Patents by Inventor Steven W. Ickman
Steven W. Ickman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11900485Abstract: Making an information retrieval process public, so that it can be followed by others, allows capturing of an interest graph that allows people to learn more about shared interests with other people. This also allows items of interest to a trusted resource (such as an expert) to be identified. These items can then be brought to the attention of other users that share the same interest as the expert. In addition, by keeping track of what particular content a user has already seen, the system can bring items of interest to the user's attention, where the user has not yet seen those items.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2022Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: David A. Raskino, Steven W. Ickman, Christopher C. McConnell, Paul A. Steckler, Matthew G. Dyor
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Publication number: 20230379527Abstract: A computer implemented method synchronizes content state on multiple devices that are independently accessing the content. Each device synchronizes their clock and broadcasts an update message that includes an update message timestamp obtained from the clock and a playing state of content being played on the device. Update messages are received from the other devices and the corresponding time stamps are compared to identify the most recent update message and most recent playing state of the content. Each device updates to play the content from the most recent playing state included in the most recent update message.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2023Publication date: November 23, 2023Inventors: Steven W. Ickman, Ryan Jeffrey BLISS, Siddharth UPPAL, Hal Raphael BOND, Pradeep ANANTHARAMAN, Chandra Prakash JOSHI, Abhishek Kumar PANDEY, SHIVANGI
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Publication number: 20230379529Abstract: A computer implemented method controls a first device to coordinate with other devices in suspending playback of a media stream that is accessed and played by each device. A first wait point identifies a first playback position and is associated with a first action. Upon encountering the first playback position, playback of the first media stream is suspended. Upon detection of completion of the first action by the first device, the suspension is ended and an update message representing a ready to resume state is broadcast to other devices that are playing respective media streams. Playback is resumed by the first device in response to receiving a threshold number of the update messages from the other devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2023Publication date: November 23, 2023Inventors: Steven W. Ickman, Ryan Jeffrey BLISS, Siddharth UPPAL, Hal Raphael BOND, Pradeep ANANTHARAMAN
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Patent number: 11620719Abstract: Making an information retrieval process public, so that it can be followed by others, allows capturing of an interest graph that allows people to learn more about shared interests with other people. This also allows items of interest to a trusted resource (such as an expert) to be identified. These items can then be brought to the attention of other users that share the same interest as the expert. In addition, by keeping track of what particular content a user has already seen, the system can bring items of interest to the user's attention, where the user has not yet seen those items.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2011Date of Patent: April 4, 2023Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: David A. Raskino, Steven W. Ickman, Christopher C. McConnell, Paul A. Steckler, Matthew G. Dyor
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Publication number: 20230102834Abstract: Making an information retrieval process public, so that it can be followed by others, allows capturing of an interest graph that allows people to learn more about shared interests with other people. This also allows items of interest to a trusted resource (such as an expert) to be identified. These items can then be brought to the attention of other users that share the same interest as the expert. In addition, by keeping track of what particular content a user has already seen, the system can bring items of interest to the user's attention, where the user has not yet seen those items.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2022Publication date: March 30, 2023Inventors: David A. RASKINO, Steven W. ICKMAN, Christopher C. MCCONNELL, Paul A. STECKLER, Matthew G. DYOR
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Patent number: 10902533Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for dispatching an incoming event are described. A scoring stack is accessed, the scoring stack comprising an identity of one or more tasks, each task corresponding to one or more scorable functions. A scorable tree is generated based on the one or more scorable functions corresponding to the one or more tasks of the scoring stack and the incoming event is processed using the scorable tree to generate one or more scores. One or more actions identified in the scorable tree are performed based on the one or more scores.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2017Date of Patent: January 26, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Christopher C. McConnell, William L. Portnoy, Steven W. Ickman, Shahin Shayandeh, John Anthony Taylor
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Patent number: 10860179Abstract: Described is a technology by which an interactive timeline user interface shows communication data aggregated from various sources (e.g., a telephone service, a website, an application and/or the like) in time order. To reduce the number of items in the timeline, certain items may be combined into a compressed item, e.g., items from the same source and/or of the same type may be rolled up into a rolled up item. The user may also interact to reply to a data item. For example, an editor may be provided upon interaction with a data item in the timeline, and the type of reply that is sent may automatically match the type of data item, (e.g., a text message reply to a text message).Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2019Date of Patent: December 8, 2020Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Steven W. Ickman, Lili Cheng
