Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Rowan Forster

Jason Craig Nelson

Susan Chory

Shawn M Thomas

Michael John Bray

Shawn Cantin Callegari

Danielle Lauren Ellbogen

Divya Kumar

David Warren Stevens

Brad Steven Kertson

Richard Lawrence Harrington

Methods, systems and computing devices for establishing a content sharing session between computing devices are disclosed. In one example, prior to establishing the content sharing session: (1) user selection input selecting at least a portion of content displayed by a user computing device is received; (2) in response, a content sharing window comprising the portion of the content and user-selectable contact selectors is displayed; and (3) user contact input selecting a contact selector corresponding to a selected recipient is received. In response to receiving the user contact input, the content sharing session is established in which the portion of the content is provided to a recipient device associated with the selected recipient. An interaction region is displayed in the content sharing window, and recipient input from the recipient device is displayed in the interaction region.

Content sharing with user and recipient devices

A shared work space application provides a work space that is commonly accessible across devices and applications so that a user can select and drop items into the shared work space and then pick them up again later using the same or different devices and applications. The shared work space application can use available inputs and data to surface contextually-relevant reminders to the user that there are items in the shared work space that he or she has not finished using. A task or project can be completed from within a variety of different applications and devices using the shared work space and items can be combined into a single object for sharing with one or more of the user's contacts. The shared work space application can also provide a convenient launch point into other communication applications and sharing experiences.

Task completion across devices using a shared work space

An instant messaging (IM) service interacts with IM clients operating on computing devices to implement an extensible platform with which individual composer applications ('apps') may interact to support a variety of different messaging user experiences for users of respective local and remote devices. Each IM client exposes an application programming interface for utilization by a local composer app to package content that the IM service then transparently transports to a remote device. An IM client on the remote device provides the package to an identified associated remote composer app that can unpack the content and use it to support the app's customized messaging experience for the remote user. The composer app also provides a preview of the experience supported by the packaged content that the clients on the respective local and remote devices may utilize in a messaging history and/or as a launching point to the composer app's user experience.

App powered extensibility of messages on an existing messaging service

A virtual skeleton may be adapted based on a capability profile. The virtual skeleton adapted based on a capability profile may be generated from a master virtual skeleton. The adapted virtual skeleton may be less complex than the master virtual skeleton. The adapted virtual skeleton may include fewer virtual skeletal joints than a number of virtual skeletal joints associated with the master virtual skeleton.

Virtual skeleton based on computing device capability profile

Methods and systems for establishing a content sharing session between computing devices are disclosed. Prior to establishing the content sharing session: user selection input selecting displayed content is received; in response to the user selection input, a content sharing window is displayed comprising the content, interaction type selectors, and contact selectors; user contact input selecting at least one contact selector corresponding to a selected recipient is received; and user interaction input selecting an interaction type selector is received. At least in response to receiving user input, the content sharing session is established in which the selected content is provided to the recipient computing device for display. Recipient input is received from the recipient computing device during the sharing session.

In one example, a presentation control device may allow a presenter, such as a teacher, to control interactions between audience members and the presenter. The presentation control device may display a presentation controlled by a presenter to a presentation audience as part of a group presentation session. The presentation control device may receive from the presenter a communication rule controlling an interaction between an audience member device and the presentation control device as part of controlling the presentation. The presentation control device may receive a communication regarding the presentation from an audience member in the presentation audience via the audience member device. The presentation control device direct the communication based on the communication rule.

Classroom messaging

A messaging application running on a computing device utilizes a navigation model that exposes user interfaces (UIs) which implement a messaging conversation history in a minimized form so that a user can quickly jump to a desired conversation displayed on a chat card without having to toggle back and forth between a conventional messaging list view and chat card views. The minimized conversation history can be implemented using a scrollable carousel of images that is persistently displayed on the UI. The images represent messaging participants (i.e., contacts) that are arranged in an ordered display according to conversation history. The particular contact that is associated with the currently displayed chat card is highlighted in the carousel using color and/or other graphic treatments. As messaging activities occur and new messages come in and are sent out, the carousel is dynamically updated to show the contacts in the appropriate sorted historical order.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Rowan Forster