Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Yu-ting Kuo

Kuansan Wang

Bo-June Hsu

Heung-Yeung Shum

Arun Sacheti

Sandy Wong

Chao-Chia Liu

Erik Bergman

Antonio Gulli

Evan Ming Lew

Chiyuan Huang

Jeremy Espenshade

Jian Qiao Sun

Andrew David Wilson

Steven Mark Drucker

Qifa Ke

Fang Wen

James E Allard

Yi Li

Daniel Marantz

Parthasarathy Govindarajen

Aaron Chun Win Yuen

Lawrence William Colagiovanni

Cornelia Carapcea

Guarang P Prajapati

Yin-Cheng Ting

Yusuf Furkan Fidan

Michael H Cohen

Described herein are technologies that are configured to assist a user in recollection information about people, places, and things. Computer-readable data is captured, and contextual data that temporally corresponds to the computer-readable data is also captured. In a database, the computer-readable data is indexed by the contextual data. Thus, when a query is received that references the contextual data, the computer-readable data is retrieved.

Extended memory system

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for query suggestion formulation for multi-source queries, for ranking multi-source search results, and/or for exposing contextual launch functionality through multi-source search results of a multi-source search interface. In an example, a query suggestion may be provided for a partial search query based upon an implied content source that corresponds to a search intent of a user (e.g., an intent to view videos, as opposed to images, of houses). In another example, relevancy ranks may be assigned to content sources based upon a content type preference of a user, and search results may be provided from content sources having relevancy rankings above a relevancy threshold. In another example, links to applications and/or execution contexts may be embedded within search results so that applications may be launched into contextually aware states from the search results.

Multi-source search

Systems, methods, computer storage media, and user interfaces are provided for non-committal intent preview, disambiguation, and refinement of a search. A search prefix comprising one or more characters associated with an unexecuted search query is received. One or more intent suggestions are suggested to a user. For each of the one or more intent suggestions, one or more entity identifications associated with each of the one or more intent suggestions are received. Metadata corresponding to at least one entity associated with the one or more entity identifications is retrieved from an entity data store. Without retrieving search results for the unexecuted search query, an aggregated intent preview based on the retrieved metadata corresponding to the at least one entity is provided.

Search intent preview, disambiguation, and refinement

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for indexing referenced content and/or for deep content searching. In an example, parent content (e.g., an instant message from a friend about a celebrity) may be evaluated to identify a reference (e.g., a URL) to referenced content hosted by a content source (e.g., a photo shared through a photo sharing service). The referenced content may be acquired from the content source, and may be evaluated to identify a search term that is descriptive of the referenced content (e.g., a name of the celebrity in the photo). The parent content and the referenced content may be indexed into a search index using the search term. In an example, responsive to a search query corresponding to the parent content and/or the search term, the parent content and/or the referenced content may be provided as search results.

Referenced content indexing

Systems, methods, and computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that provide contextual services are provided. Embodiments of the present invention allow an input mechanism to provide contextual services. Exemplary input mechanisms include a keyboard, a gesture interface, and a speech interface. These inputs may be used to provide user input into one or more applications running on a computer. The contextual services provided include composition assistance, grammatical assistance, communication-context assistance, and research assistance. In one embodiment, an input mechanism ('IME') program provides the contextual service. The IME program may work with a remote contextual-service provider. The IME program communicates user input and contextual information to the contextual-service provider. The contextual-service provider analyzes the input and contextual information to determine whether one or more contextual services should be provided.

Intent-aware keyboard

Methods and computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that facilitate refining query results using visual cues are provided. Query results are determined in response to an indication of a user query. One or more groups of query results are generated from the query results based on categories of query results that share similar features. Visual cues are associated with each of the query result groups. Visual cues, in association with query result groups, are presented to a user. Query results associated with a selected visual cue may be presented to a user. A refined user query may be generated based on a selected visual cue.

Visual-cue refinement of user query results

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate rich interaction with and/or management of environmental components included in an environment. The architecture can exist in whole or in part in a housing that can resemble a wand or similar object. The architecture can utilize one or more sensor from a collection of sensors to determine an orientation or gesture in connection with the wand, and can further issue an instruction to update a state of an environmental component based upon the orientation. In addition, the architecture can include an advisor component to provide contextual and/or comprehensive guidance in an intuitive manner.

Magic wand

Systems, methods and computer-storage media are provided for identifying query formulation suggestions in response to receiving a search query. A portion of a search query is received. Query formulation suggestions are identified by semantically analyzing the search query. The query formulation suggestions are used to further formulate the received search query. The query formulation suggestions include semantic-pattern-based query suggestions that are derived from semantic query patterns, one or more entities, and information associated with these entities. The query formulation suggestions are transmitted for presentation.

Interactive semantic query suggestion for content search

Systems, methods and computer-storage media are provided for identifying low-match search queries and determining comparable item matches to suggest to the user in response to a low-match query. 'Low-match queries' are queries for which an insufficient number of exact item matches are available. In embodiments, exact and/or comparable item matches may be determined via semantic analysis. Also provided are systems, methods and computer-storage media for informing the user, by way of a presented indicator, or the like, that a presented item was selected for presentation based upon a similarity metric rather than being determined an exact match for the input query.

Identifying query formulation suggestions for low-match queries

Growing community of inventors

Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Yu-ting Kuo