Patent Application
20140201231
Business knowledge within an organization can be generated in various ways. For example, business knowledge can be generated organically by employees simply doing the tasks associated with their work. Business knowledge within an organization can also be generated by the introduction of knowledge from outside sources, either through hiring people with special skill sets or training current employees to increase their skill sets. Another way that business knowledge can be generated within an organization is through the interaction of employees. For example, employees may work collectively in a group to solve problems or enhance products or services.
By working together in groups, the increase in knowledge may be greater than what any one individual may be able achieve on their own, and, may be of a higher quality because of the collective review of the business knowledge. Although it can be called several things, some organizations refer to the interaction between employees (and in some cases, individuals or groups outside of the organization) as social knowledge interactions. Social knowledge interactions may take many forms and can be implemented in various ways. The interactions between employees often contain critical business value and knowledge. However, this kind of knowledge can be difficult to locate.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.
Concepts and technologies are described herein for a social collaboration search tool for searching social knowledge interactions, such as those generated in an enterprise. In accordance with some concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the social collaboration search tool can provide a way for collaborators within an organization to search for and retrieve social knowledge interactions. The social collaboration search tool may also display additional social information. In some examples, the social collaboration search tool can provide indexing for search results and surface the search results in a first class search vertical with specialized display formats that may enable the searcher to efficiently retrieve and use the most important or relevant information.
It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may also be implemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a computer-readable storage medium. These and various other features will be apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and a review of the associated drawings.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended that this Summary be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
The following detailed description is directed to a social collaboration search tool used, in some examples, in conjunction with an enterprise collaboration environment. In accordance with some concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the social collaboration search tool provides a way for collaborators to search for and retrieve social knowledge interactions. In some configurations, the social collaboration search tool can index and surface in a first class search vertical specialized display formats that may enable the user to efficiently retrieve and use certain information.
While the subject matter described herein is presented in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with the execution of an operating system and application programs on a computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that other implementations may be performed in combination with other types of program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.
In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples. Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, aspects of a computing system, computer-readable storage medium, and computer-implemented methodologies for a social collaboration search tool and other aspects will be presented.
Referring now to
In some configurations, the client device 102 and the enterprise computing device 104 can operate in a client-server configuration. As used herein, a “client-server” configuration includes a computing system having one or more resource providers (the “server”) that provide resources to one or more resource requestors (the “client”). In the operating environment 100 illustrated in
An operating system 106 is executing on the enterprise computing device 104. The operating system 106 is an executable program for controlling various functions on the enterprise computing device 104. The enterprise computing device 104 can execute a collaboration application 108. The collaboration application 108, in some examples, can provide resources to the client device 102 through a client collaboration application 110 executing on the client device 102, represented in
In some configurations, the client collaboration application 110 can include a web browser application capable of receiving inputs from the client device 102 and providing a display of resources provided by the collaboration application 108. The collaboration application 108 may be configured to provide various types of functionality including, but not limited to, allowing users to create, maintain and present a collaborative environment to share information to create and/or collaborate on documents, work together in online groups, and/or share information within an organization. In some configurations, the collaboration application 108 can include a web-based application configured to provide some or all of the functions described above as a service.
In some configurations, the client device 102 can include a dumb terminal or thin client. As used herein, a “dumb terminal” and/or a “thin client” includes computing devices that utilize one or more resources provided by a server computer. In the configuration illustrated in
In some embodiments, the collaboration application 108 and/or the client collaboration application 110 may include, but are not limited to, one or more productivity application programs that are part of the MICROSOFT OFFICE family of products from Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. The examples of the application programs can include a member of, but are not limited, MICROSOFT WORD, MICROSOFT EXCEL, MICROSOFT POWERPOINT, MICROSOFT SHAREPOINT, MICROSOFT ACCESS, MICROSOFT VISIO, or MICROSOFT OUTLOOK families of application programs. In some embodiments, the collaboration application 108 and/or the client collaboration application 110 may include, but are not limited to, one or more productivity application programs that are part of the GOOGLE DOCS or GOOGLE SITES family of products from Google, Inc. in Mountain View, Calif. In the described embodiments, the collaboration application 108 and/or the client collaboration application 110 are described as including the MICROSOFT SHAREPOINT collaboration application program. It should be understood that examples provided herein using the MICROSOFT SHAREPOINT collaboration application are illustrative, and should not be construed as limiting in any way.
As described briefly above, when using the collaboration application 108, the user 112 may want to search for social knowledge interactions. For example, the user 112 may want to search for discussions within certain collaborative groups, discussions on various topics, and the like. In some configurations, a search UI 116 of the client collaboration application 110 can receive as an input one or more search terms. The search terms, along with an instruction to perform the search, are received by the collaboration application 108. The collaboration application 108 provides the search terms to a search processor 120, which executes the search, invoked by a social collaboration search tool 118. The results of the search can be provided to the client collaboration application 110 for display in a search results page 130 on the display 114 of the client device 102. The search processor 120 may execute a search on various data stores, tables, and/or databases storing social knowledge interactions, such as a collaboration data store 122.
The collaboration data store 122 illustrated in
In one configuration, the discussion 124A can include a query and one or more responses to the query. For example, a person in an organization may enter a discussion topic, which can be stored as a discussion 124A. In response to the posting of the discussion topic, one or more collaborators may respond to the topic, which can also be stored as a discussion 124A. The stored discussions can be enterprise-wide discussions or discussions within one or more communities of the enterprise. As used herein, a “community” can include a group of individuals having a common interest. For example, a community can include a department in an enterprise. In another example, a community can include a group of individuals formed to solve a problem. In a further example, a community can include a group of individuals designed to perform a certain task. It should be understood that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any type of discussion or community.
