Activities operating on structured data

• US 9,396,281 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jane T., Pavlicic, Miladin
• Primary Examiner(s): WENG, PEI YONG
• Application Number:
  US12/190,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,897 Days
• Field of Search: 715/760, 715/764
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

Various embodiments can enable a webpage publisher to describe structured data on a webpage in a manner that enables a Web browser to intelligently present activities that pertain to user selections relative to the structured data appearing on the webpage. In at least some embodiments, a webpage publisher can provide markup that identifies structured data on a webpage. A service provider can provide a representation that describes the types of structured data in which it is interested, and how to handle the structured data responsive to a user selection. The Web browser can then use the markup in the webpage and the service provider'"'"'s representation to identify and present activities associated with structured data selected by the user.

Claims

1. A method, implemented at a computer system that includes one or more processors, for invoking an activity of a service provider based on structured data of web content, the method comprising:

rendering web content within a user interface, the web content including structured data that is identified as being of a particular structured data type, the rendering including presenting the structured data at the user interface in a user-selectable manner;

receiving a user selection of at least a portion of the structured data;

based at least on receiving the user selection, and based at least on the structured data having been identified in the web content as being of the particular structured data type, identifying at least one structured data description that corresponds to the particular structured data type, the at least one structured data description defining an activity that is provided by a service provider, including defining at least;

(i) one or more structured data types, including the particular structured data type, that are associated with the activity;

(ii) a calling location to which data is to be sent when invoking the activity; and

(iii) one or more parameters to be included when calling the calling location as part of invoking the activity; and

based at least on receiving the user selection, and based at least on identifying the at least one structured data description,

presenting a menu that lists a plurality of activities that are relevant to the user selection and that include activities associated with both structured data and unstructured data, the plurality of activities including the activity that is provided by the service provider; and

invoking the activity that is provided by the service provider, including;

identifying, based on the particular structured data type, one or more

portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters; and

calling the calling location using the one or more portions of the structured data as the one or more parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one structured data description comprises XML, and wherein the structured data is formatted according to XML.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one structured data description also defines a context associated with identifying unstructured data as relating to the at least one structured data description, along with one or more additional parameters to be included when calling the calling location as part of invoking the activity in connection with the unstructured data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one structured data description defines an HTTP GET request that is to be used to send data to the service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the calling location comprises a Web address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying, based on the particular structured data type, one or more portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters comprises using markup in the web content, in which the one or more parameters are specified as part of a definition of the structured data, according to the particular structured data type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of activities are ordered based on whether they are associated with structured data or unstructured data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein those activities associated with structured data appear above those activities associated with unstructured data in the menu.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selection of the at least a portion of the structured data comprises less than an entire portion of the structured data, and wherein identifying, based on the particular structured data type, the one or more portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters comprises using the entire portion of the structured data in spite of the user selection being of only the portion of the structured data.

10. A system

comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to invoke an activity of a service provider based on structured data of web content, the computer-executable instructions including instructions that are executable to configure the system to perform at least the following;

render web content within a user interface, the web content including structured data that is identified as being of a particular structured data type, the rendering including presenting the structured data at the user interface in a user-selectable manner;

receive a user selection of at least a portion of the structured data;

based at least on receiving the user selection, and based at least on the structured data having been identified in the web content as being of the particular structured data type, identify at least one structured data description that corresponds to the particular structured data type, the at least one structured data description defining an activity that is provided by a service provider, including defining at least;

(i) one or more structured data types, including the particular structured data type, that are associated with the activity;

(ii) an address to which data is to be sent when invoking the activity; and

(iii) one or more parameters to be sent to the address as part of invoking the activity; and

based at least on receiving the user selection, and based at least on identifying the at least one structured data description,

present a menu that lists a plurality of activities that are relevant to the user selection and that include activities associated with both structured data and unstructured data, the plurality of activities including the activity that is provided by the service provider; and

invoke the activity that is provided by the service provider, by at least;

identifying, based on the particular structured data type, one or more portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters; and

sending the one or more portions of the structured data to the address as the one or more parameters.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one structured data description comprises an XML description, and wherein the structured data is formatted according to XML.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one structured data description further comprises a description of where to send data selected by a user when the selected data user comprises unstructured data.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one structured data description also defines a context associated with identifying unstructured data as relating to the at least one structured data description, along with one or more additional parameters to be included when calling the calling location as part of invoking the activity in connection with the unstructured data.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions also include instructions that are executable to configure the system to use markup in the web content when identifying the one or more portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters comprises, in which the one or more parameters are specified as part of a definition of the structured data, according to the particular structured data type.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein those activities associated with structured data appear above those activities associated with unstructured data in the menu.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the user selection of the at least a portion of the structured data comprises less than an entire portion of the structured data, and wherein the computer-executable instructions also include instructions that are executable to configure the system to use the entire portion of the structured data in spite of the user selection being of only the portion of the structured data when identifying the one or more portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters.

17. A computer program product comprising one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by one or more processors to configure a computer system to invoke an activity of a service provider based on structured data of web content, the computer-executable instructions including instructions that are executable to configure the computer system to perform at least the following:

render web content within a user interface, the web content including structured data that is identified as being of a particular structured data type, the rendering including presenting the structured data at the user interface in a user-selectable manner;

receive a user selection of at least a portion of the structured data;

based at least on receiving the user selection, and based at least on the structured data having been identified in the web content as being of the particular structured data type, identify at least one structured data description that corresponds to the particular structured data type, the at least one structured data description defining an activity that is provided by a service provider, including defining at least;

(i) one or more structured data types, including the particular structured data type, that are associated with the activity;

(ii) an address to which data is to be sent when invoking the activity; and

(iii) one or more parameters to be sent to the address as part of invoking the activity; and

based at least on receiving the user selection, and based at least on identifying the at least one structured data description,

present a menu that lists a plurality of activities that are relevant to the user selection and that include activities associated with both structured data and unstructured data, the plurality of activities including the activity that is provided by the service provider; and

invoke the activity that is provided by the service provider, by at least;

identifying, based on the particular structured data type, one or more

portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters; and

sending the one or more portions of the structured data to the address as the one or more parameters.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the at least one structured data description also defines a context associated with identifying unstructured data as relating to the at least one structured data description, along with one or more additional parameters to be included when calling the calling location as part of invoking the activity in connection with the unstructured data.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein those activities associated with structured data appear above those activities associated with unstructured data in the menu.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the user selection of the at least a portion of the structured data comprises less than an entire portion of the structured data, and wherein the computer-executable instructions also include instructions that are executable to configure the system to use the entire portion of the structured data in spite of the user selection being of only the portion of the structured data when identifying the one or more portions of the structured data to use as the one or more parameters.