Software application license roaming

Abstract

A master license entry that links a software application to a user identification can be made. Application licenses to use the software application can be roamed to multiple computing machines. Feature licenses for added features of the software application can be roamed to those computing machines as well. Multiple overlapping license rights for the software application may be linked to the master license entry. A count of how many license rights for the software application are linked to the master license entry can be maintained. Requests for licenses may be refused if the count of license rights has reached zero.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 making a master license entry that links a software application to a user identification;   roaming, by a server, application licenses for using the software application on computing machines linked to the user identification by:
 generating, by the server, a first application license for using the software application on a first computing machine linked to the user identification, the first application license being bound to the first machine; 
 transmitting, by the server to the first machine, the first application license; 
 receiving, by the server, a request for use of the software application on a second computing machine linked to the user identification; 
 generating, by the server, a second application license based on a determination that the request for use of the software application on the second computing machine is allowable; and 
 transmitting, by the server to the second computing machine, the second application license; 
   maintaining, by the server, a count of machines to which licenses linked to the user identification have been roamed;   receiving, by the server, a request to deactivate a license for the software application on a computing machine;   determining, by the server, whether the request to deactivate is allowable, including determining whether a predetermined number of deactivations of machines linked to the user identification have been granted within a predetermined period of time; and   granting, by the server, the request to deactivate based on the determining whether the request to deactivate is allowable by deactivating the license associated with the deactivation request and decreasing the count of machines to which licenses linked to the user identification have been roamed.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining whether the request to deactivate is allowable comprises determining that the request to deactivate is allowable, including determining that the predetermined number of deactivations of machines linked to the user identification have not been granted within the predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein roaming the second application license for using the software application to the second machine is performed in response to user input identifying the software application in a list of one or more software application license rights linked to the user identification. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the application to the first machine. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the software application is a first software application, the master license entry is a first master license entry, and the method further comprises:
 making a second master license entry that links a second software application to the user identification;   roaming a first application license for using the second software application to the first computing machine; and   roaming a second application license for using the second software application to the second computing machine.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first application license roamed to the first machine is bound to the first machine, and wherein the second application license roamed to the second machine is bound to the second machine. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving a request to roam an application license for using the software application to a third computing machine linked to the user identification;   determining whether the request to roam to the third machine is an allowable request, the determination of whether the request to roam to the third machine is an allowable request including determining whether granting the request to roam to the third machine would result in the count of machines exceeding a count of license rights;   if it is determined that the request to roam to the third machine is not allowable, then refusing to roam a license for the software application to the third computing machine in response to the request; and   if it is determined that the request to roam to the third machine is an allowable request, then roaming a third application license for the software application to the third computing machine in response to the request.   
     
     
         8 . A computer system comprising:
 at least one processor; and   memory comprising instructions stored thereon that when executed by at least one processor cause at least one processor to perform acts comprising:
 making a master license entry that links a software application to a user identification; 
 roaming, by a server in the computer system, application licenses for using the software application on computing machines linked to the user identification by:
 generating, by the server, a first application license for using the software application on a first computing machine linked to the user identification, the first application license being bound to the first machine; 
 transmitting, by the server to the first machine, the first application license; 
 receiving, by the server, a request for use of the software application on a second computing machine linked to the user identification; 
 generating, by the server, a second application license based on a determination that the request for use of the software application on the second computing machine is allowable; and 
 transmitting, by the server to the second computing machine, the second application license; 
 
 maintaining, by the server, a count of machines to which licenses linked to the user identification have been roamed; 
 receiving, by the server, a request to deactivate a license for the software application on a computing machine; 
 determining, by the server, whether the request to deactivate is allowable, including determining whether a predetermined number of deactivations of machines linked to the user identification have been granted within a predetermined period of time; and 
 granting, by the server, the request to deactivate based on the determining whether the request to deactivate is allowable by deactivating the license associated with the deactivation request and decreasing the count of machines to which licenses linked to the user identification have been roamed. 
   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the determining whether the request to deactivate is allowable comprises determining that the request to deactivate is allowable, including determining that the predetermined number of deactivations of machines linked to the user identification have not been granted within the predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein roaming the second application license for using the software application to the second machine is performed in response to user input identifying the software application in a list of one or more software application license rights linked to the user identification. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the acts further comprise providing the application to the first machine. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the software application is a first software application, the master license entry is a first master license entry, and the acts further comprise:
 making a second master license entry that links a second software application to the user identification;   roaming a first application license for using the second software application to the first computing machine; and   roaming a second application license for using the second software application to the second computing machine.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the first application license roamed to the first machine is bound to the first machine, and wherein the second application license roamed to the second machine is bound to the second machine. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 receiving a request to roam an application license for using the software application to a third computing machine linked to the user identification;   determining whether the request to roam to the third machine is an allowable request, the determination of whether the request to roam to the third machine is an allowable request including determining whether granting the request to roam to the third machine would result in the count of machines exceeding a count of license rights;   if it is determined that the request to roam to the third machine is not allowable, then refusing to roam a license for the software application to the third computing machine in response to the request; and   if it is determined that the request to roam to the third machine is an allowable request, then roaming a third application license for the software application to the third computing machine in response to the request.   
     
     
         15 . One or more computer-readable memory having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause at least one processor to perform acts comprising:
 making a master license entry that links a software application to a user identification;   roaming, by a server, application licenses for using the software application on computing machines linked to the user identification by:
 generating, by the server, a first application license for using the software application on a first computing machine linked to the user identification, the first application license being bound to the first machine; 
 transmitting, by the server to the first machine, the first application license; 
 receiving, by the server, a request for use of the software application on a second computing machine linked to the user identification; 
 generating, by the server, a second application license based on a determination that the request for use of the software application on the second computing machine is allowable; and 
 transmitting, by the server to the second computing machine, the second application license; 
 maintaining, by the server, a count of machines to which licenses linked to the user identification have been roamed; 
 receiving, by the server, a request to deactivate a license for the software application on a computing machine; 
 determining, by the server, whether the request to deactivate is allowable, including determining whether a predetermined number of deactivations of machines linked to the user identification have been granted within a predetermined period of time; and 
 granting, by the server, the request to deactivate based on the determining whether the request to deactivate is allowable by deactivating the license associated with the deactivation request and decreasing the count of machines to which licenses linked to the user identification have been roamed. 
   
     
     
         16 . The one or more computer-readable memory of  claim 15 , wherein the determining whether the request to deactivate is allowable comprises determining that the request to deactivate is allowable, including determining that the predetermined number of deactivations of machines linked to the user identification have not been granted within the predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         17 . The one or more computer-readable memory of  claim 15 , wherein roaming the second application license for using the software application to the second machine is performed in response to user input identifying the software application in a list of one or more software application license rights linked to the user identification. 
     
     
         18 . The one or more computer-readable memory of  claim 15 , wherein the acts further comprise providing the application to the first machine. 
     
     
         19 . The one or more computer-readable memory of  claim 15 , wherein the software application is a first software application, the master license entry is a first master license entry, and the acts further comprise:
 making a second master license entry that links a second software application to the user identification;   roaming a first application license for using the second software application to the first computing machine; and   roaming a second application license for using the second software application to the second computing machine.   
     
     
         20 . The one or more computer-readable memory of  claim 15 , wherein the first application license roamed to the first machine is bound to the first machine, and wherein the second application license roamed to the second machine is bound to the second machine.