Patents Assigned to Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
  • Publication number: 20110067019
    Abstract: Encoding a new version of a data module includes constructing a delta data module having data for providing the new version of the data module. The delta data module may indicate an encoding for copying data at an offset from one of a number of pointers into different versions of the data module. Decoding a delta data module to provide a new version of a data module includes copying, to the new version of the data module, data relative to a target pointer when an encoding in the delta data module indicates a matching pattern relative to the target pointer, and copying, to the new version of the data module, data relative to at least one other pointer when an encoding in the delta data module indicates a matching pattern relative to the at least one other pointer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Alexander Petrov, Thomas McGuire, Michael Sliger
  • Publication number: 20080127206
    Abstract: Conducting client-server inter-process communications is disclosed. Such communications include initiating an inter-process communication thread that is separate from a main client inter-process communication thread, where the inter-process communication thread that is separate from the main client inter-process communication thread establishes a connection with a server. A client communication port is created during the establishment of the connection with the server. One or more non-blocking asynchronous communications are transmitted to a server communication port. Responses to the one or more non-blocking asynchronous communications are awaited for receipt by the client communication port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Mikhail V. Leonov, Eric H. Feiveson
  • Publication number: 20080034359
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that provide software transactional protection of managed pointers. A software transactional memory system interacts with and/or includes a compiler. At compile time, the compiler determines that there are one or more reference arguments in one or more code segments being compiled whose source cannot be recovered. The compiler executes a procedure to select one or more appropriate techniques or combinations thereof for communicating the sources of the referenced variables to the called code segments to ensure the referenced variables can be recovered when needed. Some examples of these techniques include a fattened by-ref technique, a static fattening technique, a dynamic ByRefInfo type technique, and others. One or more combinations of these techniques can be used as appropriate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: John Joseph Duffy, Michael M. Magruder, Goetz Graefe, David Detlefs
  • Publication number: 20080030525
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for improving output rendering in anti-aliased rendering scenarios. The system receives information regarding at least one visual element area which is important for symmetric appearance. The information can include at least one coordinate of a guideline that a client would like to be snapped towards a pixel grid. The system uses the information to perform a pixel snapping procedure to snap the points of visual element to a pixel grid to create an adjusted image. The adjusted image is rendered on a display device in an anti-aliased rendering scenario. APIs are provided for setting horizontal and vertical pixel snapping guidelines. The collections containing the snapping guidelines are accessed and used during the pixel snapping procedure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Seema L. Ramchandani, David C. Brown, Mikhail M. Lyapunov
  • Publication number: 20080028442
    Abstract: Various embodiments are disclosed relating to performing a trusted copy and paste operations between a source application and a target application. For example, a trust system may receive a paste request for pasting copied source content, and may compare a source trust level associated with the source content to a target trust level associated with a target application. In this way, for example, harmful or disruptive code may be prevented from being pasted into the target application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Akhilesh Kaza, Benjamin M. Westbrook, Jeffrey M. Cooperstein, Karen E. Corby, Mark A. Alcazar
  • Publication number: 20080022310
    Abstract: A unified discovery interface presents broadcast discovery data relating to broadcast content available via a broadcast channel and non-broadcast discovery data relating to non-broadcasting content available via a virtual channel of the unified discovery interface. In one implementation, the virtual channel is customizable via a discovery interface relationship parameter that indicates a relationship of the virtual channel within the unified discovery interface. The unified discovery interface allows a user to select between broadcast media content available via a broadcast channel and non-broadcast media content available via the virtual channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Daniel L. Poling, Frederic Azera, Jeffrey C. Fong, Michael W. Van Flandern, Christen Coomer
  • Publication number: 20080011819
    Abstract: Various embodiments are disclosed relating to verification of hit testing. According to an example embodiment, a method may be provided. The example method may include associating each of a plurality of locations of an application display area with one of a plurality of visual elements, selecting one of the plurality of locations on the application display area, performing hit testing for the selected location to obtain an element ID for one of the plurality of visual elements for the selected location, and verifying that the element ID from the hit testing of the selected location matches the visual element associated with the selected location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2006
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Rahul V. Patil, Robert A. Wlodarczyk, Vinay Kumar Venkatachalapathy
  • Publication number: 20080002886
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for improving handwriting recognition using a neural network by allowing a user to provide samples. A recognition operation is performed on the user's handwritten input, and the user is not satisfied with the recognition result. The user selects an option to train the neural network on one or more characters to improve the recognition results. The user is prompted to specify samples for the certain character, word, or phrase, and the neural network is adjusted for the certain character, word, or phrase. Handwritten input is later received from the user. A recognition operation is performed on the handwritten input using the neural network that was adjusted for the certain character or characters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Michael Revow, Manish Boval
  • Publication number: 20080001947
    Abstract: The present soft shadowing technique pre-computes visibility of blockers using a log of a spherical harmonic visibility function. These logs can then be accumulated and exponentiated in real-time to yield the product visibility vector over all the blockers. The product visibility vector is combined with the light intensity and surface reflectance to determine shading at a receiver point in a computer-generated scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: John M. Snyder, Peter-Pike J. Sloan, Baining Guo, Kun Zhou, Rui Wang, Xinguo Liu, Zhong Ren, Bo Sun
  • Publication number: 20080002023
    Abstract: Architecture for spatially calibrating a multi-sensor panoramic camera. A panorama warping calibration model and manufacturing calibration data is characterized in a parametric model that is stored on the camera and utilized for camera calibration. Calibration techniques can employ combinations of intra-camera homography, inter-camera homography, and polynomial warps, which correct the error-free spatial panorama warping calibration model. Calibration system configuration can include a stationary camera system for spatial pattern testing for each camera and a rotational camera system for rotating a multi-sensor panoramic camera through a single spatial pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventor: Ross G. Cutler
