Patents by Inventor Joel W. Varland

Joel W. Varland 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: 9223851
    Abstract: A query including one or more current search terms is received from a user and executed against a target database. When the query yields a number of results less than a defined search threshold (a.k.a. an “unsuccessful” search), the current search terms are compared with an associations database. The associations database includes associations between search terms in previously-executed queries that yielded less than a threshold number of results and replacement search terms that were substituted to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results. Upon finding a match between one or more of the search terms and the current search terms, the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms are used to identify suggested replacement search terms and present them to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel G. Zarzar Charur, Mark D. Huentelman, Noaa Avital, Jun Ge, Joel W. Varland
  • Patent number: 8447759
    Abstract: Suggesting to a user most likely search assets that address a searched topic in each of a number of different software applications is provided. In response to a search for help or general information content associated with a given application, suggested help or general information content associated with a number of different applications or different versions of a given application is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel G. Zarzar, Mark David Huentelman, Joel W. Varland
  • Publication number: 20110106831
    Abstract: A query including one or more current search terms is received from a user and executed against a target database. When the query yields a number of results less than a defined search threshold (a.k.a. an “unsuccessful” search), the current search terms are compared with an associations database. The associations database includes associations between search terms in previously-executed queries that yielded less than a threshold number of results and replacement search terms that were substituted to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results. Upon finding a match between one or more of the search terms and the current search terms, the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms are used to identify suggested replacement search terms and present them to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daniel G. Zarzar Charur, Mark D. Huentelman, Noaa Avital, Jun Ge, Joel W. Varland
  • Patent number: 7890516
    Abstract: A query including one or more current search terms is received from a user and executed against a target database. When the query yields a number of results less than a defined search threshold (a.k.a. an “unsuccessful” search), the current search terms are compared with an associations database. The associations database includes associations between search terms in previously-executed queries that yielded less than a threshold number of results and replacement search terms that were substituted to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results. Upon finding a match between one or more of the search terms and the current search terms, the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms are used to identify suggested replacement search terms and present them to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel G. Zarzar Charur, Mark D. Huentelman, Noaa Avital, Jun Ge, Joel W. Varland
  • Publication number: 20090299991
    Abstract: A query including one or more current search terms is received from a user and executed against a target database. When the query yields a number of results less than a defined search threshold (a.k.a. an “unsuccessful” search), the current search terms are compared with an associations database. The associations database includes associations between search terms in previously-executed queries that yielded less than a threshold number of results and replacement search terms that were substituted to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results. Upon finding a match between one or more of the search terms and the current search terms, the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms are used to identify suggested replacement search terms and present them to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel G. Zarzar Charur, Mark D. Huentelman, Noaa Avital, Jun Ge, Joel W. Varland
  • Publication number: 20090234808
    Abstract: Suggesting to a user most likely search assets that address a searched topic in each of a number of different software applications is provided. In response to a search for help or general information content associated with a given application, suggested help or general information content associated with a number of different applications or different versions of a given application is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel G. Zarzar, Mark David Huentelman, Joel W. Varland