As described above, the conversations data store 124 can also include newsfeed posts 124B and newsfeed replies 124C. As used herein, a “newsfeed” is a topic relating to an event. It should be understood that a topic relating to an event may, in some configurations, be a topic relating to a discussion 124A. The presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to any differentiation between a topic for a discussion 124A and a newsfeed post 124B. An individual or other entity, including the user 112, can post a newsfeed post 124B. Replies to the newsfeed post can be stored as newsfeed replies 124C.
The conversations data store 124 can further include people records 124D. In some configurations, people records 124D include information relating to various individuals in an organization. For example, the people records 124D may include profile pictures and contact information to one or more individuals. When executing a search, if a search result is associated with a particular person, the user 112 may be presented with information about the particular person. Various types of information may be associated with a person included in the people records 124D. In some embodiments, the information can include, but is not limited to, the person's profile, contact information, the department the person works in, groups to which the person belongs, replies or questions the person may have asked, topics the person has commented on, etc.
In some configurations, the search processor 120 may also execute searches on an external system 126 in conjunction with, or in lieu of, executing searches on the collaboration data store 122. As used herein, an “external system” includes systems that are not controlled or otherwise maintained by an organization to which the user 112 is associated with. The external system 126 can include one or more websites configured to receive a search. For example, the external system 126 can include a search engine, a website, or an external computing system. It should be appreciated that the collaboration data store 122 and/or the conversations data store 124 (or various components thereof) may be provided by an external system 126. In that configuration, the collaboration data store 122 or the conversations data store 124 can be termed an external system. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular external system 126. The external system 126 can include an external conversations data store 128. The external conversations data store 128 can provide information in a manner similar to the collaboration data store 124.
The search processor 120 may execute a search using various searching algorithms. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular searching algorithm. For example, the search processor 120 may execute a search on the collaboration data store 122 using search terms entered by the user 112. A search term can include a string of characters relating to a search. The string of characters can include one or more words, phrases, Boolean operators, or filters, as understood by those skilled in the art. For example, the user 112 can enter a keyword relating to a topic and a filter to exclude certain items from the search results. For example, the user 112 may specify a conversations filter, which in some configurations may cause the search processor 120 to only return one or more results to the client collaboration application 110 relating to conversations data store 124.
In some configurations, the social collaboration search tool 118 can invoke a search indexer 132. The search indexer 132 can index search results. As used herein, search “indexing” includes the collection, parsing, and storing of data to find social knowledge interactions relevant to the search. The search indexer 132 can create and store one or more indexes of information to assist the search processor 120 in executing the search. The use of the search indexer 132 may, in some configurations, provide a more efficient mechanism for searching various data stores, including the collaboration data store 122 and/or the external conversations data store 128. Further, in some configurations, the social collaboration search tool 118 can sort search results and provide, to the collaboration application 108, social collaboration search results in a vertical search format. As used herein, a “vertical search format” includes search results that focus on a specific segment of information. In various configurations described herein, a vertical search format provides search results that are focused on information relating to social collaborations, as defined herein.
The search UI 200 can include an additional information pane 208. The additional information pane 208 can present information relating to the search or the search results 206. For example, and not by way of limitation, the additional information pane 208 can include a listing of names associated with the search results 206. In another example, the additional information pane 208 can include various filters that can be applied to the search results 206 to narrow the scope of the search results 206. It should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to the use of the additional information pane 208. It should be further appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any information or operators (such as filters) that may be included or displayed in the additional information pane 208.
The search UI 200 can also include a side pane 210. In some configurations, the side pane 210 can display information relating to a particular search result of the search results 206. In the example illustrated in
For example, the side pane 210 may be displayed if a selection device, such as a mouse cursor or tactile input (such as a finger) is placed in a location in or near the search result 206C. In another example, the side pane 210 may be invoked based on certain criteria and without input from the user 112. For example, the side pane 210 may be invoked to display the first search result. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any manner in which the side pane 210 is invoked. As described above, the search processor 120 may receive search terms to search one or more data stores having social knowledge interactions stored thereon, such as the collaboration data store 122 and/or the external conversations data store 128. In some configurations, if no operators, filters or other search limiting criteria are received by the search processor 120, the search processor 120 executes a “global”, or unlimited, search.
As illustrated, the search results 306 can vary depending on the information retrieved by the search processor 120. For example, and not by way of limitation, the search results 306 displayed in the search results pane 204 are: search result 306A, which is a marketing topic; search result 306B, which relates to a discussion involving a specific person; search result 306C, which is a query to show more results; search result 306D, which is information about a community; search result 306E, which is information about a social aspect of a newsfeed; and search result 306F, which is information about a specific product. It should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies described herein are not limited to any type of search results 306.
In the example illustrated in
The client collaboration application 110 can receive an input that the user 112, or other entity, desires to narrow a scope of the search results 306. The client collaboration application 110 can display various filters or operators in one or more panes for receiving input from the user 112. In one configuration, the client collaboration application 110 can display a filter bar 312. The filter bar 312 can display one or more categories to filter the search results 306. In the configuration of
The client collaboration application 110 may present other filters for receiving input from the user 112 to narrow the scope of the search results 306. In one configuration, the client collaboration application 110 can display an additional information pane 208. The additional information pane 208 can present the user 112 with additional filters or operators that the user 112 may select to refine a search presented in the search results pane 204.
In other configurations, the additional information pane 208 can present the user 112 with hyperlinks, or links, to information not displayed in the search results 306. In some configurations, the additional information pane 208 can be displayed in conjunction with or as an alternative to the filter bar 312. It should be understood that providing various filters or operators in one or more panes, such as the filter bar 312 and the additional information pane 208, is illustrative only and may be implemented in various ways. For example, all filters may be presented in a single pane. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular configuration.
