Patents by Inventor Neil MacDonald
Neil MacDonald 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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Publication number: 20170233183Abstract: A cassette for disposing waste is provided having a variable cross-sectional geometry. The cross-sectional geometry varies at least at two locations around the periphery of the cassette such that a first maximum height at a first location is different than a second maximum height at a second different location, and the first maximum width at a first location is different than a second maximum width at a second location.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2017Publication date: August 17, 2017Inventors: Alexander Chenvainu, Paul Dansreau, Neil MacDonald
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Publication number: 20170142597Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to managing and accessing a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network can include sharer computing devices in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with consumer computing devices. Feedback information pertaining to network bandwidth capacity available at different geographic locations covered by the community Wi-Fi network can be collected and evaluated to enable generation of maps for visualizing coverage of the community Wi-Fi network. A consumer computing device can display a map that includes visual information pertaining to the geographic coverage of the community Wi-Fi network relative to a geographic location of the consumer computing device.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 31, 2017Publication date: May 18, 2017Inventors: David Neil MacDonald, Piyush Goyal, Saumaya Sharma, Shai Guday, Thomas Werner Kuehnel, Vikas Singh, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Brent Edward Ford, Jonathan Hathaway
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Publication number: 20170094698Abstract: Embodiments produce a set of instructions for connecting to a network through a network access point based on data crowdsourced from mobile computing devices. The crowdsourced data describes interactions between the mobile computing devices and the network access point when establishing a connection to the network. A cloud service analyzes the crowdsourced data to identify a set of instructions for association with the network access point. The mobile computing devices replay the set of instructions when subsequently attempting to connect to the network access point.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2016Publication date: March 30, 2017Inventors: Nicholas A. Banks, Piyush Goyal, Shai Guday, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Darya Mazandarany, Christopher R. Rice, Saumaya Sharma
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Patent number: 9603028Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to managing and accessing a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network can include sharer computing devices in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with consumer computing devices. Feedback information pertaining to network bandwidth capacity available at different geographic locations covered by the community Wi-Fi network can be collected and evaluated to enable generation of maps for visualizing coverage of the community Wi-Fi network. A consumer computing device can display a map that includes visual information pertaining to the geographic coverage of the community Wi-Fi network relative to a geographic location of the consumer computing device.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2013Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: David Neil MacDonald, Piyush Goyal, Saumaya Sharma, Shai Guday, Thomas Werner Kuehnel, Vikas Singh, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Brent Edward Ford, Jonathan Hathaway
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Patent number: 9554323Abstract: Embodiments produce a set of instructions for connecting to a network through a network access point based on data crowdsourced from mobile computing devices. The crowdsourced data describes interactions between the mobile computing devices and the network access point when establishing a connection to the network. A cloud service analyzes the crowdsourced data to identify a set of instructions for association with the network access point. The mobile computing devices replay the set of instructions when subsequently attempting to connect to the network access point.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2013Date of Patent: January 24, 2017Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Nicholas A. Banks, Piyush Goyal, Shai Guday, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Darya Mazandarany, Christopher R. Rice, Saumaya Sharma
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Publication number: 20160357872Abstract: An event network system can provide user-friendly grouping of articles, or “events views,” which can comprises multiple automatically obtained digital content items related to a specified event. The event network system can accomplish this by discovering digital content, analyzing it, searching for and retrieving additional related digital content, producing an similarity graph indicating the relatedness of identified digital content, and producing event views for sufficiently related digital content items. The event views can encapsulate, summarize, tag, and link the related digital content items in a manner that allows for easy user consumption. The event network system can also determine events to include in a thread of recommended events, e.g. based on an interest score for a user. A user can also search an event network, which can provide suggested results based on a freshness score.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 3, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Inventors: Anthony Fader, Thiyagaraja Pattabhiraman, William G. Bronske, Ryan Scott Lewis, Joshua Guralnick Karp, Aaron Grey Johnson, David Neil MacDonald, Kenneth Edward McGrady, JR., Ashley McKnight Miller, Cooper Crosby, Ryan Jeffrey Hoback
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Publication number: 20160295428Abstract: Embodiments provision captive portals on network access points (NAPs). In response to a request from a NAP owner, a cloud service associates a NAP with the NAP owner and provides a control channel for configuring the NAP. The NAP owner inputs configuration settings describing the captive portal. The cloud service processes the configuration settings to generate configuration data. The cloud service transmits the configuration data to the NAP. The NAP applies the configuration data to configure the NAP. Some embodiments configure Wi-Fi hotspots with captive portals for gated access to the Internet.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2016Publication date: October 6, 2016Inventors: Adam R. Dyba, Piyush Goyal, James Christopher Gray, Shai Guday, Thomas W. Kuehnel, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Darya Mazandarany, Saumaya Sharma
