Patents by Inventor Lili Cheng
Lili Cheng 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: 8983924Abstract: When a user enters an information retrieval query, a topic feed generator automatically generates a topic feed for publication or distribution to a set of followers or recipients who have elected to receive the topic feed from the user or based on the subject matter content of the query. A feed distributor component automatically distributes the topic feed, which includes the query, to the identified recipients. A search component executes the search and returns results, corresponding to the query, to the user.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2011Date of Patent: March 17, 2015Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Steven Ickman, Thomas Matthew Laird-McConnell, William Lawrence Portnoy, Christopher McConnell, Lili Cheng, David Arthur Raskino, Gregory Scott Melander
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Patent number: 8972342Abstract: A metadata management architecture. The architecture includes a property component that lists one or more properties related to a file, and a viewing component that present files having one or more of the related properties. A synchronization component provides immediate synchronization between property editing fields of the property component and a view in the property-based browser component, providing both instantaneous feedback on property changes and an ability to manipulate properties graphically. Thus, a change in the property pane is immediately reflected in the view component, and a change in the view component is immediately reflected in the property pane.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2008Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Andrzej Turski, Cornelis K. Van Dok, Lili Cheng, Lyon K. F. Wong, Matthew B. MacLaurin, Patrice L. Miner
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Publication number: 20150012890Abstract: Described is a virtual environment built by drawing stacks of three-dimensional objects (e.g., discrete blocks) as manipulated by a user. A user manipulates one or more objects, resulting in stack heights being changed, e.g., by adding, removing or moving objects to/from stacks. The stack heights are maintained as sample points, e.g., each point indexed by its associated horizontal location. A graphics processor expands height-related information into visible objects or stacks of objects by computing the vertices for each stack to draw that stack's top surface, front surface and/or side surface based upon the height-related information for that stack. Height information for neighboring stacks may be associated with the sample point, whereby a stack is only drawn to where it is occluded by a neighboring stack, that is, by computing the lower vertices for a surface according to the height of a neighboring stack where appropriate.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2014Publication date: January 8, 2015Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Mark T. Finch, Matthew B. MacLaurin, Stephen B. Coy, Eric S. Anderson, Lili Cheng
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Publication number: 20140325005Abstract: A mechanism for automatically organizing electronic messages is described herein. Social groups of a particular user that may be representative of topics, people, projects, and the like can be automatically learned based at least in part upon historical correspondence of the user. Moreover, messages can be automatically prioritized based at least in part upon historical correspondence patterns. Electronic messages may be presented to the user in accordance with group information and how important the messages are to the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2014Publication date: October 30, 2014Inventors: Andrzej Turski, Lili Cheng, Michael Anthony Affronti, Shane Williams
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Publication number: 20140304232Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to architectures for facilitating network-accessible or local backup or restore features in a manner that leverages event-oriented contextual information associated with one or more users of the data to be backed up or restored. In particular, a first restore-based architecture can interface with an associated second backup-based architecture that hosts or maintains a backup data store in order to retrieve a version of the data file that is desired by a user. Additionally, the first architecture can obtain a log of contextual event descriptions that can be aggregated by the second architecture or obtained independently from, e.g., a social networking service or a calendar application associated with the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2014Publication date: October 9, 2014Inventors: Lara M. Sosnosky, Lili Cheng, John D. Mehr, George Moromisato, Elissa E. Murphy
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Patent number: 8850325Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can scale a content feed in terms of the amount of content delivered in order to facilitate satisfactory experiences in connection with a social network. In particular, the architecture can utilize a content feed to disseminate content between members of a network community, generally relative to a particular social circle of a given user. The architecture can maintain a personal space for the user and display to the personal space content provided by a content feed. Content provided to the personal space (as well as that retrieved from the personal space) can be scaled based upon a variety of commitment characteristics associated with the social circle. In addition, the architecture can employ smart dispersal of content and can intelligently acquire additional content from the user or import suitable settings from disparate users.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2009Date of Patent: September 30, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Lili Cheng, Owen Charles Braun, Alice Jane Bernheim Brush, Alex D Daley, Susan T. Dumais, Dragos A Manolescu, Henricus (Erik) Johannes Maria Meijer, Simon C Muzio, John Oberon, Rebecca Ann Norlander
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Patent number: 8818957Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to architectures for facilitating network-accessible or local backup or restore features in a manner that leverages event-oriented contextual information associated with one or more users of the data to be backed up or restored. In particular, a first restore-based architecture can interface with an associated second backup-based architecture that hosts or maintains a backup data store in order to retrieve a version of the data file that is desired by a user. Additionally, the first architecture can obtain a log of contextual event descriptions that can be aggregated by the second architecture or obtained independently from, e.g., a social networking service or a calendar application associated with the user.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2013Date of Patent: August 26, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Lara M. Sosnosky, Lili Cheng, John D. Mehr, George Moromisato, Elissa E. Murphy
