System and method for software feature management
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- installing to a computer readable non-transitory storage medium a full featured framework of a computer program having a plurality of features, a predetermined subset of the plurality of features being associated with feature properties that define whether a feature within the plurality of features is at least one of an enabled state, a disabled state, or a hidden state;
executing the full featured framework of the computer program upon a computer coupled to the computer readable non-transitory storage medium wherein the computer program connects via a network to a feature server;
identifying upon the feature server a unique identity associated with the installed full featured framework of the computer program;
retrieving from the feature server a set of feature properties associated with the unique identity;
configuring the predetermined subset of the plurality of features of the already installed full featured framework of the computer program post-installation in dependence upon only the retrieved set of feature properties and the already installed full featured framework of the computer program; and
transmitting to the feature server a change with respect to enabling a feature property in response to a user initiated request to enable the feature property and an associated enabling of a feature within the plurality of features controlled by the feature property, wherein the user initiated request is generated in response to an action of the user within a graphical user interface displayed to the user during their normal use of the full featured framework of the computer program which displays at least a subset of the currently enabled features of the full featured framework of the computer program.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method includes providing a computer readable code configured to perform a process of feature management. The computer code includes one or more configurable features having a feature property. The feature property includes a state. The method also includes: running the computer readable code on the local computer; connecting by the local computer with a feature computer server; identifying an instance of an installed computer program including the computer readable code, and retrieving a feature record associated with the installed computer program or the member from the feature server; and configuring a state of one or more of a set of the feature properties of the installed computer program based on a retrieved feature record. A system to perform the method is also described.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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installing to a computer readable non-transitory storage medium a full featured framework of a computer program having a plurality of features, a predetermined subset of the plurality of features being associated with feature properties that define whether a feature within the plurality of features is at least one of an enabled state, a disabled state, or a hidden state; executing the full featured framework of the computer program upon a computer coupled to the computer readable non-transitory storage medium wherein the computer program connects via a network to a feature server; identifying upon the feature server a unique identity associated with the installed full featured framework of the computer program; retrieving from the feature server a set of feature properties associated with the unique identity; configuring the predetermined subset of the plurality of features of the already installed full featured framework of the computer program post-installation in dependence upon only the retrieved set of feature properties and the already installed full featured framework of the computer program; and transmitting to the feature server a change with respect to enabling a feature property in response to a user initiated request to enable the feature property and an associated enabling of a feature within the plurality of features controlled by the feature property, wherein the user initiated request is generated in response to an action of the user within a graphical user interface displayed to the user during their normal use of the full featured framework of the computer program which displays at least a subset of the currently enabled features of the full featured framework of the computer program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method comprising:
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providing a feature server storing within a database sets of feature properties, each set of feature properties associated with a unique identity and each feature property having a state, wherein the state is at least one of an enabled state, a disabled state, or a hidden state; receiving from a remote computer executing an installed full featured framework of a computer program a request for a set of feature properties, the request comprising at least a unique identity associated with the installed full featured framework of the computer program; transmitting to the remote computer the set of features associated with the unique identity upon validation of the unique identity, wherein the set of feature properties transmitted to the remote computer configure a predetermined sub-set of the features of the already installed full featured framework of the computer program post-installation, the configuration of each feature within the sub-set of the features being made in dependence upon only the state of a feature property within the set of feature properties associated with that feature and the already installed full featured framework of the computer program; and transmitting to the feature server a change with respect to enabling a feature property in response to a user initiated request to enable the feature property and an associated enabling of a feature within the plurality of features controlled by the feature property, wherein the user initiated request is generated in response to an action of the user within a graphical user interface displayed to the user during their normal use of the full featured framework of the computer program which displays at least a subset of the currently enabled features of the full featured framework of the computer program. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method comprising:
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providing on a computer executing an installed full featured framework of a computer program a screen mask that overlays a displayed graphical user interface generated by the computer program, the screen mask configurable post-installation for; allowing user actions with respect to a first predetermined portion of the graphical user interface in dependence upon the states of a set of feature properties relating to features of the full featured framework of the computer program established post-installation of the full featured framework of the computer program, wherein each feature of the features of the full featured framework has a state that is at least one of an enabled state, a disabled state, or a hidden state; and blocking user actions with respect to a second predetermined portion of the graphical user interface in dependence upon the states of the features relating to the set of features of the full featured framework of the computer program established post-installation of the full featured framework of the computer program; receiving from a feature server during execution of the installed full featured framework of the computer program a set of feature properties, the feature server storing within a database sets of feature properties where each set of feature properties associated with a unique identity of at least one of an installation of the full featured framework of the computer program and a computer having the full featured framework of the computer program installed upon it and each feature property having a state; transmitting to a remote computer the set of features associated with the unique identity upon validation of the unique identity, wherein the set of feature properties transmitted to the remote computer configure a predetermined sub-set of the features of the already installed full featured framework of the computer program post-installation, the configuration of each feature within the sub-set of the features being made in dependence upon only the state of a feature property within the set of feature properties associated with that feature and the already installed full featured framework of the computer program; and transmitting to the feature server a change with respect to enabling a feature property in response to a user initiated request to enable the feature property and an associated enabling of a feature within the plurality of features controlled by the feature property, wherein the user initiated request is generated in response to an action of the user within a graphical user interface displayed to the user during their normal use of the full featured framework of the computer program which displays at least a subset of the currently enabled features of the full featured framework of the computer program. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification