Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Kenneth Lynn Crocker

David V Gunter

Michael John Novak

Brian R Meyers

Kanchan Mitra

Robert E Corrington

Anna Timasheva

Thomas Henry Alphin, Iii

Dipan Dewan

Gurdeep Singh Pall

Wei Jiang

Megan Galbraith Donahue

Bernard D Aboba

Kevin Timothy Shields

Dawn Wilson

Darin Miller

Rachel Jiang

Narendra C Gidwani

Rhon Manlapaz

Michael Saffitz

Colleen Elizabeth Hamilton

Bruce E Johnson

Dennis A Morgan

Eduard Guzovsky

Richard H Lamb

Valerie Louise Wang

Techniques are described for obtaining user activity information and navigational mnemonic information. The activity information and navigational mnemonic information can be used to control information presented in displays in a manner that can assist a user in locating an activity using displayed navigational mnemonics. User activity information can include an application identifier and a content identifier. Navigational mnemonic information can include a resource identifier and a relevance identifier. A user can search for activities based on a relationship between a navigational mnemonic and an activity, such as a temporal relationship. Applications can register both activity information and navigational mnemonic information through an interface, and a navigational mnemonic feed service can provide navigation mnemonics that are not directly related to user activity on user computer devices.

Control of displayed activity information using navigational mnemonics

Techniques are described for creating and modifying task records and for controlling information displayed to a user in corresponding task representations. The task records are associated with more or more user activities, where each activity is associated with a record having an identifier for the activity, an application identifier that indicates a software application associated with the activity, and a content identifier identifying content associated with the software application and the activity. The activity records can include activation information. A user can select a task representation and resume one or more activities associated with the task. Tasks records can be shared between different computer devices of the user, and with different users. Task and activity records can be associated with navigational mnemonics. Representations of task and activity records can be displayed proximate representations of associated navigational mnemonics to help a user locate tasks and activities of interest.

Collection and control of user activity set data and activity set user interface

Techniques are described for obtaining and displaying user activity information. For example, user activity information can include an application identifier, a content identifier, and a relevance identifier. A summary display is rendered for display that presents user activity information for user activities meeting relevance criteria. A user can select to view an activity details view, presenting information regarding all of their activity over a time period. A user can search for activities meeting particular criteria, and can view past activities along with applications currently being executed by the user.

Collection and control of user activity information and activity user interface

Background tasks are managed through background task settings that allow or prevent the execution of agents associated with mobile device applications in the background of a mobile computing device. Background task management can extend the battery life of a mobile device and can be done by a user, the mobile device or a combination thereof. Agents scheduled for execution by a mobile device are executed according to the background task settings associated with the application. Background task settings can be controlled via background task control panels. Background task settings can be set on a system-wide, application or background task basis. Disabled background tasks can be enabled when the application is next launched. A user can be invited to navigate to the background task control panels when various events occur such as the battery life dropping below a threshold or the current power consumption exceeding a threshold.

Management of background tasks

A calculation engine processes user-definable formulas to generate calculation results. A calculation engine may use the following types of data structures: table, column, row, and field. A sub table may be embedded within a row. Operations may be performed at various levels, such as at: table, column, and field. A calculation engine may operate on a calculation table having columns, which may each have an ordered list of formulas. Formulas within such an ordered list may be evaluated in the order specified until one of the formulas is successfully evaluated. A hierarchy of formulas may be formed by a column's formula depending on another column or table. A graph of data dependencies may be prepared for determining an order in which operands and operations should be evaluated and performed.

Programmable calculation engine

A system for maintaining network information. The system resides in a network comprising a plurality of sub-networks in communication with one another over a communications backbone. Each sub-network has a router for use in performing communications with other sub-networks. A directory service is linked to the communications backbone and includes a database. The database stores router attribute information that is published by each of the routers. Using a query engine associated with the directory service, meaningful information can be gathered from the database as a function of specified router attribute information.

System and method for maintaining network system information

A system and method is provided for detecting, monitoring and maintaining an Internet Connection Sharing Device (ICSD). An ICSD may be connected to one or more devices, and/or applications associated with a Local Area Network (LAN), which devices, and/or applications, may attempt to detect, monitor and maintain the ICSD. Thus, a broadcast protocol for advertising status and services and a unicast request/response protocol are provided to facilitate such detection, monitoring and maintenance.

Beacon protocol for internet connection sharing devices

Growing community of inventors

Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Kenneth Lynn Crocker