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Patent number: 8805720Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate verification or feedback in association with consumer transactions. In particular the architecture can image a transaction receipt, translate the image into text-based data, and extract relevant transaction data there from. Such relevant transaction data can be saved to a data store maintained or supervised by the customer and/or transmitted to authorized components that can benefit from data related to transaction histories, verification, and/or feedback.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2007Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Gary W. Flake, Jeffrey R. Hemmen, Alexander Gounares, David M. Chickering, Eric J. Horvitz, Michael Connolly, Lili Cheng, Kamal Jain, George P. Moromisato
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Patent number: 8799077Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture or extension to an operating system (or component thereof) that can facilitate extensible themes for or advertising integration with a desktop that is managed by the operating system. In particular, the architecture can acquire advertisement content such as ads or advertiser skins, select suitable content for display, and configure the operating system to display the selected content. The architecture also provides mechanisms for identifying suitable locations as well as appropriate time for displaying the content.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2007Date of Patent: August 5, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Gary W. Flake, Lili Cheng, Michael Connolly, Alexander G. Gounares, Jeffrey R. Hemmen, Eric J. Horvitz, Kamal Jain, Leonard Smith, Jr.
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Patent number: 8793319Abstract: A mechanism for automatically organizing electronic messages is described herein. Social groups of a particular user that may be representative of topics, people, projects, and the like can be automatically learned based at least in part upon historical correspondence of the user. Moreover, messages can be automatically prioritized based at least in part upon historical correspondence patterns. Electronic messages may be presented to the user in accordance with group information and how important the messages are to the user.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2009Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Andrzej Turski, Lili Cheng, Michael Anthony Affronti, Shane Williams
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Publication number: 20140195319Abstract: A marketplace server and method for facilitating purchase transactions are provided. A marketplace server may include a routing engine configured to receive an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, with the order including a first delivery address of the customer. The routing engine also calculates a delivery route to the first delivery address. An offer engine is configured to create an offer for other goods. The offer includes a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer. The offer may be targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the delivery route. The offer engine sends the offer to a second computing device associated with the second customer. Upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the computing device, the offer engine processes a purchase transaction for the offer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2014Publication date: July 10, 2014Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Eric Horvitz, Gur Kimchi, Lili Cheng, Doug Burger, Stelios Paparizos, Marc Davis
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Patent number: 8768763Abstract: A marketplace server and method for facilitating purchase transactions are provided. A marketplace server may include a routing engine configured to receive an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, with the order including a first delivery address of the customer. The routing engine also calculates a delivery route to the first delivery address. An offer engine is configured to create an offer for other goods. The offer includes a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer. The offer may be targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the delivery route. The offer engine sends the offer to a second computing device associated with the second customer. Upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the computing device, the offer engine processes a purchase transaction for the offer.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2011Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Eric Horvitz, Gur Kimchi, Lili Cheng, Doug Burger, Stelios Paparizos, Marc Davis
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Patent number: 8751306Abstract: A computing system and method for managing an identity of a user are provided. A server may be configured to communicate with each of a plurality of client devices in corresponding request and response streams. An inference engine is configured to monitor the request and response streams for identifying factors that distinguish each of the plurality of client devices from other of the plurality of client devices. Upon detecting one or more of the identifying factors for each of the two or more client devices that match within a threshold probability, the inference engine makes an inference that two or more of the plurality of client devices are used by the user. Based upon the inference, the inference engine creates a virtual identity record at the server linking the two or more client devices.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2011Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Doug Burger, Lili Cheng, Xuedong Huang, Stelios Paparizos
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Publication number: 20140143209Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to architectures for facilitating network-accessible or local backup or restore features in a manner that leverages event-oriented contextual information associated with one or more users of the data to be backed up or restored. In particular, a first restore-based architecture can interface with an associated second backup-based architecture that hosts or maintains a backup data store in order to retrieve a version of the data file that is desired by a user. Additionally, the first architecture can obtain a log of contextual event descriptions that can be aggregated by the second architecture or obtained independently from, e.g., a social networking service or a calendar application associated with the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2013Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Lara M. Sosnosky, Lili Cheng, John D. Mehr, George Moromisato, Elissa E. Murphy
