Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Wei Zhong

Warren Vincent Barkley

Mu Han

Tim M Moore

Dalibor Kukoleca

Andres Vega Garcia

Anton W Krantz

Danny Levin

Siunie A Sutjahjo

Pritesh Rajesh Kanani

Timothy Mark Moore

John Anthony Taylor

Regis J Crinon

Chao He

Gurdeep Singh Pall

Qin Li

Andrew Peter Sinclair

Guo-Wei Shieh

Chih-Lung (Bruce) Lin

Michael R VanBuskirk

Zong Zong Yuan

Minghui (Jason) Xia

James Feore

Techniques performed by a data processing system for diagnosing problems with a communications platform include obtaining query parameters including an aggregation operator for invoking a machine learning algorithm configured to analyze performance data for the communications platform, automatically executing the query on the performance data to obtain query results by invoking the machine learning algorithm on the performance data to automatically identify a plurality of clusters of data indicative of a performance problem, and presenting a visualization of the query results. The visualization includes indicators identifying cluster properties for which the query results are further refinable and one or more second indicators identifying the second subset of the second cluster properties which are not relevant for further refining the first query results. The indicators are actuatable to automatically update and re-execute the first query based on the respective indicator that is actuated.

System for unsupervised direct query auto clustering for location and network quality

The execution-time reporting of telemetry of execution of a software program. Subscribers submit subscriptions to telemetry of the software program. As each subscription is received, the telemetry scope of the subscription is evaluated to determine what portion of an object model is to be augmented. The augmented portion will include portion(s) related to the scope of telemetry subscribed to in the subscription. Thereafter, that portion of the object model is indeed augmented as execution of the computer program proceeds further. Subsequently, telemetry reports are generated for a subscription based on the interpretation of a defined subscription-specific portion of the object model.

Execution-time telemetry reporting using object model

Membership information for participating computer systems participating in a multi-party conferencing session is distributed by intermittently exchanging link databases with one or more neighbor computer systems. A link database includes one or more link state records, each link state record identifying a participating computer systems and a list of neighbor computer systems that are logically linked to the participating computer system. When a new computer system joins or a participating computer system leaves the multi-party session this joining or leaving change is reflected in the link databases of corresponding neighbor computer systems. As the neighbor computer systems exchange link databases, the change is eventually propagated to all the participating computer systems. Accordingly, participant computer systems continually transition towards a steady state where each participant computer system is aware of other participant computer systems and logical links associated with other participant computer systems.

Distributing membership information for multi-party application layer sessions

A conference server may request a key frame from a conference participant in response to determining that the conference participant should become a most active participant, and the conference server may make the conference participant the most active participant in response to receiving the key frame from the conference participant.

Performance enhancements for video conferencing

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that improve media communications. In one embodiment, a media server receives a media communication with a first quality from a personal computer with VoIP telephone capabilities. The media server translates the media (e.g., audio, visual, etc.) communication into a second quality, and forwards the media communication to a communication gateway. The translation to improve communications can also be done when receiving the media communication from the communication gateway for forwarding to the personal computer having VoIP telephone capability. In some embodiments, a media server sits in the communication channel between a personal computer with VoIP telephone capabilities and a communication gateway and is able to translate communications into codec protocols they each understand.

Infrastructure for enabling high quality real-time audio

Suppressing one or more frequency ranges of a signal prevents the occurrence of feedback in a voice data communications application. A system recognizes a frequency range in a signal where feedback occurs, or anticipates a frequency range where feedback is anticipated. The signal includes a signal the input system generates or that the output system renders. The system suppresses the signal in the frequency range by disregarding one or more sampling bits representing the frequency range, or by applying one or more filters to attenuate or eliminate the signal in the frequency range. The system may monitor the signal to identify feedback resulting in different or additional frequency ranges and suppress the signal in the different or additional frequency ranges to prevent feedback from occurring.

Suppression of acoustic feedback in voice communications

A technique for reducing information reception delays is provided. The technique reduces delays that may be caused by protocols that guarantee order and delivery, such as TCP/IP. The technique creates multiple connections between a sender and recipient computing devices and sends messages from the sender to the recipient on the multiple corrections redundantly. The recipient can then use the first arriving message and ignore the subsequently arriving redundant messages. The recipient can also wait for a period of time before determining which of the arrived messages to use. The technique may dynamically add connections if messages are not consistently received in a timely manner on multiple connections. Conversely, the technique may remove connections if messages are consistently received in a timely manner on multiple connections. The technique can accordingly be used with applications that are intolerant of data reception delays such as Voice over IP, real-time streaming audio, or real-time streaming video.

Reducing information reception delays

Feedback and frame synchronization between media encoders and decoders is described. More particularly, the encoder can encode frames that are based on source content to be sent to the decoder. The encoder can determine whether the frame should be cached by the encoder and the decoder. If the frame is to be cached, the encoder can so indicate by encoding the frame with one or more cache control bits. The decoder can receive the frame from the decoder, and can examine the cache control bits to determine whether to cache the frame. The decoder can also decode the frame.

Feedback and frame synchronization between media encoders and decoders

A communications system provides a media sender object and a media receiver object that provide an interface between a media stack and an application. The application can use the media sender object to send content to a source media stack and the media receiver object to receive content from a sink media stack. The application programming interface of the media sender object and the media receiver object provides functions for registering and un-registering buffers for storing and receiving content. When a source media stack is ready to send content, it invokes each registered source to collect content to be sent. When a sink media stack has received content, it invokes each registered sink to provide the received content. An application interfaces with a media sender object and a media receiver object to add content to a channel or to receive content from a channel.

Method and system for providing an interface through which an application can access a media stack

Systems, methods, and/or techniques ('tools') are described that sort speakers in a network-enabled conference. In some cases, this sorted list of speakers indicates which speaker is dominant. With this sorted list, a participant's communication device may provide context about the speakers. In some cases a participant's communication device has a display that presents real-time video of the speakers or other visual indicia, such as each or the most dominant speaker's name, picture, title, or location. These and other context about speakers may help participants better understand discussions in network-enabled conferences.

Sorting speakers in a network-enabled conference

A presentation system receives streams of videos of a video conference and presents the videos on the faces of a three-dimensional object. The presentation system selects which video should be presented more prominently than the other videos. The presentation system generates an image of the three-dimensional object that represents a view location from which the selected video is prominently visible and videos of other conference participants are less prominently visible. The presentation system then displays the image to the conference participant.

Method and system for presenting a video conference using a three-dimensional object

A technique for reducing information reception delays is provided. The technique reduces delays that may be caused by protocols that guarantee order and delivery, such as TCP/IP. The technique creates multiple connections between a sender and recipient computing devices and sends messages from the sender to the recipient on the multiple connections redundantly. The recipient can then use the first arriving message and ignore the subsequently arriving redundant messages. The recipient can also wait for a period of time before determining which of the arrived messages to use. The technique may dynamically add connections if messages are not consistently received in a timely manner on multiple connections. Conversely, the technique may remove connections if messages are consistently received in a timely manner on multiple connections. The technique can accordingly be used with applications that are intolerant of data reception delays such as Voice over IP, real-time streaming audio, or real-time streaming video.

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Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Wei Zhong