Patents by Inventor Chris Burges

Chris Burges has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7853589
    Abstract: A web spam page classifier is described that identifies web spam pages based on features of a search query and web page pair. The features can be extracted from training instances and a training algorithm can be employed to develop the classifier. Pages identified as web spam pages can be demoted and/or removed from a relevancy ranked list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Krysta Svore, Chris Burges
  • Patent number: 7826708
    Abstract: A “media stream customizer” customizes buffered media streams by inserting one or more media objects into the stream to maintain an approximate buffer level. Specifically, when media objects such as songs, jingles, advertisements, etc., are deleted from the buffered stream (based on some user specified preferences), the buffer level will decrease. Therefore, over time, as more objects are deleted, the amount of the media stream being buffered continues to decrease, thereby limiting the ability to perform additional deletions from the stream. To address this limitation, the media stream customizer automatically chooses one or more media objects to insert back into the stream, and ensures that the inserted objects are consistent with any surrounding content of the media stream, thereby maintaining an approximate buffer level. In addition, the buffered content can also be stretched using pitch preserving audio stretching techniques to further compensate for deletions from the buffered stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Cormac Herley, John Platt, Chris Burges, Erin Renshaw
  • Patent number: 7747600
    Abstract: A computer-implementable method and system for performing a multi-level search. The method includes performing a primary search that involves executing a query submitted by a user, and returning primary search results (a list of documents, for example). The method further includes automatically performing a secondary search. The secondary search involves identifying at least one third-party source of information based on the query, and automatically assessing a semantic interpretation of the query. The secondary search utilizes the identified at least one third-party source of information and the semantic interpretation of the query to derive secondary search results, which are displayed along with the primary search results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Krysta Svore, Chris Burges, Silviu-Petru Cucerzan
  • Patent number: 7574451
    Abstract: A “Media Identifier” operates on concurrent media streams to provide large numbers of clients with real-time server-side identification of media objects embedded in streaming media, such as radio, television, or Internet broadcasts. Such media objects may include songs, commercials, jingles, station identifiers, etc. Identification of the media objects is provided to clients by comparing client-generated traces computed from media stream samples to a large database of stored, pre-computed traces (i.e., “fingerprints”) of known identification. Further, given a finite number of media streams and a much larger number of clients, many of the traces sent to the server are likely to be almost identical. Therefore, a searchable dynamic trace cache is used to limit the database queries necessary to identify particular traces. This trace cache caches only one copy of recent traces along with the database search results, either positive or negative. Cache entries are then removed as they age.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Chris Burges, John Platt
  • Patent number: 7526181
    Abstract: A “media stream customizer” customizes buffered media streams by inserting one or more media objects into the stream to maintain an approximate buffer level. Specifically, when media objects such as songs, jingles, advertisements, etc., are deleted from the buffered stream (based on some user specified preferences), the buffer level will decrease. Therefore, over time, as more objects are deleted, the amount of the media stream being buffered continues to decrease, thereby limiting the ability to perform additional deletions from the stream. To address this limitation, the media stream customizer automatically chooses one or more media objects to insert back into the stream, and ensures that the inserted objects are consistent with any surrounding content of the media stream, thereby maintaining an approximate buffer level. In addition, the buffered content can also be stretched using pitch preserving audio stretching techniques to further compensate for deletions from the buffered stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Chris Burges, Cormac Herley
  • Publication number: 20080313147
    Abstract: A computer-implementable method and system for performing a multi-level search. The method includes performing a primary search that involves executing a query submitted by a user, and returning primary search results (a list of documents, for example). The method further includes automatically performing a secondary search. The secondary search involves identifying at least one third-party source of information based on the query, and automatically assessing a semantic interpretation of the query. The secondary search utilizes the identified at least one third-party source of information and the semantic interpretation of the query to derive secondary search results, which are displayed along with the primary search results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Krysta Svore, Chris Burges, Silviu-Petru Cucerzan
  • Patent number: 7457749
    Abstract: Extracting features from signals for use in classification, retrieval, or identification of data represented by those signals uses a “Distortion Discriminant Analysis” (DDA) of a set of training signals to define parameters of a signal feature extractor. The signal feature extractor takes signals having one or more dimensions with a temporal or spatial structure, applies an oriented principal component analysis (OPCA) to limited regions of the signal, aggregates the output of multiple OPCAs that are spatially or temporally adjacent, and applies OPCA to the aggregate. The steps of aggregating adjacent OPCA outputs and applying OPCA to the aggregated values are performed one or more times for extracting low-dimensional noise-robust features from signals, including audio signals, images, video data, or any other time or frequency domain signal. Such extracted features are useful for many tasks, including automatic authentication or identification of particular signals, or particular elements within such signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Chris Burges, John Platt
  • Publication number: 20080270376
    Abstract: A web spam page classifier is described that identifies web spam pages based on features of a search query and web page pair. The features can be extracted from training instances and a training algorithm can be employed to develop the classifier. Pages identified as web spam pages can be demoted and/or removed from a relevancy ranked list.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Krysta Svore, Chris Burges
  • Publication number: 20060217968
    Abstract: Extracting features from signals for use in classification, retrieval, or identification of data represented by those signals uses a “Distortion Discriminant Analysis” (DDA) of a set of training signals to define parameters of a signal feature extractor. The signal feature extractor takes signals having one or more dimensions with a temporal or spatial structure, applies an oriented principal component analysis (OPCA) to limited regions of the signal, aggregates the output of multiple OPCAs that are spatially or temporally adjacent, and applies OPCA to the aggregate. The steps of aggregating adjacent OPCA outputs and applying OPCA to the aggregated values are performed one or more times for extracting low-dimensional noise-robust features from signals, including audio signals, images, video data, or any other time or frequency domain signal. Such extracted features are useful for many tasks, including automatic authentication or identification of particular signals, or particular elements within such signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chris Burges, John Platt
