Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Other

Darren B Remington

Warren T Dent

Geoffrey John Hulten

Michael John Conrad

Kyle James Krum

Umaimah A Mendhro

Bassam A Saliba

D Chase Franklin

Judy Kaethler

Pierre J Jammes

Robert F Day

Jan Thomas Miksovsky

John M Tippett

David E McCauley, Iii

Brian T Fleming

Scott R Ludwig

Bert Speelpenning

Michael Cockrill

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for determining an audience's state or interest using passive sensor data. The techniques receive sensor data that measures an audience during presentation of a media program. The techniques, based on this sensor data, then determine a state or interest of the audience members during the media program.

Determining audience state or interest using passive sensor data

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for determining a future portion of a currently presented media program. The techniques and apparatuses can receive current media reactions of one or many people to a currently presented media program and determine later portions to present in the media program based on the media reactions. In some embodiments, for example, a program can be presented live, reactions can be received during the live presentation, and the program altered on-the-fly and in real time based on those reactions. Further, the alterations can be general or tailored to a group or a particular person.

Determining a future portion of a currently presented media program

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for controlling a media program based on a media reaction. In some embodiments, the techniques pause, mute, or stop a media program when a user leaves the room, when a user in the room is talking or is otherwise not paying attention to the program, or when a child walks into the room.

Controlling a media program based on a media reaction

A consumer-based bill management and payment system is configured to receive, analyze, manage and pay electronic billing statements received from the biller over the Internet. The system includes a notification manager that detects when the electronic bill arrives and notifies the consumer. The bill is stored in memory with other unpaid electronic bills. According to another aspect of the invention, the system has a cashflow analyzer that enables the consumer to coordinate the unpaid electronic bills according to different payment schedules for a bill payment cycle (e.g., a month). The goal of the manipulation is to permit the consumer to analyze how the different payment schedules affect the consumer's cashflow with an aim toward minimizing overdraft during the bill payment cycle. The cashflow analyzer can automatically compute an optimized payment schedule that minimizes overdraft of the consumer's account, while maximizing the balance to generate the most interest. When the consumer desires to pay a particular bill, the bill is presented to the consumer through a graphical user interface (UI). The bill management and payment system supports a payment analyzer to enable the consumer to determine how much of the electronic bill to pay. The payment analyzer provides a venue to challenge certain items on the bill.

Consumer-based system and method for managing and paying electronic billing statements

A bill presentment and payment remittance system is configured for use over an electronic network, such as the Internet. The bill presentment and payment remittance system allows the biller to create a bill and payment remittance information in a format specified by the biller. The biller submits the bill and associated payment remittance information by electronically transmitting it over the Internet to the consumer. The consumer authenticates that the bill did indeed come from the indicated biller. The bill is presented in a user interface which provides a line-by-line itemization of the bill, along with a predefined dispute reasons which the consumer can check to challenge particular items on the bill.

Electronic bill presentment and payment system with bill dispute capabilities

A bill presentment and payment remittance system is configured for use over an electronic network, such as the Internet. The bill presentment and payment remittance system allows the biller to create a bill and payment remittance information in a format specified by the biller. The biller submits the bill and associated payment remittance information by electronically transmitting it over the Internet to the consumer. The consumer authenticates that the bill did indeed come from the indicated biller. The bill is presented in a user interface which provides a line-by-line itemization of the bill, along with a predefined dispute reasons which the consumer can check to challenge particular items on the bill. The bill can then be automatically or manually adjusted to reflect any disputed amounts. Payment of the bill is preferably in the form of a 'direct debit check' that is formed by the consumer software using the billing and remittance information provided in the bill to automatically name the biller as the payee. The consumer completely controls the payment authorization, specifying the amount to be paid (either partial or full), and the date for the payment to be made, and the account from which the money will be drawn. The electronic payment and any dispute criteria are associated with the payment remittance information. The payment instruction and remittance information are then transmitted in the biller prescribed format back over the Internet to the biller. In this manner, the payment remittance information is automatically returned directly to the biller in the format that the biller chooses, without intervention by the consumer. The biller executes the payment instructions sent to it electronically by the consumer by sending them onto the biller's bank.

Electronic bill presentment and payment system

Systems and methods for designing and operating an electronic store are described. Various embodiments describe receiving a request for an electronic store web a e from a web browser. In response to the request, a database query is performed, and product information describing a hierarchical relationship between groups of products is extracted from the database. The extracted product information is related to a first group of products whose previous selection by a user initiated the database query. A web page which includes information describing the relationship between the first group of products and the extracted product information is sent to the requesting web browser, and is configured to enable the web browser to generate a user interface displaying icons arranged to visually represent the relationship.

System and method for designing and operating an electronic store

Systems and methods for designing and operating an electronic store are described. Various embodiments (1) permit a merchant to organize and advertise descriptions of product inventory over the Internet, (2) permit Web page information to be extracted on-demand from a product inventory database, and (3) permit Web pages to be automatically customized to shopping behaviors of individual consumers. In some embodiments, a graphical store design user interface of a Web browser displays a hierarchical representation of products and product groups on an electronic store. A user manipulates icons of the Web browser store design user interface to cause a Web server to modify relationships between products and product groups stored in a product information database. A store designer creates HTML template files, embeds database and customized references within the template files, and assigns template files to groups or products of the electronic store.

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Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Darren B Remington