Jeffrey R Allen

US Patent:

7749084, Jul 6, 2010

Filed:

Dec 7, 2004

Appl. No.:

11/006010

Inventors:

Brendan K. Reville - Seattle WA, US
Dan B. Kroymann - Kirkland WA, US
Fabrice Odero - Seattle WA, US
Jeffrey D. Henshaw - Redmond WA, US
Jeffrey L. Allen - Sammamish WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

A63F 13/00

US Classification:

463 42, 463 40, 463 41

Abstract:

The present invention is direct to a Live Network Explorer (LNE) which allows users to graphically navigate through a web of interconnected friends on a gaming console. The LNE provides a real-time graphical representation of friend-of-friend relationships, with the currently-viewed user as a visual node in the screen center. The center node is surrounded by nodes representing that user's friends. Real-time animation is used to represent transitions as the user navigates from person to person. The LNE also represents groups as a visual node in this graphically interconnected web so that the user can travel to a group that a person belongs to, and can see all the people inside the group by connections. The user can navigate to any of these people in the group. The user can click on a person to bring up their digital identity details.

US Patent:

7836192, Nov 16, 2010

Filed:

Jul 15, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/182991

Inventors:

Jerry Alan Johnson - Medina WA, US
Daniel M. C. Caiafa - Redmond WA, US
Jeffrey L. Allen - Sammamish WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16
G06F 15/173
G06F 19/00

US Classification:

709229, 709223, 463 29

Abstract:

Techniques to enable parental control for a media console are described. One such technique involves enabling user-specific security (or rights) settings. This technique includes first receiving a user identifier from a user interface of a media console. The technique includes next determining a first security profile for the media console based on the user identifier. In this technique, the first security profile defines a supervised operating configuration for the media console that is specific to the user identifier, and which is controlled by an authorized party, such as a parent. Finally, the technique includes enabling use of the first media console subject to the first security profile. In this technique, the first security profile thereby defines parental control choices regarding use of the first media console by the first user, e. g. , a child.