Application Distribution via Authorization Token
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional application distribution models, such as those used in software as a service (SaaS), do not facilitate collaborative environments effectively, as they require individual purchases and account creation, which can be cumbersome for users needing to share applications across company boundaries or for short-term use, lacking flexibility in licensing and payment terms.
Innovation Solution
An authorization token mechanism that allows an application sender to control the distribution and use of applications by selecting and configuring distribution terms, including user identities and usage duration, which can be used by multiple users, enabling flexible access and payment models, such as bundling applications and varying license fees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional application stores require individual purchases and account creation for each user, then license tracking and user identity verification are improved, but the ease of operation and collaboration efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the licensing process into two distinct roles: a purchaser who buys the application and a receiver who receives it. This allows the purchaser to handle all account creation and license tracking formalities, while receivers can access the application without undergoing the same cumbersome process, thus maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the purchaser acts as a mediator between the application store and multiple receivers. The purchaser receives the application from the store and distributes it to receivers, who may not have their own accounts or may not need to create them. This intermediary role maintains proper license tracking while eliminating the need for each user to individually go through the purchasing process.
2Reliability
If applications are distributed through centralized application stores with individual purchases, then license management and security are improved, but adaptability for collaborative and cross-company use deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the purchaser/receiver relationship universal by allowing any user to purchase an application for use by any number of receivers, including themselves. The system works whether the purchaser and receivers are from the same company or different companies, and whether it's for personal use or collaborative projects, thus maintaining reliable license management while achieving broad adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic control over distribution terms, allowing purchasers to specify who the receivers are, when the application can be accessed, and other conditions. This dynamic configuration enables the same licensing mechanism to adapt to various collaborative scenarios, cross-company partnerships, and temporary access needs while maintaining secure license management.
3Adaptability or versatility
If developers create their own application marketplaces to enable multiple users to buy applications, then flexibility in distribution terms is improved, but device complexity and development effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the marketplace functionality from individual developers and consolidates it into a centralized application store. The store handles all the complex infrastructure for user authentication, license management, and transaction processing. Developers simply need to provide their applications, while the store manages the distribution mechanics, thus reducing development complexity while maintaining flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized application store provides universal functionality that serves all developers and purchasers. It handles diverse distribution scenarios (individual purchases, collaborative access, cross-company sharing) through a single unified system, eliminating the need for each developer to build their own marketplace infrastructure while maintaining adaptability to different use cases.
4Reliability
If users create accounts and provide financial information to application stores, then license rights tracking is improved, but the ease of operation for short-term or collaborative use deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the account creation and license tracking responsibilities from the receivers. Only the purchaser needs to create an account and provide financial information with the application store. Receivers receive the application without needing to create accounts or provide payment information, thus maintaining reliable license tracking while eliminating the time loss associated with account creation for each user.
Solution Approach 2:
The purchaser serves as an intermediary who absorbs the time-consuming account creation and payment processes. Once the purchaser completes these formalities, receivers can access the application immediately without repeating the process. This intermediary approach maintains proper license rights tracking while significantly reducing the time required for receivers to access the application.
Data Source
AI summary
An application sender can control the distribution and use of an application using an authorization token encapsulating distribution terms submitted by the application sender and the application license specification submitted by a developer of the application. The application sender can access an application store and perform various functions such as selecting one or more applications for use by an application receiver, combining one or more applications into a bundle for use by an application receiver, and/or combining several applications to form a new application for use by an application receiver. The application receiver can utilize the application in accordance with the authorization token generated by the distribution terms.