Alan R Carter

US Patent:

6449659, Sep 10, 2002

Filed:

Jul 14, 1997

Appl. No.:

08/892684

Inventors:

Ilan Caron - Seattle WA
Alan W. Carter - Bellevue WA
Satish Kumar Chittamuru - Issaquah WA
Rajiv Kumar - Redmond WA
Mei-Chin Tsai - Bellevue WA
Scott Michael Wiltamuth - Seattle WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 944

US Classification:

709315, 709328

Abstract:

The system for instance customization with application independent programming of controls functions to place code behind documents in a multi-program environment in a manner that eliminates the object instance management problems of existing systems. The system consists of the process whereby the behavior of an object is changed by the user without changing its identity. In particular, the system for instance customization with application independent programming of controls combines a customizable object and a language engine object to form the customized instance of the object. Instance customization is enabled by the customized object aggregating the user defined customizations into a standard object that is supplied by Visual Basic. The Visual Basic object is given a pointer to the standard part of the document object which implements the base functionality of the document.

US Patent:

6519767, Feb 11, 2003

Filed:

Jun 7, 1995

Appl. No.:

08/484999

Inventors:

Alan W. Carter - Bellevue WA
Rajiv Kumar - Redmond WA
Andrew R. Solomon - Redmond WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 945

US Classification:

717140, 717122, 709315

Abstract:

A compiler automatically builds a new version of an object server to be compatible with an existing version so that client applications built against the existing version are operable with the new version. The existing version object server retains type information relating to its classes and members in a type library. The compiler performs version compatibility analysis by comparing the new version object server against the type information in the existing versions type library. If the compatibility analysis determines that the new and existing versions are compatible, the compiler builds the new version object server to support at least each interface supported by the existing version object server. The compiler further associates version numbers with the new version object server indicative of its degree of compatibility with the existing version object server.

US Patent:

6718534, Apr 6, 2004

Filed:

Oct 3, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/678561

Inventors:

Alan W. Carter - Bellevue WA
Rajiv Kumar - Redmond WA
Scott Michael Wiltamuth - Seattle WA
Mei-Chin Tsai - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 944

US Classification:

717100, 717105, 717108, 717111, 717116, 717125

Abstract:

The present system for application independent programming of controls functions to provide a common set of controls across a plurality of application programs, such as those typically included in an office suite installed on a processor, while also enabling users to customize these controls for each application program. This is accomplished by producing an interface in the underlying common programming model which enables the user to access a set of controls, with their standard properties, methods and events, in a consistent manner. The user can then create a user defined control in a particular application program without having to replicate the underlying common programming model on which the customization is based. The user creates an extender file to add to and/or modify the standard properties, methods and events of a control to thereby produce an extended control for use in the selected application program. The system for application independent programming of controls merges, at run time, the standard control and the extender file to create the customized control.

US Patent:

62090402, Mar 27, 2001

Filed:

Oct 9, 1992

Appl. No.:

7/959056

Inventors:

Colin L. Acton - Kirkland WA
Ilan G. Caron - Redmond WA
Alan W. Carter - Bellevue WA
Tom Corbett - Eugene OR
Michael J. Woolf - Snohomish WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F9/00

US Classification:

709315

Abstract:

A method and system for interfacing to type libraries are provided. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention defines an interface to a type library. The interface has a plurality of interface methods through which type information can be stored in and retrieved from the type library. A plurality of implementations of the defined interface are provided. A computer program is compiled using the defined interfaces to access the type information. When the compiled computer program is executed, it accesses the type information using one of the plurality of implementations. In a preferred embodiment, a type library contains type information to allow a compiler to bind to an instance of type at compile type (early binding).

US Patent:

61086614, Aug 22, 2000

Filed:

Jul 14, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/890367

Inventors:

Ilan Caron - Seattle WA
Alan W. Carter - Bellevue WA
Satish Kumar Chittamuru - Issaquah WA
Rajiv Kumar - Redmond WA
Scott Michael Wiltamuth - Seattle WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707102

Abstract:

The system for instance customization functions to place code behind documents in a multi-program environment in a manner that eliminates the object instance management problems of existing systems. The system for instance customization consists of the process whereby the behavior of an object is changed by the user without changing its identity. In particular, the system for instance customization combines a customizable object and a language engine object to form the customized instance of the object. Instance customization is enabled by the customized object aggregating the user defined customizations into a standard object that is supplied by Visual Basic. The Visual Basic object is given a pointer to the standard part of the document object which implements the base functionality of the document.