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Patent number: 8729515Abstract: An oscillating liquid lens and imaging system and method employing the lens are provided. The liquid lens includes a substrate with a channel opening extending through the substrate. A liquid drop is disposed within the channel and is sized with a first droplet portion, including a first capillary surface, protruding away from a first substrate surface, and a second droplet portion, including a second capillary surface, protruding away from a second substrate surface. The liquid lens further includes an enclosure at least partially surrounding the substrate, and including a chamber. The liquid drop resides within the chamber, and the liquid lens includes a second liquid disposed within the chamber in direct or indirect contact with the liquid drop, and the liquid lens further includes a driver for oscillating the liquid drop within the channel.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2011Date of Patent: May 20, 2014Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteInventors: Amir H. Hirsa, Bernard A. Malouin, Jr., Michael J. Vogel, Lili Cheng, Joseph D. Olles
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Patent number: 8719143Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates preserving and maintaining data and/or services associated with a network service. The network service can be any collection of resources that are maintained by a party (e.g., third-party, off-site, etc.) and accessible by an identified user over a network (e.g., WAN, Internet, etc.). An interface component can receive a termination notification related to the network service. An executor component can relocate at least a portion of one of data and a service associated with the terminated network service to a disparate replacement network service in order to preserve any services and/or data related therewith.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2006Date of Patent: May 6, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Henricus Johannes Maria Meijer, Gary W. Flake, Arnold N. Blinn, William J. Bolosky, Lili Cheng, Michael Connolly, Alexander G. Gounares, James R. Larus, Matthew B. MacLaurin, Debi P. Mishra, Amit Mital, Ira L. Snyder, Jr., David R. Treadwell, III
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Patent number: 8707214Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate efficient and automated presentation of information to users. A decomposition component automatically decomposes an information item into sets of subcomponents in a two- or three-dimensional isometric space, and generates visualizations having interactive graphics that allow users to inspect respective subcomponents. Interface features are provided to enable hover, dwell, and clicking commands, for example, providing a variety of options to zoom in, or change configurations of the visualization in accordance with the users intentions or inferences about what they desire to see or inspect more closely. Beyond the use of decompositions into exploded views of the content of items typically viewed as singular documents, the methods can be applied to perform geometric transformations on visualizations of multiple windows and other resources based on content and activity to provide regularized visualizations of the multiple items.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2008Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Eric J. Horvitz, Lili Cheng, Jia-Chi Wu
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Patent number: 8705746Abstract: A system that enables a cloud-based data repository to function as a secure ‘drop-box’ for data that corresponds to a user is provided. The ‘drop box’ can be facilitated through the use of cryptographic keying technologies. For instance, data that is ‘dropped’ by or on behalf of a particular user can be encrypted using a public key that corresponds to a user-specific private key. Thus, although the data resides within the large pool of ‘cloud-based’ data, it is protected since it can only be decrypted by using the private key, which is kept secret. The innovation can further facilitate user-centric secure storage by partitioning the cloud-based repository into multiple partitions, each of which corresponds to specific indexing criteria.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2006Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Henricus Johannes Maria Meijer, William H. Gates, III, Raymond E Ozzie, Thomas F. Bergstraesser, Lili Cheng, Michael Connolly, Alexander G. Gounares, Debi P. Mishra, Ira L. Snyder, Jr., Melora Zaner-Godsey
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Patent number: 8707204Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate efficient and automated presentation of information to users. A decomposition component automatically decomposes an information item into sets of subcomponents in a two- or three-dimensional isometric space, and generates visualizations having interactive graphics that allow users to inspect respective subcomponents. Interface features are provided to enable hover, dwell, and clicking commands, for example, providing a variety of options to zoom in, or change configurations of the visualization in accordance with the users intentions or inferences about what they desire to see or inspect more closely. Beyond the use of decompositions into exploded views of the content of items typically viewed as singular documents, the methods can be applied to perform geometric transformations on visualizations of multiple windows and other resources based on content and activity to provide regularized visualizations of the multiple items.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2008Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Eric J. Horvitz, Lili Cheng, Jia-Chi Wu
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Patent number: 8661036Abstract: A metadata management architecture. The architecture includes a property component that lists one or more properties related to a file, and a viewing component that present files having one or more of the related properties. A synchronization component provides immediate synchronization between property editing fields of the property component and a view in the property-based browser component, providing both instantaneous feedback on property changes and an ability to manipulate properties graphically. Thus, a change in the property pane is immediately reflected in the view component, and a change in the view component is immediately reflected in the property pane.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2008Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Andrzej Turski, Cornelis K. Van Dok, Lili Cheng, Lyon K. F. Wong, Matthew B. MacLaurin, Patrice L. Miner