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Publication number: 20160212776Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to configuring an access point in a local network for operation in a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network includes access points in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. A request to join the access point to the community Wi-Fi network is transmitted from the access point to a community aggregation system. Responsive to the request, the community aggregation system transmits a firmware update to the access point. The access point installs the firmware update in memory of the access point. Moreover, responsive to installation of the firmware update, the access point can share network bandwidth capacity with the member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. Further, the community aggregation system supports transparent handoffs between access points in to the community Wi-Fi network.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2016Publication date: July 21, 2016Inventors: David Neil MacDonald, Piyush Goyal, Saumaya Sharma, Shai Guday, Thomas Werner Kuehnel, Darya Mazandarany, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Brent Edward Ford
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Patent number: 9369342Abstract: Embodiments provision captive portals on network access points (NAPs). In response to a request from a NAP owner, a cloud service associates a NAP with the NAP owner and provides a control channel for configuring the NAP. The NAP owner inputs configuration settings describing the captive portal. The cloud service processes the configuration settings to generate configuration data. The cloud service transmits the configuration data to the NAP. The NAP applies the configuration data to configure the NAP. Some embodiments configure Wi-Fi hotspots with captive portals for gated access to the Internet.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2013Date of Patent: June 14, 2016Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Adam R. Dyba, Piyush Goyal, James Christopher Gray, Shai Guday, Thomas W. Kuehnel, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Darya Mazandarany, Saumaya Sharma
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Patent number: 9326150Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to configuring an access point in a local network for operation in a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network includes access points in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. A request to join the access point to the community Wi-Fi network is transmitted from the access point to a community aggregation system. Responsive to the request, the community aggregation system transmits a firmware update to the access point. The access point installs the firmware update in memory of the access point. Moreover, responsive to installation of the firmware update, the access point can share network bandwidth capacity with the member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. Further, the community aggregation system supports transparent handoffs between access points in to the community Wi-Fi network.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2013Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: David Neil MacDonald, Piyush Goyal, Saumaya Sharma, Shai Guday, Thomas Werner Kuehnel, Darya Mazandarany, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Brent Edward Ford
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Publication number: 20150188800Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to managing and accessing a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network can include sharer computing devices in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with consumer computing devices. Feedback information pertaining to network bandwidth capacity available at different geographic locations covered by the community Wi-Fi network can be collected and evaluated to enable generation of maps for visualizing coverage of the community Wi-Fi network. A consumer computing device can display a map that includes visual information pertaining to the geographic coverage of the community Wi-Fi network relative to a geographic location of the consumer computing device.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 31, 2013Publication date: July 2, 2015Inventors: David Neil MacDonald, Piyush Goyal, Saumaya Sharma, Shai Guday, Thomas Werner Kuehnel, Vikas Singh, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Brent Edward Ford, Jonathan Hathaway
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Publication number: 20150139082Abstract: Embodiments produce a set of instructions for connecting to a network through a network access point based on data crowdsourced from mobile computing devices. The crowdsourced data describes interactions between the mobile computing devices and the network access point when establishing a connection to the network. A cloud service analyzes the crowdsourced data to identify a set of instructions for association with the network access point. The mobile computing devices replay the set of instructions when subsequently attempting to connect to the network access point.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2013Publication date: May 21, 2015Inventors: Nicholas A. Banks, Piyush Goyal, Shai Guday, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Darya Mazandarany, Christopher R. Rice, Saumaya Sharma
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Publication number: 20150142946Abstract: Embodiments apply a set of sequenced instructions to connect to a network through a captive portal. A computing device detects a network access point and obtains the instruction set corresponding to the network access point. The instruction set is derived by a cloud service from crowdsourced data describing interactions between mobile computing devices and the network access point. Applying the instruction set includes performing actions such as navigating web pages to accept terms and conditions, provide user or device information, and more.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2013Publication date: May 21, 2015Inventors: Mohammad Shabbir Alam, Javier Flores Assad, Nicholas A. Banks, Piyush Goyal, James Christopher Gray, Shai Guday, Thomas W. Kuehnel, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Darya Mazandarany, Sidharth Uday Nabar, Christopher R. Rice, Saumaya Sharma, Douglas E. Stamper