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Publication number: 20200064976Abstract: Described is a technology by which an interactive timeline user interface shows communication data aggregated from various sources (e.g., a telephone service, a website, an application and/or the like) in time order. To reduce the number of items in the timeline, certain items may be combined into a compressed item, e.g., items from the same source and/or of the same type may be rolled up into a rolled up item. The user may also interact to reply to a data item. For example, an editor may be provided upon interaction with a data item in the timeline, and the type of reply that is sent may automatically match the type of data item, (e.g., a text message reply to a text message).Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2019Publication date: February 27, 2020Inventors: Steven W. ICKMAN, Lili CHENG
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Patent number: 10466864Abstract: Described is a technology by which an interactive timeline user interface shows communication data aggregated from various sources (e.g., a telephone service, a website, an application and/or the like) in time order. To reduce the number of items in the timeline, certain items may be combined into a compressed item, e.g., items from the same source and/or of the same type may be rolled up into a rolled up item. The user may also interact to reply to a data item. For example, an editor may be provided upon interaction with a data item in the timeline, and the type of reply that is sent may automatically match the type of data item, (e.g., a text message reply to a text message).Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2016Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Steven W. Ickman, Lili Cheng
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Patent number: 10454864Abstract: Many scenarios involve the delivery of messages received from various message sources to recipients, based on subscriptions established between various recipients and message sources. The recipients may be distributively assigned to one or more message servers, either operating independently or as part of an interoperating message server set. Respective message servers may generate a subscription filter indicating whether at least one assigned recipient subscribes to respective message sources, and may utilize the subscription filter to determine, upon receiving a message from a message source, whether to discard the message or store the message for delivery.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2014Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Steven W. Ickman, Thomas M. Laird-McConnell
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Patent number: 10437907Abstract: Various embodiments enable an application to obtain information associated with a link to content without navigating to the link. The application can be configured to identify a link, receive input to attain information associated with the link, and send a request to a service for the information. In one or more embodiments, a service can be configured to receive a request for information associated with a link, ascertain one or more sources from which to gather the information, determine appropriate mechanisms by which to obtain the information, and acquire the information. Alternately or additionally, the service can further assemble the information into a consumable format, and return the consumable format to a requesting application or device.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2014Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: William L. Portnoy, Todd D. Newman, Steven W. Ickman
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Patent number: 10417039Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for dispatching an incoming event are described. A scorable tree is obtained and the incoming event is submitted to a root node of the scorable tree for processing. The incoming event is augmented with scoring data generated by the root node to create a scoring event and the scoring event is iteratively passed from each parent node of the scorable tree to each corresponding child node of the scorable tree for further processing until each leaf node of each branch of the scorable tree is reached, wherein each child node augments an incoming scoring event with additional scoring data and each leaf node generates an intermediate scoring event.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2017Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Christopher C. McConnell, William L. Portnoy, Steven W. Ickman, Shahin Shayandeh, John Anthony Taylor
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Publication number: 20180357096Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for dispatching an incoming event are described. A scorable tree is obtained and the incoming event is submitted to a root node of the scorable tree for processing. The incoming event is augmented with scoring data generated by the root node to create a scoring event and the scoring event is iteratively passed from each parent node of the scorable tree to each corresponding child node of the scorable tree for further processing until each leaf node of each branch of the scorable tree is reached, wherein each child node augments an incoming scoring event with additional scoring data and each leaf node generates an intermediate scoring event.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2017Publication date: December 13, 2018Inventors: Christopher C. McConnell, William L. Portnoy, Steven W. Ickman, Shahin Shayandeh, John Anthony Taylor
