Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Prasun Dewan

Eric J Horvitz

Jonathan Thomas Grudin

Yong Rui

Sasa Junuzovic

Rajesh Hegde

Olufisayo Omojokun

The present invention provides methods for using abstractions of people, including dynamic and static groups of people, to enhance the efficiency of the specification and automation of policies for sharing information between users with a 'need-to-know.' An instance of the present invention can also provide these users information based on a 'time-to-know.' By providing access to information based on group affiliation and properties of the content of the information, the present invention maintains optimal information privacy while minimizing encumbrances to sharing data with appropriate users and even at appropriate times. The present invention can be integrated with other communication technologies to facilitate access to information in a time appropriate manner. Other instances of the present invention employ automated and semi-automated, mixed-initiative techniques, to make information-sharing decisions. Additional instances of the present invention include the employment of machine-learning techniques to facilitate construction of access policies from the actions or profile of a single user or a community of users, including the construction of automated sharing agents that work in an automated or mixed-initiative manner to respond to real-time requests for information.

Abstractions and automation for enhanced sharing and collaboration

The present invention provides methods for using abstractions of people, including dynamic and static groups of people, to enhance the efficiency of the specification and automation of policies for sharing information between users with a 'need-to-know.' An instance of the present invention can also provide these users information based on a 'time-to-know.'By providing access to information based on group affiliation and properties of the content of the information, the present invention maintains optimal information privacy while minimizing encumbrances to sharing data with appropriate users and even at appropriate times. The present invention can be integrated with other communication technologies to facilitate access to information in a time appropriate manner. Other instances of the present invention employ automated and semi-automated, mixed-initiative techniques, to make information-sharing decisions. Additional instances of the present invention include the employment of machine-learning techniques to facilitate construction of access policies from the actions or profile of a single user or a community of users, including the construction of automated sharing agents that work in an automated or mixed-initiative manner to respond to real-time requests for information.

Methods, systems and computer readable media for automatically generating customizable user interfaces using programming patterns are disclosed. According to one method, application objects of an application computer program are analyzed to identify programming patterns. Each programming pattern is a relationship among signatures of application methods in one of the application objects. The signatures of the application methods include public interfaces of the application methods. A user interface is automatically generated for the computer program. Automatically generating a user interface includes providing for at least one of a user and a programmer of the computer program to customize mappings between the application objects and user interface elements, where the user interface elements include at least one of user interface widgets and speech grammar rules.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for automatically generating customizable user interfaces using programming patterns

A computer code conflict notification and resolution technique that provides a collaborative programming environment for conflicts management is presented. The technique detects potential conflicts and provides facilities that allow programmers to work collaboratively to resolve the conflicts as they occur. This includes the ability to conduct a code session in which conflicting code elements are compared and changed as needed to resolve conflicts. In addition, in-place audio/video, text chat and application sharing is provided. This allows communication sessions to be conducted within the programming environment.

Collaborative code conflict detection, notification and resolution

Techniques are provided for indicating workspace awareness using one or more of a write shadow, a read shadow, and/or a shadowbar providing an indication of operations performed at associated locations by various users accessing a same document. A write shadow may be used to indicate a position in a document being modified by a user. A read shadow may be used to indicate a position being viewed by a user. A shadowbar may be used to indicate areas of overlap among users with a shading and coloring indicative of a degree of overlap.

Growing community of inventors

Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Prasun Dewan