Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Facebook, Inc.

Other

Philip Ti-Fei Su

Robert J Jarrett

Matthew P Rhoten

Reed L Townsend

Steven P Dodge

Alexander J Kolmykov-Zotov

Emily K Rimas-Ribikauskas

Zoltan C Szilagyi

Richard J Swaney

Eric Burns

Harry Kaplanian

A user interface in a social networking system enables users to connect to and interact with each other using a third-party communication service, such as a VoIP or video chat service. A user initiates an interaction with another user in the social networking system, which passes the users' information to the third-party communication service provider to allow it to provide the requested service. The social networking system may pass an encrypted identifier for the users so that the third-party communication service does not have access to the real identities of the social networking system's users. A user of the social networking system may use this process to video conference with users of the third-party communication service, rather than just other users of the social networking system, and vice versa.

Accessing third-party communication service via a social networking system

Aspects of the invention provide virtual hover zones. When a user lowers a hovering stylus while remaining within a hover zone, cursor control is modified to be more easily controllable by the user. If the user pauses the stylus in mid-air before lowering the stylus, and if the stylus remains within the hover zone, then upon touchdown the cursor may be moved to the projection of the location where the stylus was paused. Any action that may be taken in response to the touch down may be sent to the projection location as well. Also provided are cursor control zones. A dampening zone may be used to provide dampened cursor movement feedback in response to movement input provided by a pointing device. Also, a dead zone may be used to prohibit cursor movement in response to movement input provided by the pointing device.

Targeting in a stylus-based user interface

Systems and methods useful in communicating messages over a peer-to-peer network, optionally over transient connections to participants in a collaborative session (e.g., an 'electronic whiteboard' session), are described. Examples include establishing a session for data transfer, wherein participants easily enter and leave the session without losing data or connections between the participants. Participants in a session may gain access to and catch up with data previously transmitted. Various data structures are useful for communicating messages. Such data structures may be used for transmitting message data or identification data to participants.

Communicating messages over transient connections in a peer-to-peer network

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates conveying enhanced query results. An interface component can receive a query corresponding to data. A visual component can employ a search result based at least in part upon the query, wherein the search result includes a graphic identifying a location of at least one term of the query within the queried data.

Search term location graph

A locking arrangement for data structures is provided that prevents deadlocks, but still allows different threads to simultaneously obtain locks on different nodes of a data structure for both read and write operations. The locking system differentiates locks based on a priority hierarchy. The locking system will fail a request to lock one or more resources in a data structure if access to those resources has already been restricted by a conflicting lock of an equal or higher priority. The locking system may also employ preemptable and non-preemptable locks such that, if a preemptable lock with a lower priority has restricted access to resources, then the locking system will preempt the lower priority lock in favor of a conflicting higher priority lock. Alternately, if a non-preemptable lock with a lower priority has restricted access to resources, then the locking system will wait until the lower priority lock is removed before implementing a requested conflicting higher priority lock. This locking arrangement allows high priority operations that require higher performance and efficiency to receive preferential access to a data structure without preventing lower priority operations from accessing the data structure, while preventing deadlocks between different operations.

Priority differentiated subtree locking

Methods for bridging subnet broadcasts across subnet boundaries include: (a) receiving a first broadcast message that originates in a first subnet; (b) sending the first broadcast message to a second subnet; and (c) broadcasting the first broadcast message on the second subnet, wherein the first broadcast message is not sent from the second subnet back to the first subnet and/or it is not rebroadcast on the first subnet. Other methods of processing broadcast messages include: (a) receiving a first broadcast message on a first subnet; (b) determining whether the first broadcast message originated in the first subnet; and (c) when the first broadcast message originated in the first subnet, sending the first broadcast message to a second subnet. Such methods may further include, at least in some examples, marking the first broadcast message to indicate that it originated from the first subnet. Example systems for performing various bridging methods, including the bridging methods described above, may include, for example: (a) a receiver adapted to receive a first broadcast message, wherein the first broadcast message originates in a first subnet; (b) a repeater adapted to send the first broadcast message to a second subnet; and (c) a replicator adapted to broadcast a second broadcast message originating from a subnet other than the first subnet on the first subnet. All subnets involved in the communication may include this type of structure to enable cross communication of broadcast message data between the subnets.

Bridging subnet broadcasts across subnet boundaries

Various techniques are disclosed for easily and accurately estimating the amount of overlap between two or more polygons. With various examples of these techniques, a pattern of objects, such as points, is provided over the entire area of the first polygon. The amount of objects within the first polygon then is determined, as is the amount of objects within the first polygon that also are located within the second polygon. The ratio of the amount of objects located within both the first polygon and the second polygon to the total amount of objects located within the first polygon then provides an estimate of the amount of the first polygon overlapped by the second polygon.

Estimation of overlap of polygons

The convex hull of two polygons having congruent corresponding angles with the same orientation can be determined by analyzing the relationship of each vertex of one of the polygons relative to its adjacent vertices. More particularly a line may be defined between a selected vertex on one of the polygons and its corresponding vertex on the other polygon. If the vertices adjacent to the selected vertex both fall on the same side of the line, then a line connecting the selected vertex with its corresponding vertex lies on the convex hull of the two polygons. If, on the other hand, the vertices adjacent to the selected vertex are located on different sides of the line, then the line connecting the selected vertex with its corresponding vertex does not lie on the convex hull.

Determining the convex hull of convex polygons with congruent corresponding angles

A locking arrangement for data structures is provided that prevents deadlocks, but still allows different threads to simultaneously obtain locks on different nodes of a data structure for both read and write operations. The locking system will fail a request to lock one or more resources in a data structure if access to those resources has already been restricted by a conflicting lock of an equal or higher priority. The locking system may also employ preemptable and non-preemptable locks such that, if a preemptable lock with a lower priority has restricted access to resources, then the locking system will preempt the lower priority lock in favor of a conflicting higher priority lock. Alternately, if a non-preemptable lock with a lower priority has restricted access to resources, then the locking system will wait until the lower priority lock is removed before implementing a requested conflicting higher priority lock.

Growing community of inventors

Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Philip Ti-Fei Su