Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Adam M Feldstein

David G Garber

Steven Dale Lamb

Paul A Hagger

Michael J Horstmanshof

Peter J Hanus

Gordon Barnes

Mark E Hickling

Zachary A Proffitt

Scott W Semyan

Systems and methods are provided to enable viewing and computation of differential data for an item or item subset when compared with other items or subsets. A score may be determined for an item or subset where standard deviations and distance metrics are computed to determine differentiators. In one aspect, a system for comparing data items is provided. The system includes a weighting component to determine a score for an item or subset of items. A differentiator component determines a comparison metric for the item or subset of items based in part on a distance metric to at least one other item or subset of items. A user interface can be provided to display the comparison metrics.

Displaying key differentiators based on standard deviations within a distance metric

A search engine implements a multi-level search scheme. A first level involves performing a keyword search based on character matching. A second level, performed only if the first level yields no results, is a keyword search based on phonetic representations of a search phrase and of the keywords. A third level, performed only if the first and second levels yield no results, is a rough matching search. The keywords or keyword phrases are specified in a phrase table. Each entry of the phrase table specifies a keyword phrase, its phonetic representation, a topic URL, and an action that is to be performed in conjunction with the topic URL. There are a plurality of defined actions, having different priorities. If multiple keyword phrases are found in the multi-level search, the one having the action with the highest priority is initiated. If there is a tie for the highest priority, the results are listed in a results page, regardless of the actions associated with the matched entries. Different actions can be specified in the phrase table entries, corresponding to different levels of the multi-level search scheme that were required to discover a matching entry.

Flexible keyword searching

The present invention is embodied in a system and method for enabling a user to quickly access personalized data specifically created and updated for the user with network tracking techniques. The tracking techniques provide quick and accurate location and updating of previously generated data associated with a particular user. New and updated data related to the previously generated data and specific to the particular user is regenerated so that the personalized data is automatically and dynamically updated in response to trackable remote user input. Also, portions of the data can be displayed as interactive data with client side processing. This allows real time interaction and manipulation of the personalized data values. Namely, the user can dynamically compute and generate personalized results from a remote location by interacting with displayed data.

System and method for dynamically providing personalized tracked data and automatically updating the data

The present invention is embodied in a system and method for dynamically adjusting data values and preventing conflicts in response to remote user input. Namely, the system and method provides a remote user with real time interaction of data values, such as a set of results, associated sub-items or dependencies, and rules of enforcement of sub-item combinations produced by a host system. Adjustment of conflicting sub-items is prevented with the rules of enforcement and predefined interactive options. As such, the user can dynamically adjust the set of results and sub-items from a remote location. The system and method of the present invention preferably utilizes client-side processing to achieve real time interaction.

System and method for dynamically adjusting data values and enforcing valid combinations of the data in response to remote user input

Flexible keyboard searching

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Adam M Feldstein