Tag-sharing and tag-sharing application program interface

• US 20080276177A1
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sauve, Aaron J.
• Application Number:
  US11/799,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20080276177A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a mechanism by which a user'"'"'s tags can be shared across a variety of web sites, applications or services, in addition to those web sites where a particular tag may have been created. In one or more embodiments, an application program interface (API) is provided and exposes one or more methods by which a user'"'"'s tags can be exposed. Once a user'"'"'s tags are exposed and discoverable, various services and information can be provided which are tailored to a particular individual as a function of their tags.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computer-readable media;

a web browser embodied on the one or more computer-readable media, the web browser comprising;

a tag creation module to enable a user to create one or more tags; and

a tag sharing module to enable a user to share said one or more tags with multiple different web sites, wherein the tag sharing module is configured to enable said multiple different web sites to ascertain individual tags associated with an individual user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag sharing module is configured to enable a user to choose to share a tag.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag sharing module is configured to receive calls from multiple different web sites and, responsively, share tags that a user has chosen to share with web sites from which said calls are received.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the web browser is configured to enable the user to create and share a tag when the user adds a link via the web browser.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the web browser is configured to enable a user to share a tag from a favorites center.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the web browser is configured to save tags in a local tag list, along with metadata associated with individual tags.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the metadata includes an indication of whether a user has chosen to share a particular tag.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag sharing module is configured to automatically share tags without requiring a special API call.

9. A computing device embodying the system of claim 1.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying an application program interface that is configured to:

receive calls that request tags that a user has chosen to share, wherein the calls are received from entities other than those that enabled the user to create a tag; and

share those tags that a user has chosen to share with said entities.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the application program interface is supported by a web browser.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the application program interface is configured to receive calls from multiple different web sites.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein at least some of the calls can specify a number of tags to be returned.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the application program interface is configured to share a tag with one or more web sites other than one where a particular tag was created.

15. A computing device embodying the one or more computer-readable media of claim 10.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

making a call to an application program interface to ascertain one or more tags that a user has chosen to share;

receiving one or more tags responsive to making said call; and

offering one or more services associated with the one or more tags that are received.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said call can specify a number of tags to return.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said call can specify criteria to use that defines which tags should be returned.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the act of making a call is performed by making a call to an application program interface supported by a web browser.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the act of offering is performed by tailoring content as a function of the one or more tags that are received.