Patents by Inventor Susan T. Dumais

Susan T. Dumais 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).

  • Publication number: 20120047444
    Abstract: Web page change may be related to revisitation patterns to support web interaction. In an example embodiment, a method involves analyzing change and revisitation data for a web page, determining a relationship between the data, inferring consumption intent by a user for the web page, and utilizing the inferred consumption intent. More specifically, change data is analyzed to produce a change characterization, with the change data reflecting differences between content of a web page at different times. Revisitation data is analyzed to produce a revisitation characterization, with the revisitation data including visit times to the web page by a user. A relationship is determined between the change and the revisitation data based on the change and the revisitation characterizations. Consumption intent of the user for the content of the web page is inferred responsive to the relationship. The inferred consumption intent is utilized to support interaction with the web page.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eytan Adar, Jaime B. Teevan, Susan T. Dumais, Daniel J. Liebling
  • Patent number: 8122021
    Abstract: A user's domain expertise may be estimated through several factors by monitoring different aspects of a user's interaction with a web browser. Based on the user's domain expertise, search results may be presented to the user that is commensurate with their expertise, resulting in a more efficient and productive on line session. A user's expertise in a knowledge domain may be determined from the user's behavior, including analyzing search queries, monitoring how the user navigates between and through websites, and analyzing the specific cites visited. As a user interacts with a browser, the user's estimated domain expertise may be updated and used to provide appropriate and useful search results. In many embodiments, a user may have different expertise levels for different technical domains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ryen W. White, Susan T. Dumais, Jaime Teevan
  • Publication number: 20110313968
    Abstract: Concepts and technologies are described herein for hyperlocal smoothing. The hyperlocal smoothing solutions described herein provide a smooth view of data and events across hyperlocal geographic areas by combining sparse data available with inferred or extrapolated data. Additionally, the hyperlocal smoothing solutions described herein make use of contextual analysis to interpret service requests in a manner appropriate for a targeted hyperlocal area. Thus, the smooth view of data can be queried in a contextually sensitive manner to return relevant information for a hyperlocal geographic area, even in circumstances wherein data relevant to the hyperlocal geographic area is sparse or even non-existent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Susan T. Dumais, Alexander George Gounares
  • Publication number: 20110314044
    Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and systems are disclosed for saving and retrieving browser-based content or portions thereof for browser-based interactions. Metadata is generated for a selection of a portion or an entire browser page, when a user selects content for the page. The selected content, comprising at least a portion of the browser page, is stored in a database in a remote data store, where the database is indexed by the associated metadata. The selection is presented in a multi-level representation in a user interface (UI) by using the associated metadata to organize the selection(s) in the UI.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Susan T. Dumais, Shane Williams
  • Publication number: 20110314372
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for transitioning between representations of an electronic document. Elements, such as visual elements, common between a first set of elements from a first representation of the document and a second set of elements from a second representation of the document are identified. The non-intersecting elements from the first and second sets are respectively ranked in accordance with a representation relevance. First set non-intersecting elements are removed from an intermediate representation of the document, and second set non-intersecting elements are added to the intermediate representation, while the intermediate representation is not equivalent to the second representation; and respective iterations of the intermediate representation are output, such as to a display to depict a transition from the first representation of the document to the second representation of the document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jaime Teevan, Susan T. Dumais, Daniel J. Liebling
  • Patent number: 8078974
    Abstract: Web page change may be related to revisitation patterns to support web interaction. In an example embodiment, a method involves analyzing change and revisitation data for a web page, determining a relationship between the data, inferring consumption intent by a user for the web page, and utilizing the inferred consumption intent. More specifically, change data is analyzed to produce a change characterization, with the change data reflecting differences between content of a web page at different times. Revisitation data is analyzed to produce a revisitation characterization, with the revisitation data including visit times to the web page by a user. A relationship is determined between the change and the revisitation data based on the change and the revisitation characterizations. Consumption intent of the user for the content of the web page is inferred responsive to the relationship. The inferred consumption intent is utilized to support interaction with the web page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Eytan Adar, Jaime B. Teevan, Susan T. Dumais, Daniel J. Liebling
  • Patent number: 8069179
    Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system that trains or evaluates ranking techniques by employing or obtaining relative preference judgments. The system can include mechanisms that retrieve a set of documents from a storage device, combine the set of documents with a query or judgment task received via an interface to form a comparative selection panel, and present the comparative selection panel for evaluation by an assessor. The system further requests the assessor to make a selection as to which document included in the set of documents and presented in the comparative selection panel most satisfies the query or judgment task, and thereafter produces a comparative assessment of the set of documents based on the selections elicited from the assessor and associated with the set of documents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Chickering, Paul N. Bennett, Susan T. Dumais, Benjamin Austin Carterette
  • Publication number: 20110289068
    Abstract: Personalized navigation for one or more individuals' use of a search engine is provided. Identification of a query submitted to the search engine is performed. If the query is identified to be a personal navigational query, which is a query via which the individuals intend to navigate to a particular site or information object that they have previously viewed, the particular site or information object associated with the query is identified, and results of the search are personalized based on knowledge of the identified site or information object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jaime Teevan, Susan T. Dumais, Gayathri Ravichandran Geetha, Sarah K. Tyler
  • Publication number: 20110282954
    Abstract: Architecture is provided that facilitates user-controlled access to user profile information. A user is allowed to selectively expose (or mask) portions of his/her profile to third parties. Additionally, advertisers and/or content providers can offer incentives or enticement in response to the acceptance of which a user exposes larger portions of their profile. The architecture comprises a system that facilitates profile management utilizing a profile component that facilitates creation and storage of an electronic profile of a user, and a control component under control of the user for controlling access to the profile. Machine learning and reasoning is provided to make inferences and automate aspects thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Gary W. Flake, Eric J. Horvitz, Joshua T. Goodman, Eric D. Brill, Bradly A. Brunell, Susan T. Dumais, Alexander G. Gounares, Trenholme J. Griffin, Oliver Hurst-Hiller, Raymond E. Ozzie
  • Publication number: 20110264656
    Abstract: Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing context-based services. In one embodiment, context-based output is provided. The context-based output can include context-based search results for a query. Contextual information can be used to improve access to real-time, social, and other content by enabling a search engine to better understand and/or to supplement queries based upon the context within which the query is received. The contextual information can include, but are not limited to, searches and content associated with the searcher, one or more locations associated with the searcher, the time of day at which a query is received, the device from which a query is received, an application running at the device from which the query is received, the capabilities of the device from which the query is received, and other variables.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Susan T. Dumais, Barney Darryl Pell, Patrick A. Kinsel
  • Publication number: 20110252011
    Abstract: A system is described for integrating a search engine and one or more social network resources. The system operates by determining whether a search operation being conducted by a user warrants interaction with a social network resource. If so, the system may provide an invitation to the user to forward a query-related message to the social network resource. The system then sends the message to a group of contacts via the social network resource, where the group of contacts can be defined in various ways. The system receives a response from at least one contact in the group of contacts and presents that response to the user using various delivery mechanisms, as governed by various delivery timings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Meredith J. Morris, Jaime Teevan, Katrina M. Panovich, Aravind Bala, Jonathan Garcia, Susan T. Dumais, Eric J. Horvitz
  • Publication number: 20110246484
    Abstract: Concepts and technologies are described herein for authority ranking for real time and social search. An authority index configured to store data relating to sources is generated. Data relating to the sources, including an authority value, are generated and stored at the authority index. The authority value may be defined as a function of source, topic, and point of view (“POV”), as well as other data, if desired, and may be determined based upon one or more ranking functions. The ranking functions are determined, and data corresponding to the ranking functions is obtained. Each of the ranking functions may be weighted according to a weighting function, a confidence value or interval, one or more time functions, and/or other methods. The obtained authority value may be used for affecting ranking of search results or for other purposes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Susan T. Dumais, Stefan David Weitz, Alexander George Gounares, David James Gemmell, Paul Yiu
  • Publication number: 20110238829
    Abstract: The subject disclosure pertains to anonymous network interaction. More specifically, mechanisms are provided to ensure anonymity with respect network interaction such that third parties are unable to determine the source and/or intent of communications. Accordingly, entities may anonymize all outgoing and/or incoming data packets so as to mitigate outside entities from learning about information being sought and/or provided. For example, a user or corporation may employ an anonymizer with respect to web searching so that outside entities are not able to determine what information is attempted to be accessed and by whom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bradly A. Brunell, Susan T. Dumais, Joshua T. Goodman, Eric J. Horvitz, Gary Flake, Anoop Gupta, Christopher A. Meek, Ramez Naam, Kyle Peltonen
  • Patent number: 7997485
