Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Michael C Kunz

Lynn Ayres

Trevin M Chow

Erren Dusan Lester

Campbell D Gunn

Michael D Schackwitz

Ari D Galen

Colin Ray Anthony

Martin J Hall

Chad Steven Estes

Allison Anne O'Mahony

Michael Goldbach

Oliver R Roup

Daniel J Makoski

Dennis H Harding

Jerry Paul Hook

Austina M De Bonte

Matt Dyor

Aly Valli

David S Barlin

Joost Martijn Bon

Brian D Holdsworth

Daniel J Welsh

Matthew Koontz

Lynn C Ayres

Disclosed herein are methods for protecting user information on a client device that may have a plurality of users. A user interface with a public machine designation portion is presented to a user prior to the start of the authentication process. The public machine designation removes web service account descriptions and any user specific information stored on the client device. Also, the client device is prevented from storing any new user specific information that is provided to the client device. The public machine designation is a persistent feature that may only be disabled by an affirmative action from the user.

Persistent public machine setting

Online advertisements are delivered to one or more users. An authorization to access one or more data streams for a given user is received. The authorization is explicitly granted by the user. The data streams are stored within a user data repository. Upon the user conducting an online action that initiates a dynamic advertisement (DA) request, the authorized data streams for the user are used to generate a customized DA that is optimally relevant to the user. The customized DA is then delivered to the user. The customized DA is also monetized.

Trusted online advertising

Described herein is technology for, among other things, provisioning access to shared resources. It involves various techniques for creating accounts for recipients of communications with shared resources. Further, the resources may available by an easy to find permanent location (e.g., URL). Such a provisioning process facilitates the growth of the network as recipients are given fully featured accounts. Therefore, the technology avoids the sign up process that users would otherwise have to go through in order to access the shared resource.

Access provisioning via communication applications

Methods for delivering rich media content to a user within an email system via a dedicated media channel. An email system receives an email message associated with rich media content from a registered sender for delivery to a recipient. To improve the recipient's viewing experience, the email system ensures that the rich media content is loaded in a rich media database before delivering the email message to the recipient. When the recipient reads the email message, the email system delivers the rich media content to the recipient from the rich media database via a dedicated media channel efficiently and at a low cost.

Late loading rich media

Techniques for zero fixed placement (ZFP) ads are described. ZFP ads may be triggered independently of a fixed placement for the ad in a user interface. In an implementation, data describing a user interface includes a trigger associated with a ZFP ad. The ZFP ad may be configured to set various modifiable attributes of the user interface. Setting the modifiable attributes of the page enables a ZFP to modify both the appearance and layout of elements and modules included in the user interface. A client may load the data having the trigger and render the user interface without presenting the associated ZFP ad or including a placeholder for the ZFP ad. When the trigger is detected, the client executes the associated ZFP ad, modifies attributes of the user interface in accordance with the ZFP ad, and outputs the modified user interface to present the ZFP ad.

Zero fixed placement ads

Techniques are described to provide content channels for electronic messaging. In an implementation, a content channel may be configured to contain multiple content portions having various types of content for delivery to one or more clients. The content channel may be associated with an electronic message such as an email or instant message. The content channel and updates to the content channel may be pushed to the clients as electronic messages in an electronic messaging environment. The clients may expose a user interface having one or more portions that are arranged to present and provide interaction with the content channel. The content channel may be pinned within a designated portion of the user interface to enable repeated access to the content channel via the designated portion.

Content channels for electronic messaging

Multipersona creation and management is described. In one of a variety of examples, a system provides creation and management of multiple personas of a single user. Each of the personas, for instance, may have an associated external representation of the user, such as user tile, alias, email address, and so on. These personas may then be managed, both automatically and manually, to provide different external representations of the user as desired.

Multipersona creation and management

In-line secondary transaction is described. In an embodiment, an on-line shopping interface is displayed via which an item can be selected for purchase. When a selection is received to initiate a purchase of the item, a determination is made that a secondary transaction is needed to complete the purchase of the item. An in-line secondary transaction user interface is displayed over a portion of the on-line shopping interface to facilitate the secondary transaction where the in-line secondary transaction user interface is displayed to maintain a context of the purchase on the on-line shopping interface. An input of transaction information is received via the in-line secondary transaction user interface to complete the secondary transaction such that the purchase of the item can be completed via the on-line shopping interface.

Method and system for in-line secondary transactions

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Michael C Kunz