William E Avery

US Patent:

7707255, Apr 27, 2010

Filed:

May 19, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/848774

Inventors:

Jesse Clay Satterfield - Seattle WA, US
Jensen M. Harris - Kirkland WA, US
Martijn E. Van Tilburg - Seattle WA, US
William A. Avery - Redmond WA, US
Bruce D. Wiedemann - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709206, 709207

Abstract:

Automatic sorting and grouping of electronic mail items in an electronic mail system is provided. An automatic mail grouping property may be selected for electronic mail received, sent or stored in a variety of storage folders. For a given mail location (e. g. , received mail, sent mail, or a given mail storage folder), a selected automatic grouping property causes mail to be displayed to a user in one or more categories that make location of specific mail items easier and more efficient. Visible dividers with optional headings may be provided between mail categories to quickly draw a user's attention to a given mail category and to separate large numbers of mail into logical groupings that make location of specific mail items more manageable.

US Patent:

7716593, May 11, 2010

Filed:

May 21, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/851442

Inventors:

Jose H. Durazo - Seattle WA, US
Jensen M. Harris - Kirkland WA, US
Jesse Clay Satterfield - Seattle WA, US
Martijn E. Van Tilburg - Seattle WA, US
William A. Avery - Redmond WA, US
Bruce D. Wiedemann - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 3/00
G06F 15/16

US Classification:

715752, 709206, 709207

Abstract:

Improved conversation grouping methods and systems are provided for electronic mail records. Electronic mail messages that are unread or flagged for follow-up are automatically displayed under an associated conversation grouping heading. If a conversation grouping contains only a single unread or flagged electronic mail message, the single electronic mail message is automatically displayed under the conversation grouping heading for review by a user. For a conversation grouping having no unread or flagged electronic mail messages, the latest electronic mail message in the grouping is automatically displayed under the conversation grouping heading.

US Patent:

7849102, Dec 7, 2010

Filed:

Nov 4, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/267349

Inventors:

Dan Murillo - Seattle WA, US
Jason Mayans - Bothell WA, US
Suryanarayana Murty Gorti - Redmond WA, US
William R. Avery - Redmond WA, US
Alvin Mok - Boston MA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707783

Abstract:

Real time availability data (free/busy data) is provided for potential meeting attendees and/or assets. An availability service is queried for availability data for one or more attendees and/or meeting assets. The availability service determines the identity of an electronic mailbox server on which is stored current real time calendaring data for the desired attendees and/or assets. The requested data is retrieved by the availability service from one or more mailbox servers having data for each attendee and/or asset. Potential attendees may set permissions on their respective availability data to restrict the amount and types of data that may be retrieved by a given data requester. Data queries and data responses may be structured according to the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and application programming interfaces (API) may be exposed for allowing requesting applications to efficiently call the availability service for availability data.

US Patent:

8150930, Apr 3, 2012

Filed:

Apr 5, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/753923

Inventors:

Jesse Clay Satterfield - Seattle WA, US
Jensen M. Harris - Kirkland WA, US
Martijn E. Van Tilburg - Seattle WA, US
William R. Avery - Redmond WA, US
Bruce D. Wiedemann - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709206, 709207

Abstract:

Automatic sorting and grouping of electronic mail items in an electronic mail system is provided. An automatic mail grouping property may be selected for electronic mail received, sent or stored in a variety of storage folders. For a given mail location (e. g. , received mail, sent mail, or a given mail storage folder), a selected automatic grouping property causes mail to be displayed to a user in one or more categories that make location of specific mail items easier and more efficient. Visible dividers with optional headings may be provided between mail categories to quickly draw a user's attention to a given mail category and to separate large numbers of mail into logical groupings that make location of specific mail items more manageable.

US Patent:

20050005235, Jan 6, 2005

Filed:

May 21, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/851506

Inventors:

Jesse Satterfield - Seattle WA, US
Richard Leukart - Seattle WA, US
Martijn Van Tilburg - Seattle WA, US
Jensen Harris - Kirkland WA, US
William Avery - Redmond WA, US
Bruce Wiedemann - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F017/21

US Classification:

715519000, 715517000, 715518000, 715520000

Abstract:

An adaptive multi-line view user interface is provided that varies the manner in which data is displayed as the size of the user interface is changed. As the available horizontal space in the user interface becomes too small to display the text or data on a given display line, the data is rearranged to fit the available space. Text or data that will be truncated as the width of the user interface is decreased is moved to a separate display line beneath the line in which the truncated text or data was previously displayed. A maximum number of lines may be specified for displaying text or data. After the maximum number of lines is reached, additional text or data truncated by narrowing the width of the user interface is not displayed. The displayed lines of text or data may be displayed according to a progressively lighter font from line to line so that lines at or near the top of a given displayed text or data record are darker and more readily draw the attention of a reader.

US Patent:

20090319548, Dec 24, 2009

Filed:

Jun 20, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/142836

Inventors:

Kevin L. Brown - Redmond WA, US
William R. Avery - Redmond WA, US
Omer Atay - Redmond WA, US
Mohammad Rashid - Redmond WA, US
Todd J. Abel - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

MICROSOFT CORPORATION - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707101, 707E17009

Abstract:

A data aggregation system is described herein for accessing and viewing information about an entity stored in multiple data stores. The data aggregation system identifies an entry in a primary data store that contains information about an entity. The system receives a request to associate an entry in a secondary data store with the identified entry in the primary data store. Then, the system identifies information in the secondary data store that identifies the entry in the secondary data store and associates the identified information with the entry in the primary data store. When a user requests to view the entry in the primary data store, the system retrieves the information about the entry in the primary data store and uses the stored entry identifier to also retrieve the information about the entry from the secondary data store. Thus, the information remains in the data store in which it originated, but the data aggregation system provides a unified view.

US Patent:

20100211889, Aug 19, 2010

Filed:

Apr 29, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/769787

Inventors:

Jose H. Durazo - Seattle WA, US
Jensen M. Harris - Kirkland WA, US
Jesse Clay Satterfield - Seattle WA, US
Martijn E. Van Tilburg - Seattle WA, US
William R. Avery - Redmond WA, US
Bruce D. Wiedemann - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 3/14
G06F 15/16

US Classification:

715752, 709206, 709207

Abstract:

Improved conversation grouping methods and systems are provided for electronic mail records. Electronic mail messages that are unread or flagged for follow-up are automatically displayed under an associated conversation grouping heading. If a conversation grouping contains only a single unread or flagged electronic mail message, the single electronic mail message is automatically displayed under the conversation grouping heading for review by a user. For a conversation grouping having no unread or flagged electronic mail messages, the latest electronic mail message in the grouping is automatically displayed under the conversation grouping heading.

US Patent:

20120215866, Aug 23, 2012

Filed:

Apr 2, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/437031

Inventors:

Jesse Clay Satterfield - Seattle WA, US
Jensen M. Harris - Kirkland WA, US
Martijn E. Van Tilburg - Seattle WA, US
William R. Avery - Redmond WA, US
Bruce D. Wiedemann - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709206

Abstract:

Automatic sorting and grouping of electronic mail items in an electronic mail system is provided. An automatic mail grouping property may be selected for electronic mail received, sent or stored in a variety of storage folders. For a given mail location (e.g., received mail, sent mail, or a given mail storage folder), a selected automatic grouping property causes mail to be displayed to a user in one or more categories that make location of specific mail items easier and more efficient. Visible dividers with optional headings may be provided between mail categories to quickly draw a user's attention to a given mail category and to separate large numbers of mail into logical groupings that make location of specific mail items more manageable.