    Abstract: Architecture is provided that facilitates user-controlled access to user profile information. A user is allowed to selectively expose (or mask) portions of his/her profile to third parties. Additionally, advertisers and/or content providers can offer incentives or enticement in response to the acceptance of which a user exposes larger portions of their profile. The architecture comprises a system that facilitates profile management utilizing a profile component that facilitates creation and storage of an electronic profile of a user, and a control component under control of the user for controlling access to the profile. Machine learning and reasoning is provided to make inferences and automate aspects thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Gary W. Flake, Eric J. Horvitz, Joshua T. Goodman, Eric D. Brill, Bradly A. Brunell, Susan T. Dumais, Alexander G. Gounares, Trenholme J. Griffin, Oliver Hurst-Hiller, Raymond E. Ozzie
  • Patent number: 7984169
    Abstract: The subject disclosure pertains to anonymous network interaction. More specifically, mechanisms are provided to ensure anonymity with respect network interaction such that third parties are unable to determine the source and/or intent of communications. Accordingly, entities can anonymize all outgoing and/or incoming data packets so as to mitigate outside entities from learning about information being sought and/or provided. For example, a user or corporation can employ an anonymizer with respect to web searching so that outside entities are not able to determine what information is attempted to be accessed and by whom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Bradly A. Brunell, Susan T. Dumais, Joshua T. Goodman, Eric J. Horvitz, Gary Flake, Anoop Gupta, Christopher A. Meek, Ramez Naam, Kyle Peltonen
  • Patent number: 7970721
    Abstract: A system and method that facilitates and effectuates making an inference related to objects of interest within a context. A web projection component can generate sub graphs by projecting objects of interest onto a web graph representing a superset or partially overlapping set of objects to the objects of interest. An inference component can provide inferences relating to the quality of the objects of interest, adjustments to the context, and patterns recognized from graphical properties of the sub graphs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jurij Leskovec, Susan T. Dumais, Eric J. Horvitz
  • Patent number: 7937340
    Abstract: Context-based user behavior data is collected from a search mechanism. This data includes, for a given query, user feedback (implicit and explicit) on the query and context information on the query. A predictive pattern is applied to the context-based user behavior data in order to produce predicted user satisfaction data. Data mining techniques may be used to create and improve one or more predictive patterns. Predicted user satisfaction data can be used to monitor or improve search mechanism performance, via a display reporting the performance or identification of any queries with a shared characteristic and sub-par user satisfaction. A dynamically-improving search mechanism uses the predicted user satisfaction data to improve the performance of the search mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Oliver Hurst-Hiller, Eric Watson, Susan T. Dumais
  • Publication number: 20110040752
    Abstract: A system that facilitates ranking search results returned by a search engine in response to receipt of a query is described herein. The system includes a receiver component that receives categorical metadata pertaining to an item and categorical metadata pertaining to the query and a computation component that computes at least one of a document feature pertaining to the item, a query feature pertaining to the query, or a document-query feature pertaining to the item and the query based at least in part upon one or more of the categorical metadata pertaining to the item or the categorical metadata pertaining to the query. The system also includes a ranker component that selectively places the item in a particular location in a sequence of items based at least in part upon the at least one of the document feature, the query feature, or the document-query feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Krysta Marie Svore, Paul Nathan Bennett, Susan T. Dumais
  • Patent number: 7873620
    Abstract: Content management architecture for a portable wireless device. Caching and fetching techniques are provided to improve content handling for portable devices such as cellular telephones and portable computers. A search component automatically performs searches as a background process, and potentially desired content is received and cached by a content storing component to be available in the future when and if needed, mitigating latency associated with slow download speeds, refresh rates, and other system and/or network impediments. Content from background search results can be trickled into the device as part of the background process so as not to burden system resources for other processes. As part of memory management, aged and/or low priority or low interest content can be selectively removed or archived to increase available cache or memory space, as well as to maintain relevant content within the device. A presentation component facilitates presentation of the pre-stored content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond E. Ozzie, Eric J. Horvitz, William H. Gates, III, Joshua T. Goodman, Susan T. Dumais, Gary W. Flake, Trenholme J. Griffin, Xuedong D. Huang, Oliver Hurst-Hiller, Christopher A Meek
  • Publication number: 20100325131
    Abstract: A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives a first dataset, wherein the first dataset comprises temporal dynamics pertaining to a document that is accessible by a search engine, wherein the temporal dynamics comprise an identity of a term corresponding to the document and an indication that the term has been subject to change over time. The system also includes a weight assignor component that assigns a relevance weight to the document based at least in part upon the temporal dynamics pertaining to the document, wherein the relevance weight is utilized by the search engine to assign a ranking to the document with respect to at least one other document when the search engine retrieves the document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Susan T. Dumais, Jonathan Louis Elsas, Daniel John Liebling