Patents by Inventor Rob Nichols

Rob Nichols 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: 8498985
    Abstract: Data elevation architecture for automatically and dynamically surfacing to a user interface (UI) context-specific data based on specific workflow or content currently being worked on by a user. Data is broken down into data elements and stored at a data element level in a data catalog using metadata, attributes, and relationships. Data elements are automatically selected from a comprehensive collection of the data catalogs based on relevancy and correlation to the current user task. The data catalog stores and relates the data elements and metadata based on criteria specified by content matching based on business terms or specified in a business process in predefined relationships between forms or specified by the user as correlated. The UI displays the data automatically in forms dynamically selected, populated, and presented at the point of focus or user activity so that the user can interact or take action immediately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jeanine E. Spence, Kathleen Linscott, Scott Neilson, Wai Chan, David M. Bozich, Craig Combel, Rob Nichols
  • Publication number: 20110125756
    Abstract: Data elevation architecture for automatically and dynamically surfacing to a user interface (UI) context-specific data based on specific workflow or content currently being worked on by a user. Data is broken down into data elements and stored at a data element level in a data catalog using metadata, attributes, and relationships. Data elements are automatically selected from a comprehensive collection of the data catalogs based on relevancy and correlation to the current user task. The data catalog stores and relates the data elements and metadata based on criteria specified by content matching based on business terms or specified in a business process in predefined relationships between forms or specified by the user as correlated. The UI displays the data automatically in forms dynamically selected, populated, and presented at the point of focus or user activity so that the user can interact or take action immediately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeanine E. Spence, Kathleen Linscott, Scott Neilson, Wai Chan, David M. Bozich, Craig Combel, Rob Nichols
  • Patent number: 7895209
    Abstract: Data elevation architecture for automatically and dynamically surfacing to a user interface (UI) context-specific data based on specific workflow or content currently being worked on by a user. Data is broken down into data elements and stored at a data element level in a data catalog using metadata, attributes, and relationships. Data elements are automatically selected from a comprehensive collection of the data catalogs based on relevancy and correlation to the current user task. The data catalog stores and relates the data elements and metadata based on criteria specified by content matching based on business terms or specified in a business process in predefined relationships between forms or specified by the user as correlated. The UI displays the data automatically in forms dynamically selected, populated, and presented at the point of focus or user activity so that the user can interact or take action immediately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jeanine E. Spence, Kathleen Linscott, Scott Neilson, Wai Chan, David M. Bozich, Craig Combel, Rob Nichols
  • Patent number: 7689583
    Abstract: Architecture that defines a document or portions thereof as data elements that are related and categorized. A data catalog is created that uses a schema for the data elements and a set of relationships, attributes and values that further define the data elements, all stored as metadata about the data elements. The metadata is employed to enable the application, display surface, and user to see only data relevant to the task at hand. The positioning and grouping of controls, control characteristics, and control behavior at the display surface is facilitated by forms which are dynamically populated for presentation and which are driven directly by the data catalog. The catalog can be made aware of device parameters, for example, the display size and resolution thereby enabling data to be displayed differently based upon the device parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Bozich, Jeanine E. Spence, Kathleen Linscott, Rob Nichols, Wai Chan, Scott Neilson, Craig Combel
  • Publication number: 20080065668
    Abstract: Data elevation architecture for automatically and dynamically surfacing to a user interface (UI) context-specific data based on specific workflow or content currently being worked on by a user. Data is broken down into data elements and stored at a data element level in a data catalog using metadata, attributes, and relationships. Data elements are automatically selected from a comprehensive collection of the data catalogs based on relevancy and correlation to the current user task. The data catalog stores and relates the data elements and metadata based on criteria specified by content matching based on business terms or specified in a business process in predefined relationships between forms or specified by the user as correlated. The UI displays the data automatically in forms dynamically selected, populated, and presented at the point of focus or user activity so that the user can interact or take action immediately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jeanine E. Spence, Kathleen Linscott, Scott Neilson, Wai Chan, David M. Bozich, Craig Combel, Rob Nichols
  • Publication number: 20080065675
    Abstract: Architecture that defines a document or portions thereof as data elements that are related and categorized. A data catalog is created that uses a schema for the data elements and a set of relationships, attributes and values that further define the data elements, all stored as metadata about the data elements. The metadata is employed to enable the application, display surface, and user to see only data relevant to the task at hand. The positioning and grouping of controls, control characteristics, and control behavior at the display surface is facilitated by forms which are dynamically populated for presentation and which are driven directly by the data catalog. The catalog can be made aware of device parameters, for example, the display size and resolution thereby enabling data to be displayed differently based upon the device parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Bozich, Jeanine E. Spence, Kathleen Linscott, Rob Nichols, Wai Chan, Scott Neilson, Craig Combel