Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Microsoft Corporation

Zhigu Holdings Limited

Darko Kirovski

Henrique Sarmento Malvar

Yacov Yacobi

Benjamin Zorn

Christopher A Meek

Ray Bittner

Karthik Pattabiraman

Gerald Reuben DeJean

Craig Scott Brenner

Jesper B Lind

Mariusz Hieronim Jakubowski

Gideon Andreas Yuval

Ashwin Deepak Swaminathan

Nebojsa Jojic

Miller Thomas Abel

Yuqun Chen

Hoi Huu Vo

Milenko Drinic

Daniel Schonberg

Deepak Vijaywargiay

Kenneth D Ray

Patrice Y Simard

Andrew Lovitt

Geoffrey John Hulten

William Thomas Blank

Benjamin Livshits

Vijay Gajjala

Carlos Garcia Jurado Suarez

Jason Ryan Farmer

Behrooz Chitsaz

Paul Cador Roberts

Gennady Medvinsky

Ted E Dinklocker

Curtis N Von Veh

Gerald Reuben DeJean, Ii

Jeffrey Herron

Cherian Varkey Mathew

Ji Yong Shin

Kenneth Paul Hinckley

David Earl Heckerman

Michael Jack Sinclair

Hugues Herve Hoppe

Kamal Jain

Barry Clayton Bond

David Edgar Evans

Hagai Thomas Attias

David Tennyson Harper, Iii

Sebastian Lange

David T Harper

Mehmet Kivanc Mihcak

Joel Stephen Pritchett

Tom Blank

Vicky Svidenko

Estrada T Colon

Shan He

Yingyi Zou

Michalis Raptis

Chuck Noble

David L Lewis

Thomas Patrick Powell

Renan Gonçalves Cattelan

Varkey Cherian

Louis Carbonneau

Rahul Nagpal

Zeph Landau

Michail Raptis

Gideon A Yuval

David T Harper Iii

Davind T Harper Iii

Gerald Reuben Ii Dejean

Jason R Farmer

Andrew W Lovitt

Embodiments are described that leverage variability of a chip. Different areas of a chip vary in terms of reliability under a same operating condition. The variability may be captured by measuring errors over different areas of the chip. A physical factor that affects or controls the likelihood of an error on the chip can be varied. For example, the voltage supplied to a chip may be provided at different levels. At each level of the physical factor, the chip is tested for errors within the regions. Some indication of the error statistics for the regions is stored and then used to adjust power used by the chip, to adjust reliability behavior of the chip, to allow applications to control how the chip is used, to compute a signature uniquely identifying the chip, etc.

Leveraging chip variability

A data center includes a plurality of computing units that communicate with each other using wireless communication, such as high frequency RF wireless communication. The data center may organize the computing units into groups (e.g., racks). In one implementation, each group may form a three-dimensional structure, such as a column having a free-space region for accommodating intra-group communication among computing units. The data center can include a number of features to facilitate communication, including dual-use memory for handling computing and buffering tasks, failsafe routing mechanisms, provisions to address permanent interface and hidden terminal scenarios, etc.

Computing units using directional wireless communication

A system in which a discovering wireless device formulates a first discovery zone. In response to discovering a discoverable wireless device within the zone, the discovering wireless device establish a wireless communication channel with the discoverable wireless device using a powered wireless protocol, and communicates security data with the discoverable wireless device using the wireless communication channel. The discovering wireless device also formulates a second discovery zone that is larger than the first discovery zone, and uses the security data to pair with a target device within the second discovery zone. Thus, pairing is significantly simplified from a user perspective.

Coupling devices using multiple discovery zones

The claimed subject matter relates to a computer-implemented architecture that can provide a non-invasive comparative shopping tool, such as a browser plug-in. For example, the plug-in can determine whether a web user is currently visiting a purchase page, thus indicating that the web user is likely to be interested in purchasing items online. Upon making this determination, the plug-in can display a non-invasive listing (that can be quickly and conveniently dismissed) of comparable items at favorable prices (or with favorable features, etc.) that are available for purchase at other web sites. In addition, the plug-in can communicate with a data store, e.g., by way of the web, in order to help make various determination as well as to receive the listing of comparable items.

