Patents Represented by Attorney Shook Hardy & Bacon
  • Patent number: 8050965
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to generating and using a directed graph as an advertising network taxonomy. Individual delivery locations provided by publishers for presenting advertisements are identified. A directed graph is generated that includes specific advertising opportunities that each correspond with an individual delivery location. The directed graph also includes multiple general advertising opportunities that correspond with aggregations of delivery locations. Multiple aggregations may each include all or part of the same set of delivery locations. Advertisers may then use the directed graph to purchase advertising opportunities, and advertisements may be served to delivery locations based on the advertiser selections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ole Christian Hellevik, Ashis K. Roy, Phani K. Vaddadi
  • Patent number: 8046405
    Abstract: This invention is directed to a computer-implemented system and method for providing web-based features in a client-based digital imaging application. An area of the registry is provided for a number of possible, future web-based features. The registry has the capacity to accept a number of name-value pairs that define a web-based imaging feature. When a web-based feature is to be added, the name-value pairs that define the web-based imaging feature are added to the registry. After a feature has been added, it is displayed for selection by a user. Upon selection of the web-based imaging feature, image data about a selected one or more images is recorded in a known location. The web-based service that is providing the web-based imaging feature is granted access to the image data in the known location. The image data in the known location is then deleted when the web-based imaging feature is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew Martin Wand, Jeffrey Alan Kohler, Alexander Sabo Brodie
  • Patent number: 8042062
    Abstract: A computer system and method are presented that enhance a user experience when viewing images displayed on the computer. The system includes a user interface for the computer that displays a number of thumbnail images that are small representations of image files existing on the computer. The thumbnail images are arranged in alignment with one another, such as at the bottom of a viewing window. An enlarged preview image is positioned adjacent the thumbnail images. The enlarged preview image corresponds to a selected thumbnail image and is a larger representation of an image file corresponding with the selected thumbnail image. A control is displayed in the window that enables the user to iterate through the thumbnail images in at least one direction. As the user iterates through the thumbnail images, the enlarged preview image changes correspondingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael G. Sheldon, Franc Camara, Todd Ouzts, Chris Guzak, Rajesh Ganesan
  • Patent number: 8001097
    Abstract: A computerized system and method of building a system of test components for an orderable healthcare procedure is provided. An orderable healthcare procedure is received and associated with a discrete ontology concept. An ontology is traversed for the discrete ontology concept to identify test components related to the discrete ontology concept. The test components related to the discrete ontology concept are identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark A. Hoffman, Kevin M. Power, Ginger H. Kuhns, Nicholas Smith
  • Patent number: 7986937
    Abstract: The invention instantiates a Personal VLAN bridge, using IEEE Std. 802.11 elements. The result is a bridge, referred to as a public access point, that is better suited for implementing public wireless data networks than the IEEE Std. 802.11 architecture. The invention also provides a location-update protocol for updating the forwarding tables of bridges that connect public access points together. The invention further provides a method for more controlled bridging, which is referred to as fine bridging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Dennis Michael Volpano
  • Patent number: 7958543
    Abstract: A platform supports an unmanaged secured workgroup, without a server, for common user access and secure resource sharing among the computers in the group. User accounts are synchronized by replicating and modifying the accounts at each computer of the unmanaged secured workgroup. A computer advertises a change in account information to other computers in an unmanaged secured workgroup. If one of computers in the unmanaged secured workgroup determines that the change is not reflected in the current account information, the computer requests the updated account information from the advertising computer. Any conflicts between user accounts at different computers are resolved before synchronizing the user account in the unmanaged secured workgroup. Also, an application program interface (API) enables an application to query properties of a networked computer system and an unmanaged secured workgroup and to join the unmanaged secured workgroup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mohammed Samji, John Brezak, Chris Guzak, Giles Edward van der Bogert, Nicholas John Tomacelli, Anil Kumar Yadav
  • Patent number: 7841667
    Abstract: A seating product, such as a chair, has a frame. The frame defines the seating area and back area of the seating product. A series flexible straps extend across the seating area and back area. In a similar fashion, a series of spring supports extend over the flexible straps and the seating and back areas. The straps and the spring supports hold an inflatable bladder in the lumbar region of the back area. The straps and the spring supports in the seating area hold another inflatable bladder in the seating area. The bladders are coupled to a pump controllable to inflate and deflate the bladders. When deflated, the seating product has a suspension and feel like that of traditional seating products. The bladders can be selectively and individually inflated to provide a customized support in the seating product. The flexible straps provide a suspension surface for the air bladders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: L&P Property Management Company
    Inventor: Niels S. Mossbeck
  • Patent number: 7822742
    Abstract: Systems, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media for modifying the rank of search result items returned by a search engine are provided. A search engine determines a plurality of search result items that satisfy a user query and the order the search result items are to be presented to a user. A rank modifier determines whether any modification should be made to the rank of each search result item identified by the search engine. The rank of search result items identified as potential spam may be demoted while the rank of search result items identified to be in the language of the search query, having a high click-through rate, or as containing adjacent search terms from the search query may be promoted. The search result items are presented according to modified ranking to the querying user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Rangan Majumder, Andrew Samuel Laucius, Javier Tordable, Ramkumar Rajendran
  • Patent number: 7822774
    Abstract: An approach is provided for determining related queries for a given search query based on the linking structure of electronic documents within a document set. Document titles are used to represent potential search queries and links between the electronic documents are used to determine relationships between the potential search queries. As such, the document set may be represented as a directed graph in which document titles (which represent potential search queries) are nodes and links are edges between the nodes. When a particular search query is received, a corresponding node is identified and related queries are determined by identifying other nodes having connections with that node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Nicholas Eric Craswell, Hugh Evan Williams, Ariel J. Lazier