The client collaboration application 110 may present the side pane 210. The side pane 210 can display additional information relating to a particular search result of the search results 306. The side pane 210 can be invoked by the client collaboration application 110 based on various inputs or conditions. For example, the client collaboration application 110 can display the side pane 210 by default with the display of the search results pane 204. In another configuration, the client collaboration application 110 can display the side pane 210 when an input is received from the user 112 or other entity. In one example, the client collaboration application 110 can detect that a selection device 320 is located at location 322. In this configuration, the location 322 corresponds to a location on or near the search result 306A. In this configuration, the client collaboration application 110 can display the side pane 210, which includes additional information relating to the search result 306A. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular selection device 320 or input mechanism. For example, the selection device 320 can include a mouse pointer, a finger of the user 112, a stylus pen, or other tactile input.
As described above, the side pane 210 may present additional information related to the search result 306A. In the example illustrated in
As previously discussed, the user 112 may be allowed to narrow or filter the search results 306 to specific categories.
The user 112 can also be presented with additional information in some embodiments. In the configuration illustrated in
In some configurations, the user 112 may be presented with still further information relating to the search results 406. In one example, the additional information pane 208 is displayed. Displayed in the additional information pane 208 are a tag section 428, an author section 430 and a created section 432. In some configurations, the tag section 428 lists one or more hashtags, or other metadata, associated with one or more conversations. The tag section 428 can present a listing of hashtags, or other metadata. In some configurations, a hashtag may be used by an individual or other entity to associate a particular conversation with a particular phrase. For example, hashtag 434 is “#MarketingCommunications.” When selected by the user 112, the search processor 120 can narrow the search results 406 to conversations that have been associated with the phrase, “MarketingCommunications,” which has been associated with the hashtag 434.
The side pane 210 can display information relating to the search result 506A. Displayed in side pane 210 is an original post 524 submitted by the individual 514. Along with the original post 524, the side pane 210 also displays information related 526 to the original post 524, such as the number of replies and any feedback given to the author regarding the post. The side pane 210 also displays replies 528A and 528B to the original post 524. The client collaboration application 110 may display more information relating to the original post 524 if the client collaboration application 110 receives an input, such as a selection input on the search result 506A. In another configuration, the client collaboration application 110 can display more information relating to the original post if the client collaboration application 110 receives an input that a view conversation link 530 has been selected. It should be appreciated that various technologies may be used by the client collaboration application 110 to display additional information.
Various concepts and technologies described herein can provide a user with the ability to focus on conversations involving a specific individual.
As illustrated, the search results 606 include results that involve the individual named “Sara Davis” in some manner. In the configuration illustrated in
In addition to determining more information about a specific author, as illustrated by way of example, in
Additional information regarding search result 706A of the search results 706 is displayed in the side pane 210. The search result 706A has displayed therein additional conversation information 708. In this example, the additional conversation information 708 includes a number of replies to the conversation topic of search result 706A, the number of “likes” given to either the topic or any replies to the topic of the search result 706A, and an indication that a best reply has been noted to the topic of the search result 706A. It should be understood that the additional conversation information 708 may have various types of information not explicitly illustrated in
The side pane 210 displays additional information regarding the search result 706A. As illustrated, a topic 716 (“Can anyone recommend Green thermal system?”) of the search result 706A is displayed along with an original post 718 of the topic 716 and a reply 720 to the original post 718. In addition, the reply 720 is annotated as a “best reply” 722 to the original post 718. It should be noted that various technologies may be used to determine which reply is a “best reply” 722, including, but not limited to, a designation by an individual involved in the conversation, a voting mechanism used by a community, etc.
Turning now to
It also should be understood that the illustrated methods can be ended at any time and need not be performed in their entirety. Some or all operations of the methods, and/or substantially equivalent operations, can be performed by execution of computer-readable instructions included on a computer-storage media, as defined herein. The term “computer-readable instructions,” and variants thereof, as used in the description and claims, is used expansively herein to include routines, applications, application modules, program modules, programs, components, data structures, algorithms, and the like. Computer-readable instructions can be implemented on various system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based, programmable consumer electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.
Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as states, operations, structural devices, acts, or modules. These operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof.
The operations of the methods are described herein below as being implemented, at least in part, by the client collaboration application 110, the collaboration application 108, or combinations thereof. One or more of the operations of the methods may alternatively or additionally be implemented, at least in part, by the similar components in either the client device 102 and/or the enterprise computing device 114.
Turning to
In another configuration, the social collaboration search tool 118 may have logic that can determine if the search query should focus the search on the conversations data store 124, even if the search query does not have a filter or other mechanism selected and input by the user 112. For example, the search query may include certain terms, such as, but not limited to, “question,” “forum,” “post,” “question,” and/or “community,” that the logic recognizes as terms that should focus the search on the conversations data store 124. In another example, the social collaboration search tool 118 may have logic that recognizes that prior users selected conversation-related search results when using similar search terms as the terms used in a current search query. In some configurations, when a conversation-related search request is not explicitly received through the use of filters or other scope narrowing mechanisms, but the social collaboration search tool 118 logic has determined that conversation-related search results may be applicable, the collaboration application 108 may be configured to have rendered in the search results page 130 an additional search results pane that includes only the conversation-related search results.
In some configurations, the search request can include one or more terms to search and/or one or more filters to narrow the scope of the search or narrow the search results returned to the client collaboration application 110. In some configurations, the collaboration application 108 can be configured to search for conversations in one or more data stores without an instruction to search for conversations. In other configurations, the collaboration application 108 can be configured to search for conversations in one or more data stores after receipt of an instruction to search for conversations from another component, such as the client collaboration application 110.