  • Publication number: 20080004960
    Abstract: A discovery interface including an interactive promotional space is provided. In one implementation, for example, a discovery interface includes links to promotional portals of individual content providers. A user can select one of the links to be redirected to a promotional portal of a content provider. The promotional portal includes a space through which the user may access additional offerings of the content provider. The promotional portal, for example, may include links, such as interactive thumbnails, to additional media content offered by the content provider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Christen Coomer, Daniel L. Poling, Michael W. Van Flandern, Frederic Azera, Jeffrey C. Fong
  • Publication number: 20080005731
    Abstract: In a state management system of an effects system implemented in a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), techniques and technologies are provided for setting a value to particular variables at application run-time without validating the variables. For example, a compiled effects file comprising a number of variables can be loaded at application load time, and a generic, variable interface pointer for a particular variable of the effects file can be retrieved. A specialized variable interface pointer can then be generated which is associated with the particular variable by specifying a desired type of access that will be performed on the particular variable. At application run-time, the specialized variable interface can be used to set a value to each of the particular variables without validating the particular variables at application run-time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Relja Markovic, Ramanujan Srinivasan, Samuel Glassenberg
  • Publication number: 20070300312
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that modify a computer system based on user presence detection. An input device detects whether a user is present and adjusts the operation of an application accordingly. For example, ports or services can be disabled to increase security, a logging operation can be increased, a port or service that was previously disabled can be enabled, at least one system feature based on a number of users present can be adjusted, etc. If the user is detected to be absent, for example, then the system can disable at least one system port or service that does not need to be enabled while the user is absent to increase the security state of the computer. An attack directory can be accessed to retrieve information about the most likely services to be attacked, and that information can be used to help determine what services to disable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Behrooz Chitsaz, Darko Kirovski
  • Publication number: 20070293206
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that enhance an ongoing cell phone communication. A separate computing device determines that a communication is in progress on a cell phone. Information is retrieved from a data store that is related to a party participating in the communication. The information is displayed on a display device of the separate computing device for at least a portion of time that the communication is in progress on the cell phone. Management options related to the communication are displayed on the display device of the separate computing device. The user can manage the communication on the cell phone from the separate computing device using the management options.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventor: Arnold M. Lund
  • Publication number: 20070294755
    Abstract: A system and method for a network aware firewall is disclosed. The method includes accessing a first network connection from a client computer system and determining whether the first network connection is public or private. The method further includes dynamically modifying security parameters associated with a firewall local to the client computer system in response to determining whether the network connection is public or private.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Rajesh K. Dadhia, Fabien J. Royer, Pradeep Bahl
  • Publication number: 20070294206
    Abstract: Techniques and technologies are provided for predicting when remaining storage capacity of a memory component will be fully consumed. For example, the remaining storage capacity of the memory component can be determined and a rate of change of the storage capacity can be calculated. Using this information, a prediction or estimate can be made as to when the remaining storage capacity of the memory component will be fully consumed. The prediction or estimate can be based, for example, on a ratio of the remaining storage capacity to the rate of change of the storage capacity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Stephen R. Korman, Elwood A. Anthony, Jiong Feng
  • Publication number: 20070288231
    Abstract: Repetition of content words in a communication is used to increase the certainty, or, alternatively, reduce the uncertainty, that the content words were actual words from the communication. Reducing the uncertainty of a particular content word of a communication in turn increases the likelihood that the content word is relevant to the communication. Reliable, relevant content words mined from a communication can be used for, e.g., automatic internet searches for documents and/or web sites pertinent to the communication. Reliable, relevant content words mined from a communication can also, or alternatively, be used to automatically generate one or more documents from the communication, e.g., communication summaries, communication outlines, etc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2006
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Kunal Mukerjee, Rafael Ballesteros
  • Publication number: 20070288616
    Abstract: A method, system and/or computer program product for managing the use of media content ratings information by a media content receiver, including communicating media content for presentation by a media content receiver; communicating media content ratings information for the media content, the media content ratings information being communicated discretely from the media content. The communicating operations include one or both of transmitting and receiving the content and/or ratings information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Ross F. Hewit, John Bradstreet, Bryan A. Woodruff
  • Publication number: 20070289024
    Abstract: Permission to access a particular computer resource is controlled by establishing conditions for each user account that may be used for log-in to the computer system providing the computer resource. The user account may represent a single user, a group of individual users, or large groupings of individual users such as network domains. The computer resource may include files, local or on-line services, and the like. Once the conditions are set for the user account and the given resource, then upon attempts by a user who is logged in via the user account to access the resource, the one or more conditions are checked to determine whether access should be granted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventor: Yunus Mohammed
  • Publication number: 20070286376
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for authenticating a phone or other device for a user. A phone or other device is provided to the user. A personal identification number is provided to the user. The personal identification number is used to authenticate the phone or other device in the network for the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Patent Group
    Inventors: Rui Maximo, Dawson Yee, Gurdeep S. Pall, Roy Kuntz