US Patent 7958504 Distributing software features to a computer

A mechanism is provided for distributing software features (particularly software products having a global portion and a user portion necessary for activating the software products) to client workstations of a network. Each client workstation has a multi-user operating system that may be accessed with different user profiles, each one associated with a corresponding operating context. A distribution package is received in the client workstation; the distribution package includes instructions associated with global activities for the client workstation as a whole or with user activities specific for the single profiles. A distribution agent (running outside the context of a current profile) executes only the global activity and schedules the user activities to be performed when a user next logs onto the workstation. A user agent loaded when the workstation is accessed with a selected profile executes the user activities in the corresponding context.