Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Christian N Wiswell

Derek Sunday

Timothy J Mosby

Peter Vale

Dana Lu Silverstein

James Stephens, Ii

Douglas C Kramer

Anne Marie Piper

Edward N Price

Dana L Silverstein

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for delivering content based on physical object characteristics. When a physical object is detected within a specified proximity of a component of a computer system, the computer system submits an accessed object identifier for the physical object to a content portal. The content portal identifies content and corresponding layout information for the computer system by at least determining the commonality between object keywords for the physical object and target keywords for content providers and determining content placement priorities corresponding to content providers. The content portal sends the content and layout information to the computer system. The computer system filters a subset of content from the received and presents the filtered subset of content on a presentation surface in accordance with corresponding layout information.

Delivering content based on physical object characteristics

A virtual keyboard apparatus and method for forming the virtual keyboard apparatus are provided. The virtual keyboard apparatus may include a touch-sensitive display surface configured to detect a touch signal including at least a finger touch and a palm touch by a hand of a user, and a controller configured to generate a virtual keyboard having a layout determined based at least in part on a distance between the detected palm touch and the detected finger touch. The method for generating a virtual keyboard may include detecting with a touch-sensitive display surface a touch signal including at least a finger touch and a palm touch formed by a hand of a user, and generating a virtual keyboard having a layout based at least in part on a distance between the detected palm touch and the detected finger touch.

Virtual keyboard based activation and dismissal

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for location based messaging. A user at one computer system selects at least on other computer system that is to receive an electronic message. The at least one other computer system is selected based on the location of the at least one other computer system, without having to know an electronic identifier of any users at the at least one other computer system. The computer system refers to a mapping that maps computer systems locations to corresponding electronic addresses. Messages can then be sent to the electronic addresses. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention facilitate at least semi-anonymous electronic communication in a network computing environment and significantly mitigate the perceived need of an immediate response that is often associated with responding to (potentially in person) verbal communication.

Location based messaging

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Christian N Wiswell