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:
September 24, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Nicholas Eric Craswell, Hugh Evan Williams, Ariel J. Lazier
Abstract: Systems, methods, computer-readable media, and graphical user interfaces for facilitating advertisement placement over video content are provided. Images within a video are partitioned into image regions. Upon partitioning images into image regions, an intrusiveness score is determined for each image region. Based on the intrusiveness scores, optimal placement of an advertisement within the video is determined.
Abstract: Detailed herein is a technology which, among other things, allows for storage and playback of interactive user elements in a television stream. In one approach to this technology, a content data stream, including a television program and a user experience element, is received. This content data stream is transformed, and the transformed data stream is examined, to identify which packets are associated with the user experience element. Those packets are then passed to a handler appropriate for the user experience element.
Abstract: A method and an apparatus for generating reports and other outputs from a computer program. A user first defines a focus area, composed of chosen data types and then creates a row definition for the focus area. In defining the row definition the user defines groups and subgroups from the data represented by the focus. This definition process allows the user to generate reports from data organized in similar rows. The user has the ability to define the data to be included in the report through the use of an expression. The expression can also be used to exclude data from the report. Additional embodiments allow the user to verify the use of data and if the data has been used multiple times, and to capture on the output the missings and duplicates.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 9, 2005
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Xavier Chapé, Kyrylo Val, Oleksandr Nazarov, Mark Brantbjerg Madsen, Christian Honore
Abstract: A user notification system and a computer input device, such as a mouse. The computer input device includes an illumination member that enables a user to quickly and accurately position the input device during poor lighting conditions and determine whether the computer is ON. The input device includes a housing and an illumination device that is supported by the housing. Illumination from the illumination device is visible when the input device is placed on a support surface. The illumination member is also used to notify the user if one or more of various events have occurred in a computer application being run on the computer. The notification information is presented to the user by changing the state of the illumination member. An example of event for notification includes the receipt of a message in a communications program such as an e-mail message. The notification can make the illumination member blink as a function of the number of messages received.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 11, 2011
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Timothy A. McDonough, Carl J. Ledbetter, Robert Scott Plank, Steven W. Fisher, Steven T. Kaneko, Steven Bathiche
Abstract: A user creates an application assistant by recording a series of steps to complete a specific task involving one or more computer applications. Additional steps that may not involve the use of a computer application may be included. For each step, annotations may be created. The series of steps and annotations are stored in a computer system.
Abstract: Various embodiments utilize a special object referred to as an rsshttp object to acquire an RSS feed, process the feed and expose an object model to a web page or application. In at least some embodiments, the rsshttp object can parse through the feed's associated RSS data, normalize the feed data to a standard format, sanitize the feed data if necessary, and then present a standardized object model for interaction with web pages and applications.
Abstract: A secure (e.g., HTTPS) connection is established between a client and a server. Communication over the connection may utilize an application (e.g., a Web browser) that is not part of the client's trusted computing base. A password is sent from the client to the server over the connection such that the clear text password is unavailable to the application. For example, the password can be encrypted and inserted directly into the HTTPS stream from the client's trusted computing base.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 28, 2008
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Raghavendra Malpani, Cristian Ilac, Tanmoy Dutta, Klaus Schultz
Abstract: A system for navigating among resources includes a target detection module detecting whether a first resource has been branched from to two other different resources and a backward navigation module operable to detect selection of a backward navigation button and cause navigation to the first resource. A method includes designating a target resource accessible via a backward navigation button in a first browser session, detecting selection of the backward navigation button in a second browser session, and navigating to the target resource in the second browser session. The method can involve detecting hovering of a pointer icon over the backward navigation button and responsively presenting a thumbnail of a resource associated with the backward navigation button.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 19, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Natasa Milic-Frayling, Samuel Gavin Smyth, Kerry Rodden, Ralph Sommerer, Rachel Jones, Alan Frank Blackwell
Abstract: An antenna described herein includes a driven patch that is configured to emit radiation in a broadside direction in response to receiving excitation current, wherein the driven patch has a first radiating edge and a second radiating edge that are approximately parallel to one another. The antenna also includes a reflector element that is configured to reflect radiation emitted from the first radiating edge in a quasi-endfire direction. The antenna can also include two director elements that are configured to direct radiation emitted from the second radiating edge of the driven patch in a quasi-endfire direction.