From operation 804, the method 800 proceeds to operation 804, where the collaboration application 108 transmits the search request to the social collaboration search tool 118. The social collaboration search tool 118 receives the search request and invokes the search processor 120 to execute the search on various data stores, such as the collaboration data store 122.
From operation 806, the method 800 proceeds to operation 808, where the search request including a request for conversation information is commenced. It should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to searching in data store that include only conversations information. From operation 808, the method 800 proceeds to operation 810, where the search processor 120 executes the search request in the conversations data store 124. It should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies described herein are not limited to any specific mechanism for searching at operation 810. In one configuration, a search can use the search indexer 132. For example, the social collaboration search tool 118 can invoke the search indexer 132 to search for and index relevant information from various data stores, such as the conversations data store 124. The information is collected and indexed by the search indexer 132. In this configuration, when a search is executed, the search processor 120 can access the collected and indexed information provided by the search indexer 132 and return those results. In another configuration, the search processor 120 can access various data stores, such as the conversations data store 124, directly.
A determination is made as to whether or not the conversations data store 124 includes conversations data relating to the search request. If the executed search on the conversations data store 124 does not include conversations data, the search result is returned to the collaboration application at operation 814. From operation 814, the method 800 proceeds to operation 816, where it ends.
If the search results on the conversations data store 124 includes conversations data, the conversations data is included in the search results. In some configurations, the search processor 120 may be configured to search external data stores, such as the external conversations data store 128. In that configuration, the method 800 proceeds from operation 812 to 818, where a determination is made as to whether external conversations data stores should be searched, such as the external conversations data store 128. If the search processor 120 does not have instructions to execute a search on the external conversations data store 128, the search results of operation 812 are returned to the search processor at operation 814.
If the search processor 120 has instructions to execute a search on the external conversations data store 128, the method 800 proceeds from operation 820 to 822, where the search processor 120 executes a search on the external conversations data store 128. The method 800 then proceeds from operation 822 to operation 824, where the external conversations data from external conversations data store 128 is added to the conversations data from conversations data store 124. The method 800 proceeds from operation 824 to operation 814, where the search results are returned. The method 800 proceeds from operation 814 to operation 814, where the search operation is ended.
The method 900 proceeds from operation 904 to operation 906, where the search results are received by the client collaboration application. In some configurations, if available and relevant to the search as determined by the search parameters used by the component executing the search, the search results include conversations data. The method 900 proceeds from operation 906 to operation 908, where the search results are displayed in the search UI 116. The concepts and technologies described herein are not limited to any particular format for displaying the search results in the search UI. For example, and not by way of limitation, the search results can be displayed in a list format in the search results pane 204. In another example, the search results can include additional information displayed in additional information pane 208.
In a still further configuration, additional information relating to one or more search results can be displayed upon receipt of an input. In that configuration, the method 900 proceeds from operation 908 to operation 910, where a determination is made as to whether or not a side pane is rendered in the search UI 116. Examples of the inputs include, but are not limited to, the placement of the selection device 320 in a location corresponding to a search results, a finger of the user 112, a stylus pen, or other tactile input. If no input is received, the method proceeds from operation 910 to operation 912, where the method 900 ends. If an input is received, the method proceeds from operation 910 to operation 914, where the side pane information to be displayed is retrieved. It should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular mechanism for retrieving the side pane information. In one configuration, the side pane information can be retrieved by the social collaboration search tool 118 executing a query on the conversations data store 124. In another configuration, the social collaboration search tool 118 can invoke the search processor 120 to perform a search on information collected by the search indexer 132. The method 900 proceeds from operation 914 to operation 916, where the information retrieved is rendered in a side pane. The method 900 proceeds from operation 916 to operation 912, where the method 900 ends.
The computer architecture 1000 illustrated in
The mass storage device 1012 is connected to the CPU 1002 through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus 1010. The mass storage device 1012 and its associated computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the computer architecture 1000. Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available computer storage media or communication media that can be accessed by the computer architecture 1000.
Communication media includes computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics changed or set in a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
By way of example, and not limitation, computer storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. For example, computer media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer architecture 1000. For purposes of the claims, the phrase “computer storage medium,” and variations thereof, does not include waves or signals per se and/or communication media.
According to various embodiments, the computer architecture 1000 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through a network such as the network 140. The computer architecture 1000 may connect to the network 140 through a network interface unit 1016 connected to the bus 1010. It should be appreciated that the network interface unit 1016 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems. The computer architecture 1000 also may include an input/output controller 1018 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices, including a keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus. Similarly, the input/output controller 1018 may provide an output to a display screen, a printer, or other type of output device.
It should be appreciated that the software components described herein may, when loaded into the CPU 1002 and executed, transform the CPU 1002 and the overall computer architecture 1000 from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose computing system customized to facilitate the functionality presented herein. The CPU 1002 may be constructed from any number of transistors or other discrete circuit elements, which may individually or collectively assume any number of states. More specifically, the CPU 1002 may operate as a finite-state machine, in response to executable instructions contained within the software modules disclosed herein. These computer-executable instructions may transform the CPU 1002 by specifying how the CPU 1002 transitions between states, thereby transforming the transistors or other discrete hardware elements constituting the CPU 1002.
Encoding the software modules presented herein also may transform the physical structure of the computer-readable media presented herein. The specific transformation of physical structure may depend on various factors, in different implementations of this description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to, the technology used to implement the computer-readable media, whether the computer-readable media is characterized as primary or secondary storage, and the like. For example, if the computer-readable media is implemented as semiconductor-based memory, the software disclosed herein may be encoded on the computer-readable media by transforming the physical state of the semiconductor memory. For example, the software may transform the state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit elements constituting the semiconductor memory. The software also may transform the physical state of such components in order to store data thereupon.