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Publication number: 20180358006Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for dispatching an incoming event are described. A scoring stack is accessed, the scoring stack comprising an identity of one or more tasks, each task corresponding to one or more scorable functions. A scorable tree is generated based on the one or more scorable functions corresponding to the one or more tasks of the scoring stack and the incoming event is processed using the scorable tree to generate one or more scores. One or more actions identified in the scorable tree are performed based on the one or more scores.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2017Publication date: December 13, 2018Inventors: Christopher C. McConnell, William L. Portnoy, Steven W. Ickman, Shahin Shayandeh, John Anthony Taylor
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Patent number: 9582610Abstract: The description relates to visual post builders. One example can receive a user search topic relating to a collage. This example can concurrently present a collage template and search results for the search topic. The collage template can be manifest as a grid of equal sized rectangles. The example can automatically populate a user selection from the search results into one or more rectangles of the collage template. The example can also automatically populate additional user selections into remaining rectangles of the collage template until all of the rectangles of the collage template are populated or the user indicates that the collage is complete.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Rajeev Karunakaran, Richard I. Zaragoza, Steven W. Ickman, Richard D. Marshall, David A. Raskino, William L. Portnoy
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Patent number: 9515891Abstract: Described is a technology by which an interactive timeline user interface shows communication data aggregated from various sources (e.g., a telephone service, a website, an application and/or the like) in time order. To reduce the number of items in the timeline, certain items may be combined into a compressed item, e.g., items from the same source and/or of the same type may be rolled up into a rolled up item. The user may also interact to reply to a data item. For example, an editor may be provided upon interaction with a data item in the timeline, and the type of reply that is sent may automatically match the type of data item, (e.g., a text message reply to a text message).Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2013Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Steven W. Ickman, Lili Cheng
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Publication number: 20160283060Abstract: Described is a technology by which an interactive timeline user interface shows communication data aggregated from various sources (e.g., a telephone service, a website, an application and/or the like) in time order. To reduce the number of items in the timeline, certain items may be combined into a compressed item, e.g., items from the same source and/or of the same type may be rolled up into a rolled up item. The user may also interact to reply to a data item. For example, an editor may be provided upon interaction with a data item in the timeline, and the type of reply that is sent may automatically match the type of data item, (e.g., a text message reply to a text message).Type: ApplicationFiled: June 3, 2016Publication date: September 29, 2016Inventors: Steven W. Ickman, Lili Cheng
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Publication number: 20140331116Abstract: Various embodiments enable an application to obtain information associated with a link to content without navigating to the link. The application can be configured to identify a link, receive input to attain information associated with the link, and send a request to a service for the information. In one or more embodiments, a service can be configured to receive a request for information associated with a link, ascertain one or more sources from which to gather the information, determine appropriate mechanisms by which to obtain the information, and acquire the information. Alternately or additionally, the service can further assemble the information into a consumable format, and return the consumable format to a requesting application or device.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 18, 2014Publication date: November 6, 2014Inventors: William L. Portnoy, Todd D. Newman, Steven W. Ickman
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Publication number: 20140280054Abstract: The description relates to visual post builders. One example can receive a user search topic relating to a collage. This example can concurrently present a collage template and search results for the search topic. The collage template can be manifest as a grid of equal sized rectangles. The example can automatically populate a user selection from the search results into one or more rectangles of the collage template. The example can also automatically populate additional user selections into remaining rectangles of the collage template until all of the rectangles of the collage template are populated or the user indicates that the collage is complete.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Rajeev Karunakaran, Richard I. Zaragoza, Steven W. Ickman, Richard D. Marshall, David A. Raskino, William L. Portnoy
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Patent number: 8819168Abstract: Various embodiments enable an application to obtain information associated with a link to content without navigating to the link. The application can be configured to identify a link, receive input to attain information associated with the link, and send a request to a service for the information. In one or more embodiments, a service can be configured to receive a request for information associated with a link, ascertain one or more sources from which to gather the information, determine appropriate mechanisms by which to obtain the information, and acquire the information. Alternately or additionally, the service can further assemble the information into a consumable format, and return the consumable format to a requesting application or device.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2010Date of Patent: August 26, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: William L. Portnoy, Todd D. Newman, Steven W. Ickman