Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Max Glenn Morris

Darren Ray Davis

Gaurav S Anand

Daniel Oliver

Sandy Wong

Claus T Giloi

Robert Emmett Kolba, Jr

Markham MacLin

Sashi Raghupathy

Manoj Kumar Biswas

Marc Christopher Pottier

Ryan A Haveson

Amy Harilal Rambhia

Xiao Wei

Elbio Abib

Jon Gordner

Alexander Hills

Christopher G Kaler

Kenton Allen Shipley

Khurram Zia

Priya Bhushan Dandawate

Michael Neil Loholt

Travis J Martin

William Henry Gates, Iii

James Morris Alkove

Alexandre Vicktorovich Grigorovitch

Clifford Paul Strom

Patrik Schnell

Miller Thomas Abel

Steven J Ball

Frank Gorgenyi

Michael D Smith

Qiang Wang

Bruce E Johnson

Shajib Sadhukha

Gabriel S DeBacker

Andrew J Wallace

Samuel Neely

Kristian L M Andaker

Dennis Edward Flanagan

Robert Hildreth

Liwei Chen

Kevin H Lau

Scott A Plette

Mitchell K Rundle

Frederick C Chong

Neil K Koorland

Robin L Goldstein

Alexander McKelvey

Benjamin David Langmaid Stewart

Melitta Lorraine Geistdoerfer Andersen Riley

John A Maffei

Erik Hedberg

Saeed Noursalehi

David Welsh

James D Clark

Khurram M Zia

Robert Emmett Kolba

A computer provides a search interface that accesses multiple search providers, and aggregates their suggestions, providing a single, unified suggestion view across the multiple search providers. Suggestions are received from the multiple sources, such as a search engine on the internet or other public resource, and a search tool on the computer that accesses local or private resources. The suggestions are combined, ranked and displayed as a list to the user, from which the user is able to select.

Aggregating personalized suggestions from multiple sources

An action framework system provides context-based actions in association with a source application. The source application detects selection of a content element presented by the source application. The content element is associated with an application identifier identifying a target application and an action identifier identifying an operation to be executed by the target application on the content element. The target application identified by the application identifier is executed to perform the operation identified by the action identifier on the content element, responsive to detection of the selection of the content element. In one implementation, the source application is a search feature providing different contexts of search results (e.g., from a local file system search, a local application content search, a Web search, a remote application content search).

Context-based actions from a source application

A search service executes on one or more computing systems and searches at least one index associated with content accessible through an application based on the at least one portion of the search query to provide search results associated with the application. A search results interface returns one or more search results from the search. At least one of the search results is associated with an application identifier identifying the application. The search service ranks the search results associated with the application with other search results from at least one other search of other content based on the search query.

Search result contexts for application launch

Embodiments include processes, systems, and devices for initiating proximity actions upon the activation of a proximity connection. A proximity service receives an indication from a proximity provider that a proximity connection is established, and then determines a joint proximity context of the proximity connection. The proximity service then initiates a proximity action to facilitate a proximity function indicated by the joint proximity context. Joint proximity contexts include indications that an application has queued content to be shared with a proximity device, that an application has registered to publish messages on a namespace, that an application has subscribed to messages on a namespace, that an application has registered to find a peer application on a proximity device to enable multi-user collaboration, and that a device seeks to pair with another device.

Platform-enabled proximity service

One or more management components mediate a bi-directional interaction between applications. The components mediate interaction between a first application such as a word processing, video conference, or multimedia application, and a second application that is a virtualization of a physical device such as a printer, camera, or multimedia device. Further, embodiments also support a second application that provides an interface to a service provider, online business, and the like. The management component(s) may function as part of an operating system (OS), allowing the OS to mediate the interaction, and enable greater flexibility and a richer user experience, including presenting a common user experience for the interaction and/or acting as a broker to present a experience generated from the second application. Embodiments also include a unified application programming interface (API) to allow applications to interact with each other via the management component(s) of the OS.

Presenting devices as applications

Portable digital rights for multiple devices is described. In an embodiment, a digital rights management (DRM) system includes a first device with a removable component configured as a token that is associated with a DRM license. The first device also includes a removable memory card that stores protected media content on which the first device can perform actions as permitted by the DRM license. The DRM system also includes a second device that can have the removable component and the removable memory card when removed from the first device and installed in the second device such that the second device can perform the actions on the protected media content as permitted by the DRM license.

Portable digital rights for multiple devices

A method and system for setting up and managing secure data/audio/video conferences with a wide range of topologies is described. The disclosed method and system allow extending the range of topologies possible with the H.323 conferencing standards while overcoming T.120 negotiating constraints. Security in such conferences may be based on a trusted node system or on more complex security procedures. Furthermore, the taught conference topologies fully utilize the T.120 standards while also permitting the reach of the conferences to the extent enabled by the H.323 standards by implementing additional modules to manage the setting up and tearing down of one or more conference connections. In addition, the method and system allow for dynamically adjusting conference connections to improve bandwidth usage and utilize H.323 support for gatekeepers.

Security and support for flexible conferencing topologies spanning proxies, firewalls and gateways

Wireless-enabled mobile communication devices and network nodes are configured for participation in wireless, location-based e-commerce activities. Consumers using mobile communication devices in the vicinity of physical retail locations receive opportunities to engage in e-commerce, using their mobile communication devices, with merchants operating the physical retail locations. In an exemplary e-commerce transaction, a wireless communication session is established between a mobile communication device and a wireless network access node, which may be associated with a wireless local area network ('WLAN') or a wide-area network ('WAN'). Via the wireless communication session, a consumer receives a virtual retail experience associated with the physical retail location, and an exchange of consideration between the consumer and the merchant entity is arranged. In exchange for consideration from the consumer, the consumer receives commodity.

Medium and system for location-based E-commerce for mobile communication devices

Platforms and techniques for defining, authorizing/authenticating, distributing, and presenting dynamic device experiences using a number of hierarchically-related, declarative language data structures, such as extensible markup language ('XML') elements or attributes. A dynamic device experience is presented when two electronic devices are in communication via a communication medium. The data structures are processed to present a graphical user interface to a user&#x2014;the graphical user interface implements a dynamic device experience associated with the other electronic device. In one exemplary scenario, independent hardware vendors ('IHVs') author XML documents that include device experience information (such as branding or advertising information, access to Web services or applications, and access to device functionality), in the form of items of data stored in the data structures. The XML documents are verified against a predetermined schema, secured using a cryptographic technique such as a digital signature, and discovered/distributed in flexible, tamper-resistant manners.

Defining, distributing and presenting device experiences

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Max Glenn Morris