured to;

install, by an extension management application, a plurality of application extensions in a central repository;

provide an extension management interface configured to;

identify a plurality of users associated with the plurality of application extensions;

display a usage status of each of the plurality of users associated with the plurality of application extensions, the usage status identifying one or more of;

enabled, disabled, and actively in use;

configure a usage policy for the plurality of application extensions, wherein the usage policy is based at least in part on the usage status of each of the plurality of users, and wherein the usage status indicates whether the at least one application extension is actively in use by at least one of the plurality of users; and

based at least in part on the usage policy and a usage status of the at least one of the plurality of users, receive a selection of at least one application extension of the plurality of application extensions for access by the at least one user;

configure an access setting for the at least one selected application extension for the at least one user;

provide access to the at least one selected application extension on the at least one user device based on the access setting;

identify at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the at least one user, wherein at least one first extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises a mandatory access setting and at least one second extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises an optional access setting; and

provide access to each of the subset of the plurality of application extensions via the extension management interface on the device of the at least one user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one selected application extension is selected for the at least one user according to a group membership of the at least one user.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the access setting to the at least one selected application extension is provided to all users associated with an organization.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the access setting of the at least one selected application extension is configured as mandatory for the at least one user.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the extension management interface is provided through an e-mail client application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the central repository is associated with an e-mail server and the processing unit is further configured to store a manifest for each of the plurality of application extensions in a mailbox.

18. The system of claim 12, the processing unit further configured to:

add a new application extension to the central repository;

determine whether the at least one user is configured to receive access to the new application extension; and

in response to determining that the at least one user is configured to receive access to the new application extension, providing an access setting for the new application extension to the at least one user device.

19. The system of claim 12, the processing unit further configured to:

receive a request from the at least one user to install a new application extension;

determine whether the at least one new application extension is available in the central repository; and

in response to determining that the new application extension is available from among the plurality of application extensions in the central repository, providing an access setting for the new application extension.

20. A computer-readable storage device which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing application extension management, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

providing, by an e-mail application, an extension management interface, wherein the extension management interface displays a plurality of mailboxes each associated with one of a plurality of application extensions;

configuring an access setting for at least one of the plurality of application extensions for at least one of the following;

an individual user, a group of users, and all users associated with an organization;

storing the access setting for the at least one of the plurality of application extensions in a manifest in one of the plurality of mailboxes associated with the at least one of the plurality of application extensions;

configuring a usage policy for the plurality of application extensions, wherein the usage policy is based at least in part on a usage status of each of a plurality of users associated with at least one application extension of the plurality of application extensions, and wherein the usage status indicates whether the at least one application extension is actively in use by at least one user of the plurality of users;

based at least in part on the usage policy and the usage status of the at least one user, receiving a selection of a new application extension of the plurality of application extensions;

installing the new application extension via the extension management interface, wherein installing the new application extension comprises;

creating a new mailbox for the new application extension,

configuring an access setting for the new application extension, and

storing the access setting for the new application extension in the new mailbox;

receiving a login request from the at least one user on a remote user device;

identifying at least a subset of the plurality of application extensions associated with the at least one user, wherein at least one first extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises a mandatory access setting and at least one second extension of the subset of the plurality of application extensions comprises an optional access setting; and

providing access to each of the subset of the plurality of application extensions to a remote device of the at least one user.