As another example, the computer-readable media disclosed herein may be implemented using magnetic or optical technology. In such implementations, the software presented herein may transform the physical state of magnetic or optical media, when the software is encoded therein. These transformations may include altering the magnetic characteristics of particular locations within given magnetic media. These transformations also may include altering the physical features or characteristics of particular locations within given optical media, to change the optical characteristics of those locations. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present description, with the foregoing examples provided only to facilitate this description.
In light of the above, it should be appreciated that many types of physical transformations take place in the computer architecture 1000 in order to store and execute the software components presented herein. It also should be appreciated that the computer architecture 1000 may include other types of computing devices, including hand-held computers, embedded computer systems, personal digital assistants, and other types of computing devices known to those skilled in the art. It is also contemplated that the computer architecture 1000 may not include all of the components shown in
According to various implementations, the distributed computing environment 1100 includes a computing environment 1102 operating on, in communication with, or as part of the network 140. The network 140 also can include various access networks. One or more client devices 1106A-1106N (hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as “clients 1106”) can communicate with the computing environment 1102 via the network 140 and/or other connections (not illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the computing environment 1102 includes application servers 1108, data storage 1110, and one or more network interfaces 1112. According to various implementations, the functionality of the application servers 1108 can be provided by one or more server computers that are executing as part of, or in communication with, the network 1104. The application servers 1108 can host various services, virtual machines, portals, and/or other resources. In the illustrated embodiment, the application servers 1108 host one or more virtual machines 1114 for hosting applications or other functionality. According to various implementations, the virtual machines 1114 host one or more applications and/or software modules for providing the functionality described herein for searching for social knowledge interactions. It should be understood that this embodiment is illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way. The application servers 1108 also host or provide access to one or more Web portals, link pages, Web sites, and/or other information (“Web portals”) 1116.
According to various implementations, the application servers 1108 also include one or more mailbox services 1118 and one or more messaging services 1120. The mailbox services 1118 can include electronic mail (“email”) services. The mailbox services 1118 also can include various personal information management (“PIM”) services including, but not limited to, calendar services, contact management services, collaboration services, and/or other services. The messaging services 1120 can include, but are not limited to, instant messaging services, chat services, forum services, and/or other communication services.
The application servers 1108 also can include one or more social networking services 1122. The social networking services 1122 can include various social networking services including, but not limited to, services for sharing or posting status updates, instant messages, links, photos, videos, and/or other information; services for commenting or displaying interest in articles, products, blogs, or other resources; and/or other services. In some embodiments, the social networking services 1122 are provided by or include the FACEBOOK social networking service, the LINKEDIN professional networking service, the MYSPACE social networking service, the FOURSQUARE geographic networking service, the YAMMER office colleague networking service, and the like. In other embodiments, the social networking services 1122 are provided by other services, sites, and/or providers that may or may not explicitly be known as social networking providers. For example, some web sites allow users to interact with one another via email, chat services, and/or other means during various activities and/or contexts such as reading published articles, commenting on goods or services, publishing, collaboration, gaming, and the like. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to, the WINDOWS LIVE service and the XBOX LIVE service from Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. Other services are possible and are contemplated.
The social networking services 1122 also can include commenting, blogging, and/or microblogging services. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to, the YELP commenting service, the KUDZU review service, the OFFICETALK enterprise microblogging service, the TWITTER messaging service, the GOOGLE BUZZ service, and/or other services. It should be appreciated that the above lists of services are not exhaustive and that numerous additional and/or alternative social networking services 1122 are not mentioned herein for the sake of brevity. As such, the above embodiments are illustrative, and should not be construed as being limited in any way.
As shown in
As mentioned above, the computing environment 1102 can include the data storage 1110. According to various implementations, the functionality of the data storage 1110 is provided by one or more databases operating on, or in communication with, the network 140. The functionality of the data storage 1110 also can be provided by one or more server computers configured to host data for the computing environment 1102. The data storage 1110 can include, host, or provide one or more real or virtual datastores 1126A-1126N (hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as “datastores 1126”). The datastores 1126 are configured to host data used or created by the application servers 1108 and/or other data. Although not illustrated in
The computing environment 1102 can communicate with, or be accessed by, the network interfaces 1112. The network interfaces 1112 can include various types of network hardware and software for supporting communications between two or more computing devices including, but not limited to, the clients 1106 and the application servers 1108. It should be appreciated that the network interfaces 1112 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and/or computer systems.
It should be understood that the distributed computing environment 1100 described herein can provide any aspects of the software elements described herein with any number of virtual computing resources and/or other distributed computing functionality that can be configured to execute any aspects of the software components disclosed herein. According to various implementations of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the distributed computing environment 1100 provides the software functionality described herein as a service to the clients 1106. It should be understood that the clients 1106 can include real or virtual machines including, but not limited to, server computers, web servers, personal computers, mobile computing devices, smart phones, and/or other devices. As such, various embodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein enable any device configured to access the distributed computing environment 1100 to utilize the functionality described herein for searching for social knowledge interactions.
Turning now to
The computing device architecture 1200 illustrated in
The processor 1202 includes a central processing unit (“CPU”) configured to process data, execute computer-executable instructions of one or more application programs, and communicate with other components of the computing device architecture 1200 in order to perform various functionality described herein. The processor 1202 may be utilized to execute aspects of the software components presented herein and, particularly, those that utilize, at least in part, a touch-enabled input.
