Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

David James Gemmell

Roger Lueder

Ashok K Chandra

Chester Bell

Olivier Jerzy Dabrowski

Benjamin Rubinstein

Alexander G Gounares

Kentaro Toyama

Susan Theresa Dumais

Stelios Paparizos

Jonathan Edgar Fay

Asad Yaqoob

Charles C Carson, Jr

Sean Andrew Suchter

Stefan David Weitz

Paul Yiu

Min-John Lee

Vincent Vergonjeanne

Data, such as product data or airline flight data, is represented using structured data tuples, tables, or as data with related metadata and tags, and stored by a search engine. Partial queries are received by the search engine from a user and are used to generate a dialog between the search engine and the user. The dialog may include suggested query completions for the partial queries that correspond to a schema associated with the data tuples. The suggested query completions may be determined using attribute combinations of attributes and attribute values, or metadata and tags associated with the data tuples, including known synonyms and misspellings. The user may interact with the query completions in the dialog, and the search engine may revise the dialog and the query completions according to the interactions. A user may query data tuples without knowing the schema used by the underlying data structures.

Providing query completions based on data tuples

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing a rich search experience utilizing entity-type characterization are provided. A search query is received and an entity type is determined for the query. A Web search is then performed for the query against a predefined list of sources determined to be authoritative for the determined entity type. The results of the source-specific searches are filtered based upon the entity type providing a filtered list of results that each pertains to an entity of the entity type determined to be associated with the query. The filtered list are then compared to a list of resolved entities to determine equivalent entities identified by different searched sources, the equivalent entities being combined into a single potential search result. The consolidated search results are then ordered based upon rank values. At least a portion of the results may then be presented to the user.

Entity based search and resolution

Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing devices method of facilitating presentation of actions and providers associated with entities. The method includes determining a query intent of a received query. Entity sets having an entity that matches the determined query intent are recognized. Each entity set includes an entity, an action, and a provider. Actions and/or providers associated with the entity that matches the determined query intent are identified. The actions and/or the corresponding providers associated with the entity are provided for integration with a representation of the associated entity on a search results page.

Presenting actions and providers associated with entities

A semi-reliable multicast transport protocol uses multiple channels for communication between a server and multiple client devices. A join channel allows the sever to negotiate with client devices to join and exit a transmission session. A communication channel allows the server to communicate with client devices about a status of the transmission session. A polling channel initiated by a content transfer protocol, which runs on top of the transport protocol, transmits polling queries received from the content transfer protocol, receives client device responses to the polling queries, and passes the client device responses to the content transfer protocol. A data channel transmits data to client devices over a network.

Reliable multicast transport protocol

A user of a social network may submit a search query relating to one or more topics to a search engine indexing a set of data items, but the search results, while authoritative and informative, may be highly impersonal with respect to the user. Conversely, the user may search for social data items within the social network relating to the topics, and such social data items may be more highly personalized to the user, but may also be inaccurate or incomplete. Instead, the search query may be applied to both the search engine and the social network, and the selected search results and social data items may be integrated into a presentation featuring both authoritative and personalized information about the topics associated with the search query.

Integrating social network data with search results

Concepts and technologies are described herein for summarizing streams of information. A stream of information is obtained and analyzed. One or more entities are identified in the stream. The data in the stream is grouped into one or more clusters corresponding to the identified entities. The data in the clusters is summarized, and a timeline corresponding to the data in the cluster is determined. In some embodiments, a format can be selected for presentation of the summarized stream data. The data in the stream can be formatted in the selected format, and the summarized data can be presented in the selected format. In some embodiments, an update feature can be used to update the data in the summarized stream. The data in the stream can be updated, and the updated summarized stream can be formatted and presented.

Summarizing streams of information

Concepts and technologies are described herein for authority ranking for real time and social search. An authority index configured to store data relating to sources is generated. Data relating to the sources, including an authority value, are generated and stored at the authority index. The authority value may be defined as a function of source, topic, and point of view ('POV'), as well as other data, if desired, and may be determined based upon one or more ranking functions. The ranking functions are determined, and data corresponding to the ranking functions is obtained. Each of the ranking functions may be weighted according to a weighting function, a confidence value or interval, one or more time functions, and/or other methods. The obtained authority value may be used for affecting ranking of search results or for other purposes.

System and method for authority value obtained by defining ranking functions related to weight and confidence value

A user interface system and process for graphically displaying the results of a standard search, such as a database search, to a user on a display device via an interactive search results window in which the user views and filters search results items. These results can be presented in either a cluster or histogram format, or both. This allows the user to visualize the results graphically, rather than just displaying a list of the items found. In addition the presentation of the search results can be graphically manipulated to easily filter the results as desired by the user.

System and process for presenting search results in a histogram/cluster format

In a method of assisting in management of a collection of bookmarked web pages, browsing information is received. The browsing information is related to a history of web browser use. A ranked list of web pages is generated from a plurality of web pages which is received in the browsing information. The generating is based upon a function including one or more statistical elements of the browsing information. Management information is provided based upon the ranked list of web pages. The management information is for assisting in management of a collection of bookmarked web pages.

Assisted management of bookmarked web pages

Data objects are sent using a data carousel and forward error correction. This involves segregating a file into groups, wherein each group represents k data blocks. From the k data blocks of each group, n erasure-encoded blocks are calculated, where n&#x3e;k. The n erasure-encoded blocks are sent in a round-robin fashion using IP multicast technology: the first erasure-encoded block for each group, then the second block of each group, and so on. At a receiver, the blocks are stored on disk as they are received. However, they are segregated by group as they are stored. When reception is complete, each group is read into RAM, decoded, and written back to disk. In another embodiment, the receiver segregates allocated disk space into areas corresponding to sets of groups. Received blocks are then segregated only by set as they are written to disk. One or more RAM buffers can be used in this embodiment. When reception is complete, each set is read into RAM, decoded, and then written back to disk.

Data carousel receiving and caching

A system and process for providing progressively higher quality versions of an audio and/or video program over a client-server based network. In response to a user command to view a particular program, the client requests layered data associated with the program from the server. The client also specifies how many consecutive layers are to be transmitted based on the bandwidth available on the network. The client then receives the data from the server, caches it, renders it as it is received, and presents it to the viewer. Upon a request from the user for a higher quality version of the program, the client requests as many enhancement layers associated with the program as possible given the available bandwidth. The client receives the requested data, combines it with the previously stored lower-level layer data, renders the higher quality version of the program, and presents the new version to the user.

Growing community of inventors

Danville, CA, United States of America

David James Gemmell