Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Google Inc.

Hugh Vidos

David Ethan Zoller

Dean Wayne Talley

John E Elsbree

David R Fulmer

David A Braun

Matthew Goyer

Michael E Creasy

Kort Danner Sands

Chia-Chi Teng

Gülay Birand

Charles H Shoemaker

Arvind Jayasundar

Srinivas Visvanathan

Jay C Gibson

The systems and methods described herein are directed toward launching a third party application in a media center module using a contextual link. The media center module is configured to enable the third party application to register with the module and to associate a contextual link corresponding to the third party application with a context provided by the media center module. In response to a request for information related to the context, the media center module is configured to direct to a location associated with the contextual link. The media center module is further configured to provide to the location data that identifies the context. In response to the provided data, the location is populated with the requested information. Thus, the use of conditional link enables a third party application to register to be a context handler for a media center module.

Accessing media context information using contextual links

A merchant creates a record with a payment processor. As part of the record, the payment processor records identification codes for one or more merchant operators of the merchant system. The merchant operator, such as a vendor, presents their identification code to a user that desires to purchase a product from the vendor. The user's computing device receives the vendor's identification code, as well as transaction details for the desired purchase transaction. The payment processor receives a request from the user's computing device to process the purchase transaction. Based on the identification code received and the transaction details, the payment processor identifies the merchant record and verifies a financial account for the user. The payment processor provides an authentication to the user computer device, which includes an authorization indicator, such as a vendor password. After the vendor views the authorization indicator, the vendor can provide the product to the user.

Mobile transactions with merchant identification codes

The systems and methods described herein are directed toward launching a third party application in a media center module using a conditional link. The media center module is configured to enable the third party application to register with the module and to associate a primary link that serves as the entry point for the application. The media center module also enables the third party application to provide a conditional link that serves as the entry point when a certain condition is met. Under normal circumstances, the media center module provides the primary link as the entry point for a user to launch the third party application. When the media center module receives a notification from the third party application to use the conditional link, the media center application causes the conditional link to be the entry point for the application. Thus, the use of conditional link enables a third party application to specify how the application is launched from the media center module under different conditions.

Media software navigation with conditional links

Accessing medial context information using contextual links

An exemplary computer-implementable method includes receiving a call from an application executing on a host computer, the host computer having a collection of graphical user interfaces, and, in response to the call, registering the application whereby the registering comprises providing one or more entry points for the application wherein each entry point corresponds to at least one of the graphical user interfaces of the collection of graphical user interfaces. Various other exemplary methods, devices, systems, etc., are also disclosed.

Registration of applications and complimentary features for interactive user interfaces

A user experience for displaying and organizing content available on discs in an external media changer is provided. A media content organizer for identifying discs, retrieving supplemental information, and presenting a display of the discs and disc information is also provided.

DVD changer UX

Application program interfaces for controlling an external media changer from a computer are provided. The application program interfaces allow for loading and identification of discs in a media changer. The application program interfaces can further allow for control of media changer functions such as locking of media changer elements and playback of disc content for discs in the media changer.

DVD changer API's

Systems and methods for providing a media device capabilities determination mechanism in a networked computing environment are provided. Some of today's operating systems and applications deliver a set of remoting features to enable a networked ecosystem of remote media consumption devices. These devices connect to the host and display a remoted media experience via remoting protocols and technologies. In this regard, the device capabilities determination mechanism of the invention enables a remote device to specify a custom set of media capabilities that should be remoted from the host to the remote device.

Growing community of inventors

Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Hugh Vidos