Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Todd S Biggs

Campbell D Gunn

Michael D Smith

Robert E Rapp

Anthony R Bristol

Tiffany L Shockley

Alois Widmann

Kamran Rajabi Zargahi

Daniel W Bouie

Todd Thoreau Brix

Methods and systems for associating a mobile station subscriber with at least one application or service are provided. The subscriber is provided with a subscriber identity module ('SIM') identifier, which identities a SIM associated with the subscriber. The SIM identifier is bound to the application or service. The SIM identifier and the application or service are registered with a home location register ('HLR') to bind the SIM identifier to the application or service. If the SIM is a virtual SIM, the provider of an application or service may cover the data costs associated with the use of that application or service.

Subscriber identity module (SIM) for mobile stations

Methods and systems for associating a mobile station subscriber with at least one application or service are provided. The subscriber is provided with a subscriber identity module ('SIM') identifier, which identifies a SIM associated with the subscriber. The SIM identifier is bound to the application or service. The SIM identifier and the application or service are registered with a home location register ('HLR') to bind the SIM identifier to the application or service. If the SIM is a virtual SIM, the provider of an application or service may cover the data costs associated with the use of that application or service.

Various embodiments utilize a real-time instant messaging or presence based communications system as a mechanism to remotely control the operation, programming, and/or review of media content on a device or system such as a television, media center, gaming device, digital video recorder and the like. In addition, the use of the instant messaging or presence based communication system opens up various social networking options for users. For example, users can, if allowed, gain access to the viewing habits of individuals in their contact list and exchange information with one another to provide a rich, robust sharing environment.

Remote access and social networking using presence-based applications

Functionality is described for detecting an application's access to a user's information (or the application's request to access the user's information). The functionality sends a notification to the user which alerts the user to the access that has already taken place (or is pending approval). The functionality detects the current point of presence of the user, and based thereon, sends the notification to the user in an appropriate manner. Upon receipt of the notification, the user may optionally retrieve additional information regarding the application's access activity, modify the access rights of the application, and so on.

Notifying a user of access to information by an application

An arrangement for virtually integrating a bot with a search functionality provided by an online search engine enables users of personal computers ('PCs'), mobile phones, and other devices to locate bot content in response to their search queries. The virtual integration enables bot content to be surfaced via the search engine. In response to a query, the search engine may return search results including links to one or more bots that are located on a presence-based network. When the user clicks on a link, a client application is launched on the PC or device that enables the user to converse with the bot using a natural language interface. The virtual integration also provides the bot with context of the user's last known query, or the query history. The bot can then start the conversation at a specific point within the bot's content hierarchy to respond to and answer the user's query.

Virtual robot integration with search

Filtering mobile applications in a mobile applications store based on a determined mobile operator associated with a mobile computing device. Mobile operators select mobile applications to be made available to mobile computing devices associated with the mobile operators. Users visit the online mobile applications store via the mobile computing devices. During the visits, the mobile operators associated with the mobile computing device are determined. The mobile applications selected by the mobile operators are presented to the mobile computing devices. In some embodiments, branding content from the mobile operators is provided to the mobile computing device when presenting the filtered mobile applications.

Targeting applications based on mobile operator

Various embodiments can provide a virtual online robot (bot) or security agent. The agent or guardian can monitor on line conversations and can act to intervene in an event a conversation's content meets certain definable criteria that indicates that the content might be inappropriate or possibly harmful or risky. In at least some embodiments, the agent or guardian is configured to utilize natural language processing techniques to evaluate the context of a conversation across its span and/or conversations across individual users. Using natural language processing techniques, the agent or guardian can then present notifications or warnings to individual users (or others) when a particular conversation or portion thereof is deemed problematic.

On-line virtual robot (bot) security agent

Various embodiments employ methods and techniques to enable users, and others, to manage or otherwise become more informed about applications or bots with which they interact. The methods and techniques, in at least some embodiments, can provide various types of indications, visual or otherwise, that pertain to various types of ratings that can be assigned to applications or bots and which can enable a user and others to assess the propriety, level and nature of their interaction with an application or bot.

Growing community of inventors

Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Todd S Biggs