Patents by Inventor Christopher Pratley

Christopher Pratley 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).

  • Publication number: 20070201053
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for automatically adjusting printing settings to optimize the fit of text, data and/or images on printed pages. Once selected text or data is designated for printing, a determination is made as to whether the selected text or data may be printed on a single page or whether multiple pages are required. The best fit of the text or data on a single or multiple pages is accomplished by incrementally adjusting a number of different print settings until an optimum fit of the text or data is achieved on a single page or on a set of pages. Print settings include margins, scale, and orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy Sellers, Nam-Yul Kwon, John Griffin, Christopher Pratley, Owen Braun, Peter Engrav, Stuart Stuple
  • Patent number: 7249320
    Abstract: Grouping pages of an electronic document into a series and displaying a title area for that series. The title area on the viewable area of a display screen whenever a page within a page grouping is displayed. The title area may contain editable document objects accessible while viewing any page in the page group. Some of these document objects may contain information derived from other computer programs, such as a scheduling program and information may be automatically placed into these document objects. The format of the title area may be customized and the entire title area may be hidden from view. Also, pages may be moved from one page group to another. These moved pages may be associated with the title area of the new page group, with the title area of the original page group inserted into the page as a document object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Simmons, Stuart Stuple, Christopher Pratley
  • Publication number: 20060287983
    Abstract: Avoiding slow searches of stored information is described. During a search for notes or other information responsive to a search request, notes or other information that contain a search string, but that are located at remote memory locations may be skipped from retrieval for a requesting user due to an excessive amount of time required for retrieving the notes or information from the remote memory locations. If notes or information stored at remote memory locations are part of a personal “notebook” of notes or information of the requesting user, the notes or information stored at the remote memory locations may be retrieved regardless of the associated retrieval time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Publication date: December 21, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Krauss, Olga Veselova, Christopher Pratley
  • Publication number: 20060257025
    Abstract: Displaying a writing guide for a free-form document editor by detecting electronic ink, classifying the detected ink as corresponding to handwriting or a drawing, and displaying a handwriting guide or a drawing guide in response to classifying the detected ink as handwriting or a drawing, respectively. The writing guides can provide feedback regarding the classification of the detected ink and can be resized as additional ink is detected. The handwriting guide can comprise a writing area, writing guide portion, bullet guide, indent marker, character notches, gesture guide, or sacrificial guide to create meaningful structure within an outline object of an electronic document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Publication date: November 16, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Simmons, Kentaro Urata, Peter Engrav, Christopher Pratley, Owen Braun, Stuart Stuple
  • Publication number: 20060136821
    Abstract: A shared document is displayed in a customized form with highlighted content that identifies significant portions of the document. The highlighted content draws a user's attention to the portions of the document that may have been modified, deleted or added by others since the last time the user accessed the document. The highlighted content directs a user to modified document portions that the user has not yet read.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Benoit Barabe, Christopher Pratley, Peter Baer
  • Publication number: 20060136387
    Abstract: A summary page provides a current overview of a document. A query may be created or selected to search for a particular type of data in the document. Metadata associated with the document is analyzed to locate the type of data identified in the query. The query result is displayed on the summary page. A user may scan the summary page to determine an overview of the document based on the query result. The summary page may also include a link to the source of the query result in the document. The query or the query results may be stored in a dynamic content container associated with the document. The dynamic quality of the content container causes the summary page to be continuously updated and synchronous with a current state of the document. Thus, modifications to sources of the query result in the document are dynamically updated on the summary page.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Yalovsky, Christopher Pratley, Julie Zhuo
  • Publication number: 20060136357
    Abstract: An object tracking module establishes relationships between different types of data objects associated with application programs while a particular activity occurs. Contextual information associated with the data objects and the activity is collected to establish the relationship. The contextual information may include data objects that are accessed or created while the activity is in progress, or any other information associated with the activity. When an event related to the activity occurs, the object tracking module locates data relevant to the event based on the established relationships. The relevant data is presented in the same information space where the event occurs. A user may easily access the relevant information without manually searching for the data. The object tracking module may determine the degree of relevance between the data objects and the event such that only the most relevant objects are displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Rasmussen, Christopher Pratley, Owen Braun
  • Publication number: 20060075337
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium are provided for creating, inserting, and reusing document parts in an electronic document. According to a system, a word processing application program receives a selection of a document part category. In response to the selection of the document part category, a gallery of document parts is displayed in a user interface. A selection of a document part from the gallery is received and inserted in the electronic document without the need for additional formatting. The gallery of document parts defines a page layout for the electronic document. Document parts may be created within the user interface by modifying pre-built document parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Publication date: April 6, 2006
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Jones, Christopher Pratley, Eric Bailey, Marcin Sawicki, Roberto Taboada, Tristan Davis
  • Publication number: 20050179647
    Abstract: Automatic detection and switching between computer-enabled input modes is provided. An automatic switching input mode may be selected that allows input modes to be automatically switched from one mode to another based on user behavior. If a user's computer system is in selection mode (keyboard or mousing device), the user may enter and manipulate data via mouse movement or keyboard selection. If the user moves an electronic pen to the user's computer display screen, her computer system automatically switches to pen input mode without the requirement that the user manually switch to pen mode. Subsequently, if the user moves her mousing device or selects a key on her keyboard, her system automatically switches back to selection mode. Additionally, one input mode may be readily latched for operation as a different input mode. For example, a user may latch a pen input mode for operation as a mouse input mode. Conversely, a mouse input mode may be latched for operation as a pen input mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Alex Simmons, Christopher Pratley, Kentaro Urata
  • Publication number: 20050004890
    Abstract: A method and system for converting and plugging user interface terms is disclosed. A program module may allow the user to change the user interface language and the help feature language such that the user interface language may be different than the help feature language. Because the help feature often refers to user interface terms, a user may become confused if the help feature refers to user interface terms in the help language rather than in the user interface language. A mechanism for dynamically changing user interface terms in the help feature to the user interface language chosen by the user as opposed to the help feature language is disclosed. In one embodiment, the tagging of the HTML help feature files is altered with a special set of HTML tags so that these user interface terms may be identified and converted to the user interface language.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jose Real, Terry Farrell, Christopher Pratley
  • Publication number: 20040267871
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus are provided for viewing and managing collaboration data from within the context of a shared electronic document. A document editing pane is displayed for editing the shared document. In conjunction with the document editing pane, a collaboration pane is displayed for displaying the collaboration data. Through the collaboration pane, collaboration data such as the identities of one or more collaborators, task, documents, links and other information may be displayed. Actions may also be performed with respect to any aspect of the collaboration data through the collaboration pane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2003
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Inventors: Christopher Pratley, Marcin Sawicki, Anne Marie Renee Archambault, Raj Bharat Merchant, Michael Anthony Rigler, Sean Blagsvedt, Ethan Joseph Bernstein
  • Publication number: 20040177324
    Abstract: Grouping pages of an electronic document into a series and displaying a title area for that series. The title area on the viewable area of a display screen whenever a page within a page grouping is displayed. The title area may contain editable document objects accessible while viewing any page in the page group. Some of these document objects may contain information derived from other computer programs, such as a scheduling program and information may be automatically placed into these document objects. The format of the title area may be customized and the entire title area may be hidden from view. Also, pages may be moved from one page group to another. These moved pages may be associated with the title area of the new page group, with the title area of the original page group inserted into the page as a document object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Simmons, Stuart Stuple, Christopher Pratley