Comparative shopping tool

A PIFA (Planar Inverted-F Antenna) array antenna has multiple PIFAs. The PIFA array is used to provide different radiation patterns for communication. A signal being emitted by the PIFA array is manipulated. According to the manipulation, the PIFA array may emit the signal with an omni-directional radiation pattern or a directional radiation pattern; the same PIFA array (antenna) is used for both directional communication and omni-directional communication. The PIFA array may be used in mobile computing devices, smart phones, or the like, allowing such devices to transmit directionally and omni-directionally. The signal manipulation may involve splitting the signal into components that feed PIFAs, and before the components reach the PIFAs, changing properties of the components (e.g., phase) relative to each other.

PIFA array

Data center using wireless communication

Various embodiments are disclosed that relate to the automated identification of one or more computer program functions for potentially placing on a remote computing device in a split-computational computing environment. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides, on a computing device, a method of determining a factorable portion of code to locate remotely from other portions of the code of a program to hinder unauthorized use and/or distribution of the program. The method includes, on a computing device, receiving an input of a representation of the code of the program, performing analysis on the representation of the code, the analysis comprising one or more of static analysis and dynamic analysis, and based upon the analysis of the code, outputting a list of one or more functions determined from the analysis to be candidates for locating remotely.

Identifying factorable code

Functionality is described for reducing the unauthorized reproduction of optical media, such as optical discs of various types. The functionality operates by adding a physical descriptor to an optical medium, forming reference descriptor information based on the descriptor, signing the reference descriptor information to produce authenticity information, and adding the authenticity information to the optical medium. At a point of consumption, the functionality operates by reading the authenticity information and reading the descriptor. Based on the information that is read, the functionality performs cryptographic analysis and descriptor-based analysis to validate the optical medium. The functionality includes various provisions to reduce the impact of wear and tear on the above-summarized analysis. The functionality can be applied to stamped or recordable optical media.

Optical medium with added descriptor to reduce counterfeiting

Systems and methods to perform efficient searching for web content using a search engine are provided. In an illustrative implementation, a computing environment comprises a search engine computing application having an essential pages module operative to execute one or more selected selection algorithms to select content from a cooperating data store. In an illustrative operation, the exemplary search engine executes on a received search query to generate search results. Operatively, the retrieved results can be generated based upon their joint coverage of the submitted search query by deploying a selected sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) algorithm executing on the essential pages module. In the illustrative operation, the SFFS algorithm can operate to iteratively add one and delete one element from the set to improve a coverage score until no further improvement can be attained. The resultant processed search results can be considered essential pages.

Search engine platform

A human interactive puzzle (HIP) authorization architecture where keyed and animated puzzles are executed by HIP players which are distinct and obfuscated to the point where breaking a single player is a relatively costly operation. A key is created in response to a request for a service, a HIP player is created based on the key, and a small installation executable is created that expands during installation to produce a computationally expensive data structure on the client relative to verification of the solution at the server. Thus, copying of the player or relay of the puzzle to a third system requires more time than allowed to receive the solution at the server.

Keyed human interactive proof players

Human Interaction Proofs ('HIPs', sometimes referred to as 'captchas'), may be generated automatically. An captcha specification language may be defined, which allows a captcha scheme to be defined in terms of how symbols are to be chosen and drawn, and how those symbols are obscured. The language may provide mechanisms to specify the various ways in which to obscure symbols. New captcha schemes may be generated from existing specifications, by using genetic algorithms that combine features from existing captcha schemes that have been successful. Moreover, the likelihood that a captcha scheme has been broken by attackers may be estimated by collecting data on the time that it takes existing captcha schemes to be broken, and using regression to estimate the time to breakage as a function of either the captcha's features or its measured quality.

Automatic construction of human interaction proof engines

Growing community of inventors

Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Darko Kirovski