Stuart M Bowers

US Patent:

8204903, Jun 19, 2012

Filed:

Feb 16, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/705983

Inventors:

Stuart M. Bowers - Redmond WA, US
Thomas E. Jackson - Redmond WA, US
Chris Demetrios Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
Allen L. Brown - Bellevue WA, US
David G. Campbell - Sammamish WA, US
Brian S. Aust - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707773, 707713, 707739, 707798

Abstract:

Semantic queries are expressed and executed within a relational database. This can be done by defining semantic rules applied to execute the semantic queries using table valued functions and common table expressions, and then simply calling the defined table valued functions to execute the queries.

US Patent:

8285708, Oct 9, 2012

Filed:

Jun 16, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/485054

Inventors:

Stuart M. Bowers - Redmond WA, US
David Brian Wecker - Redmond WA, US
Chris D. Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
Burton Jordan Smith - Seattle WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 7/00
G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707713, 707755, 707769

Abstract:

Described is a technology comprising a query processing pipeline in which a SPARQL query is processed into an intermediate LINQ query, which is then processed by a LINQ provider. The LINQ provider decides which instructions correspond to flat database queries, and routes those instructions a database engine (e. g. , SQL server) for querying a database. Other instructions are provided to a reasoning engine for processing, e. g. , by performing a graph traversal and/or database queries. The pipeline may include a parser that parses the query into an abstract syntax tree, and an optimizer that processes the abstract syntax tree into a LINQ query, including by reordering LINQ instructions and/or associating a flag with each of the instructions that indicates whether to query the database or provide the instruction to a reasoning engine.

US Patent:

8407242, Mar 26, 2013

Filed:

Dec 16, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/970831

Inventors:

Thomas E Jackson - Redmond WA, US
Stuart Bowers - Redmond WA, US
Chris Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
Allen Brown - Sammamish WA, US
David Campbell - Sammamish WA, US
Brian Aust - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707769, 707765, 707739, 707713, 707763, 707722, 709200, 709203, 709206, 709204, 709225

Abstract:

Described are techniques to facilitate temporal features in a semantic data store. Information about lifetimes of facts in a semantic store is maintained. Even when a fact is logically deleted, a physical record is kept available. The record of a logically deleted or invalid fact has associated lifetime information. For example, valid-from and valid-to time values. The record of a fact not yet deleted may have a valid-from time value indicating when it was created, became valid, etc. Queries against the semantic store may specify a timeslice (a point in time or a time range). The lifetime information can be used to satisfy such time-specific queries. Because records are maintained after they are logically deleted, it is also possible to accurately query a past state of the semantic store. Even if such a query is run at different times, same results may be obtained.

US Patent:

20100241644, Sep 23, 2010

Filed:

Mar 19, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/407767

Inventors:

Thomas E. Jackson - Redmond WA, US
Chris Demetrios Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
David G. Campbell - Sammamish WA, US
Stuart M. Bowers - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

MICROSOFT CORPORATION - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30
G06F 7/00

US Classification:

707760, 707E17045, 707E17014, 707E17136

Abstract:

In one example, information may be stored in a relational database. The information in the database may define a graph, in the sense that the information may define a set of entities and relations between the entities. A user may want to query the information using a graph-based query language. A graph query engine may receive the query, and may convert the query into a relational query language, for execution by the relational database. The relational database may calculate views of the underlying tables. Each view corresponds to a particular relation, and the rows in each view are pairs of entities to which the relation applies. Since the views correspond very closely to the specification of a graph, the graph-based query may be translated into a relational query that performs relational algebraic operations on the views in order to answer the graph-based query.

US Patent:

20100250576, Sep 30, 2010

Filed:

Mar 31, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/416103

Inventors:

Stuart M. Bowers - Redmond WA, US
Chris Demetrios Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
David B. Wecker - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

MICROSOFT CORPORATION - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30
G06F 7/00

US Classification:

707760, 707E17014, 707E17045

Abstract:

A semantic query may refer to a logical rule, where the rule is defined in terms of constituent expressions. In order to execute the semantic query efficiently, occurrences of the rule may be expanded by replacing the rule with its constituent expressions. Expansion may be performed repeatedly, until only grounded expressions remain. Expressions are grounded when they refer to tables or views that are represented in an underlying database. Once the rule has been reduced to grounded expressions, the semantic query processor may formulate a relational query in terms of the grounded expressions. If the relational query takes into account the various grounded expressions to which the rule reduces, then the portion of the semantic query that refers to the rule may be processed without an excessive number of round trips to the relational database.

US Patent:

20110320431, Dec 29, 2011

Filed:

Jun 25, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/823132

Inventors:

Thomas E. Jackson - Redmond WA, US
Stuart M. Bowers - Redmond WA, US
Brian S. Aust - Redmond WA, US
Chris D. Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
David G. Campbell - Sammamish WA, US

Assignee:

MICROSOFT CORPORATION - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707713, 707769, 707E17017, 707798, 707E17011

Abstract:

Described herein is using type information with a graph of nodes and predicates, in which the type information may be used to determine validity of (type check) a query to be executed against the graph. In one aspect, each node has a type, and each predicate indicates a valid relationship between two types of nodes. A type checking mechanism uses the type information to determine whether a query is valid, which may be the entire query prior to query processing/compilation time, or as the query is being composed by a user. One or more valid predicates for a given node may be discovered based upon the node type, such as discovered to assist the user during query composition. Also described is using the type information to optimize the query.

US Patent:

20120143793, Jun 7, 2012

Filed:

Dec 3, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/959375

Inventors:

Stuart Bowers - Redmond WA, US
Tom Jackson - Redmond WA, US
Jim Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
Dave Campbell - Sammamish WA, US
Brian Aust - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/18
G06F 17/30

US Classification:

706 12, 707756, 707E17044

Abstract:

Technology is described that includes a method of feature specification via semantic queries. The method can include the operation of obtaining a data set having an identifier for each data row and a plurality of data features for each data row. A semantic query can be received that can be applied to the dataset that is usable by a machine learning tool. A entity feature map can be supplied that has entities and associated features for use by the machine learning tool. Further, a query structure can be analyzed using the entity feature map to identify input from the dataset for the machine learning tool.

US Patent:

20120158636, Jun 21, 2012

Filed:

Dec 15, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/968289

Inventors:

Stuart M. Bowers - Redmond WA, US
Thomas E. Jackson - Redmond WA, US
Silvia C. Vega - Seattle WA, US
Chris D. Karkanias - Sammamish WA, US
David G. Campbell - Sammamish WA, US
Brian S. Aust - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

MICROSOFT CORPORATION - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06N 5/02

US Classification:

706 50

Abstract:

A semantic reasoning engine is described for performing probabilistic reasoning over a semantic graph in a time-efficient and viable manner. The semantic reasoning engine includes a data store that provides the semantic graph, where the semantic graph is formed by a plurality of concepts connected together via probabilistic assertions. The semantic reasoning engine operates by providing an answer to a query by recursively collapsing the semantic graph based on at least one collapsing rule.