Patents by Inventor Chung-Man Tam
Chung-Man Tam 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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Patent number: 8086605Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for ranking a result set. The method according to one embodiment comprises selecting an item from the result set, selecting a user profile from one or more user profiles and selecting one or more items of personalized information from the selected user profile. A rank is calculated for the item on the basis of the selected one or more items of personalized information and the selected item in the result set is ranked in accordance with the calculated rank.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2006Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Zhichen Xu, Pavel Berkhin, Daniel E. Rose, Jianchang Mao, David Ku, Qi Lu, Eckart Walther, Chung-Man Tam
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Patent number: 8055634Abstract: The present invention relates to systems, methods, and user interfaces for browsing a collection of content items saved by a user or by one or more buddies associated with a given user. The method of the present invention comprises saving one or more content items and one or more associated keywords as specified by a user. An interface is generated that displays the one or more saved content items and the one or more associated keywords, as well as the one or more buddies associated with a given user. A user indication of the selection of a given keyword or the selection of a given buddy by the user is received. The one or more displayed content items are filtered according to the selected keyword, buddy, or combination of selected keyword and buddy.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2010Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Kenneth Norton, Chung-Man Tam, Jianchang Mao, Zhichen Xu, Adrienne Bassett, Ashley Hall, Nathan Arnold
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Patent number: 8037047Abstract: Techniques for performing inline searches in an instant messaging environment are provided. A user can implement a web search in an instant messaging window by entering a search query. A search query can be preceded by a predefined search trigger to identify the associated text as the search query. The search query is sent to an Internet search server, which processes the query and gathers search results. One or more of the search results is displayed inline in the instant messaging window to the sender and the recipient. The search result can be in XML or HTML format and can include graphics and hyperlinks.Type: GrantFiled: February 29, 2008Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Christopher Szeto, Raymond Chung-Man Tam
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Publication number: 20110213805Abstract: Computer systems and methods allow users to annotate content items found in a corpus such as the World Wide Web. Annotations, which can include any descriptive and/or evaluative metadata related to a document, are collected from a user and stored in association with that user. Users are able to annotate and view their annotations for any document they encounter while interacting with the corpus, including hits returned in a search of the corpus. Users are also able to search their annotations or to limit searches to documents they have annotated. Metadata from annotations can also be aggregated across users and aggregated metadata applied in generating search results.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2011Publication date: September 1, 2011Applicant: YAHOO! INC.Inventors: Eckart Walther, Qi Lu, David Ku, Kevin Lee, Chung-Man Tam, Ali Diab
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Patent number: 8005850Abstract: Computer systems and methods allow users to annotate content items found in a corpus such as the World Wide Web. Annotations, which can include any descriptive and/or evaluative metadata related to a document, are collected from a user and stored in association with that user. Users are able to annotate and view their annotations for any document they encounter while interacting with the corpus, including hits returned in a search of the corpus. Users are also able to search their annotations or to limit searches to documents they have annotated. Metadata from annotations can also be aggregated across users and aggregated metadata applied in generating search results.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2005Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Eckart Walther, Qi Lu, David Ku, Kevin Lee, Chung-Man Tam, Ali Diab
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Patent number: 8005835Abstract: Computer systems and methods allow users to annotate content items found in a corpus such as the World Wide Web. Annotations, which can include any descriptive and/or evaluative metadata related to a document, are collected from a user and stored in association with that user. Users are able to annotate and view their annotations for any document they encounter while interacting with the corpus, including hits returned in a search of the corpus. Users are also able to search their annotations or to limit searches to documents they have annotated. Metadata from annotations can also be aggregated across users and aggregated metadata applied in generating search results.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2005Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Eckart Walther, Qi Lu, David Ku, Kevin Lee, Chung-Man Tam, Ali Diab
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Patent number: 8001102Abstract: Techniques for integrating instant messaging with Internet search features are provided. An instant messaging (IM) application allows users to launch a search of the Internet or the World Wide Web for information about another IM user or another topic. If an IM user wishes to locate information relating to a friend, a search is performed through a database of registered IM members to locate a user profile for the friend. If the friend's profile is found, the profile is displayed to the IM user. An IM application can link to an Internet search engine to search the Internet for web sites relating to the topic or person. Search results from an Internet search can be sorted based on information about a friend that is stored in the friend's user profile.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2008Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Christopher T. Szeto, Raymond Chung-Man Tam
