Patents by Inventor Nigel Christopher Wolters

Nigel Christopher Wolters 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: 9665255
    Abstract: A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Zheng Mi, Nigel Christopher Wolters, Hua Wang, Jennifer Lee Beckmann, Joseph Dallas Milan, Steven Merlin Twitchell
  • Publication number: 20150082245
    Abstract: A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventors: Zheng Mi, Nigel Christopher Wolters, Hua Wang, Jennifer Lee Beckmann, Joseph Dallas Milan, Steven Merlin Twitchell
  • Patent number: 8922579
    Abstract: A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Zheng Mi, Nigel Christopher Wolters, Hua Wang, Jennifer Lee Beckmann, Joseph Dallas Milan, Steven Merlin Twitchell
  • Publication number: 20130229429
    Abstract: A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Zheng Mi, Nigel Christopher Wolters, Hua Wang, Jennifer Lee Beckmann, Joseph Dallas Milan, Steven Merlin Twitchell