In some embodiments, the processor 1202 includes a graphics processing unit (“GPU”) configured to accelerate operations performed by the CPU, including, but not limited to, operations performed by executing general-purpose scientific and engineering computing applications, as well as graphics-intensive computing applications such as high resolution video (e.g., 720P, 1080P, and greater), video games, three-dimensional (“3D”) modeling applications, and the like. In some embodiments, the processor 1202 is configured to communicate with a discrete GPU (not shown). In any case, the CPU and GPU may be configured in accordance with a co-processing CPU/GPU computing model, wherein the sequential part of an application executes on the CPU and the computationally-intensive part is accelerated by the GPU.
In some embodiments, the processor 1202 is, or is included in, a system-on-chip (“SoC”) along with one or more of the other components described herein below. For example, the SoC may include the processor 1202, a GPU, one or more of the network connectivity components 1206, and one or more of the sensor components 1208. In some embodiments, the processor 1202 is fabricated, in part, utilizing a package-on-package (“PoP”) integrated circuit packaging technique. Moreover, the processor 1202 may be a single core or multi-core processor.
The processor 1202 may be created in accordance with an ARM architecture, available for license from ARM HOLDINGS of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Alternatively, the processor 1202 may be created in accordance with an x86 architecture, such as is available from INTEL CORPORATION of Mountain View, Calif. and others. In some embodiments, the processor 1202 is a SNAPDRAGON SoC, available from QUALCOMM of San Diego, Calif., a TEGRA SoC, available from NVIDIA of Santa Clara, Calif., a HUMMINGBIRD SoC, available from SAMSUNG of Seoul, South Korea, an Open Multimedia Application Platform (“OMAP”) SoC, available from TEXAS INSTRUMENTS of Dallas, Tex., a customized version of any of the above SoCs, or a proprietary SoC.
The memory components 1204 include a random access memory (“RAM”) 1214, a read-only memory (“ROM”) 1216, an integrated storage memory (“integrated storage”) 1218, and a removable storage memory (“removable storage”) 1220. In some embodiments, the RAM 1214 or a portion thereof, the ROM 1216 or a portion thereof, and/or some combination the RAM 1214 and the ROM 1216 is integrated in the processor 1202. In some embodiments, the ROM 1216 is configured to store a firmware, an operating system or a portion thereof (e.g., operating system kernel), and/or a bootloader to load an operating system kernel from the integrated storage 1218 or the removable storage 1220.
The integrated storage 1218 can include a solid-state memory, a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard disk. The integrated storage 1218 may be soldered or otherwise connected to a logic board upon which the processor 1202 and other components described herein also may be connected. As such, the integrated storage 1218 is integrated in the computing device. The integrated storage 1218 is configured to store an operating system or portions thereof, application programs, data, and other software components described herein.
The removable storage 1220 can include a solid-state memory, a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard disk. In some embodiments, the removable storage 1220 is provided in lieu of the integrated storage 1218. In other embodiments, the removable storage 1220 is provided as additional optional storage. In some embodiments, the removable storage 1220 is logically combined with the integrated storage 1218 such that the total available storage is made available and shown to a user as a total combined capacity of the integrated storage 1218 and the removable storage 1220.
The removable storage 1220 is configured to be inserted into a removable storage memory slot (not shown) or other mechanism by which the removable storage 1220 is inserted and secured to facilitate a connection over which the removable storage 1220 can communicate with other components of the computing device, such as the processor 1202. The removable storage 1220 may be embodied in various memory card formats including, but not limited to, PC card, CompactFlash card, memory stick, secure digital (“SD”), miniSD, microSD, universal integrated circuit card (“UICC”) (e.g., a subscriber identity module (“SIM”) or universal SIM (“USIM”)), a proprietary format, or the like.
It can be understood that one or more of the memory components 1204 can store an operating system. According to various embodiments, the operating system includes, but is not limited to, SYMBIAN OS from SYMBIAN LIMITED, WINDOWS MOBILE OS from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., WINDOWS PHONE OS from Microsoft Corporation, WINDOWS from Microsoft Corporation, PALM WEBOS from Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto, Calif., BLACKBERRY OS from Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, IOS from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., and ANDROID OS from Google Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. Other operating systems are contemplated.
The network connectivity components 1206 include a wireless wide area network component (“WWAN component”) 1222, a wireless local area network component (“WLAN component”) 1224, and a wireless personal area network component (“WPAN component”) 1226. The network connectivity components 1206 facilitate communications to and from the network 140, which may be a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN. Although a single network 140 is illustrated, the network connectivity components 1206 may facilitate simultaneous communication with multiple networks. For example, the network connectivity components 1206 may facilitate simultaneous communications with multiple networks via one or more of a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN.
The network 140 may be a WWAN, such as a mobile telecommunications network utilizing one or more mobile telecommunications technologies to provide voice and/or data services to a computing device utilizing the computing device architecture 1200 via the WWAN component 1222. The mobile telecommunications technologies can include, but are not limited to, Global System for Mobile communications (“GSM”), Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) ONE, CDMA2000, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), Long Term Evolution (“LTE”), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (“WiMAX”). Moreover, the network 140 may utilize various channel access methods (which may or may not be used by the aforementioned standards) including, but not limited to, Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”), Frequency Division Multiple Access (“FDMA”), CDMA, wideband CDMA (“W-CDMA”), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (“OFDM”), Space Division Multiple Access (“SDMA”), and the like. Data communications may be provided using General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”), Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (“EDGE”), the High-Speed Packet Access (“HSPA”) protocol family including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (“HSDPA”), Enhanced Uplink (“EUL”) or otherwise termed High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (“HSUPA”), Evolved HSPA (“HSPA+”), LTE, and various other current and future wireless data access standards. The network 140 may be configured to provide voice and/or data communications with any combination of the above technologies. The network 140 may be configured to or adapted to provide voice and/or data communications in accordance with future generation technologies.
