Patent Application
20070143224
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to build to order systems, and more particularly, to managing licenses for digital content loaded onto built to order information handling systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
It is known to provide a customer with an ability to configure and order an information handling system via an on-line store. The on-line store includes a configurator that allows the customer to customize and procure the system on-line. The configurator allows the customer to select a given system model and to customize the system according to the user selected options.
After a system is configured, the customer may be provided the opportunity to order particular software, services or content. When the customer indicates a desire to order such software, services or content, the customer can order the software services content via the on-line store.
Additionally, it is known to provide built to order information handling systems with content and services at the point of sale of the information handling system. The content includes games, movies, etc. One challenge associated with offering content at the point of sale relates to lower end types of information handling systems which often are configured to include a base software and services stack. During the manufacture of the information handling system, this base software and services stack is loaded onto the information handling system via a fixed image. However, it is desirable that this content be refreshed often, as the type of content that a customer desires often changes. For example, new movies are released every week that a customer might be interested in viewing.
There are a number of challenges associated with known content install processes. For example, with known processes, it is difficult to change the content, which change requires changing the image that is installed onto the information handling system, on a regular basis. The development or change of the image can be rather time consuming. Also for example, with known processes, it can be difficult managing the licenses of the content that is installed onto the information handling system.
What is needed is an efficient process for managing the licenses for digital content that is loaded onto built to order information handling systems.
In accordance with the present invention, a method for managing the licenses for digital content that is loaded onto built to order information handling systems is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes a license management server that interacts with imaging servers which store the content. The license management server analyzes the content provided by content providers to assure that the content includes distributable licenses. If the content provider has not provided the appropriate license for distribution, then the imaging server does not allow the content to be installed onto built to order information handling systems.
In one embodiment, the invention relates to a method of managing licenses for content installed onto information handling systems which includes storing an image and regularly updated content on an imaging server, storing license information relating to the content on a license management server, merging the image and at least some of the content to provide a merged image, installing the merged image onto an information handling system and installing license information relating to at least some of the content onto the information handling system.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to an apparatus for managing licenses for content installed onto information handling systems which includes means for storing an image on an imaging server, means for storing regularly updated content on an imaging server, means for storing license information relating to the content on a license management server, means for merging the image and at least some of the content to provide a merged image, means for installing the merged image onto an information handling system, and means for installing license information relating to the at lest some of the content onto the information handling system.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a system for managing licenses for content installed onto information handling systems which includes an imaging server, a license management server, a merge module, and an install module. The imaging server stores a software image and regularly updated content. The license management server stores license information relating to the content. The merge module merges the image and at least some of the content to provide a merged image and the install module installs the merged image onto an information handling system and also installs license information relating to at least some of the content onto the information handling system.
The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference number throughout the several figures designates a like or similar element.
Referring to
In operation of the on-line store 110, the welcome module 112 presents a welcome page 112, the configurator 118 presents a configurator page, the shopping cart 120 presents a shopping cart page, the checkout module 122 presents a checkout page, the content module 123 presents a content selection page, and the thank you module 116 presents a thank you page. The welcome page includes a static page and generally resides outside of the commerce application 114. The configurator page, shopping cart page, checkout page and services activation page are within the commerce application and use information provided by the database. The checkout includes a payment feature, delivery feature, personal verses business feature, and instructional text features (i.e., how to fill out an on-line form.)
The welcome page is typically an introductory page and includes a link into the on-line store 110. The welcome page is typically a static welcome page. Upon completion of configuration of a system, a customer is transferred to a content page in which the customer is provided an opportunity to select various content such as music, video streaming, training or games to have installed onto the system. After completion of the content module 123, the customer is transferred to a checkout page. After completion of the checkout, the customer is transferred to a static thank you page 116. The thank you page 116 provides a message of gratitude to the customer for having placed the order or for visiting the on-line store.
Aspects of the configurator 118 which interact with database 124 are shown in
Also for example, various content may be provided for order by the customer by the content module 123 based upon the type of system ordered as well as components that are included within the system ordered. Additionally, by providing the content module within the commerce application 114, the customer continues the experience a similar customer experience and the system provider is able to use the information from the database 124 and to maintain control over the customer contact. By maintaining control over the customer contact the system provider is able to determine what content is selected and to maintain accurate and up to date records of the selected content.
Additionally, the content module 123 can provide a customer with an option of how much content to preload onto the information handling system during the manufacture of the information handling system.
Referring to
Before target information handling system 220 is shipped to the customer, the plurality of components are installed and tested from, for example, a fixed image of the software. Such software installation and testing advantageously ensures a reliable, working information handling system which is ready to operate when received by a customer.
Because different families of information handling systems and different individual computer components require different software installation, it is necessary to determine which software to install on a target information handling system 220. A descriptor file 230 is provided by converting an order 210, which corresponds to a desired information handling system having desired components, into a computer readable format via conversion module 232. The descriptor file 230 can also include which content to load on the system.