  • Patent number: 7082394
    Abstract: Extracting features from signals for use in classification, retrieval, or identification of data represented by those signals uses a “Distortion Discriminant Analysis” (DDA) of a set of training signals to define parameters of a signal feature extractor. The signal feature extractor takes signals having one or more dimensions with a temporal or spatial structure, applies an oriented principal component analysis (OPCA) to limited regions of the signal, aggregates the output of multiple OPCAs that are spatially or temporally adjacent, and applies OPCA to the aggregate. The steps of aggregating adjacent OPCA outputs and applying OPCA to the aggregated values are performed one or more times for extracting low-dimensional noise-robust features from signals, including audio signals, images, video data, or any other time or frequency domain signal. Such extracted features are useful for many tasks, including automatic authentication or identification of particular signals, or particular elements within such signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Chris Burges, John Platt
  • Publication number: 20060106867
    Abstract: A “Media Identifier” operates on concurrent media streams to provide large numbers of clients with real-time server-side identification of media objects embedded in streaming media, such as radio, television, or Internet broadcasts. Such media objects may include songs, commercials, jingles, station identifiers, etc. Identification of the media objects is provided to clients by comparing client-generated traces computed from media stream samples to a large database of stored, pre-computed traces (i.e., “fingerprints”) of known identification. Further, given a finite number of media streams and a much larger number of clients, many of the traces sent to the server are likely to be almost identical. Therefore, a searchable dynamic trace cache is used to limit the database queries necessary to identify particular traces. This trace cache caches only one copy of recent traces along with the database search results, either positive or negative. Cache entries are then removed as they age.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2004
    Publication date: May 18, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Chris Burges, John Platt
  • Publication number: 20060092282
    Abstract: A “media stream customizer” customizes buffered media streams by inserting one or more media objects into the stream to maintain an approximate buffer level. Specifically, when media objects such as songs, jingles, advertisements, etc., are deleted from the buffered stream (based on some user specified preferences), the buffer level will decrease. Therefore, over time, as more objects are deleted, the amount of the media stream being buffered continues to decrease, thereby limiting the ability to perform additional deletions from the stream. To address this limitation, the media stream customizer automatically chooses one or more media objects to insert back into the stream, and ensures that the inserted objects are consistent with any surrounding content of the media stream, thereby maintaining an approximate buffer level. In addition, the buffered content can also be stretched using pitch preserving audio stretching techniques to further compensate for deletions from the buffered stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Cormac Herley, Chris Burges
  • Publication number: 20060092281
    Abstract: A “media stream customizer” customizes buffered media streams by inserting one or more media objects into the stream to maintain an approximate buffer level. Specifically, when media objects such as songs, jingles, advertisements, etc., are deleted from the buffered stream (based on some user specified preferences), the buffer level will decrease. Therefore, over time, as more objects are deleted, the amount of the media stream being buffered continues to decrease, thereby limiting the ability to perform additional deletions from the stream. To address this limitation, the media stream customizer automatically chooses one or more media objects to insert back into the stream, and ensures that the inserted objects are consistent with any surrounding content of the media stream, thereby maintaining an approximate buffer level. In addition, the buffered content can also be stretched using pitch preserving audio stretching techniques to further compensate for deletions from the buffered stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2004
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Cormac Herley, John Platt, Chris Burges, Erin Renshaw
  • Publication number: 20060080356
    Abstract: A “similarity quantifier” automatically infers similarity between media objects which have no inherent measure of distance between them. For example, a human listener can easily determine that a song like Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel is more similar to Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. than it is to Highway to Hell by AC/DC. However, automatic determination of this similarity is typically a more difficult problem. This problem is addressed by using a combination of techniques for inferring similarities between media objects thereby facilitating media object filing, retrieval, classification, playlist construction, etc. Specifically, a combination of audio fingerprinting and repeat object detection is used for gathering statistics on broadcast media streams. These statistics include each media objects identity and positions within the media stream. Similarities between media objects are then inferred based on the observation that objects appearing closer together in an authored stream are more likely to be similar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Publication date: April 13, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Chris Burges, Cormac Herley, John Platt
  • Publication number: 20040260682
    Abstract: An “interactive signal analyzer” provides a framework for sampling one or more signals, such as, for example, one or more channels across the entire FM radio spectrum in one or more geographic regions, to identify objects of interest within the signal content and associate attributes with that content. The interactive signal analyzer uses a signal fingerprint extraction algorithm, i.e., a “fingerprint engine,” for deriving traces from segments of one or more signals. These traces are referred to as “fingerprints” since they are used to uniquely identify the signal segments from which they are derived. These fingerprints are then used for comparison to a database of fingerprints of known objects of interest. Information describing the identified content and associated object attributes is then provided in an interactive user database for viewing and interacting with information resulting from the comparison of the fingerprints to the database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Cormac Herley, Chris Burges, Erin Renshaw
  • Publication number: 20030236661
    Abstract: Extracting features from signals for use in classification, retrieval, or identification of data represented by those signals uses a “Distortion Discriminant Analysis” (DDA) of a set of training signals to define parameters of a signal feature extractor. The signal feature extractor takes signals having one or more dimensions with a temporal or spatial structure, applies an oriented principal component analysis (OPCA) to limited regions of the signal, aggregates the output of multiple OPCAs that are spatially or temporally adjacent, and applies OPCA to the aggregate. The steps of aggregating adjacent OPCA outputs and applying OPCA to the aggregated values are performed one or more times for extracting low-dimensional noise-robust features from signals, including audio signals, images, video data, or any other time or frequency domain signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Publication date: December 25, 2003
    Inventors: Chris Burges, John Platt