Here's some great info on Microsoft’s patents and patent applications in the area of Cloud Computing.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/result.html?p=1&edit_alert=&srch=xprtsrch&query_txt=AN%2Fmicrosoft+AND+cloud+AND+search&uspat=on&usapp=on&date_range=last20&stemming=on&sort=chron&search=Search.
It is not necessary to read an entire patent to understand the main concepts. Instead, you can read the ABSTRACTS, which appear at the top of each document.
These patents provide insights into Microsoft’s thinking about Cloud Computing.
You can also check out direct information on Microsoft’s Cloud initiatives at http://www.azure.com, http://office.live.com/ and http://www.mesh.com.
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