Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Jeffrey Craig Kunins

Max Edward Metral

Ryan W Battle

John Hal Howard

Darren L Anderson

Andrew Olcott

Robert Wayne Roth

Wainwright Gregory Siady Yu

Manigandan Natarajan

Omar H Shahine

Walter Manching Tseng

Ashish Singh

Seth Gershom Goldstein

William M Hsu

Brandon LaBranche Watson

Mohammad A Kanso

Joon Hao Chuah

Otis Yeager Chandler

Brian David Rosenblat

Eric Michael Franklin

Anisha Gulabani

Simran K Dua

Lisa Joy Stifelman

Oludare Victor Obasanjo

Bhupinder Singh Sethi

Jeffrey Earl Steinbok

Rao Subrahmanyeswara Surapaneni

Sarah A Caplener

Douglas Ray Pearce

Paul A Elliott

Adam Elman

Joseph Andrew Bono

Rajeev Khurana

Ann Marie Hudspeth

Dan Wu

Eric J Zappa

Brian M Perrin

Michelle M Aleong

David W Law

Shanmugarasa Muhunthan

Arjun Subramanian

Archana Manoj Gadkari

Angus MacDonald David

David Weiden

Jay Prashant Subhash

A metadata item may be generated that includes metadata content corresponding to a selected portion of digital content stored on a first device, the metadata item may be associated with a first user profile, and the metadata item may be distributed to a second user device storing the digital content such that the metadata item can be accessed via a second user profile and rendered on the second user device in association with the digital content. In this manner, metadata content corresponding to digital content may be shared across user profiles that access the digital content. In addition, a collaborative content item may be generated that includes collaborative content associated with a word or phrase in digital content and that is editable by multiple user profiles.

Generation and distribution of collaborative content associated with digital content

Electronic content such as an electronic book (e-book) that is referenced in or otherwise related to other content such as website content is identified, and a visual representation of the electronic content is generated. The visual representation is presented in conjunction with the website content, and a reader application for previewing the electronic content is launched via user interaction with the visual representation. Exiting the reader application causes a browser application that is rendering the website content to be automatically returned to a foreground state. A variety of actions are enabled via interaction with the reader application such as purchasing the electronic content, sharing the electronic content, or downloading a sample preview of the electronic content for later consumption.

Previewing electronic content within third-party websites

Previewing electronic book content within third-party websites

Distribution of user-generated annotations associated with digital content

A system for updating a network accessible address book for a user is disclosed. The system includes a network address reference detection agent that detects a network address reference resulting from user interaction with a network addressable device. Network address references include e-mail addresses, SMS addresses, and telephone numbers. After the network address reference detection agent detects an event, a user identity data store is accessed. The user identity data store provides a reverse-lookup of one or more profile elements based upon the network address reference detected by the network address reference detection agent. The system also includes a capture agent for evaluating a business rule based at least on the network address reference. If the business rule is satisfied, the capture agent provides a prompt as to whether the one or more profile elements should be added at least in part to the network accessible address book for the user.

Smart capture

Information aggregation techniques are described. In an implementation, a communication is received that includes an indication of a source of information associated with a non-member of the social network. Information associated with the non-member is aggregated from the source. The aggregation may be performed in response to receipt of a selection by a member of the social network service to interact with the information from the source. The aggregated information may then be presented to a member in conjunction with webpages output for interaction with the social network.

Information aggregation service

Tools and techniques related to progressively discovering and integrating services are provided. These tools may receive electronic communications addressed to users of communications platform software. In turn, these tools may analyze the electronic communications, and generate upsells for presentation to the users. These upsells may relate to updating profile records associated with the users.

Progressively discovering and integrating services

A visitor to a profile page is invited to modify a user profile associated with the profile page. If the visitor elects to provide a suggested modification to the profile page, a message is transmitted to the user that owns the profile page requesting authorization to perform the suggested modification. In response to the message, the user can accept the suggested modification to the user profile, decline the suggested modification to the user profile, or edit the suggested modification to the user profile. If the user accepts or edits the suggested modification to the user profile, the user profile is modified accordingly. In this manner, a visitor to a profile page can assist in the creation of a user profile.

Visitor-assisted user profile creation

A mechanism for seeking access of a client to a first server is described. The mechanism involves determining that a client seeking access to the first server is not authenticated by an authentication server. The mechanism further involves communicating a request for login information to be returned to the second server from the client. Login information is received at the authentication server from the client. The client is authenticated by comparing the login information with authentication information maintained by the authentication server. When the login information matches the authentication information, a user authentication indicator is generated at the authentication server and the user sends the authentication indicator to the first server.

Accessing a server using a user authentication indicator

A system determines whether to grant user access. Prior to granting access, the network server authenticates the user by sending an authentication request. An authentication server determines whether the user has been authenticated. If the user has been authenticated, the network server is notified and the network server grants access. If the user is not authenticated, then login information is retrieved and compared to maintained authentication information. If the retrieved login information matches, then the network server is notified. The retrieved login and authentication information is concealed from the network server. If the user is authenticated, a user profile is communicated to the network server with the notification. If the user is successfully authenticated, a cookie is provided to a user Internet browser. The cookie contains information regarding user authentication, the user's profile, and a list of network servers previously visited.

Authenticating user access request with an authentication server for accessing a network server without communicating user authentication cookie to the network server

A system determines whether to grants access to a network server by a user. Initially, a user attempts to gain access to a network server, such as a web server. Prior to granting access to the network server, the network server authenticates the user by sending an authentication request to an authentication server. The authentication server determines whether the user was already authenticated by the authentication server. If the user was already authenticated by the authentication server, then the network server is notified that the user is authenticated. The network server then grants the user access to the network server. If the user was not already authenticated by the authentication server, then login information is retrieved from the user and compared to authentication information maintained by the authentication server. If the retrieved login information matches the authentication information, then the network server is notified that the user is authenticated. The retrieved login information and the authentication information is concealed from the network server. If the user is authenticated, then a user profile is communicated to the network server along with the notification that the user is authenticated. If the user is successfully authenticated, then a cookie is provided to an Internet browser operated by the user. The cookie contains information regarding user authentication, the user's profile, and a list of network servers previously visited by the user.

Authenticating user access to a network server without communicating user authentication cookie to the network server

A system determines whether to grant a user access to a network server. Prior to granting access to the network server, the network server authenticates the user by sending an authentication request to an authentication server. The authentication server determines whether the user was already authenticated by the authentication server. If the user is authenticated by the authentication server, then the network server is notified that the user is authenticated through the use of an authentication ticket, and the network server grants the network server user access. If the user is not authenticated by the authentication server, then login information is retrieved from the user and compared to authentication information maintained by the authentication server. If the retrieved login information matches the authentication information, then the network server is notified that the user is authenticated by using the authentication ticket.

Controlling access to a network server using an authentication ticket

Authenticating access to a network server without communicating login information through the network server

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Jeffrey Craig Kunins