Data processing: software development – installation – and managem – Software program development tool – Translation of code
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-03
2001-12-25
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2122)
Data processing: software development, installation, and managem
Software program development tool
Translation of code
Reexamination Certificate
active
06334214
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic software distribution, more particularly “Try/Buy” electronic software distribution.
2. State of the Art
The Internet is quickly becoming the preferred distribution medium for software that has heretofore been distributed in shrink-wrapped form. Files many megabytes in size can be easily downloaded in a period of minutes, and future increases in network bandwidth promise to make electronic software distribution even more convenient.
Electronic software distribution (ESD) follows one of two models, referred to herein as Buy/Try and Try/Buy. The Buy/Try model is consistent with shrink-wrapped software distribution in that the customer must first buy the software before being able to load and use the software. No opportunity is afforded to try the software prior to making a buying decision. In the Try/Buy model, the customer is allowed to try the software during a trial period. At the end of the trial period, the customer may decide to do nothing, in which case the software expires and becomes unusable, or may decide to purchase the software electronically through the Internet, in which case the trial software is converted to a paid-up copy.
Buy/Try ESD is technically straight-forward. Try/Buy ESD is technically more challenging. Only recently has there become available a tool (sold by the present assignee) that allows a software publisher to readily perform its own Try/Buy software “wrapping.” Such wrapping involves the modification of one or more program executables and/or code libraries and is therefore performed, at least in part, prior to preparation of a setup file set and corresponding ruleset. Typically, the files of a software program are compressed, sometimes fully or partially encrypted and archived in a setup file set. A corresponding setup ruleset (stored in one or more files as part of the file set) describes what to do with each file during installation. An installer (e.g., “setup.exe”) unpacks the archive and installs the various files in accordance with the setup ruleset. This process is well-known and widely followed throughout the software industry, and tools for performing the process are available from a number of different vendors including, for example, InstallShield Software Corporation of Schaumburg, Ill., Great Lakes Business Solutions Corporation of Canton, Minn., and 20/20 Software Corporation of Beaverton, Oreg. In the case of software intended for distribution over the Web, a further Web wrapper may be added that functions as a single container for the setup file set.
Because tools enabling software publishers to do Try/Buy self-wrapping have just recently become available, extensive electronic collections of software titles already exist where the software titles have previously been made ready for installation in accordance with the foregoing process. Presently, these software collections cannot be Try/Buy enabled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, generally speaking, provides a semi- or fully-automated process that allows an electronic collection of software titles previously made ready for installation to be Try/Buy enabled. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the process involves, for each of a potentially large number of software programs, identifying how the software program has been made ready for installation, and consulting a table or database to determine how, based on the installation particulars, to unpack and repack the setup file set, or program archive. The program archive is unpacked, executable modules are identified, and one or more of these modules are chosen for Try/Buy wrapping. Repacking may be performed by modifying the program archive or by entirely rebuilding the program archive. The setup ruleset remains unchanged. A secondary executable setup file is therefore optionally provided to perform an additional setup steps that may be required for proper Try/Buy operation. These additional steps may be necessitated by the requirements of certain setup tools that prohibit replacement of a file in the setup file set with a larger file. For those setup tools, the repacking steps involve inserting some information into the original setup file set and appending additional information past the end, and the recombining these material to yield the Try/Buy enabled version of the software.
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Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Ingberg Todd
Powell Mark R.
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