  • Patent number: 7818278
    Abstract: A two-phase process quickly and accurately identifies representations of the same items within a collection of item representations. In the first phase, referred to as a “blocking phase,” frequency information indicating the frequency with which terms appear within the collection of item representations is used to quickly identify “candidate pairs” (i.e., pairs of item representations that have a relatively high probability of matching). The blocking phase results in a reduced subset of the data for further analysis during the second phase. In the second phase, referred to as a “matching phase,” the candidate pairs are analyzed using fuzzy matching functions to accurately identify “matching pairs” (i.e., representations of the same items).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Amir J. Padovitz, Dima Suponau, Wei Yu, Mikhail Bilenko
  • Patent number: 7813556
    Abstract: Flexible and efficient systems and methods for organizing, analyzing, and processing digital ink incrementally analyze input data (e.g., representing ink strokes) as the user continues to add to, edit, or modify the data. In this manner, processing is performed promptly as the ink is entered, and the processing system and method can effectively keep up with the user. This prevents long processing delays, because the systems and methods need not first process a large volume of ink data present after the user has entered has completely filled a page with ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Sashi Raghupathy, Michael M. Shilman, Zile Wei, F. David Jones, Charlton E. Lui
  • Patent number: 7805205
    Abstract: A control system for a wind turbine comprises: a sensor arrangement for capturing measures related to the turbine operation and fatigue accumulation; an upper level controller, which, on the basis of a statistical treatment of said measures, calculates optimized control settings at discrete points of time; a measurement module which processes said measures into instantaneous values; and a lower level controller that receives said control settings and said instantaneous values and calculates instantaneous optimal commands to control turbine actuators. The lower level controller comprises a continuous-time damage model which calculates the rate at which damage is accumulated at any time, and an optimal controller which controls operational states of the turbine, either by directly giving feedback of the instantaneous values to the actuators, or by generating a turbine performance objective function which is continuously optimized by repeatedly solving a receding horizon optimization problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Ecotecnia, s. coop.c.l.
    Inventor: Richard Arsenio Santos
  • Patent number: 7672483
    Abstract: A spatial data handling and map generation system comprises a receiver component that receives a request for information associated with a geographic region and data associated with an initiator of the request. A mapping component renders a representation of the geographic region, the representation is customized according to a role assigned to the initiator of the request, the role is assigned based at least in part upon the received data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy S. McGrath, Leonard Smith, Jr., David P. Horne, Duncan M. Lawler
  • Patent number: 7628119
    Abstract: A pet containment device for use with a chair comprises a cover for enclosing space underneath the chair. Said device also comprises other novel features that allow the device to connect to a seat of the chair and operate concomitantly with a folding chair. There is also provided a method of containing a pet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Inventor: Lisa Kay Beaty Bishop
  • Patent number: 6953545
    Abstract: A method of producing contoured vehicle floor mats having integrally formed nibs. The sheet is formed by a nib forming roll in an extrusion roll stack having a plurality of indentions. The nibbed sheet is placed onto the thermoform mold with the nibs directed away from the mold. The sheet is heated to a plastic state and stretched over the mold to form a contoured mat shaped to vehicle within a vehicle compartment, trunk or cargo area. The nibs on the underside of the mat contacts the floor covering and prevents the mats from sliding on the interior surface of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Winfield Consumer Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert D. Tyler
  • Patent number: 6935670
    Abstract: The present invention provides an integrated truck box and removable insert for positioning within a truck bed. The integrated truck box and removable insert includes first and second truck box body sections and a removable insert. Each truck box body section may have a lid enclosing an interior of the respective body section into which items may be placed. The truck box body sections are also disposed adjacent to one another to define a cavity therebetween into which the removable insert may be positioned. At least one of the lids of the first and second truck box body sections overlaps a portion of the cavity such that when the removable insert is positioned with the cavity, the insert and at least one of said first and second truck box body sections having the at least one overlapping lid form an interference with one another to inhibit removal of the insert from the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Inventor: Verona Lynn Bright
  • Patent number: 6920110
    Abstract: A method is provided for transferring a set of data over a network by monitoring the level of actual bandwidth utilization. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying a maximum monitored level of actual utilization and calculating a size for data blocks to be transferred as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization. The data blocks represent a segment of a set of data, such as a software update that may be transferred or downloaded over the network without interfering with other network activity at the network interface. The size of the data blocks are bounded by a maximum and minimum threshold value. Computed block sizes allow effective utilization of the network bandwidth while also allowing an adaptation that supports a degree of responsiveness both on fast and slow networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Roberts, Stephen Scott Evans, Michael D. Zoran, Edward F. Reus
  • Patent number: 6850949
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for dynamically adapting selections in an automatic phone support system is described. The invention may integrate a dynamic knowledge base of responses with the menu selections on an automated phone system or other response system to present the most frequently used items earlier in the option list, or otherwise order options and information. Call data may be captured from single callers or historical ensembles of callers. An automatically generated similarity relationship may be used to initialize the system without historical call data, based on textual similarity or other techniques. Prioritization of options provides a more enjoyable, efficient experience for callers without increasing administrative overhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Right Now Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Doug Warner, Mike Myer, Tom Abshire
  • Patent number: D505857
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: Carriage Works, Inc.
    Inventor: Roy Curtis Cunningham
  • Patent number: D505910
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Inventor: Dale Qualls