Abstract: Embodiments of keyword-driven assistance are presented herein. Keyword assistance techniques are described which may be utilized to assist a user in finding particular electronically-stored items of instance. For example. one such technique may be utilized to perform searches of items based on a common meaning of the items as indicated by keywords of the items. The searches may be performed automatically such that a user interface which includes a display of a message may search for items which have similar meaning to the displayed message. In another example, a user interface may include a notes portion such that portions of the messages of particular interest to a user may be saved and organized based on closeness of keywords contained in the portions. A variety of other assistive techniques are also described.

Abstract: A method and system are provided in which data may be multityped using a schematized data model. A standardized schema in a schematized data model includes at least one base construct for representing data that is common across multiple types of an object that the model represents. An extension to the standardized schema is at least one extension construct for representing data that is specific to a single type of the multiple types of the object. Instances of the extension construct are directly or indirectly associated with exactly one instance of the base construct without impacting the behavior and functionality of the base construct. Multiple extensions may be used to represent data that is specific to each of the corresponding multiple types of the object.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, computer program products, and data structures for decoupling an attachment from an electronic message that included the attachment. Generally, data fields of electronic messages and attachments are created in accordance with an electronic message schema hierarchy. Attachments are configured to have a data field indicating if the attachment is to persist when a corresponding electronic message is deleted. When an attachment persists, a user may be able to locate and use the attachment after a corresponding electronic message has been deleted (even if the attachment has not been expressly saved). Attachments are configured to include attachment metadata indicating properties of an electronic message that included the attachment. Accordingly, a user can access information (e.g., sender, subject, date, etc) associated with an electronic message (e.g., that included the attachment) even after the electronic message has been deleted.

Abstract: The principles of the present invention extend to efficiently and reliably providing message related data. Generally, data fields of electronic messages and attachments are created in accordance with an electronic message schema hierarchy. An electronic message can include links to folder items that represent message folders. An electronic message can also include links to contact items that represent message participants. Message applications can register for folder spaces such that each message application is aware of folders that are primarily controlled by other message applications. A link to a contact item can be selected to access current contact related data for a message participant, even when the contact related data has changed since an electronic message containing the link was received.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a distributed computing system that is capable of determining when data needs to be synced between two computer devices because data has changed on at least a remote device. More particularly, the present invention provides for a sync adapter that uses sync data to detect that a property on a device is new and needs to synchronize with corresponding data on another machine. The sync data is specific to the two devices in that the sync data mirrors data that was last synchronized between these two computing devices. Other example embodiments use the sync data to detect and mark data as low fidelity data for identifying any date and time information associated with the low fidelity data as potentially unreliable.

Abstract: The principles of the present invention extend to efficiently and reliably providing message related data. Generally, data fields of electronic messages and attachments are created in accordance with an electronic message schema hierarchy. An electronic message can include links to folder items that represent message folders. An electronic message can also include links to contact items that represent message participants. Message applications can register for folder spaces such that each message application is aware of folders that are primarily controlled by other message applications. A link to a contact item can be selected to access current contact related data for a message participant, even when the contact related data has changed since an electronic message containing the link was received.

Abstract: Generally, the present invention provides for a distributed computing system that is capable of associating time-date information with a property value in the database. The distributed computing system has a device that stores properties in a database without corresponding time-date fields, and thus is considered a low fidelity or legacy device. Example embodiments provide that time-date information corresponding to remote property values can be identified and formatted in a standard format parsable by one or more devices in the distributed computing system. The formatted time-date information is sent to the remote database for storage in a field associated with the remote property values. The formatted time-date information can then subsequently be used in resolving conflicts between property values.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a distributed computing system that is capable of determining when data needs to be synced between two computer devices because data has changed on at least a remote device. More particularly, the present invention provides for a sync adapter that uses sync data to detect that a property on a device is new and needs to synchronize with corresponding data on another machine. The sync data is specific to the two devices in that the sync data mirrors data that was last synchronized between these two computing devices. Other example embodiments use the sync data to detect and mark data as low fidelity data for identifying any date and time information associated with the low fidelity data as potentially unreliable.

Abstract: Various embodiments can utilize information that is displayed for a user to automatically generate a list of keywords and use that list as a means to display supplemental information that is relevant to the keywords. In at least some embodiments, the displayed information is analyzed using an extraction algorithm to identify words or, more generally, character strings of interest. If these words or character strings of interest are determined to constitute relevant search terms or “keywords”, then a special user interface portion can be used to display this supplemental information along with the information that is already displayed for the user. This supplemental information can include the search terms themselves, ads that pertain to the search terms, and/or search results that have been ascertained from a web search engine.

Abstract: Various embodiments protect against undesirable activities, in at least some embodiments, by combining the protection of a data or message filter with the user's own knowledge and judgment. In at least some embodiments, data or a message that is suspected of being associated with an undesirable activity is identified and indicia is provided to a user that the message is suspect. The data or message is presented to the user in a protected environment that allows the user to access the data or message in full fidelity, but prevents them from interacting with the data or message in a manner which would expose them to the undesirable activity. After reviewing the data or message in the protected environment, the user can decide how the message should thereafter be treated.