In some embodiments, the WWAN component 1222 is configured to provide dual-multi-mode connectivity to the network 140. For example, the WWAN component 1222 may be configured to provide connectivity to the network 140, wherein the network 140 provides service via GSM and UMTS technologies, or via some other combination of technologies. Alternatively, multiple WWAN components 1222 may be utilized to perform such functionality, and/or provide additional functionality to support other non-compatible technologies (i.e., incapable of being supported by a single WWAN component). The WWAN component 1222 may facilitate similar connectivity to multiple networks (e.g., a UMTS network and an LTE network).
The network 140 may be a WLAN operating in accordance with one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (“IEEE”) 802.11 standards, such as IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and/or future 802.11 standard (referred to herein collectively as WI-FI). Draft 802.11 standards are also contemplated. In some embodiments, the WLAN is implemented utilizing one or more wireless WI-FI access points. In some embodiments, one or more of the wireless WI-FI access points are another computing device with connectivity to a WWAN that are functioning as a WI-FI hotspot. The WLAN component 1224 is configured to connect to the network 140 via the WI-FI access points. Such connections may be secured via various encryption technologies including, but not limited, WI-FI Protected Access (“WPA”), WPA2, Wired Equivalent Privacy (“WEP”), and the like.
The network 140 may be a WPAN operating in accordance with Infrared Data Association (“IrDA”), BLUETOOTH, wireless Universal Serial Bus (“USB”), Z-Wave, ZIGBEE, or some other short-range wireless technology. In some embodiments, the WPAN component 1226 is configured to facilitate communications with other devices, such as peripherals, computers, or other computing devices via the WPAN.
The sensor components 1208 include a magnetometer 1228, an ambient light sensor 1230, a proximity sensor 1232, an accelerometer 1234, a gyroscope 1236, and a Global Positioning System sensor (“GPS sensor”) 1238. It is contemplated that other sensors, such as, but not limited to, temperature sensors or shock detection sensors, also may be incorporated in the computing device architecture 1200.
The magnetometer 1228 is configured to measure the strength and direction of a magnetic field. In some embodiments the magnetometer 1228 provides measurements to a compass application program stored within one of the memory components 1204 in order to provide a user with accurate directions in a frame of reference including the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west. Similar measurements may be provided to a navigation application program that includes a compass component. Other uses of measurements obtained by the magnetometer 1228 are contemplated.
The ambient light sensor 1230 is configured to measure ambient light. In some embodiments, the ambient light sensor 1230 provides measurements to an application program stored within one the memory components 1204 in order to automatically adjust the brightness of a display (described below) to compensate for low-light and high-light environments. Other uses of measurements obtained by the ambient light sensor 1230 are contemplated.
The proximity sensor 1232 is configured to detect the presence of an object or thing in proximity to the computing device without direct contact. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor 1232 detects the presence of a user's body (e.g., the user's face) and provides this information to an application program stored within one of the memory components 1204 that utilizes the proximity information to enable or disable some functionality of the computing device. For example, a telephone application program may automatically disable a touchscreen (described below) in response to receiving the proximity information so that the user's face does not inadvertently end a call or enable/disable other functionality within the telephone application program during the call. Other uses of proximity as detected by the proximity sensor 1232 are contemplated.
The accelerometer 1234 is configured to measure proper acceleration. In some embodiments, output from the accelerometer 1234 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to control some functionality of the application program. For example, the application program may be a video game in which a character, a portion thereof, or an object is moved or otherwise manipulated in response to input received via the accelerometer 1234. In some embodiments, output from the accelerometer 1234 is provided to an application program for use in switching between landscape and portrait modes, calculating coordinate acceleration, or detecting a fall. Other uses of the accelerometer 1234 are contemplated.
The gyroscope 1236 is configured to measure and maintain orientation. In some embodiments, output from the gyroscope 1236 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to control some functionality of the application program. For example, the gyroscope 1236 can be used for accurate recognition of movement within a 3D environment of a video game application or some other application. In some embodiments, an application program utilizes output from the gyroscope 1236 and the accelerometer 1234 to enhance control of some functionality of the application program. Other uses of the gyroscope 1236 are contemplated.
The GPS sensor 1238 is configured to receive signals from GPS satellites for use in calculating a location. The location calculated by the GPS sensor 1238 may be used by any application program that requires or benefits from location information. For example, the location calculated by the GPS sensor 1238 may be used with a navigation application program to provide directions from the location to a destination or directions from the destination to the location. Moreover, the GPS sensor 1238 may be used to provide location information to an external location-based service, such as E911 service. The GPS sensor 1238 may obtain location information generated via WI-FI, WIMAX, and/or cellular triangulation techniques utilizing one or more of the network connectivity components 1206 to aid the GPS sensor 1238 in obtaining a location fix. The GPS sensor 1238 may also be used in Assisted GPS (“A-GPS”) systems.
The I/O components 1210 include a display 1240, a touchscreen 1242, a data I/O interface component (“data I/O”) 1244, an audio I/O interface component (“audio I/O”) 1246, a video I/O interface component (“video I/O”) 1248, and a camera 1250. In some embodiments, the display 1240 and the touchscreen 1242 are combined. In some embodiments two or more of the data I/O component 1244, the audio I/O interface component 1246, and the video I/O component 1248 are combined. The I/O components 1210 may include discrete processors configured to support the various interface described below, or may include processing functionality built-in to the processor 1202.
The display 1240 is an output device configured to present information in a visual form. In particular, the display 1240 may present graphical user interface (“GUI”) elements, text, images, video, notifications, virtual buttons, virtual keyboards, messaging data, Internet content, device status, time, date, calendar data, preferences, map information, location information, and any other information that is capable of being presented in a visual form. In some embodiments, the display 1240 is a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) utilizing any active or passive matrix technology and any backlighting technology (if used). In some embodiments, the display 1240 is an organic light emitting diode (“OLED”) display. Other display types are contemplated.
