Patents by Inventor Christopher Lee Mullins
Christopher Lee Mullins 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).
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Publication number: 20240098156Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for providing interactive notification panels to a user. A bot apparatus receives a notification from an application program and transforms the notification into one or more interactive notification panels configured to receive user inputs and/or to provide an output to at least one user input. Based on at least one user input, the bot apparatus transmits data to the application program, which causes the application program to perform one or more actions.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Inventors: James Henry LEWALLEN, JR., Christopher Lee MULLINS
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Patent number: 11856070Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for providing interactive notification panels to a user. A bot apparatus receives a notification from an application program and transforms the notification into one or more interactive notification panels configured to receive user inputs and/or to provide an output to at least one user input. Based on at least one user input, the bot apparatus transmits data to the application program, which causes the application program to perform one or more actions.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2021Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC.Inventors: James Henry Lewallen, Jr., Christopher Lee Mullins
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Publication number: 20230359655Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods, and devices for enabling conversational bot communications are presented. A marketplace comprising an identity of a plurality of skills may be maintained, each of the plurality of skills associated with a manifest and a conversational bot. A request for execution of a specific skill may be received. A plurality of conversational bots may be identified, each of the plurality of conversational bots being associated with a manifest for executing the specific skill. The plurality of conversational bots may be ranked. The specific skill may be caused to be executed by the highest ranked conversational bot. In some examples, a plurality of highest ranked conversational bots may be surfaced and a bot that is selected may execute the specific skill.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2023Publication date: November 9, 2023Inventors: Christopher Lee MULLINS, Scott Jeff GELLOCK, Thomas Matthew LAIRD-MCCONNELL, Steven Wayne ICKMAN, Gabriel GILABERT, John Anthony TAYLOR
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Patent number: 11741140Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for enabling conversational bot communications are presented. A marketplace comprising an identity of a plurality of skills may be maintained, each of the plurality of skills associated with a manifest and a conversational bot. A request for execution of a specific skill may be received. A plurality of conversational bots may be identified, each of the plurality of conversational bots being associated with a manifest for executing the specific skill. The plurality of conversational bots may be ranked. The specific skill may be caused to be executed by the highest ranked conversational bot. In some examples, a plurality of highest ranked conversational bots may be surfaced and a bot that is selected may execute the specific skill.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2020Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Christopher Lee Mullins, Scott Jeff Gellock, Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, Steven Wayne Ickman, Gabriel Gilabert, John Anthony Taylor
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Patent number: 11736310Abstract: A computing system for real-time analyzing meeting conversations using artificial intelligence (AI) is configured to establish a meeting communication channel that facilitates a meeting among multiple client systems. Each of the multiple client systems corresponds to a meeting participant. In response to receiving communication from the multiple client systems, the computing system analyzes currently received communication via an AI engine while the meeting remains active. The currently received communication is communication received within a rolling time window ending at a current time. Based on the analysis, the computing system identifies an agenda item that has a highest correlation with the currently received communication and a sentiment of at least one participant. The computing system then determines a level of interest of the agenda item based on the sentiment of the participant and causes at least one client system to display a notification or an alert or make suggestions.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2022Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Thomas Matthew Laird-Mcconnell, Steven Ickman, Christopher Lee Mullins, Lili Cheng
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Patent number: 11669435Abstract: The present disclosure relates to processing operations configured to generate and present a chat bot diagnostic visualization that provides real-time visual insights into operation of a chat bot for debugging assistance. A chat bot diagnostic tool is programmed to launch a graphical user interface that displays a visual representation of diagnostic data for debugging a chat bot in real-time. To enable conversational specific data to be reviewed, the present disclosure is configured to implement a middleware adapter within in a run-time stack of a chat bot that is configured to trace data traffic between a chat bot and a channel of an application/service. This enables the chat bot diagnostic tool to observe data traffic and filter the data traffic to identify relevant data for debugging a chat bot. A debugging data visualization of a chat bot interaction is emulated through a graphical user interface of the chat bot diagnostic tool.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2019Date of Patent: June 6, 2023Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: John Anthony Taylor, Christopher Michael Whitten, Steven Wayne Ickman, Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, Christopher Lee Mullins, Scott Jeff Gellock
