Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Zhigu Holdings Limited

Microsoft Corporation

Sean E Kollenkark

Cory J Cirrincione

Douglas Duane Berrett

Joseph Lloyd McClanahan

Andrew Peter Oakley

Stacey Law

Kevin Gammill

Jeff Tucker

Nathan Johnson

Doug Berrett

Craig R Maitlen

Anthony J Giardini

Chad Gibson

Rita Yu

John Clinton Rice

Ryan James D'Aurelio

Zachariah Glen Johnson

Steve Dolan

Clifton James Hebert

Mark John Sawrey Leece

Joe McClanahan

Douglas D Berrett

Joseph Wheeler

Michael J Patten

Christopher Bruce Weare

Mark D Schwesinger

Andrew L Silverman

Nicolas Alexander Bauer

Nicholas Robinson

Todd San Jule

Zach Johnson

Bruno Kraychete Da Costa

Rodrigo Maialle Bomfim

Jeffrey Christopher Abraham

Shane McRoberts

Lucian Dragne

Joseph L Mcclanahan

Robert N Pulliam

Mike Albee

Andrew P Oakley

Various embodiments provide a so-called companion experience in which content consumed on a primary screen can serve as a source for an automatic search that returns related content that can be presented on an auxiliary screen. The companion experience can be considered to reside in a layer that can be moved across different screens. The different screens can include different physical screens, such as those associated with different computing devices, or the same physical screen in which the companion experience would be rendered in a frame or sub-window.

Companion experience

Enhanced content consumption is provided by establishing a pairing between two computing devices, wherein at least one of the two computing devices provides a primary consumption experience of a digital content item, so that a secondary consumption experience can be provided via operation of at least one of the two computing devices. The method further comprises presenting, using at least one of the two computing devices, the digital content item for consumption by a user. The method further comprises performing one or more supplemental consumption functions with the other of the two computing devices.

Enhanced content consumption

Embodiments related to controlling media privacy settings are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment provides a media server system including a configured to receive media consumption data for each media content item of a plurality of media content items consumed by a user. Media consumption data for each media content item includes an item-specific privacy status and a media content item identifier. The server is also configured to receive, from one or more of another user and a media content item recommendations program, a request for access to the media consumption data for a media content item, and to provide one or more of the other user and the media content item recommendations program with access to the media consumption data based on the item-specific privacy status of the media consumption data.

Controlling media consumption privacy settings

A method and apparatus are disclosed for combining server-supplied user interface elements with client-supplied user interface elements. The server-supplied user interface elements can be received by a client device and inserted into a client-supplied object model, such as a Document Object Model (DOM). The object model can then be used to render a page, such as a webpage. By injecting server-supplied user interface elements into a client object model, the client can intelligently combine UI elements from a server with UI elements from a client. In the situation where there are conflicting or overlapping UI elements, the client device can modify the object model to eliminate such conflicts or overlaps.

Combining server-side and client-side user interface elements

Display screen with animated graphical user interface

Display screen with graphical user interface

Disclosed is a method of transmitting video via a network and a user device and computer program product configured to implement the method. The method comprises transmitting video of one or more users, received from an image capture device, to at least another user device via the network; receiving information about a communication channel between the user device and the other user device and/or about one or more resources of the user device and/or the other user device; selecting characteristics from a plurality of visual user characteristics based on the received information; and controlling the video based on detection of the selected characteristics to track the selected characteristics.

Video transmission

A television recording system in which multiple client devices can form a group, sharing tuners and channel lineups. The clients may be desktop or laptop computers, digital video recorders or other set top boxes. A device within the group may act as a master, maintaining a master recording schedule and assigning tuners to record programs when scheduled or when a client requests use of a tuner for display live programming. Clients may register with the master, revealing the capabilities of their tuners. The master may, each time a tuner is desired, select an appropriate tuner based on multiple criteria, including bandwidth considerations and capabilities of the tuner.

Aggregated tuner scheduling

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Sean E Kollenkark