The touchscreen 1242 is an input device configured to detect the presence and location of a touch. The touchscreen 1242 may be a resistive touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, an optical imaging touchscreen, a dispersive signal touchscreen, an acoustic pulse recognition touchscreen, or may utilize any other touchscreen technology. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 is incorporated on top of the display 1240 as a transparent layer to enable a user to use one or more touches to interact with objects or other information presented on the display 1240. In other embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 is a touch pad incorporated on a surface of the computing device that does not include the display 1240. For example, the computing device may have a touchscreen incorporated on top of the display 1240 and a touch pad on a surface opposite the display 1240.
In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 is a single-touch touchscreen. In other embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 is a multi-touch touchscreen. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 is configured to detect discrete touches, single touch gestures, and/or multi-touch gestures. These are collectively referred to herein as gestures for convenience. Several gestures will now be described. It should be understood that these gestures are illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the described gestures, additional gestures, and/or alternative gestures may be implemented in software for use with the touchscreen 1242. As such, a developer may create gestures that are specific to a particular application program.
In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 supports a tap gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 1242 once on an item presented on the display 1240. The tap gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, opening or launching whatever the user taps. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 supports a double tap gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 1242 twice on an item presented on the display 1240. The double tap gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming in or zooming out in stages. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 supports a tap and hold gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 1242 and maintains contact for at least a pre-defined time. The tap and hold gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, opening a context-specific menu.
In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 supports a pan gesture in which a user places a finger on the touchscreen 1242 and maintains contact with the touchscreen 1242 while moving the finger on the touchscreen 1242. The pan gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, moving through screens, images, or menus at a controlled rate. Multiple finger pan gestures are also contemplated. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 supports a flick gesture in which a user swipes a finger in the direction the user wants the screen to move. The flick gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, scrolling horizontally or vertically through menus or pages. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1242 supports a pinch and stretch gesture in which a user makes a pinching motion with two fingers (e.g., thumb and forefinger) on the touchscreen 1242 or moves the two fingers apart. The pinch and stretch gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming gradually in or out of a website, map, or picture.
Although the above gestures have been described with reference to the use one or more fingers for performing the gestures, other appendages such as toes or objects such as styluses may be used to interact with the touchscreen 1242. As such, the above gestures should be understood as being illustrative and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.
The data I/O interface component 1244 is configured to facilitate input of data to the computing device and output of data from the computing device. In some embodiments, the data I/O interface component 1244 includes a connector configured to provide wired connectivity between the computing device and a computer system, for example, for synchronization operation purposes. The connector may be a proprietary connector or a standardized connector such as USB, micro-USB, mini-USB, or the like. In some embodiments, the connector is a dock connector for docking the computing device with another device such as a docking station, audio device (e.g., a digital music player), or video device.
The audio I/O interface component 1246 is configured to provide audio input and/or output capabilities to the computing device. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1244 includes a microphone configured to collect audio signals. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1244 includes a headphone jack configured to provide connectivity for headphones or other external speakers. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1246 includes a speaker for the output of audio signals. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1244 includes an optical audio cable out.
The video I/O interface component 1248 is configured to provide video input and/or output capabilities to the computing device. In some embodiments, the video I/O interface component 1248 includes a video connector configured to receive video as input from another device (e.g., a video media player such as a DVD or BLURAY player) or send video as output to another device (e.g., a monitor, a television, or some other external display). In some embodiments, the video I/O interface component 1248 includes a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (“HDMI”), mini-HDMI, micro-HDMI, DisplayPort, or proprietary connector to input/output video content. In some embodiments, the video I/O interface component 1248 or portions thereof is combined with the audio I/O interface component 1246 or portions thereof.
The camera 1250 can be configured to capture still images and/or video. The camera 1250 may utilize a charge coupled device (“CCD”) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (“CMOS”) image sensor to capture images. In some embodiments, the camera 1250 includes a flash to aid in taking pictures in low-light environments. Settings for the camera 1250 may be implemented as hardware or software buttons.
Although not illustrated, one or more hardware buttons may also be included in the computing device architecture 1200. The hardware buttons may be used for controlling some operational aspect of the computing device. The hardware buttons may be dedicated buttons or multi-use buttons. The hardware buttons may be mechanical or sensor-based.
The illustrated power components 1212 include one or more batteries 1252, which can be connected to a battery gauge 1254. The batteries 1252 may be rechargeable or disposable. Rechargeable battery types include, but are not limited to, lithium polymer, lithium ion, nickel cadmium, and nickel metal hydride. Each of the batteries 1252 may be made of one or more cells.
The battery gauge 1254 can be configured to measure battery parameters such as current, voltage, and temperature. In some embodiments, the battery gauge 1254 is configured to measure the effect of a battery's discharge rate, temperature, age and other factors to predict remaining life within a certain percentage of error. In some embodiments, the battery gauge 1254 provides measurements to an application program that is configured to utilize the measurements to present useful power management data to a user. Power management data may include one or more of a percentage of battery used, a percentage of battery remaining, a battery condition, a remaining time, a remaining capacity (e.g., in watt hours), a current draw, and a voltage.
The power components 1212 may also include a power connector, which may be combined with one or more of the aforementioned I/O components 1210. The power components 1212 may interface with an external power system or charging equipment via a power I/O component (not illustrated).
Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that concepts and technologies for a social collaboration search tool. Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to computer structural features, methodological and transformative acts, specific computing machinery, and computer readable media, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specific features, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
