Method and System for Semantically Labeling Strings and Providing Actions Based on Semantically Labeled Strings

• US 20100268793A1
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Huynh, Tuan, Wang, Ziyi, Reynar, Jeff, Wolff, Roger, Higashiyama, Nobuya, Ammerlaan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/777,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268793A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A method for recognizing strings and annotating, or labeling, the strings with a type label. After the strings are annotated with a type label, application pro gram modules may use the type label to provide users with a choice of actions. If the user'"'"'s computer does not have any actions associated with a type label, the user may be provided with the option to surf to a download Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and download action plug-ins for that type label. One or more recognizer plug-ins perform the recognition of particular strings in an electronic document. The recognize r plug-ins may be packaged with an application program module or they may be written by third parties to recognize particular strings that are of interest. One or more action plug-ins provide possible actions to be presented to the user based upon the type label associated with the string.

Claims

1. A method for executing actions in response to recognizing a string of text entered into an application program module, the method comprising:

receiving a label associated with the string of text;

transmitting the label to an action plug-in;

receiving an action based on the label from the action plug-in;

displaying the action received from the action plug-in; and

in response to receiving an indication that the action associated with the action plug-in has been selected, transmitting a request to execute the selected action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the label to the action plug-in comprises transmitting the label to a third-party action plug-in.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the label to the action plug-in comprises transmitting the label to at least one of a plurality of action plug-ins packaged with the application program module.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving instructions for executing the selected action from the action plug-in assigned to the selected action.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the application program module to execute the selected action.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein causing the application program module to execute the selected action comprises:

determining whether the action plug-in assigned to the action is available; and

if the action plug-in assigned to the action is available, then receiving instructions from the action plug-in assigned to the selected action.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein causing the application program module to execute the selected action comprises further comprises:

if the action plug-in is not available, then using a Uniform Resource Locator assigned to the action to navigate to a Web site and download the action plug-in associated with the selected action.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the action based on the label from the action plug-in comprises receiving an action for at least one of the following:

interacting with personal information manager contacts, tasks, meetings, and mail, and

interacting with properties on the World Wide Web or a corporate intranet.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor being configured to receive the action based on the label from the action plug-in comprises the processor being configured to receive the action plug-in operative to cause at least one of the following:

an interaction with personal information manager contacts, tasks, meetings, and mail, and

an interaction with properties on the World Wide Web or a corporate intranet.

9. A computer-readable medium having a set of instructions which when executed perform a method for executing actions associated with a string of text entered into an application program module, the method comprising:

transmitting a label associated with the string of text to an action dynamic-link library;

receiving an action based on the label from the action dynamic-link library;

displaying the action received from the action dynamic-link library; and

in response to receiving an indication that the action received from the action dynamic-link library has been selected, transmitting a request to execute the selected action.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the label to the action dynamic-link library comprises transmitting the label to a third-party dynamic-link library.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the label to the action dynamic-link library comprises transmitting the label to at least one of a plurality of dynamic-link libraries packaged with the application program module.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising causing the application program module to execute the selected action.

13. The method recited in claim 12, wherein causing the application program module to execute the selected action comprises:

determining whether the action dynamic-link library assigned to the action is available; and

if the action dynamic-link library assigned to the action is available, then receiving instructions from the action dynamic-link library assigned to the selected action.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein causing the application program module to execute the selected action further comprises:

if the dynamic-link library is not available, then using a Uniform Resource Locator assigned to the action to navigate to a Web site and download the dynamic-link library.

15. The method of Claire 9, wherein receiving the action based on the label from the dynamic-link library comprises receiving the action for at least one of the following:

interacting with personal information manager contacts, tasks, meetings, and mail, and

interacting with properties on the World Wide Web or a corporate Intranet.

16. A system for executing actions in response to recognizing a semantically labeled string of text entered into an application program module, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processor coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a label associated with the string of text,

transmit the label to an action plug-in,

receive an action based on the label from the action plug-in,

display the action received from the action plug-in,

transmit a request to execute the selected action,

receive instructions for executing the selected action from the action plug-in assigned to the selected action, and

cause the application program nodule to execute the selected action.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the action plug-in is a third-party action plug-in.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the action plug-in is one of a plurality of action plug-ins packaged with the application program module.

19. A system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the action plug-in assigned to the action is available; and

if the action plug-in is not available, navigate to a Web site and download the action plug-in.