Abstract: Contextual help is provided in an unobtrusive manner. The optimum point in time for displaying a help notification is determined by triggers associated with each help notification. The triggers may take into account various factors, such as the action currently being performed by the user, whether the tip has been presented to the user before, the user's past experience with the feature, and so forth.

Abstract: Contextual help is provided in an unobtrusive manner. The optimum point in time for displaying a help notification is determined by triggers associated with each help notification.

Abstract: Methods and computer-readable media for determining relevant search categories, such as images, videos, news, health, maps, products, etc., and subcategories that are associated with the search categories based on a query submitted by a user on a search page and displaying the relevant search categories and subcategories on an initial search results page. A query may be inputted by a user and may be received. A set of suggested refinement links, which may include search categories and subcategories, may be identified as being relevant to the query. Further, the subcategories, when selected, may return narrower search results than when a selection is made of a search category. Additionally, the initial search results page may be generated and may include the set of suggested refinement links determined to be relevant to the query, as well as search results.

Abstract: Methods and computer-readable media for determining relevant search categories, such as images, videos, news, health, maps, products, etc., and subcategories that are associated with the search categories based on a query submitted by a user on a search page and displaying the relevant search categories and subcategories on an initial search results page. A query may be inputted by a user and may be received. A set of suggested refinement links, which may include search categories and subcategories, may be identified as being relevant to the query. Further, the subcategories, when selected, may return narrower search results than when a selection is made of a search category. Additionally, the initial search results page may be generated and may include the set of suggested refinement links determined to be relevant to the query, as well as search results.

Abstract: An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein an application sharing viewing display is modified to increase the likelihood that a viewing user is able to see without scrolling the entirety of a window of interest displayed by a sharing user on a sharing machine. The scale of the viewer representation of the window of interest may be substantially continuously varied so as to best account for the particular size of the available display area at the viewing machine. In a further embodiment of the invention, the viewer's attention may be focused by filtering of the shared display material to visually enhance the current window of interest.

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: An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein shared window data is treated according to different sets of rules depending upon the fraction of the shared window data that corresponds to the actual shared window. In this manner, occlusions of a shared window on a sharer display may be disguised or handled by a viewer display to minimize the impact of the occlusion on a viewing user, providing a more consistent and less confusing viewer experience.

Abstract: Contacts and associated presence information for contacts of an instant messenger (IM) application are synchronized with a centralized contact store within a file system of a computing device. Contacts are added, deleted, and changed that correspond to the IM application. Furthermore, the presence information of the contacts also change. These changes in both the contacts and the presence information are reflected in corresponding contact entries within the centralized contact store.

Abstract: Automatic selection of an instant messenger (IM) client is made in response to a request to initiate a communication activity with a selected contact, such as an IM chat session. The IM client is selected according to which IM client is providing presence information related to the contact. The IM client is also selected according to which IM client is capable of handling the requested communication activity. An IM client may be selected if it can handle the requested communication activity irrespective of whether the contact is online with the IM client.

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: 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: An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein shared window data is treated according to different sets of rules depending upon the fraction of the shared window data that corresponds to the actual shared window. In this manner, occlusions of a shared window on a sharer display may be disguised or handled by a viewer display to minimize the impact of the occlusion on a viewing user, providing a more consistent and less confusing viewer experience.

Abstract: An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein shared window data is treated according to different sets of rules depending upon the fraction of the shared window data that corresponds to the actual shared window. In this manner, occlusions of a shared window on a sharer display may be disguised or handled by a viewer display to minimize the impact of the occlusion on a viewing user, providing a more consistent and less confusing viewer experience.

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: Mechanisms for organizing messages across different message types. This may be accomplished by using a single integrated user interface in which messages across a variety of different message types are represented in a common way. For example, the user experience of placing a telephone call is standardized, regardless of the actual telephone technology (Cell Phone, VoIP, or POTS) used to conduct the telephone conversation. Also, addition to a general log that includes the overall list of messages, each message also has a separate, message-based log, thereby allowing for more flexible querying and organization of the messages regardless of the message type.

Abstract: A system and method for categorizing a document in a document management system, wherein said document management system comprises a tree of nodes, and enables a document to be categorized in a plurality of nodes. Each node has a category label indicative of a document category. Unique vocabulary terms are listed wherein each vocabulary term represents only one node in the tree and comprises that node's category label. A checkbox is provided for each of the vocabulary terms whereby a user may select one or more vocabulary term by checking a corresponding checkbox. From the checked terms, a set of vocabulary terms is generated for associating a document with all of the nodes corresponding to the selected vocabulary terms.