Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Brian D Wentz

Quji Guo

Chris J Guzak

Roberto Anthony Franco

Edward J Praitis

J Craig Hally

Christopher T Sager

Joseph E Benedek

Reid T Holmes

Roman Pamucci

David George De Vorchik

Anshul Rawat

John E Brezak

Mohammed Samji

Joel K Grossman

Jordan L K Schwartz

Oliver C Lee

Ming Hong Zhu

Christopher J Araman

Jason Fergus Moore

Sterling M Reasor

David Ruzyski

James H Hong

Brian K McNeil

Cees Van Dok

Sierra M Giampiero

Lili Cheng

Charles W Stabb

Cristian Marius Ilac

Christopher J Guzak

James E Walsh

Randall Knight Winjum

Klaus U Schutz

Eric C Perlin

Li-Hsin Huang

Kelly Elizabeth Rollin

Eric R Flo

Shelly D Farnham

Jingyang Xu

John Scott Stephens

Giles Edward Van Der Bogert

Heikki J Kanerva

Stephane St-Michel

Stefan N Richards

Julian Jiggins

Anastasia C Doerr

Benjamin A Hutz

Anil Bhansali

Venkatavaradhan Panchapagesan

Martin Thorsen

Embodiments are configured to improve the stability of a Web browser by identifying plug-in modules that cause failures. Data in memory at the time of a failure is analyzed, and a failure signature is generated. The failure signature is compared to a database of known failure signatures so that the source of the failure may be identified. If a plug-in module to a Web browser is identified as the source of a failure, options are presented to the user who may update the plug-in module with code that does not produce a failure or disable the plug-in module altogether.

System and method of preventing a web browser plug-in module from generating a failure

Detecting browser failure

A method and data structure for separating application data from user data in a namespace. The data structure provides an intuitive profile layout for developers or users while supporting legacy applications. The namespace utilizes a hierarchical structure allowing access by developers or users over a network to information contained in identified public folders and/or a user's profile.

User data profile namespace

The present invention improves the stability of a Web browser by identifying plug-in modules that cause failures. Data in memory at the time of a failure is analyzed, and a failure signature is generated. The failure signature is compared to a database of known failure signatures so that the source of the failure may be identified. If a plug-in module to a Web browser is identified as the source of a failure, options are presented to the user who may update the plug-in module with code that does not produce a failure or disable the plug-in module altogether.

Systems and methods for establishing and maintaining a shared browsing experience are disclosed. A method for establishing a shared browsing experience includes an inviter computer communicating to an invitee computer, via an online messenger communication path, an invitation to establish a co-browsing experience. The invitee computer communicates to the inviter computer, via the first communication path, an acceptance of the invitation. A co-browsing communication path is then established between the inviter computer and the invitee computer. Information relating to the shared browsing experience is then communicated between the inviter and invitee computers via the co-browsing communication path.

Systems and methods for shared browsing among a plurality of online co-users

Systems and/or methods are described that enable a credential interface. These systems and/or methods may build a credential user interface enabling a user to choose between multiple credentials and submit an authenticator for a chosen credential. These systems and/or methods may also gather information about arbitrary credentials and build a user interface for submission of authenticators for these arbitrary credentials.

Credential interface

A method and apparatus for transferring user profiles between computing devices using portable storage devices is disclosed. A portable storage device (PSD) is connected to a computing device, the computing device reads user profile data from the PSD and configures itself according to that data. If the user profile data is changed on the computing device, those changes are synchronized on the PSD.

Transfer of user profiles using portable storage devices

Systems and/or methods are described that enable a user to elevate his or her rights. In one embodiment, these systems and/or methods present a user interface identifying an account having a right to permit a task in response to the task being prohibited based on a user's current account not having that right.

Rights elevator

A method and data structure for creating and accessing folders stored in well known locations. The data structure and method utilizes a set of APIs to create and manage well known folders on a system and/or to locate specific well known folders. The invention provides interfaces to create, locate, extend, and enumerate well known folders. In addition, the invention allows a developer and/or user to customize properties of well known folders.

Ability for developers to easily find or extend well known locations on a system

Systems and methods for establishing a shared dynamic content experience are disclosed. A method for sharing a dynamic content experience according to the invention includes an inviter computer communicating, via a first communication path between an invitee computer and a network based communication server, an invitation to establish a shared dynamic content experience between the inviter computer and the invitee computer. If the invitation is accepted, a content sharing communication path is established between the inviter computer and the invitee computer. Information relating to a current dynamic content experience at the inviter computer is communicated, via the content sharing communication path, to the invitee computer. Information relating to a current dynamic content experience at the invitee computer is communicated, via the content sharing communication path, to the inviter computer.

Systems and methods for sharing dynamic content among a plurality of online co-users

The present invention improves the stability of a Web browser by identifying plug-in modules that cause failures. Data in memory at the time of a failure is analyzed and a failure signature is generated. The failure signature is compared to a database of known failure signatures so that the source of the failure may be identified. If a plug-in module to a Web browser is identified as the source of a failure, options are presented to the user who may update the plug-in module with code that does not produce a failure or disable the plug-in module altogether.

The present invention is generally directed to improving the stability of computing devices by identifying plug-in modules and other programs that cause failures. More specifically, the present invention provides a method that traces program execution from an instruction that ultimately generated a failure to a code library that caused the failure generating instruction to be executed. The method traces execution of the computing device by obtaining the contents of memory at the time of the failure and traversing the stack data structure that stores data items necessary to execute function calls.

Identifying a code library from the subset of base pointers that caused a failure generating instruction to be executed

Communicating local information, such as a user interface language, between a host application and a software component. In response to a user's request, the host application invokes the software component to perform a task addressing the user's request, such as generating user interface message. In order to determine the appropriate language for the user interface message, the software component queries the host application to identify the user and to return the user interface language requirements for the user. In the case where the host application is an end-user application, the host returns the current user interface language as the user interface language requirement. When the host application is a server application using a multi-threaded environment, the host application returns the user interface language of the currently running thread at the time of the query. If the host application is not an end-user application or does not use a multi-threaded architecture, the software component provides contextual information in a parameter of the query to aid the host application in determining the user interface language requirements. In the event that the software component does not receive user interface requirements from the host application, the software component follows a priority scheme to determine the user interface language.

Method for communicating local information between component objects and hosts

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Brian D Wentz