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Publication number: 20220405068Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems, methods and computer readable media for providing tools and features related to developing asset packages that may be incorporated within the framework of various bot packages. For example, systems disclosed herein can provide an asset development interface that enables a user of a computing device to develop various types of bot packages by adding and/or modifying asset packages. The systems provide a mechanism whereby a developer can obtain an asset package including one or more discrete action components that are pre-configured and pre-packaged in a way that enables the asset package to be incorporated into the framework of the bot or, alternatively, within the framework of another asset package. The systems described herein further enable content of the asset packages to be selectively accessible to users and associated computing devices that are authorized to view and use the asset packages.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2021Publication date: December 22, 2022Inventors: Benjamin Abraham BROWN, Steven Wayne ICKMAN, Christopher Lee MULLINS, Christopher Michael WHITTEN, Lili CHENG, Scott Jeff GELLOCK
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Patent number: 11468122Abstract: A method for utilizing shared memory spaces for data lifecycle management in a conversational AI system includes receiving one or more storage requests directing conversational data to multiple nodes of a conversational data object and storing the conversational data that is directed to each different one of the multiple nodes within a different one of multiple discrete memory spaces. Each of the multiple discrete memory spaces is governed by a scope policy defining a lifetime for data stored within the memory space. The method further provides for erasing data of each node of the multiple different nodes of the conversational data object according to the lifetime defined by the scope policy governing the memory space storing the node.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2019Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Ickman, Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, Christopher Clayton McConnell, Carlos Castro, Christopher Lee Mullins, Scott J. Gellock
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Publication number: 20220303153Abstract: A computing system for real-time analyzing meeting conversations using artificial intelligence (AI) is configured to establish a meeting communication channel that facilitates a meeting among multiple client systems. Each of the multiple client systems corresponds to a meeting participant. In response to receiving communication from the multiple client systems, the computing system analyzes currently received communication via an AI engine while the meeting remains active. The currently received communication is communication received within a rolling time window ending at a current time. Based on the analysis, the computing system identifies an agenda item that has a highest correlation with the currently received communication and a sentiment of at least one participant. The computing system then determines a level of interest of the agenda item based on the sentiment of the participant and causes at least one client system to display a notification or an alert or make suggestions.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2022Publication date: September 22, 2022Inventors: Thomas Matthew LAIRD-MCCONNELL, Steven ICKMAN, Christopher Lee MULLINS, Lili CHENG
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Patent number: 11349679Abstract: A computing system for real-time analyzing meeting conversations using artificial intelligence (AI) is configured to establish a meeting communication channel that facilitates a meeting among multiple client systems. Each of the multiple client systems corresponds to a meeting participant. In response to receiving communication from the multiple client systems, the computing system analyzes currently received communication via an AI engine while the meeting remains active. The currently received communication is communication received within a rolling time window ending at a current time. Based on the analysis, the computing system identifies an agenda item that has a highest correlation with the currently received communication or a task that is assigned to at least one of the participants, and causes, in substantially real time, at least one of the plurality of the client systems to display the agenda item or add the task to a task list.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2021Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, Steven Ickman, Christopher Lee Mullins, Lili Cheng
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Patent number: 11321532Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for enabling conversational bot communications are presented. A natural language input may be received by a first conversational bot. A skill needed to fulfill a request in the natural language input may be identified. A determination may be made that the skill is not executable by the first conversational bot. A determination may be made that the skill is executable by a second conversational bot. A request for execution of the skill may be sent from the first conversational bot to the second conversational bot. A request for information needed for the second conversational bot to execute the skill may be received by the first conversational bot from the second conversational bot. The information may be sent from the first conversational bot to the second conversational bot. The skill may be executed.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2020Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Christopher Lee Mullins, Scott Jeff Gellock, Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, Steven Wayne Ickman, Gabriel Gilabert, John Anthony Taylor
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Patent number: 11310172Abstract: Representative embodiments disclose mechanisms to create analytic metrics for bots. In one set of embodiments, the system creates a custom URI that encodes bot specific information in a URI format. An analytic record is created based on the URI and the analytic record can be logged and/or sent directly to an analytic platform designed to provide analytic metrics for websites. In this fashion, website analytic platforms can be used to provide analytic metrics for bots. In another set of embodiments, analytic records are created that are logged and/or sent directly to a bot specific analytic platform. Such a platform may help derive bot specific analytic metrics.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2019Date of Patent: April 19, 2022Inventors: Christopher Lee Mullins, David Shigeru Taniguchi
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Publication number: 20220086247Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for providing interactive notification panels to a user. A bot apparatus receives a notification from an application program and transforms the notification into one or more interactive notification panels configured to receive user inputs and/or to provide an output to at least one user input. Based on at least one user input, the bot apparatus transmits data to the application program, which causes the application program to perform one or more actions.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2021Publication date: March 17, 2022Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: James Henry LEWALLEN, JR., Christopher Lee MULLINS