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Publication number: 20150142947Abstract: Embodiments provision captive portals on network access points (NAPs). In response to a request from a NAP owner, a cloud service associates a NAP with the NAP owner and provides a control channel for configuring the NAP. The NAP owner inputs configuration settings describing the captive portal. The cloud service processes the configuration settings to generate configuration data. The cloud service transmits the configuration data to the NAP. The NAP applies the configuration data to configure the NAP. Some embodiments configure Wi-Fi hotspots with captive portals for gated access to the Internet.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2013Publication date: May 21, 2015Inventors: Adam R. Dyba, Piyush Goyal, James Christopher Gray, Shai Guday, Thomas W. Kuehnel, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Darya Mazandarany, Saumaya Sharma
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Publication number: 20150142590Abstract: Embodiments recommend network coverage for a user based on a connection history of the user and connection quality data for networks. The connection history describes connection of the user over time via at least one mobile computing device to one or more networks. Connection quality data describing performance of the networks is obtained. Based on the connection history and the connection quality data, recommended network coverage for the user is defined. In some embodiments, a customized out-of-the-box experience (OOBE) for wireless services is provided for the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2013Publication date: May 21, 2015Inventors: James Christopher Gray, Triptpal Singh Lamba, David Neil MacDonald, Sidharth Uday Nabar
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Publication number: 20150127436Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to joining a computing device in a local network to a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network includes disparate computing devices that share respective network bandwidth capacities with member consumer devices of the community Wi-Fi network. The computing device receives an opt-in signal indicating that the computing device desirably be added to the community Wi-Fi network. Responsive to receiving the opt-in signal, the computing device retrieves account parameters. The account parameters include data indicating a network bandwidth capacity allocated to the account, which is usable by the computing device. A shared portion of the network bandwidth capacity is determined based at least in part upon the parameters of the account. The computing device is configured to share the shared portion of the network bandwidth capacity for consumption by member consumer device(s).Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2013Publication date: May 7, 2015Inventors: David Neil MacDonald, Vikas Singh, Saumaya Sharma, Darya Mazandarany, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Piyush Goyal, Brent Edward Ford
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Publication number: 20150128219Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to utilization of shared Wi-Fi. For instance, network access rights of a Wi-Fi network can be controlled by a mobile device of a point of contact for the Wi-Fi network. Moreover, utilization of a Wi-Fi network can be tracked and usage data indicative of historic utilization of the Wi-Fi network can be retained. Further, groups of users between whom Wi-Fi credentials are shared can be created.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2013Publication date: May 7, 2015Inventors: Shai Guday, David Neil MacDonald, Tyler Edward Hennessy, Sidharth Nabar, Brent Edward Ford
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Publication number: 20150127939Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to sharing Wi-Fi credentials based upon relationships in a computer-implemented social network. At least one server computing device of a Wi-Fi credential sharing service receives an identifier from a mobile device and credentials for a Wi-Fi network from the mobile device. The identifier identifies a user of the mobile device. Moreover, the credentials for the Wi-Fi network are desirably shared by the user. Further, contacts of the user are retrieved from the social network. The credentials for the Wi-Fi network are retained in respective accounts of the contacts of the user from the social network. Further, an account of a contact includes credentials for Wi-Fi networks shared with the contact.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2013Publication date: May 7, 2015Inventors: Darya Mazandarany, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Shai Guday, David Neil MacDonald, Tyler Edward Hennessy, Sidharth Nabar, Piyush Goyal, Gregory Thomas Caponigro, Vladimir Holostov, Shi Chen
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Publication number: 20150124641Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to configuring an access point in a local network for operation in a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network includes access points in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. A request to join the access point to the community Wi-Fi network is transmitted from the access point to a community aggregation system. Responsive to the request, the community aggregation system transmits a firmware update to the access point. The access point installs the firmware update in memory of the access point. Moreover, responsive to installation of the firmware update, the access point can share network bandwidth capacity with the member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. Further, the community aggregation system supports transparent handoffs between access points in to the community Wi-Fi network.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2013Publication date: May 7, 2015Inventors: David Neil MacDonald, Piyush Goyal, Saumaya Sharma, Shai Guday, Thomas Werner Kuehnel, Darya Mazandarany, Triptpal Singh Lamba, Brent Edward Ford
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Publication number: 20120304397Abstract: There is herein described a composition which is used to partially or completely remove underarm stains from clothing, specifically the armpit region of clothing.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2010Publication date: December 6, 2012Inventors: Neil MacDonald, Rebecca Dare