Abstract: Review and filtering of search results is facilitated by providing additional types of results beyond links to existing documents can be provided in addition to or in place of links to existing documents. These additional results can facilitate modifying a search request to filter out unwanted documents. The additional results, when in the form of content display objects and/or application display objects, can also provide the user with varying levels of information detail. In some preferred embodiments, an ontology based knowledge base can be leveraged in order to facilitate providing and filtering the results.

Abstract: A product key for a software product is obtained and an activation service is accessed by a device to activate the software product with the product key. A digital license associated with the software product is received from the activation service, and the digital license is bound to a set of user-identifying credentials of a user of the device. This application of the digital license can take various forms, such as enabling use of a software product altogether or enabling/disabling of a certain set of features. The digital license and an indication of an association of the digital license to the user ID is saved to a remote license management service, may be cached locally, and may expire and become unusable in the system. The license management service receives and saves this digital license, and can remove expired time-limited licenses.

Abstract: A request for a digital license associated with a software product is received from a device. The request includes a user ID of a user of the device, with the digital license having been generated in response to a request to activate the software product with a product key. A check is made as to whether a digital license bound to the user ID is available, and also whether the digital license can be returned to the device in accordance with the terms of the digital license. The digital license is returned if the digital license can be returned to the device in accordance with the terms (regardless of whether the device is a same device from which the product key was activated), and otherwise is not returned. The digital license can be removed from the device in accordance with the terms of the digital license.

Abstract: A party associated with a digital license is identified from a digital license bound to a user's user ID. This digital license identifies a set of rights for a software product. A determination is made as to when an additional sale associated with the software license is made, and an indication that the party is recognized in association with this sale is generated. Additionally, a license management service can determine, independent of whether the user is currently logged in to an online service with the user ID, when the digital license is to be renewed. The digital license is automatically renewed and automatically billed for (if authorized by the user), resulting in a new expiration date for the digital license. The digital license with the new expiration date is stored and subsequently sent to a device via which the user logs in to the online service with the user ID.

Abstract: A method and a system are provided for issuing a number of different types of time-based licenses associated with software products. The system may include an activation server, which may maintain licensing information in a licensing database, and a licensing platform, which may request issuance and renewal of time-based licenses. Each of the time-based licenses may be associated with respective product keys and may have a number of configurable parameters, which may make the time-based licenses suitable for a number of different licensing business models. The licensing business models may include, but not be limited to, a non-renewable evaluation license, a renewable trial license, a one-time promotion license, and a subscription license. In some embodiments, a configurable parameter may indicate an amount of time for a grace period after a time-based license would have normally expired.

Abstract: A Smart Client solution for an enterprise application (e.g., a Customer Relationship Management system) includes a base application (e.g., Microsoft Outlook), and add-in software that interacts with the base application. The add-in software allows the base application to be used to access data and functions of the enterprise application. The add-in software includes an interface manager for accessing items (corresponding to data in the enterprise application) in a data store for the base application, a communications agent in communication (via web services) with the enterprise application, and a synchronization manager in communication with both the interface manager and the communications agent for synchronizing data between the data store for the base application and the enterprise application. In addition to synchronization, Smart Client data can also be converted to and from data for the base application.

Abstract: A Smart Client solution for an enterprise application (e.g., a Customer Relationship Management system) includes a base application (e.g., Microsoft Outlook), and add-in software that interacts with the base application. The add-in software allows the base application to be used to access data and functions of the enterprise application. The add-in software includes an interface manager for accessing items (corresponding to data in the enterprise application) in a data store for the base application, a communications agent in communication (via web services) with the enterprise application, and a synchronization manager in communication with both the interface manager and the communications agent for synchronizing data between the data store for the base application and the enterprise application. In addition to synchronization, Smart Client data can also be converted to and from data for the base application.

Abstract: Records, including data for a virtual catalog, may be received from a number of sources. Each of the received records may be validated and a determination may be made as to whether one or more previously-received records matches the received record. When two or more records are determined to be matching records, a composite object may be created and information from the two or more records may be included in the composite object. If the matching records include conflicting information, then previously-defined rules may be applied to determine which items of the conflicting information have precedence over other items of the conflicting information. A virtual catalog may be created from the received records and the created composite object based on customized attributes.

Abstract: An electronic catalog may have one or more associated attributes describing one or more features of included items. A processing device may display a group of nodes, each of which may represent a different attribute with respect to the included items. A user may select one of the nodes causing the displayed nodes to be pivoted. The selected node may be displayed as a root node while the remaining nodes may be displayed as descendent nodes. Each of the descendent nodes may represent one or more of the included items having the attribute of the root node and the attribute of the respective descendent node. The user may pin one of the descendent nodes to cause one or more new nodes to be displayed as descendent nodes of the pinned node. The processing device may create an offline electronic catalog from a selected portion of the electronic catalog.

Abstract: A Smart Client solution for an enterprise application (e.g., a Customer Relationship Management system) includes a base application (e.g., Microsoft Outlook), and add-in software that interacts with the base application. The add-in software allows the base application to be used to access data and functions of the enterprise application. The add-in software includes an interface manager for accessing items (corresponding to data in the enterprise application) in a data store for the base application, a communications agent in communication (via web services) with the enterprise application, and a synchronization manager in communication with both the interface manager and the communications agent for synchronizing data between the data store for the base application and the enterprise application. In addition to synchronization, Smart Client data can also be converted to and from data for the base application.

Abstract: A Smart Client solution for an enterprise application (e.g., a Customer Relationship Management system) includes a base application (e.g., Microsoft Outlook), and add-in software that interacts with the base application. The add-in software allows the base application to be used to access data and functions of the enterprise application. The add-in software includes an interface manager for accessing items (corresponding to data in the enterprise application) in a data store for the base application, a communications agent in communication (via web services) with the enterprise application, and a synchronization manager in communication with both the interface manager and the communications agent for synchronizing data between the data store for the base application and the enterprise application. In addition to synchronization, Smart Client data can also be converted to and from data for the base application.

Abstract: A Smart Client solution for an enterprise application (e.g., a Customer Relationship Management system) includes a base application (e.g., Microsoft Outlook), and add-in software that interacts with the base application. The add-in software allows the base application to be used to access data and functions of the enterprise application. The add-in software includes an interface manager for accessing items (corresponding to data in the enterprise application) in a data store for the base application, a communications agent in communication (via web services) with the enterprise application, and a synchronization manager in communication with both the interface manager and the communications agent for synchronizing data between the data store for the base application and the enterprise application. In addition to synchronization, Smart Client data can also be converted to and from data for the base application.

Abstract: An account grants a client a prepaid fixed quantity of access to web services. The account value may be debited as the client uses the web services. The client may consume the web services until no quantity of services remains in the account. The account need not be associated with the client and may be used by multiple clients. The web services may be for the Internet, an intranet or an extranet. The account may have an associated account identifier. The account identifier may be listed on a plastic card. The client may use the plastic card as a reference when prompted to enter the account identifier to gain access to the web services.