Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Swiftly Systems, Inc.

Rovi Technologies Corporation

Shawn Michael Murphy

Alan Bennett Auerbach

Christopher Bruce Weare

Walter R Smith

Benjamin Travis Stull

German A Gil

Jeffrey T Pearce

Advay V Mengle

Sean Edward Turner

Christopher Andrew Evans

Chad Gibson

Corneliu I Lupu

Gregory W Nichols

Andre F Vachon

Daniel Kim

Hany Farag

Stephen Craig Schertz

Michal Mark Vine

Andrew John Nuttall

Gabriel J Aul

Aimee Freeding

Brian J Fox, Jr

David Thomas Quinn

Stephen K Brown

Karen Ho

Kinshuman Kinshuman

Described herein are techniques for efficiently upgrading product information stored on a client device to the latest version that reflects the current products offered by a particular establishment. Product information changes frequently, which could result in large upgrade packages. Yet, the time available for downloading the packages onto a device may be severely limited. To improve download time, upgrade packages may be shard based on product commonality within different predefined scopes. For instance, information related to products common across chain-wide establishments may be upgraded using one set of upgrade packages, and information related to products common across region-wide establishments may be upgraded using another set. This upgrade framework helps reduce file size and leverage the edge-caching capabilities of content delivery networks to reduce the time needed to transmit upgrade packages to client devices.

Method, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, and system for distributing and updating product catalogs to wireless devices

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a pre-determined number of items associated with one or more entities; transmitting item information associated with the pre-determined number of items to a client device; and determining that the client device is likely to enter a first entity of the one or more entities. The first entity is identified based on a physical proximity between the client device and the first entity. The method also includes accessing, based on the first entity, location-specific item information associated with one or more of the pre-determined number of items or one or more additional items; and transmitting the location-specific item information to the client device. The item information and the location-specific item information are configured to be used by the client device while the client device is within the first entity.

Systems and methods for efficient transmission of catalog data

A media asset recommendation service is described. In embodiments, friends of a user are identified in a social graph that is associated with the user, and interactions with media assets by the friends of the user are compiled. Friend interaction data for each of the media assets can be determined from the media assets, the social graph, and the interactions with the media assets by the friends of the user. When a selection of one of the media assets is received from the user via a user device, the friend interaction data that is associated with the media asset selected by the user is communicated to the user device.

Media asset recommendation service

A user of an online service sends a request to write a review of a media content item, using a text limited device such as a gamepad of a videogame console. In response to the request, one or more dictionaries are requested using metadata associated with the request such as the title of the movie or a genre associated with the movie. The dictionaries are received and used to populate user interface elements with words and phrases. Each user interface element corresponds to a sentence component such as a verb, noun, etc. The user may use the gamepad to cycle through the words and phrases in each user interface element to generate a sentence.

Dictionary service

Service endpoints that provide services to client devices send registration data to a service directory service. The registration data includes addresses that client devices can use to access the service endpoints along with descriptive data that describes the services that each endpoint provides, along with other information such as version numbers of applications that are supported by the service endpoints, and whether the service endpoints are running an experiment. Client devices request a manifest from the service directory service. Each request includes client metadata that describes the requesting client device. The service directory service uses the registration data and the client metadata to generate a manifest for the client device that identifies the services that the client may access and an address that the client may use to access each service.

Service directory

Disclosed are methods usable by non-experts for altering a configuration of a data warehouse. The initial configuration of the data warehouse is represented in terms of metadata, and that metadata configuration is presented to a user. The user can choose to alter the metadata configuration. If alterations are made to the metadata, then the underlying configuration of the data warehouse is altered accordingly. Because there may be multiple users wishing to alter aspects of the data warehouse, some embodiments of the present invention enforce approval guidelines so that proposed changes to the data warehouse configuration are only implemented after the appropriate approvals have been secured. By presenting a metadata representation of the data warehouse configuration, the present invention both allows non-experts to have a hand in converting a data warehouse and prevents user errors from corrupting the data warehouse conversion process.

Method and system for user alteration of the configuration of a data warehouse

Method and system for altering the configuration of a data warehouse

A system, method, data structures and computer-accessible medium is provided for storing, managing, and tracking the development of messages for computer program products. Message and message-related data for messages which computer program products display to users as part of the product's user interface are centralized in a message catalog. A message catalog schema describes the attributes of a message separately from the attributes of one or more conditions for which a message should be displayed. Interfaces are provided for creating, localizing, documenting, maintaining, displaying, and supporting messages and message-related data in a message catalog consistent with the message catalog schema. Notifications to owners of the messages and conditions is performed periodically or whenever a change has been detected.

Method and system for managing user interface messages

A system for sampling raw data from a reporting application and segmenting portions of the sampled data into at least one of a set of raw data stores. The system enables ad hoc querying to be done against a data warehouse using the set of raw data stores and in conjunction with an aggregate store. A reporting aspect of the system is responsible for locating the appropriate store when responding to a query. The system also segments data based on anticipated usage of the raw data and appropriately places them into a raw data store having an access speed that corresponds to the anticipated usage level of the data.

Separating uploads into aggregate and raw data storage

The present invention relates it directed to configurable collection of computer related metric data. A computer system generates computer related metric data related to an application. The application accesses a manifest that indicates a portion of the generated computer related metric data (e.g., a subset) is to be packaged for delivery. The application sends schema-based package start data to cause the portion of generated computer related metric data to be packaged. A quality metric module receives the schema-based package start data and accesses the indicated portion of computer related metric data. The quality metric module packages the portion of computer related metric data according to a packaging schema. The application sends a package send command to cause the packaged portion of computer related metric data to be delivered. The quality metric module receives the package send command and sends the packaged portion of computer related metric data in response to the package send command.

Configurable collection of computer related metric data

A vertical can be a series of computer-executable instructions that, in response to an incident, collect information regarding that incident and transmit the information for analysis and possible helpful feedback to the user. A general purpose vertical can address types of incidents, such as crashes or hangs, across a variety of applications, while a custom vertical can be written to address application-specific incidents. Verticals can access underlying support mechanisms through an infrastructure, which can also enable applications to request that additional data be collected by the verticals, and set other preferences. Once the data is collected and transmitted, a vertical may receive feedback, that can be a request for additional information or feedback to the user. The feedback to the user can attempt to identify the incident and aid the user in recovering from it and avoiding it in the future.

Method and system for an incidental feedback platform

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Shawn Michael Murphy