Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Microsoft Corporation

Robert Edward Parkin

Brian E King

John A Solaro

William T Flora

Rahul Ramesh Deshpande

Gregory R Slayden

Brian P Walker

Cyril S Bouanna

Christopher R Fox

Brian M King

Rahul R Deshpande

Described is a technology by which private content maintained behind a firewall (e.g., in a 'mesh') may be searched, browsed, and accessed via an index that exists outside of the firewall. Searching of the index may include checking permissions of a user against permissions associated with metadata in the index, e.g., per watch folder into which file content is added. When content is selected, e.g., by clicking on a search result, a request is made. An application polls for such requests, and when detected, pushes a copy of the content through the firewall to the requester. The search may be performed over more than one index, with aggregated search results returned.

Content mesh searching

A virtual merge of update data into a large ordered data set, such as an encyclopedia database. The ordered set is stored on a client, and includes original indices defined by a server, which also defines an initial index for each entry to be added to the ordered set as an update, where each initial index corresponds to a position that the entry would occupy in the ordered set if the entry were considered alone. An exception table is created by incrementing the initial indices by a number of entries to be added prior to a current entry and by decrementing for prior deleted entries. The client creates a dynamically ordered set from at least a portion of the large ordered set by analogously incrementing and/or decrementing the original indices. The dynamically ordered set and exception table define a virtually merged database that the client can access dynamically.

Fast merge into large ordered sets

A graphical user interface (GUI) allows a user to directly access items of visual and/or audio media by passing a cursor over points on an electronic map. Indicators in the form of icons representing media items can be displayed and can be accessed through a media viewer. A determination is made whether a position indicator or pointer, such as a cursor, is located proximate to a GUI location that is associated with supplemental content in the form of a media item. If so, an indicator is presented to advise the user that supplemental content is indeed associated with that location on the interface. For example, a media icon representing one or more media items can be displayed on the output device proximate to the location of the input device indicator. This indicator serves as a prompt or cue for the user to select the indicator if the user desires to review the supplemental content. A determination is made whether the media icon has been selected in response to an input signal issued by an input device. If so, the selected media item, typically video and/or audio information, is presented to the user via the output device.

System and method for displaying media interactively on a video display device

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Robert Edward Parkin