Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Andrew S Zeigler

Jon Robert Berry

John Heinrich Lueders

David Ruzyski

Shawn M Woods

Daniel James Plaster

Raman Kumar Sarin

Anthony T Chor

Rodger William Benson

Mara B Patton

Dean J Hachamovitch

Anantha P Ganjam

Jennifer C Trahan

Michael Han-Young Kim

Jessica A Hitchcock

A system and method are disclosed for navigation on the World Wide Web using voice commands. The name of a website may be called out by users several different ways. A user may speak the entire URL, a portion of the URL, or a name of the website which may bear little resemblance to the URL. The present technology uses rules and heuristics embodied in various software engines to determine the best candidate website based on the received voice command, and then navigates to that website.

Website navigation via a voice user interface

Various embodiments enable a user to use their browser to selectively delete items that are not of interest to them. In at least some embodiments, a user's interest in a particular item is implied by some action a user has taken with respect to the particular item. Responsive to this implied interest, various delete operations that can be performed relative to the items are performed so as to exclude items in which a user has some implied interest. In one or more embodiments, items that appear on a user-specified list, such as a favorites or a bookmarked list, are not deleted when a delete operation is performed relative to items to which a user browses. In at least some embodiments, a user interface is provided and enables a user to select classes of items that are to be retained when delete operations are performed.

Selectively deleting items that are not of interest to a user

Various embodiments enable detection of third party content sources that may pose a privacy risk to a user. In at least some embodiments, webpages navigated to via a browser can be processed to identify third party content sources that provide content for the webpages. Data may be stored to relate the third party content sources to webpages in which the third party content is encountered. The data may then be analyzed to determine when a particular third party is in a position to observe browsing habits of a user. Responsive to determining a privacy risk, notification may be output in a variety of ways to inform a user of potentially risky content. In at least some other embodiments, notification can be made by way of a user interface instrumentality that is automatically presented to a user to inform the user of a potentially risky third party content source.

Web page privacy risk detection

Various embodiments provide a guard mechanism that is configured to prevent transmission of synchronous function calls to hung application components. In at least some embodiments, a hang resistance application layer intercepts a synchronous function call that is intended for an application component. Before permitting the synchronous function call to be transmitted to the application component, the hang resistance application layer determines whether the application component is hung by transmitting a message other than the synchronous function call to the application component that requests that a response be received before transmission of the synchronous function call to the application component is permitted. Responsive to determining that the component is hung, a hung component recovery process is initiated.

Hang recovery in software applications

Various embodiments provide a guard mechanism that is configured to prevent transmission of synchronous function calls to hung application components. In at least some embodiments, the guard mechanism receives a synchronous function call that is intended for an application component. Before permitting the synchronous function call to be transmitted to the application component, the guard mechanism determines whether the component is hung. Responsive to determining that the component is not hung, the guard mechanism permits the synchronous function call to be transmitted to the component. If, however, the guard mechanism determines that the application component is hung, a hung component recovery process is initiated.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Andrew S Zeigler