Assisted content authoring

• US 8,392,390 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bennett, Eric Paul, MacLaurin, Matthew Bret, Colando, Christian James, Fynn, Scott V., Aguera y Arcas, Blaise H., Anderson, Eric S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MERILYN P
• Application Number:
  US12/790,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20110295878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 707/771, 707/705, 707/708, 707/722, 707/726, 707/729
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/253 Grammatical analysis; Style critique
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An authoring system on a mobile device (or other type of device) may help a user to author a message based on context available on the device. Context data comes to exist on the device in some manner. For example, the context may contain the results of a search that a user has performed on the device. A message may be proposed based on the search query and/or the result—e.g., if a user searches for “Edinburgh,” the authoring system may propose the message “Username likes Edinburgh” or “Username is learning about Edinburgh.” The authoring system may allow the user to change the message and/or to add additional content and/or links to the message. The user may then to send the message over some channel such as e-mail, a social network, a microblogging site, etc.

Claims

1. One or more device-readable storage memories or disks that store executable instructions to assist a user in authoring a message, wherein the instructions, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform acts comprising:

receiving, at said device from said user, a search query;

obtaining, from a service remote to said device, results in response to said search query;

receiving, from said user, a request to create text based on information that exists on said device;

in response to said request, creating, based on said information, proposed text that comprises a noun and a first verb, said information that exists on said device and on which said proposed text is based comprising said results;

providing, to said user, a first interface that allows said user to replace said first verb with a second verb that is distinct from said first verb;

receiving, from said user, a selection of said second verb to replace said first verb, thereby creating modified text that comprises said proposed text with said second verb in place of said first verb;

deriving, from said results, a plurality of phrases;

providing, to said user, a second interface that allows said user to select one of said plurality of phrases to be added to said modified text;

including, in said modified text, said one of said plurality of phrases and a link to one of said results; and

communicating said modified text from said device to a location remote from said device.

2. The one or more device-readable storage memories or disks of claim 1, wherein said acts further comprise:

including, in said modified text, a link to a content item.

3. The one or more device-readable storage memories or disks of claim 2, wherein said information that exists on said device, based on which said proposed text is created, comprises said link to the content item, wherein said link to the content item is included in said modified text based on said user'"'"'s having selected, for inclusion in said modified text, text to which said link to the content item relates.

4. A method helping a user to author a message, the method comprising:

using a processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving, at a device from said user, a search query;

obtaining, from a service remote to said device, results in response to said search query;

presenting data to said user on said device, said data comprising said results;

receiving, from said user, an indication that said user wants to create a message based on said data;

creating proposed text based on said data;

presenting, to said user, a first interface that allows said user to modify said proposed text by replacing first content in a segment of said proposed text with second content that is distinct from said first content, wherein said first interface allows said user to modify said proposed text without said user'"'"'s composing or entering said second content, wherein said first content in said segment comprises a verb in said proposed text;

receiving, from said user, a selection of said second content;

in said proposed text, replacing said first content with said second content, thereby creating modified text;

deriving, from said data comprising said results, one or more phrases to present to said user;

providing, to said user, a second interface that allows said user to select a phrase from said one or more phrases, wherein a phrase that said user selects is a selected phrase;

including, in said modified text, said selected phrase and a link to one of said results; and

transmitting said modified text over a channel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said acts further comprise:

asking said user to select a first channel over which to send said modified text, wherein said transmitting transmits said modified text over said first channel.

6. A device for communicating information to remote locations, the device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a display;

a communication component that allows said device to communicate with locations remote from said device;

an input mechanism that allows a user to interact with said device, through which said user enters a query, and through which results to said query, obtained from a service remote to said device, are presented to said user; and

a message authoring component that receives, from said user, an indication that said user wants to author a message based on information that is displayed on said display, said information comprising said results, that creates a proposed message based on said information wherein said proposed message comprises a noun and a first verb, that presents, to said user through said display, a first interface which allows said user to select a second verb to replace said first verb, said second verb being distinct from said first verb, that receives said user'"'"'s selection of said second verb and creates a modified message that contains text from said proposed message but with said second verb in place of said first verb, that derives from said results and from information that exists on said device a plurality of phrases, that presents, to said user, a second interface that allows said user to select, for inclusion in said modified message, a first one of said plurality of phrases, that includes said first one of said plurality of phrases and a link to one of said results in said modified message, and that communicates said modified message to a remote location through said communication component.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said input mechanism comprises a touch screen, and wherein said indication that said user wants to author a message comprises said user'"'"'s having touched said touch screen near content on which said proposed message is based.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein said message authoring component receives, from said user, an indication of a channel over which said user wants to transmit said modified message, and wherein said device uses said communication component to transmit said modified message over said channel.