Abstract: Example embodiments provide for preserving memory resources by selecting property values to be assigned time-date information used in resolving conflicts between sync values. The property values may be selected based on the available resources of a remote device, e.g., when the time-date information is to be stored in a field of limited space. Further, the property values may be selected based on historical information, such as the most recently or frequently modified values. Other example embodiments also provide for storing an upper and/or lower boundary of time-date information for the remaining property values not selected. For example, the most recently modified property time-date value may be used for the upper boundary and the oldest modified time-date value may be used for the lower boundary.

Abstract: In a graphical desktop environment displaying desktop components, a control is provided to track the position of a pointer on a screen, and when the pointer enters relevant regions with respect to a desktop component, a thin or thick border in displayed around the desktop component to enable a user to resize the desktop component, and/or a caption bar is displayed along an edge of the component to enable a user to move the desktop component on the desktop. The caption bar may additionally be provided with menu and close buttons, to enable the user to bring up a menu of properties and/or actions for the desktop component, and close the desktop component, respectively. When the pointer is outside any region relevant to a desktop component, no borders or caption bars are displayed, thereby resulting in a visually less cluttered appearance.

Abstract: In a graphical desktop environment displaying desktop components, a control is provided to track the position of a pointer on a screen, and when the pointer enters relevant regions with respect to a desktop component, a thin or thick border in displayed around the desktop component to enable a user to resize the desktop component, and/or a caption bar is displayed along an edge of the component to enable a user to move the desktop component on the desktop. The caption bar may additionally be provided with menu and close buttons, to enable the user to bring up a menu of properties and/or actions for the desktop component, and close the desktop component, respectively. When the pointer is outside any region relevant to a desktop component, no borders or caption bars are displayed, thereby resulting in a visually less cluttered appearance.

Abstract: During synchronization of data between a remote device and a local device, it can be determined if a value for a property on a remote device has changed since a last synchronization of the property between the remote device and a local machine. A remote representation of a property value is compared to a local representation associated with the same property value. If the representations are identical, it can be determined that the property value did not change on the remote device. If, however, they are not identical then the property value must have changed after the remote representation was generated.

Abstract: The present invention involves a system and method that facilitate extracting data from messages for spam filtering. The extracted data can be in the form of features, which can be employed in connection with machine learning systems to build improved filters. Data associated with origination information as well as other information embedded in the body of the message that allows a recipient of the message to contact and/or respond to the sender of the message call be extracted as features. The features, or a subset thereof, can be normalized and/or deobfuscated prior to being employed as features of the machine learning systems. The (deobfuscated) features can be employed to populate a plurality of feature lists that facilitate spam detection and prevention. Exemplary features include an email address, an IP address, a URL, an embedded image pointing to a URL, and/or portions thereof.

Abstract: Example embodiments provide for preserving memory resources by selecting property values to be assigned time-date information used in resolving conflicts between sync values. The property values may be selected based on the available resources of a remote device, e.g., when the time-date information is to be stored in a field of limited space. Further, the property values may be selected based on historical information, such as the most recently or frequently modified values. Other example embodiments also provide for storing an upper and/or lower boundary of time-date information for the remaining property values not selected. For example, the most recently modified property time-date value may be used for the upper boundary and the oldest modified time-date value may be used for the lower boundary.

Abstract: During synchronization of data between a remote device and a local device, it can be determined if a value for a property on a remote device has changed since a last synchronization of the property between the remote device and a local machine. A remote representation of a property value is compared to a local representation associated with the same property value. If the representations are identical, it can be determined that the property value did not change on the remote device. If, however, they are not identical then the property value must have changed after the remote representation was generated.

Abstract: A mechanism for placing a telephone call while at the same time communicating context (e.g., subject, importance and/or nature) of the telephone call. The caller uses a mechanism on a user interface to instruct a caller computing system to place a telephone call to a callee computing system. Using the same user interface, the caller also identifies some contextual information for the telephone call such as, for example, the subject, importance and/or nature of the telephone call. The caller computing system then constructs a call invitation data structure that includes both an invitation to the callee to engage in a telephone conversation and the user-entered identification of the context of the telephone call. Upon receiving the call invitation data structure, the callee computing system reads the identification of the context of the telephone call, and then takes appropriate action based on the context for the telephone call.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, computer program products, and data structures for presenting different types of electronic messages at a common interface. Electronic message items are stored in an item database along with other types of items, such as, for example, contact items, folder items, document items, etc. Electronic message items have some common defined data fields and possibly other differently defined data fields that represent protocol and/or application specific properties. Computer systems can query the item database for message related data (e.g., from commonly defined data fields) and display links to message related data at a common messaging interface. Links to different types of electronic messages (as represented by protocol and/or application specific properties) may be displayed simultaneously at the common messaging interface.

Abstract: A requesting computer system accesses an identifier, which is representative of services (e.g. electronic mail or news groups provided over a network) that will be consumed by consumer modules included in a consuming computer system. The identifier may be received at a configuration computer system that contains configuration information associated with the consumer modules. Receiving the identifier causes a search of the configuration information contained in the configuration computer system. As a result of the search, the configuration computer system may identify configuration information associated with the network services that will be consumed. A configuration computer system may identify configuration information associated with itself or other external services providers. The configuration computer system causes the identified configuration information to be sent to the consuming computer system.