Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Microsoft Corporation

Yinghua Yao

Timothy Mark Moore

Warren Vincent Barkley

John Charles Krumm

Mohammad Shabbir Alam

Sandy Wong

Vivek Bhanu

Derrick Leslie Connell

Steven A N Shafer

Florin Teodorescu

Jun Yin

Shuangtong Feng

Andrew Shuman

Eric K Han

Ravi Soin

Geoffrey Edward Pease

Marek Latuskiewicz

Kim Vlcek

Madhurima Pawar

Jack Tzeng

Sean O Lyndersay

David Ross Buerer

Christopher Jon Lang

William Wagner

Denise L Chen

Britt Hillary Hansing

Elia Karagiannis

Christina Colcernian

Nathan James Chalmers

Mark Huyler

Anh Quynh Ly

Tim McGrath

Steven An Shafer

Geoffrey E Pease

Mohammed Shabbir Alam

Architecture that computes a definitive answer to a user's top intent of a search query, and positions the top intent answer in a prominent way and at a prominent location of a results page or other search user interface, where the user is most likely to see the top intent answer in an expeditious manner. This may be at the top-most position of the page, above the search results and advertisements, but below the page header and search box. Additionally, the definitive and prominently-placed answer can be presented with an interactive, animated, and/or visually rich element that supplements the original intent. The top intent location can be the boldest element on the page, extend at least one full dimension of the page, use larger fonts and bolder colors than the rest of the search results, and which makes finding the answer easier and faster for the user to locate.

Result prominence in search

Techniques and technologies for providing limited-access functionality accessible at a 'login screen' (or 'lock screen') of a device are described. In at least some embodiments, a system includes a user interface operatively coupled to a processing component; and one or more instructions stored on a memory that, when executed by the processing component, are configured to: (a) generate a login portion displayed on the user interface, the login portion configured to receive at least one user access credential to determine whether to provide access to one or more authorized-access functionalities; and (b) generate a limited-access functionality access portion displayed on the user interface concurrently with the login portion, the limited-access functionality access portion configured to provide access to at least one limited-access functionality without requiring receipt of the at least one user access credential.

Limited-access functionality accessible at lock screen

Limited-access functionality accessible at login screen

Computer-storage media, methods, and systems for improving the ability of a user to accomplish a task that is pending during a search session are provided. When a user invokes the pending task, a collection of elements that are associated with the pending task are dynamically organized into a sharable content page that may be shared with a user's contacts via a social network. The user's contacts may comment on or provide feedback related to the pending task. The feedback may be published to the sharable content page and presented to the user on a user interface.

Organizing search history into collections

A computer system that implements a quality of service policy. Information defining the quality of service policy is stored in a central location, such as a server within an enterprise. Policy management software on clients in the network download quality of service policy information from the central location to the clients. Within a client, a portion of the policy information is selected based on its applicability to a particular connection. The selected information is cached with an association to the connection so that, as datagrams are generated for transmission over the network, relevant policy information is quickly accessed for use in controlling transmission characteristics of datagrams sent using that connection. The policy information is applied on a datagram-by-datagram basis, allowing policy information to be selectively applied based on network type. Policy information may be selectively applied to those datagrams transmitted over a managed network.

Selectively enabled quality of service policy

Computer-storage media, methods, and systems for improving the ability of a user to accomplish a task that is pending during a search session are provided. This pending task can be distilled by identifying a current searching intent associated with a recently submitted query and by determining which candidate tasks are most comparable to the current searching intent of a user. The candidate tasks are mined from a search history of the user by categorizing those navigation events that appear to share a semantically common concept. Upon performing a comparison, the candidate task that captures the user's true current searching intent is designated as the pending task. When a user invokes the pending task, a collection of elements that are associated with the pending task are dynamically organized into a sharable content page, thereby providing a collaborative experience that involves exposing the collection to contacts and accepting feedback therefrom.

A computer system that implements a quality of service policy. Information defining the quality of service policy is stored in a central location, such as a server within an enterprise. Policy management software on clients in the network download quality of service policy information from the central location to the clients. Within a client, a portion of the policy information is selected based on its applicability to a particular connection. The selected information is cached with an association to the connection so that, as datagrams are generated for transmission over the network, relevant policy information is quickly accessed for use in controlling transmission characteristics of datagrams sent using that connection. The policy information is applied on a datagram-by-datagram basis, allowing policy information to be selectively applied based on network type. Policy information may be selectively applied to those datagrams transmitted over a managed network. This approach allows a client configured to apply a quality of service policy within an enterprise network to operate without applying the policy when removed from the enterprise network.

A method, schema and computer system for a location service provides data structures that are extensible by allowing different types of location awareness applications to retrieve and deposit location data. The method includes providing an abstract location object arranged in a schema to enable servicing a received request for a logical location of an electronic endpoint; and arranging one or more location elements within the context of the abstract location object. The location elements are configured to act as peers relative to the logical location and each location element is configured to act as a proxy relative to any other location element within the abstract location object.

Schema for location awareness

A location service and method provides a location aware computing device that is extensible by allowing different types of location awareness providers operate with the service. The method includes receiving a request for a location context, acquiring data associated with a current location from one or more location detection devices, reconciling the acquired data for any inconsistencies concerning the current location by applying either or both of a hierarchical and a metric process, and generating a location object accessible to applications. The service includes a location management component configured to route location data, a fuser engine configured to receive one or more location reports generated from the location data, reconcile conflicts between the location reports and generate a location object, and one or more location application programming interfaces (APIs) coupled to the location management component to transmit the location object from the fuser engine to an application.

Architecture and system for location awareness

A network fingerprinting component for a computerized system issues network identifiers (NID) for computer networks. Identity confidences may be determined for each issued network identifier with respect to current computer networks. Computer network attributes may include passive network attributes and active network attributes. Retrieving values for active network attributes involves generating network traffic. As a result passive network attributes may be available to the network fingerprinting component before active network attributes. Learned identity confidence modifiers may be applied to identity confidences determined independent of active network attributes to achieve more accurate identity confidence sooner. Better learned identity confidence modifiers may be obtained by comparing identity confidences for a particular computer network determined independently of active network attributes with identity confidences for the computer network determined once active network attributes become available and then adjusting the learned identity confidence modifiers so as to minimize any differences.

Network fingerprinting

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Yinghua Yao