Enabling service features within productivity applications

• US 10,192,199 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hwang, Jennifer Hui-ni, Eckstein, Matthew, Williams, III, Sam Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Daeho D
• Application Number:
  US13/297,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,631 Days
• Field of Search: 715741, 715744, 715745
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software are described herein for enhancing features within program applications. In an implementation, a user associated with a productivity application is identified and a service application associated with the user is identified. A service feature that corresponds to the service is enabled within the productivity application. The service feature allows the user to perform a function on content generated with the productivity application that is related to the service.

Claims

1. A method of operating enhanced productivity applications, the method comprising:

identifying a user associated with a productivity application used to generate content;

identifying at least a first social network service with which the user is associated and a second social network service with which the user is not associated;

enabling a service feature within a feature menu of the productivity application, wherein the service feature corresponds to the first social network service and allows the user to perform a function on the content related to the first social network service; and

,

disabling at least one other service feature within the feature menu of the productivity application, wherein the other service feature corresponds to the second social network service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the service feature comprises a sub-feature of a productivity feature within the productivity application that, when invoked through a graphical user interface on a client device running the productivity application, directs the client device to initiate a communication with the first social network service.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying the user associated with the productivity application comprises, in a service management system, identifying the user from a login identity carried in a request transferred for delivery to the service management system over a communication network by the client device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying the first social network service associated with the user comprises, in the service management system, identifying any of a plurality of services associated with the login identity.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein enabling the service feature comprises transferring from the service management system, for delivery over the communication network to the client device, a response that identifies the first social network service and service information with which the client device initiates the communication.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting to the user, via a graphical user interface, a catalog of services from which to graphically select a subset of the services to associate with the user, wherein the first social network service is included in the catalog of services.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first social network service comprises a social network website, the productivity feature comprises a send command, and the service feature directs the send command to send the content generated by the productivity application to the social network website.

8. A method of operating a service management system, the method comprising:

receiving a service request transferred for delivery to the service management system by a client device that identifies a login identity associated with a productivity application running on the client device and used by a user to generate content;

processing the service request to determine, based on the login identity, at least which social network services of a plurality of services to enable within the productivity application and which other social network services of the plurality of services to disable within the productivity application; and

,

to enable the social network services, transferring a response for delivery to the client device that includes service information with which service features corresponding to the social network services within productivity features of the productivity application communicate with the social network services to allow the user to perform features on the content related to the social network services.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the service features comprise sub-features of the productivity features within the productivity application that, when invoked through a graphical user interface on the client device, direct the client device to initiate communications with the social network services.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising transferring for presentation to a user via a graphical user interface a catalog of the plurality of services from which to graphically select a subset of the plurality of services to associate with the login identity.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the social network services comprise the subset of the plurality of services selected in the catalog of the plurality of services.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the services comprise websites, at least one of the productivity features comprises a send command, and at least one of the service features directs the send command to send the content produced by the productivity application to at least one of the websites.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the service feature within the productivity features of the productivity application allows a user to source images from at least one of the social network services for insertion into the productivity application.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a processing system;

a non-transitory storage device having program instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to;

identify a user associated with a productivity application with which the user interacts with content;

identify a social network service associated with the user;

enable a service feature within a productivity feature in a feature menu of the productivity application, wherein the service feature corresponds to the social network service and allows the user to perform a function with the content related to the social network service; and

,

disable another service feature within the productivity feature in the feature menu, wherein the other service feature corresponds to another social network service.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the service feature comprises a sub-feature of the productivity feature that, when invoked through a graphical user interface on a client device running the productivity application, directs the client device to initiate a communication with the social network service.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein, to identify the user associated with the productivity application, the program instructions when executed by the processing system direct the processing system to identify the user from a login identity.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein, to identify the social network service associated with the user, the program instructions when executed by the processing system direct the processing system to identify any of a plurality of services associated with the login identity.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein, to enable the service feature, the program instructions when executed by the processing system direct the processing system to identify the social network service and service information to a client device through which the productivity application initiates a communication with the social network service.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system, further direct the processing system to present to the user, via a graphical user interface, a catalog of services from which to graphically select a subset of the services to associate with the user, wherein the social network service is included in the catalog of service.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the social network service comprises a website, the productivity feature comprises a share command, and the service feature directs the share command to share content produced by the productivity application with the website.