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Publication number: 20100318513Abstract: The present invention relates to systems, methods, and user interfaces for browsing a collection of content items saved by a user or by one or more buddies associated with a given user. The method of the present invention comprises saving one or more content items and one or more associated keywords as specified by a user. An interface is generated that displays the one or more saved content items and the one or more associated keywords, as well as the one or more buddies associated with a given user. A user indication of the selection of a given keyword or the selection of a given buddy by the user is received. The one or more displayed content items are filtered according to the selected keyword, buddy, or combination of selected keyword and buddy.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2010Publication date: December 16, 2010Applicant: YAHOO! INC.Inventors: Kenneth Norton, Chung-Man Tam, Jianchang Mao, Zhichen Xu, Adrienne Bassett, Ashley Hall, Nathan Arnold
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Patent number: 7797287Abstract: The present invention relates to systems, methods, and user interfaces for browsing a collection of content items saved by a user or by one or more buddies associated with a given user. The method of the present invention comprises saving one or more content items and one or more associated keywords as specified by a user. An interface is generated that displays the one or more saved content items and the one or more associated keywords, as well as the one or more buddies associated with a given user. A user indication of the selection of a given keyword or the selection of a given buddy by the user is received. The one or more displayed content items are filtered according to the selected keyword, buddy, or combination of selected keyword and buddy.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2006Date of Patent: September 14, 2010Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Kenneth Norton, Chung-Man Tam, Jianchang Mao, Zhichen Xu, Adrienne Bassett, Ashley Hall, Nathan Arnold
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Patent number: 7761436Abstract: A method for sharing content with a user includes receiving from a user a first set of keywords for annotating an annotated user; receiving from the user a second set of keywords that designate whether annotated content annotated by at least one keyword included in the second set of keywords may be shared with the annotated user; storing in a data store a first association of the first set of keywords with the annotated user, and a second association of the second set of keywords with the annotated user; receiving a keyword selection for a select keyword and an identifier for the annotated user; and displaying on the client system content annotated by the select keyword if the annotated user is annotated by at least one keyword in the first set of keywords, and if the select keyword is included in the second set of keywords.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2006Date of Patent: July 20, 2010Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Kenneth Norton, Chung-Man Tam, Jianchang Mao, Zhichen Xu, Adrienne Bassett, Ashley Hall, Nathan Arnold
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Patent number: 7693912Abstract: By varying the levels of detail associated with items in an ordered collection of information, items may be organized in a way to emphasize details about item of current interest. Displaying varying levels of detail about items in an ordered collection of information involves determining a focus, and based on their relative location to the focus adding additional detail to other items displayed from the collection of information. For instance, a user browsing a web search results list typically only sees a few essential details such as the name, link, and brief abstract about each item in the list. Providing the user with varying levels of detail about each item in the list helps them decide to where they want to navigate.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2005Date of Patent: April 6, 2010Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Daniel E. Rose, Raymond Chung-Man Tam, Christian Martin Riblet
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Patent number: 7685209Abstract: An annotation method for annotating content includes displaying a set of suggested keywords on an editing interface page configured to receive one or more annotations for the content. A request is received via the editing interface page to annotate the content with at least one keyword from the set of suggested keywords. Association information is generated that associates the at least one keyword with the content.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2005Date of Patent: March 23, 2010Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Kenneth Norton, Chung-Man Tam, Jianchang Mao, Zhichen Xu, Adrienne Bassett, Ashley Hall, Nathan Arnold
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Patent number: 7647306Abstract: The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for using community annotations to content items as anchortext for search and index purposes. The method according to one embodiment comprises generating one or more items of personalized information by a user for storage in a user profile, the one or more items of personalized information associated with one or more content items, the one or more content items and the one or more items of personalized information comprising one or more words. One or more items of personalized information is selected from a given user profile. The method further comprises indexing the one or more words in the one or more content items and the one or more words in the selected personalized information into an index, identifying one or more content items responsive to on or more query words in a query of the index and returning the identified content items as a result set to the user.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2006Date of Patent: January 12, 2010Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Daniel E. Rose, Jianchang Mao, Zhichen Xu, David Ku, Qi Lu, Eckart Walther, Chung-Man Tam