Abstract: Anticipating movement of a display device and compensating for the anticipated movement. As a user performs an activity while viewing the device, the device experiences movement. The movement is compared to pattern data associated with profiles. One of the profiles is selected based on the comparison. Based at least on compensation data associated with the profile, image data for display on the device is modified to compensate for the anticipated movement. In some embodiments, the image data is shifted horizontally and/or vertically relative to a display area of the device in the opposite direction of the anticipated movement.
Abstract: Unused, duplicate, or corrupted styles are removed from XML based document files through a styles definition part of a document using system input output. The removal is based on the analysis of the information contained in a compressible package of a respective document file. Other incorrect file content may also be removed such as corrupted name ranges or unused value format definitions using the same approach.
Abstract: A light-induced shape-memory polymer display screen is provided herein. One example display device includes a display screen having a topography-changing layer including a light-induced shape-memory polymer. The display device further includes an imaging engine configured to project visible light onto the display screen, where the visible light may be modulated at a pixel level to form a display image thereon. The display device further includes a topography-changing engine configured to project agitation light of an ultraviolet band towards the display screen, where the agitation light is modulated at a pixel level to selectively change a topography of the topography-changing layer.
Abstract: A block-based, no-reference sharpness metric is provided taking advantage of Human Visual System (HVS) characteristics. Texture and smooth region blocks are excluded in computing the metric since sharpness is perceived mostly around edges. Overall sharpness metric is computed by pooling simulated combination of information in human brain employing a logistic function to replicate the behavior of HVS.
Abstract: In an embodiment, a generic database application of a computer system receives a portion of input data from a database. The generic database application can communicate with the database using a variety of different database schemas. The generic database application of the computer system infers a portion of ORM metadata associated with the received input data. The computer system accesses a generic ORM query where the ORM query is configured to provide mapping information to map the input data into a graph of objects according to the database object properties included in the ORM metadata. The computer system maps the input data into a graph of objects using the database object properties included in the ORM metadata and displays an ORM object view which includes the graph of objects.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 26, 2009
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Brad Mark Olenick, Gregory Lawrence Hughes, Siddharth Jayadevan, Carll Bennett Hoffman, Clemens Kerer
Abstract: Image denoising techniques include determining wavelet-domain noise model and a non-parametric multivariate wavelet description from the image signal for raw image data. A noise corrected image may then be determined from the image signal, the wavelet-domain noise model and the non-parametric, multivariate wavelet description and the image signal.
Abstract: Word sense probabilities are compressed for storage in a semantic index. Each word sense for a word is mapped to one of a number of “buckets” by assigning a bucket score to the word sense. A scoring function is utilized to assign the bucket scores that maximizes the entropy of the assigned bucket scores. Once the bucket scores have been assigned to the word senses, the bucket scores are stored in the semantic index. The bucket scores stored in the semantic index may be utilized to prune one or more of the word senses prior to construction of the semantic index. The bucket scores may also be utilized to prune and rank the word senses at the time a query is performed using the semantic index.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 29, 2008
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Rion Snow, Giovanni Lorenzo Thione, Scott A. Waterman, Chad Walters, Timothy Converse
Abstract: Two or more separate physical file system directories are presented as one merged (virtual) file system directory to a process running in a silo. The operating system controls the level of access to the files in the merge directory. The operating system provides the merged view of the file system directories by monitoring file system requests made by processes in silos on a computer or computer system and in response to detecting certain types of file system access requests, provides the view of the seemingly merged directories by performing special processing. The types of requests which trigger the special processing include: enumeration, open, create, rename or close.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 30, 2006
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Yousef A. Khalidi, Frederick J. Smith, IV, Madhusudhan Talluri