Service platform for in-context results

• US 9,703,596 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jane T., Lyndersay, Sean, Garcia, Jonathan, Strauch, Steve, Risney, David L., Pavlicic, Miladin
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US13/430,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20120204129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,933 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a service platform that integrates services, such as web services and/or local services, across a variety of applications. In at least some embodiments, services can be integrated with legacy applications that are “unaware” of such services, as well as applications that are aware of such services.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, provide a service platform comprising;

a global integration layer configured to enable an application to allow a user to access and use one or more services that are not natively supported by the application from within the application;

a common control integration layer that provides a control configured to be hosted by the application, the control configured to be populated with one or more services that the application natively supports as well as the one or more services that are not natively supported by the application; and

a custom integration layer that provides a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that can be used by the application to customize a user interface for integration of at least one service that the application natively supports and at least one service that is not natively supported by the application in accordance with the control;

the user interface configured to receive a selection of a service and display a preview of the selected service by displaying content from a web address associated with the selected service, the selected service utilizing a declarative model that includes at least a display tag that provides a name of the selected service and a preview tag that provides the web address of the selected service.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more services that are not natively supported by the application include one or more of a search service, a define service, an investigate service, a map service, a news service, an image service, or a translate service.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the application comprises one of a web browser application, a reader application, an e-mail application, or an instant messaging application.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein functionality of the global integration layer is supported by an operating system.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the one or more services that are not natively supported by the application can be ascertained at the global integration layer by providing a keyboard shortcut which is detectable by the operating system.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the APIs are configured to be used to manage the one or more services that are not natively supported by the application in the user interface.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the control is configured to use an API call to present available services for integration.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the APIs are configured to be used to receive a list of services available for integration.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, with an operating system, a user action associated with ascertaining services that are available from within an application;

retrieving a list of services that are available from within the application, the list of services including at least one service that is not natively supported by the application and at least one service that is natively supported by the application, the retrieving performed responsive to an operating system call to a multi-level platform-supported Application Programming Interface (API);

causing display of the list of services that includes the at least one service that is not natively supported by the application and the at least one service that is natively supported by the application in a user interface created in response to the multi-level platform-supported API call;

receiving a selection of the at least one service that is not natively supported by the application from the list of services via the user interface, the selected service utilizing a declarative model that includes at least a display tag that provides a name of the selected service and a preview tag that provides a web address of the selected service; and

causing, responsive to a particular API call, display of a preview of the selected service that is not natively supported by the application by displaying content from the web address of the selected service.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing, separate from the preview, access to service functionality associated with the preview.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein providing the access to the service functionality further comprises navigating to a remote website where the service functionality is offered.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the retrieving is performed responsive to the detecting.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the user action comprises a hot key combination.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising, prior to said causing display of the list of services:

providing a control that can be hosted by multiple applications;

populating the control with services that are natively supported by the application; and

populating the control with services that are not natively supported by the application.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said populating the control with services that are not natively supported by the application is performed by an API call from the control to an API.

16. One or more computer hardware devices having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution, perform a method comprising:

detecting a user action associated with ascertaining services that are available from within an application;

making an API call to a local service store to receive a list of the services that are available;

causing, in a user interface created in response to the API call, display of the list of services that are available, the list of services including at least one service that is not natively supported by an application and at least one service that is natively supported by the application;

receiving a selection of the at least one service that is not natively supported by the application from the list of services via the user interface, the selected service utilizing a declarative model that includes at least a display tag that provides a name of the selected service and a preview tag that provides a web address of the selected service;

causing, responsive to a particular API call, display of a preview of the selected service that is not natively supported by the application by displaying content from the web address of the selected service; and

providing, separate from the preview, access to service functionality associated with the preview.

17. One or more computer hardware devices of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a selection of the preview of the selected service; and

navigating to a remote website associated with the selected service.

18. One or more computer hardware devices of claim 17, wherein the navigating includes sending data associated with the selected service to the remote website.

19. One or more computer hardware devices of claim 16, wherein the access comprises local access to the service functionality associated with the preview.

20. One or more computer hardware devices of claim 16, wherein the service comprises a map service, and wherein the preview comprises a preview map.