Steven Merlin Twitchell

US Patent:

20130229429, Sep 5, 2013

Filed:

Mar 5, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/411677

Inventors:

Zheng Mi - Redmond WA, US
Nigel Christopher Wolters - Sammamish WA, US
Hua Wang - Redmond WA, US
Jennifer Lee Beckmann - Redmond WA, US
Joseph Dallas Milan - Mercer Island WA, US
Steven Merlin Twitchell - Renton WA, US

Assignee:

MICROSOFT CORPORATION - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G 5/02

US Classification:

345593

Abstract:

A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context.

US Patent:

20160344671, Nov 24, 2016

Filed:

May 19, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/716713

Inventors:

- Seattle WA, US
Steven Merlin Twitchell - Renton WA, US
Mats Erik Lanner - Seattle WA, US
Manivannan Sundaram - Bothell WA, US
Sivaprasad Venkata Padisetty - Bellevue WA, US
Martin Chen Mao - Seattle WA, US

International Classification:

H04L 12/58
H04L 29/08

Abstract:

A method for executing commands on virtual machine instances in a distributed computing environment can include receiving, from a client computing device, a command execution request for executing a command on one or more virtual machine instances within the distributed computing environment. The command execution request includes a tag, and instance identification information for the one or more virtual machine instances is retrieved based on the tag. A command specification document associated with the command specified by the command execution request is retrieved. A command execution message, including the command specification document and at least one command parameter, is communicated to each of the one or more virtual machine instances. A command execution result from executing the command at the one or more virtual machine instances is received from the one or more virtual machine instances. The command execution result is sent to the client computing device.

US Patent:

20150082245, Mar 19, 2015

Filed:

Nov 21, 2014

Appl. No.:

14/549869

Inventors:

- Redmond WA, US
Nigel Christopher Wolters - Sammamish WA, US
Hua Wang - Redmond WA, US
Jennifer Lee Beckmann - Redmond WA, US
Joseph Dallas Milan - Mercer Island WA, US
Steven Merlin Twitchell - Renton WA, US

International Classification:

G06F 3/0484
G09G 5/06

US Classification:

715823

Abstract:

A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context.