Patents Assigned to Microsoft
  • Patent number: 7701341
    Abstract: The subject invention provides a system and/or a method that facilitates interacting with a device component to provide uniform communication, discovery, and management. A device service provider interface (DSPI) component can provide a uniform manner to communicate and/or manage a radio frequency identification (RFID) device. The DSPI component can include a receiver component that receives one or more RFID server data and RFID device data. The DSPI component can define an interface that facilitates communication of the one or more of RFID server data and RFID device data between an RFID device and an RFID server in a uniform manner. The interface(s) can be defined to handle discovery, configuration, communication, and connection management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Anush Kumar, Mohamed Fakrudeen Ahmed, Janaki Ram Goteti, Vamshidhar G. R. Reddy, Vinod Anantharaman, Balasubramanian Sriram, Abhishek Agarwal
  • Patent number: 7703131
    Abstract: The invention relates to secured distributed impersonation, for use within systems such as batch system and batch message transaction systems. In one embodiment, a method includes sending a request for credentials of a network account from an originating account associated with an unpublished object to a dispatch associated with a published object. In one embodiment, both the unpublished and the published objects can each be a message queue. The dispatch authenticates the originating account. Upon successful authentication, the network account access emblem is sent to the originating account—that is, the originating account receives the requested credentials, which facilitate the ability to impersonate into the network account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Neta Amit, Alexander Frank
  • Patent number: 7702681
    Abstract: An image query system, and associated method and computer program product are disclosed that enhance and accelerate image-based querying. To this end, the present invention presents a digital image query with implict and explicit associated metadata and retrieval of visually similar images or other pertinent information from a large collection of images stored on local, networked, or web-linked repositories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Brett D. Brewer, Eric B. Watson, Randall J. Macbeth, Nicholas A. Whyte
  • Patent number: 7702802
    Abstract: A sharing infrastructure is directed at providing a framework for sharing resources between initiators and participants. The sharing infrastructure is designed to manage and direct various sharing providers, articulate information about sharing relationships, and to provide a framework for pluggable data sharing, data discovery, schema translation, and conflict resolution. The infrastructure allows for common sharing operations to be implemented in a more centralized fashion, and eases the cost of implementing new sharing providers. An extensible and pluggable provider model eases remote and local configuration; schema mapping; and protocol handling. A sharing protocol is defined that relates to establishing and managing a sharing relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron D. Stillion, Glenn L. Frankel, Michael A. Affronti
  • Patent number: 7703141
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide methods and systems that utilize a protocol which enables media content protection by establishing a secure communication channel and, in some embodiments, a secure data channel, between a device such as a computing device running a protected content playback application, and a downstream component such as an associated driver, such as a graphics driver, of an associated display device such as a monitor, flat panel LCD, television and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: James M. Alkove, Stephen J. Estrop
  • Patent number: 7702127
    Abstract: Video fingerprinting using watermarks is described herein. A watermark encoder embeds a watermark into an input video to produce a watermarked video. The watermark encoder can choose particular regions of the video that are sufficiently complex for watermarking. Spatial and temporal complexity analyses can be performed on a per-pixel basis to locate suitable regions of the video. The watermarks can be embedded using a unique codeword associated with a given user. A watermark decoder can receive the watermarked video. In some instances, the watermarked video may have been attacked in some way after being output by the watermark encoder. In these instances, the watermark decoder can extract the watermark from the watermarked video. In turn, the watermark decoder can extract the codeword from the watermark, and compare the extracted codeword to a plurality of known codewords associated with respective users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mehmet Kivanc Mihcak, Oztan Harmanci
  • Patent number: 7702685
    Abstract: A data model models a social network. The data model can be embodied as a person profile schema and a connector profile schema. The person profile schema defines properties of persons in the social network. The connector profile schema defines connectivity properties of persons that connect a searcher to the persons in social network that the searcher desires to find. Query languages can be based on the data model and can be used to express queries of social networks. Queries can be for persons, for connecting persons, or for both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Adel A. Shrufi, Ajitesh Kishore, Glen H. Anderson, Sameer Mahajan, Sunil Swami
  • Patent number: 7703083
    Abstract: A system and method are presented that persist assembly bind information for applications at each stage of execution of the assembly policy. New assembly bind history files are created and persisted to disc when changes in assembly bind policy results in a change in the assemblies with which the application binds. This persisted information is used to reconfigure assembly binds to a prior state when operation of the application conformed to a user's desires. Since this assembly bind reconfiguration is on a per application basis, only the binding of the selected application is affected. Likewise, the assembly bind history files are associated with a particular user to allow personalized execution of applications on a system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Shi, Srivatsan Parthasarathy
  • Patent number: 7701449
    Abstract: User interfaces for editing text in pen-based computing systems include: (a) a display portion that displays text; and (b) a correction interface that displays an editable text portion corresponding to at least a portion of the text. The correction interface accepts input via a stylus to enable changes to the editable text portion on a character-by-character basis (e.g., to add, delete, or change individual characters). The correction interface further may include or associate with a “suggestion list” portion that includes alternative(s) to substitute into the editable text portion and/or a “task list” portion that displays potential actions available through the interface. The invention also relates to systems, methods, and computer-readable media to activate, provide, and operate such interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Pettiross, Shawna J. Davis, Leroy B. Keely, Adrian Garside, Tobiasz A. Zielinski
  • Patent number: 7702922
    Abstract: A physical encryption key system binds an encryption key to a physical key and denies decryption of secured information if the physical key is not present to a particular computing device. In one implementation, the physical key comprises a convenient removable pen drive on which a .NET isolated storage space is created to store the encryption key. The .NET isolated storage space can only be accessed by concurrence of the same user, domain, computing device, application, and physical key that participated in creating the isolated storage space. The user enjoys the security of knowing that protected information cannot be decrypted without the physical key; cannot be decrypted without the user's credentials even if the physical key is stolen; and cannot be decrypted if the protected information is pirated to a different computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher J Hetzler