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Patent number: 11188548Abstract: A system and method of automating data profile updating and querying includes building bots using standard schema having predefined data types for collecting data relating to a user or object. A bot stores the collected data in a data profile for the user or object in a graph data store that is queried by that bot or another bot to extract data relating to the user or object. The data relating to the user or object may be collected from two or more data channels including, for example, a channel of spoken data and a channel of typed data. The collected data is selectively processed by a bot to establish context for the collected data and is inserted into a knowledge graph that may be joined to another knowledge graph for querying. The bots automate the collection and sharing of collected profile data with other bots in an application ecosystem.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2019Date of Patent: November 30, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: John Anthony Taylor, Christopher Lee Mullins
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Patent number: 11089125Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for providing interactive notification panels to a user. A bot apparatus receives a notification from an application program and transforms the notification into one or more interactive notification panels configured to receive user inputs and/or to provide an output to at least one user input. Based on at least one user input, the bot apparatus transmits data to the application program, which causes the application program to perform one or more actions.Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2020Date of Patent: August 10, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: James Henry Lewallen, Jr., Christopher Lee Mullins
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Patent number: 11080344Abstract: A facility for providing document contents from a server is described. The facility receives from a separate client computing system a retrieval request to return a document identified by a document identifier contained by the retrieval request. The retrieval request has been originated by the client computing system in response to an open request for a file stored on the client computing system that contains the document identifier. The facility transmits to the client a response containing at least a portion of a document to which the document identifier contained by the retrieval request corresponds.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2018Date of Patent: August 3, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventor: Christopher Lee Mullins
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Publication number: 20210182497Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for enabling conversational bot communications are presented. A natural language input may be received by a first conversational bot. A skill needed to fulfill a request in the natural language input may be identified. A determination may be made that the skill is not executable by the first conversational bot. A determination may be made that the skill is executable by a second conversational bot. A request for execution of the skill may be sent from the first conversational bot to the second conversational bot. A request for information needed for the second conversational bot to execute the skill may be received by the first conversational bot from the second conversational bot. The information may be sent from the first conversational bot to the second conversational bot. The skill may be executed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2020Publication date: June 17, 2021Inventors: Christopher Lee Mullins, Scott Jeff Gellock, Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, Steven Wayne Ickman, Gabriel Gilabert, John Anthony Taylor
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Publication number: 20210182341Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for enabling conversational bot communications are presented. A marketplace comprising an identity of a plurality of skills may be maintained, each of the plurality of skills associated with a manifest and a conversational bot. A request for execution of a specific skill may be received. A plurality of conversational bots may be identified, each of the plurality of conversational bots being associated with a manifest for executing the specific skill. The plurality of conversational bots may be ranked. The specific skill may be caused to be executed by the highest ranked conversational bot. In some examples, a plurality of highest ranked conversational bots may be surfaced and a bot that is selected may execute the specific skill.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2020Publication date: June 17, 2021Inventors: Christopher Lee Mullins, Scott Jeff Gellock, Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, Steven Wayne Ickman, Gabriel Gilabert, John Anthony Taylor
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Patent number: 11036918Abstract: A facility for materializing a document is described. The facility identifies within the document a reference to a document fragment. The facility uses an identifier contained in the identified reference to retrieve document fragment contents stored separately from the document. The facility causes the retrieved document fragment contents to be displayed in context of the document.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2019Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Christopher Lee Mullins, Jonathan Edgar Fay
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Patent number: 11030259Abstract: A facility for annotating a visual representation of a document is described. The facility presents on a display device visual representations of two or more portions of a document. The facility further present on the display on the display, in connection with each of one or more of the presented document portion visual representations, an annotation conveying a result of aggregating information describing two or more search transactions in whose results the represented document portion is included.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2016Date of Patent: June 8, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Christopher Lee Mullins, Robert Earl Standefer, III, Miguel Oom Temudo de Castro