Component descriptors are computer readable descriptions of the components of target information handling system 220 which components are defined by the order 210. In a preferred embodiment, the component descriptors are included in a descriptor file called a system descriptor record which is a computer readable file containing a listing of the components, both hardware and software, to be installed onto target information handling system 220. Having read the plurality of component descriptors, database server 240 provides a plurality of software components corresponding to the component descriptors to file server 242 over network connection 244. Network connections 244 may be any network connection well-known in the art, such as a local area network, an intranet, or the internet. The information contained in database server 240 is often updated such that the database contains a new factory build environment. These updates can include new content to install onto the fixed image platform. The software is then installed 270 on the target information handling system 220. The software installation is controlled by a software installation management server that is operable to control the installation of the operating system and other software packages specified by a customer.
Referring to
Referring briefly to
For purposes of this invention, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.
Referring to
When the imaging server 510 is updated, the content providers are authenticated at step 530 and licenses for the content are managed at step 532. Each piece of content is also scanned for viruses at step 534.
A license management sever 535 communicates with the content providers to manage the licenses. The license management server 535 also communicates with the image server 510 to link the license information received from the content providers with respective content. The license management server 535 also communicates with the servers of the online store to ensure that only content having valid licenses are offered via the online store. Managing the licenses includes checking to determine that each piece of content includes a respective redistributable license. For existing content, the license management server 535 assures that any time sensitive content licenses have not expired and if so obtains a renewal of the time sensitive content license. For new content, the license management server 533 obtains the licenses for the content from the appropriate content provider. By providing the licenses from the content providers onto the imaging server, the licenses for content may be installed onto an information handling system when the content to which the license corresponds is installed onto the information handling system.
After the content providers are authenticated and the content is analyzed and scanned, an updated list of available content is provided to the servers 540 of the online store 110 at step 542. After the available content is updated, then this information is presented via the content module 123 of the on-line store 110 at step 544. During the configuration process, a customer selects content to preload onto the customer system at step 546. The online store 110 provides system configuration information to a manufacturer order management system 550 at step 552.
The manufacturer order management system 550 provides the information regarding selected content to the imaging server 510. During the fabrication of the fixed image information handling system 220, an imaging program (which is executing, e.g., within file server 242) is invoked to generate image addendum files at step 560. The imaging program creates image addendum files, such as PowerQuest PQA addendum files, by packaging and compressing all of the files changes and data into a deployable package of software. Next, the imaging program is invoked to perform a master merge function at step 562. The master merge function merges file modification lists and file data to a specified visible or hidden partition to provide a merged image. Next, the merged image is loaded onto the customer's information handling system at step 564, e.g., by installing the software 270.
The factory installed local content storage can be updated regularly based on real world customer usage to better align with customer's content download tendencies.
Referring to
In this way, each target information handling system 220 includes the software image that was developed for the target information handling system as well as the customized content 622 that was selected by the user. Additionally, generally applicable content 630 may be installed from the imaging servers onto all target information handling systems 220 of a particular type. For example, all of the target information handling systems 220 might have a set of previews of coming attractions installed onto them, while only movies selected by a particular customer are installed onto a particular target information handling system.
Additionally, each target information handling system 220 includes the licenses for the content that is installed onto the target information handling system 220. When a user attempts to access this content, there is no need for the user to communicate with the content provider to validate or acquire a license for the content. Thus, the user may even access the content when not connected to the internet, such as when traveling in some sort of vehicle that does not have internet access.
By storing the general content 630 onto the target information handling systems 220 as a separate file or files, the general content may be easily and efficiently updated without needing to update the master image 610.
Thus, the content is packaged within a separate module and is installed separately from the factory install of the client application onto a plurality of target systems 220.
When a user receives the information handling system 220, the user can access the content application 440 at step 640. The content application 640 assures and confirms that the content has the appropriate licenses at step 642 and then presents the content at step 644.
Other embodiments are within the following claims.
For example, the configurator which interacts with the database 124 may be used by a telephone sales person when a system is being ordered via the telephone. By maintaining control over the customer contact the system provider is able to determine what content is ordered and to maintain accurate and up to date records of the service activation.
Also for example, while specific types of content are identified, other content may also be selected by the content module.
Also for example, the above-discussed embodiments include software modules that perform certain tasks. The software modules discussed herein may include script, batch, or other executable files. The software modules may be stored on a machine-readable or computer-readable storage medium such as a disk drive. Storage devices used for storing software modules in accordance with an embodiment of the invention may be magnetic floppy disks, hard disks, or optical discs such as CD-ROMs or CD-Rs, for example. A storage device used for storing firmware or hardware modules in accordance with an embodiment of the invention may also include a semiconductor-based memory, which may be permanently, removably or remotely coupled to a microprocessor/memory system. Thus, the modules may be stored within a computer system memory to configure the computer system to perform the functions of the module. Other new and various types of computer-readable storage media may be used to store the modules discussed herein. Additionally, those skilled in the art will recognize that the separation of functionality into modules is for illustrative purposes. Alternative embodiments may merge the functionality of multiple modules into a single module or may impose an alternate decomposition of functionality of modules. For example, a software module for calling sub-modules may be decomposed so that each sub-module performs its function and passes control directly to another sub-module.
Consequently, the invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.