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Patent number: 7599950Abstract: Computer systems and methods allow users to annotate content items found in a corpus such as the World Wide Web. Annotations, which can include any descriptive and/or evaluative metadata related to a document, are collected from a user and stored in association with that user. Users are able to annotate and view their annotations for any document they encounter while interacting with the corpus, including hits returned in a search of the corpus. Users are also able to search their annotations or to limit searches to documents they have annotated. Metadata from annotations can also be aggregated across users and aggregated metadata applied in generating search results.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2005Date of Patent: October 6, 2009Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Eckart Walther, Qi Lu, David Ku, Kevin Lee, Chung-Man Tam, Ali Diab
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Publication number: 20080288467Abstract: Techniques for integrating instant messaging with Internet search features are provided. An instant messaging (IM) application allows users to launch a search of the Internet or the World Wide Web for information about another IM user or another topic. If an IM user wishes to location information relating to a friend, a search is performed through a database of registered IM members to locate a user profile for the friend. If the friend's profile is found, the profile is displayed to the IM user. An IM application can link to an Internet search engine to search the Internet for web sites relating to the topic or person. Search results from an Internet search can be sorted based on information about a friend that is stored in the friend's user profile.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2008Publication date: November 20, 2008Applicant: YAHOO! INC.Inventors: Christopher SZETO, Raymond Chung-Man Tam
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Patent number: 7409384Abstract: Techniques for integrating instant messaging with Internet search features are provided. An instant messaging (IM) application allows users to launch a search of the Internet or the World Wide Web for information about another IM user or another topic. If an IM user wishes to locate information relating to a friend, a search is performed through a database of registered IM members to locate a user profile for the friend. If the friend's profile is found, the profile is displayed to the IM user. An IM application can also launch a Internet search for information relating to a topic or a friend. The IM application can link to an Internet search engine to search the Internet for web sites relating to the topic or person. Search results from an Internet search can be sorted based on information about a friend that is stored in the friend's user profile.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2004Date of Patent: August 5, 2008Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Christopher Szeto, Raymond Chung-Man Tam
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Publication number: 20080162438Abstract: Techniques for performing inline searches in an instant messaging environment are provided. A user can implement a web search in an instant messaging window by entering a search query. A search query can be preceded by a predefined search trigger to identify the associated text as the search query. The search query is sent to an Internet search server, which processes the query and gathers search results. One or more of the search results is displayed inline in the instant messaging window to the sender and the recipient. The search result can be in XML or HTML format and can include graphics and hyperlinks.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 29, 2008Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Christopher SZETO, Raymond Chung-Man TAM
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Patent number: 7363295Abstract: Techniques for performing inline searches in an instant messaging environment are provided. A user can implement a web search in an instant messaging window by entering a search query. A search query can be preceded by a predefined search trigger to identify the associated text as the search query. The search query is sent to an Internet search server, which processes the query and gathers search results. One or more of the search results is displayed inline in the instant messaging window to the sender and the recipient. The search result can be in XML or HTML format and can include graphics and hyperlinks.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2004Date of Patent: April 22, 2008Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Christopher Szeto, Raymond Chung-Man Tam
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Publication number: 20080010294Abstract: A method for notifying a subscribing user when an annotating user tags a content item with a keyword includes: providing an interface operable by the subscribing user to identify a subscription keyword and/or an annotating user; defining an RSS feed corresponding to the keyword and the annotating user; configuring an annotation server to update the RSS feed in the event that the annotating user tags a content item with the subscription keyword; and providing the subscribing user with access to Corresponding systems are also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2006Publication date: January 10, 2008Inventors: Kenneth Norton, Chung-Man Tam, Zhichen Xu
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Publication number: 20070156636Abstract: A method for sharing content with a user includes receiving from a user a first set of keywords for annotating an annotated user; receiving from the user a second set of keywords that designate whether annotated content annotated by at least one keyword included in the second set of keywords may be shared with the annotated user; storing in a data store a first association of the first set of keywords with the annotated user, and a second association of the second set of keywords with the annotated user; receiving a keyword selection for a select keyword and an identifier for the annotated user; and displaying on the client system content annotated by the select keyword if the annotated user is annotated by at least one keyword in the first set of keywords, and if the select keyword is included in the second set of keywords.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2006Publication date: July 5, 2007Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Kenneth Norton, Chung-Man Tam, Jianchang Mao, Zhichen Xu, Adrienne Bassett, Ashley Hall, Nathan Arnold