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MicrosoftGranted patentAI & softwareInterest 4/10

Microsoft patents code search that highlights related terms

This patent describes a feature for software development tools that helps programmers find specific parts of their code. When a developer asks a question, the system breaks the code into small sections, finds words that mean similar things, and displays the matching code with those key terms highlighted.

Why it mattersThis tool could make it easier for developers to navigate large projects by visually connecting related concepts within the code.

In the filing’s own words

Techniques are described herein that are capable of responding to a query in a developer tool using semantically related keywords in relevant code chunks. A user-generated query regarding a location of an element in a codebase of a software development project is received. The codebase is parsed into code chunks. Semantically related keywords, including keywords from the user-generated query and other keywords that are semantically related to the keywords, are identified. Relevant code chunks are selected from the code chunks based on satisfaction of a relevancy criterion regarding the user-generated query. Execution of an instruction is triggered, which causes a visual representation of a response to the user-generated query to be generated. The execution of the instruction causes the visual representation to include at least portions of the relevant code chunks and further causes at least a subset of the semantically related keywords to be highlighted in the portions.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A system comprising: a processor system; and a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that are executable by the processor system to at least: receive a user-generated query via a user interface of a developer tool, the user-generated query requesting an indication of a location at which a particular element is located in a codebase of a software development project; identify semantically related keywords, which include a first keyword in the user-generated query and a second keyword that is semantically related to the first keyword; select a relevant code chunk from code chunks in the codebase as a result of the relevant code chunk satisfying a relevancy criterion with regard to the user-generated query; and trigger execution of an instruction, which causes a visual representation of a response to the user-generated query to be generated by cross-referencing the semantically related keywords with the relevant code chunk and which further causes the visual representation to be presented via the user interface of the developer tool, the execution of the instruction causing the visual representation to include at least a portion of the relevant code chunk and further causing at least one of the first keyword or the second keyword to be highlighted in the portion of the relevant code chunk.

Facts

Company
Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
Official title
Query response generation in a developer tool using semantically related keywords in relevant code chunks
Patent number
US12762170B2
Application number
19255160
Filed
Jun 30, 2025
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 16/338 Physics & computingG06F 16/3344 Physics & computingG06F 40/205 Physics & computingG06F 40/279 Physics & computingG06F 40/30 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.