John L Ball

US Patent:

60887397, Jul 11, 2000

Filed:

Jun 28, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/673443

Inventors:

David Pugh - Bellevue WA
John Eugene Ball - Woodinville WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 944

US Classification:

709315

Abstract:

A method and system for dynamically modifying the behavior of a statically declared object that represents a simulated entity is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a clustering mechanism is provided that represents each simulated entity as a composite object, which is implemented as a composite object of component objects. The clustering mechanism allows the behavior of the composite object to be dynamically modified by adding interfaces to or removing interfaces from the composite object. Each interface, referred to as a role interface, includes methods that implement the behavior associated with a role that the composite object may assume. The clustering mechanism provides a negotiation procedure for attaching roles to the composite object. The component objects that comprise a composite object include a cluster object and zero or more role objects. The cluster object keeps track of the role objects currently within the composite object and exposes each of the role interfaces of each role object outside the composite object.

US Patent:

61855340, Feb 6, 2001

Filed:

Mar 23, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/047160

Inventors:

John S. Breese - Mercer Island WA
John Eugene Ball - Woodinville WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G01L 300
G06F 1900
G06F 1518

US Classification:

704270

Abstract:

The invention is embodied in a computer user interface including an observer capable of observing user behavior, an agent capable of conveying emotion and personality by exhibiting corresponding behavior to a user, and a network linking user behavior observed by said observer and emotion and personality conveyed by said agent. The network can include an observing network facilitating inferencing user emotional and personality states from the behavior observed by the observer as well as an agent network facilitating inferencing of agent behavior from emotion and personality states to be conveyed by the agent. In addition, a policy module can dictate to the agent network desired emotion and personality states to be conveyed by the agent based upon user emotion and personality states inferred by the observing network. Typically, each network is a stochastic model. Each stochastic model is preferably a Bayesian network, so that the observing network is a first Bayesian network while the agent network is a second Bayesian network.

US Patent:

61381284, Oct 24, 2000

Filed:

Apr 2, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/825867

Inventors:

Michael Perkowitz - Seattle WA
John E. Ball - Woodinville WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corp. - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1500

US Classification:

707501

Abstract:

The present invention is directed to sharing and organizing world wide web pages using a number of distinctive characters, each having an interest. In a preferred embodiment, each distinctive character is initialized by associating with it one or more web pages that collectively characterize the interest of the character. After initialization, each web page viewed by the user is assessed for each of the distinctive characters. The assessment process involves, for a single distinctive character, determining whether the web page viewed by the user exhibits at least a threshold level of similarity to web pages already associated with the distinctive character. The assessment process further involves associating the viewed web page with the distinctive character if the viewed web page exhibits at least a threshold level of similarity to the web pages already associated with the distinctive character. As a result, after the user has viewed a number of web pages, the viewed web pages that characterize each distinctive character's interest are associated with that distinctive character.

US Patent:

59874155, Nov 16, 1999

Filed:

Jun 30, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/109233

Inventors:

John S. Breese - Mercer Island WA
John Eugene Ball - Woodinville WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G10L 300

US Classification:

704270

Abstract:

The invention is embodied in a computer user interface including an observer capable of observing user behavior, an agent capable of conveying emotion and personality by exhibiting corresponding behavior to a user, and a network linking user behavior observed by said observer and emotion and personality conveyed by said agent. The network can include an observing network facilitating inferencing user emotional and personality states from the behavior observed by the observer as well as an agent network facilitating inferencing of agent behavior from emotion and personality states to be conveyed by the agent. In addition, a policy module can dictate to the agent network desired emotion and personality states to be conveyed by the agent based upon user emotion and personality states inferred by the observing network. Typically, each network is a stochastic model. Each stochastic model is preferably a Bayesian network, so that the observing network is a first Bayesian network while the agent network is a second Bayesian network.