  • Patent number: 7702749
    Abstract: The joining of Web services is accomplished via a virtual contract through the use of safeties. The joining of Web services heightens the safe interoperability of Web services to create greater functionality than each Web service alone can provide. Web services are joined for interoperability when the type of a port of one Web service is compatible with the type of another port of another Web service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: L. Gregory Meredith, Steve Bjorg, David Richter
  • Patent number: 7702408
    Abstract: A system and method for playing audio material is described. The audio material is illustratively downloaded from a network, or from a storage media, each coupled to a loudspeaker through a speaker drive unit. A speaker authorization signal is provided to the speaker drive unit from the network or storage media. The speaker drive unit provides an audio signal to the loudspeaker if the authorization signal indicates that the loudspeaker is authorized to play the audio material. The speaker drive unit does not provide an audio signal to the loudspeaker if the authorization signal indicates that the loudspeaker is not authorized to play the audio material. The system and method includes a monitoring unit to furnish a signal indicating the sound generated by the loudspeaker, to be stored, and to determine whether the loudspeaker has played the audio material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas Algie Abrams, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7702146
    Abstract: A method for correcting a color value generated by a forward model for a color input device. A color value generated by the forward model is mapped into a color space. The color value is clipped to a locus of a visual gamut in the color space if the color value falls outside of the visual gamut. Clipping the mapped color value ensures that the color input device generates color values that represent colors within the human visual system. Clipping may be accomplished by clipping a color value to an intersection of a locus boundary and a vector between the color value and a white point. The locus used may be the CIE spectral locus projected into the color space. Any number of standard color spaces may be used in the method, such as CIEXYZ, CIELUV, or CIELAB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Siu-Kei Tin
  • Patent number: 7702678
    Abstract: When a Web-browser user employs a hyperlink, a Web-information manager makes a log entry that includes the URL of the Web page containing the hyperlink and also lists the URL of the target Web page, to which the hyperlink refers. When the user requests that a Web page be captured for later use, the Web-information manager uses the log to find the page at the root of the hyperlink chain that led to that page. It then determines from the root page's URL whether the root page is a search-result page. If it is, the Web-information manager infers the search specification from that URL and associates it with the page to be captured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Charles J. Teague
  • Patent number: 7703075
    Abstract: Techniques and tools relating to annotating program source code facilitate inferring annotations from source code based at least in part on a description (or specification) generated with a programmable tool. Described techniques and tools provide flexibility in annotation inference across different code bases and program states or properties of interest, and can reduce the overhead of adding annotations to “legacy” source code. For example, a specification is generated with a programmable specification tool that is separate from an inference engine. In the inference engine, one or more annotations for a computer program are inferred based at least in part on the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Manuvir Das, Zhe Yang, Brian Hackett
  • Patent number: 7702924
    Abstract: Reliable end-to-end messaging in which tracking and acknowledgement information are contained in the electronic message that is visible to layers above the transport layer, thereby being independent of what transport protocols, and whether different transport protocols, are used to communicate between the two end points. Furthermore, acknowledgment messages may identify multiple ranges of sequence numbers corresponding to received electronic messages, thereby permitting further flexibility and completeness in acknowledging received messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David E. Langworthy, Christopher G. Kaler, Luis Felipe Cabrera, Patrick J. Helland, Steven E. Lucco, John P. Shewchuk
  • Patent number: 7702917
    Abstract: The described systems, methods, and data structures are directed at data transfer using Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) query strings. A block of data is partitioned into sections. Each section is encoded in a query string of a HTTP message. Each HTTP message is sent to a server by redirecting through a client. Multiple redirected messages are sent until the entire block of data is transferred to the server. The data block may be stored as a cookie on the client so that the data block does not have to persist on any server. Data transfer using HTTP query strings may be implemented to transfer a security token from a security token service (STS) server to an application server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Kahren Tevosyan, Matthew Hur, Ryan D Johnson, Donald E Schmidt, Jeffrey F Spelman
  • Patent number: 7702482
    Abstract: Based on the time series data from multiple components, the systems administrator or other managing entity may desire to find the temporal dependencies between the different time series data over time. For example, based on actions indicated in time series data from two or more servers in a server network, a dependency structure may be determined which indicates a parent/child or dependent relationship between the two or more servers. In some cases, it may also be beneficial to predict the state of a child component, and/or predict the average time to a state change or event of a child component based on the parent time series data. These determinations and predications may reflect the logical connections between actions of components. The relationships and/or predictions may be expressed graphically and/or in terms of a probability distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Thore K H Graepel, Ralf Herbrich, Shyansundar Rajaram
  • Patent number: 7702637
    Abstract: A method and system for fragment-based serialization places one or more object members in fragments. Fragments may comprise a header and a payload. A header can provide useful information about the fragment, such as an indication of fragment type and an indication of fragment length. A payload may comprise one or more members of an object. Primitive members may be stored in a Binary Fragment with a record format payload. LOB and FS members may be stored in fragments that have a Value Type field for setting forth additional properties of the fragment. Collections may be stored in a series of fragments, a first fragment to indicate a start of a collection, one or more second fragments to serialize collection elements, and a Terminator Fragment to indicate the end of a collection. Fragment-serialized objects minimize storage overhead while providing fast instantiation and low-cost location and updating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: F. Soner Terek, Ajay Kalhan, Nagavamsi Ponnekanti, Srikumar Rangarajan, Michael J. Zwilling
  • Patent number: D614195
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Paula Guntaur, Jesse Clay Satterfield, Keri D. Vandeberghe, Christopher D. Edwards