Process for implementing a method for the on-line sale of software product use licenses through a data network, and software component which allows carrying out said process

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.

1 - 42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . A software product that is purchasable from a first site by a user programmable electronic device where the software product is to be downloaded, the user programmable electronic device comprising hardware, wherein the use of the software product in the user programmable electronic device requires a use license, the software product comprising executable instructions that when executed in the user programmable electronic device 1) accesses from the user programmable electronic device identifying data of the first site, 2) accesses from the user programmable electronic device identifying data of a second site that is authorized to activate the use license of the software product, the second site being different than the first site, 3) accesses from the user programmable electronic device identification data of the hardware, and 4) establishes communication between the user programmable electronic device and the second site by use of the identifying data of the second site accessed from the user programmable electronic device and transfers from the user programmable electronic device the identifying data of the first site and the identification data of the hardware for the purpose of activating from the second site a use license for the software product useable only in conjunction with a user programmable electronic device comprising the hardware. 
     
     
         44 . The software product of  claim 43  further comprising executable instructions that when executed activate the software product use license in the user programmable electronic device. 
     
     
         45 . The software product of  claim 43  wherein the identifying data of the second site is incorporated in the software product. 
     
     
         46 . The software product of  claim 43  wherein communication between the user programmable electronic device and the second site is established through a third party site. 
     
     
         47 . The software product of  claim 43  further comprising executable instructions that when executed 1) determine if use license purchase receipt information exists locally in the user programmable electronic device, and 2) transfer to the second site the use license purchase receipt information upon determining that a use license purchase receipt exists. 
     
     
         48 . The software product of  claim 43  further comprising executable instructions that when executed permit user intervention in the use license activation process via a graphical interface of the user programmable electronic device. 
     
     
         49 . The software product of  claim 43  further comprising executable instructions that when executed enable the user programmable electronic device to receive from the second site use license activation data that includes the hardware identification data. 
     
     
         50 . The software product of  claim 43  further comprising executable instructions that when executed locally access the identifying data of the first site from a file installed in the user programmable electronic device. 
     
     
         51 . The software product of  claim 43  further comprising executable instructions that when executed 1) locally access the identifying data of the first site by generating an on-screen display to prompt a user entry at the user programmable electronic device of the first site identifying data, and 2) subsequently read the keyboard entered first site identifying information. 
     
     
         52 . The software product of  claim 43  wherein the identifying data of the second site is a URL address of the second site. 
     
     
         53 . The software product of  claim 43  further comprising executable instructions that when executed first determine if a use license locally exists on the user programmable electronic device prior to establishing communication with the second site. 
     
     
         54 . A software product purchasable from a first site from a user programmable electronic device where the software product is to be downloaded, the user programmable electronic device comprising hardware, a use of the software product in the user programmable electronic device requiring a use license, the software product comprising executable instructions that when executed 1) accesses from the user programmable electronic device identifying data of the first site, 2) accesses from the user programmable electronic device identifying data of a second site that contains activation data useable for activating the use license of the software product, the second site different from the first site, 3) accesses from the user programmable electronic device identification data of the hardware, 4) accesses from the user programmable electronic device use license purchase receipt information, and 5) establishes communication between the user programmable electronic device and the second site and transfers from the user programmable electronic device the identifying data of the first site, the identification data of the hardware and the use license purchase receipt information for the purpose of activating from the second site the use license by use of the license activation data. 
     
     
         55 . The software product of  claim 54  further comprising executable instructions that when executed activate the software product use license in the user programmable electronic device. 
     
     
         56 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the identifying data of the second site is incorporated in the software product. 
     
     
         57 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the identifying data of the first site is incorporated in the software product. 
     
     
         58 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the identifying data of the first site and the second site are incorporated in the software product. 
     
     
         59 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the executable instructions establish communication with the second site through a third party site. 
     
     
         60 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the executable instructions locally access the identifying data of the first site from a file installed in the user programmable electronic device. 
     
     
         61 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the executable instructions 1) locally access the identifying data of the first site by generating an on-screen display to prompt a user entry at the user programmable electronic device of the identifying data of the first site, and 2) subsequently reads the keyboard entered identifying data of the first vendor site. 
     
     
         62 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the identifying data of the first site is included in one or more file properties metadata fields of the software product. 
     
     
         63 . The software product of  claim 62  wherein in the Microsoft Windows environment the metadata fields are visible from the File>Document Properties menu. 
     
     
         64 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the identifying data of the first site is a URL address of the first site. 
     
     
         65 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the identifying data of the second site is a URL address of the second site. 
     
     
         66 . The software product of  claim 54  wherein the executable instructions are used to first determine if a use license locally exists on the user programmable electronic device prior to establishing communication with the second site.