Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Donald Keller

Enrique De La Garza

Alexei Pineda

Diana Finster

Jonathan Winslow Anderson

Jason White

Kenneth Alan Lobb

Adrian Chiu

Pedro Emilio Gutierrez, Jr

A function intelligence engine receives input regarding application program content, including functions or capabilities of the application program that can be separately purchasable, and can further receive information regarding advertisements that can be displayed to users within the context of the application program. User-specific information is also received, including a user's current status and context within the application program, as well as a user's history, both within the application program, as well as in other application programs. Based on such information, the function intelligence engine determines and compares the probability of a user purchasing, versus the probability of the user consuming advertising, to acquire the separately purchasable function. The function intelligence engine then generates, and presents to the user, options that increase the chances of the user obtaining the separately purchasable function and maximize the benefit received by an application program author for providing the separately purchasable function.

Usability of supplemental application functions through dynamic modification of user-presented options

Electronic program guide descriptions, of content referenced by the electronic program guide, are user-targeted based on user data. Such user-targeted electronic program guide descriptions aid users in identifying desirable content, thereby increasing user interaction performance with a content presentation device providing such user-targeted electronic program guide descriptions. To generate user-targeted electronic program guide descriptions, received electronic program guide information includes different, alternative or mutually exclusive, content descriptions of a given content item. Such electronic program guide information is compared with the user data and user-targeted content item descriptions is generated from the different content descriptions. A visual electronic program guide, including the user-targeted content item description, is displayed to a user on a physical display device.

Increased user efficiency and interaction performance through user-targeted electronic program guide content descriptions

Improved operation of a content presentation device is achieved by one application, presenting content to users, automatically identifying an independent second application, available on the content presentation device, based on remotely-sourced information, and invoking that second application based on explicit or implicit user input. Bidirectional notifications are enabled between the two applications whereby activity within one application can affect the other. The first application displays an advertisement and can also, based on metadata received with the advertisement, identify the second application and invoke it, based upon explicit or implicit user action, such that both are simultaneously visible in separate content display areas on a physical display device. User interaction with the second application is independent of the display of the corresponding advertisement by the first application. The bidirectional notifications enable the second application to integrate with, respond to, or extend, content being presented by the first application.

Independent multi-panel display with cross-panel interactivity

Growing community of inventors

Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Donald Keller