Dynamically displaying current status of tasks

• US 20020054130A1
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Robarts, James O., Newell, Dan, Abbott, Kenneth H. III
• Application Number:
  US09/879,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054130A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

The current status of a list of tasks to be performed is dynamically displayed. The tasks may be performed by a user (e.g., data entered by the user, words spoken by the user, actions taken by the user, and so forth) or alternatively by a computer (e.g., the steps it follows in carrying out a programmed task). At least a portion of the list is displayed at any given time along with an indication of which task is the next task to be performed. As the tasks are completed, the current status of the progression through the items on the list is dynamically updated so as to readily inform the user (or someone else) as to what the current task is that needs to be performed, as well as what tasks have already been performed and/or what tasks remain to be performed.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media storing a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

display a subset of a plurality of steps in an order to be performed by a user;

altering an appearance of a current step in the subset of steps that needs to be performed by the user to distinguish the current step from other steps in the subset;

allowing the user to input data corresponding to the current step; and

scrolling, in response to user input of data corresponding to the current step, the plurality of steps so that a new subset of the plurality of steps is presented to the user.

2. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer program further causes the one or more processors to:

alter, in response to user input of data corresponding to the current step, the appearance of another step as necessary to identify the new current step in the subset of steps that needs to be performed by the user.

3. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein altering the appearance of the current step comprises marking the current location with a ball.

4. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein altering the appearance of the current step comprises displaying the current step differently than other steps in the subset.

5. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein altering the appearance of the current step comprises replacing the current step with a set of one or more input options for the current step.

6. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein altering the appearance of the current step comprises superimposing, on the current step, a set of one or more input options for the current step.

7. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer program further causes the one or more processors to:

replace, in the subset, the display of the current step with a display of the input data.

8. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer program further causes the one or more processors to:

display a current processing marker that identifies which step in the subset of steps is currently being processed by the one or more processors.

9. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise a computer memory of a wearable computer.

10. A method comprising:

displaying a list of items to be handled by a user in a particular order;

identifying one item in the list of items that is the current item;

receiving a user input corresponding to the current item; and

updating, in response to receiving the user input, the identification of the one item that is the current item to indicate the next item in the list of items as the current item.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein displaying the list of items comprises displaying at least one item corresponding to a task that has already been performed and at least one item corresponding to a task that still needs to be performed by the user.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein displaying the list of items comprises displaying, after the user input is received, the user input in place of the corresponding item.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein displaying the list of items comprises displaying only a subset of the list of items at any given time.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising scrolling through the list of items to display different subsets as items in the list are handled by the user.

15. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising displaying a current processing marker identifying an item in the list of items corresponding to a current user input being processed.

16. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the list of items comprises a list of tasks to be completed by the user, and wherein handling of an item by the user comprises the user completing the task.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the list of tasks comprises a list of prompts corresponding to data to be entered into the computer by the user.

18. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the list of items comprises a list of prompts of words to be spoken by the user, and wherein handling of an item by the user comprises speaking one or more words corresponding to the prompt.

19. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 10.

20. A method comprising:

displaying an identification of a plurality of users; and

for each of the plurality of users,

displaying a list of tasks to be performed by the user,

identifying one task in the list of tasks that is the current task that needs to be performed by the user, and

updating, in response to completion of the task by the user, the identification of the one task that is the current task that needs to be performed by the user to be the next task in the list of tasks.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein displaying the list of tasks comprises displaying only a subset of the list of tasks to be performed by the user at any given time.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising scrolling through the list of tasks to display different subsets as tasks in the list are completed by the user.

23. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the list of tasks comprises a list of actions to be taken by the user.

24. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein identifying one task that is the current task comprises displaying a geometric shape as a current location marker identifying the one task.

25. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein identifying one task that is the current task comprises displaying the one task differently than the other tasks in the list of tasks.

26. A method as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

receiving, for each of the plurality of users, an indication from each user'"'"'s computer of the current task for that user.

27. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 20.

29. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28, further comprising an applet window portion identifying information clarifying the information identified in the user choices portion.

30. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 29, wherein the user choices portion identifies information that is to be entered into a computer by the user, and wherein the applet window portion identifies information that has already been entered into the computer by the user.

31. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28, wherein the list of a plurality of items comprises a list of words to be spoken by the user.

32. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28, wherein the list of a plurality of items comprises a list of prompts of words to be spoken by the user, and wherein the user choices portion identifies, for each prompt, one or more words that can be spoken by the user to properly handle the prompt.

33. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28, wherein the list portion further identifies information that has been entered by the user in handling previous items in the list.

34. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28 implemented on a wearable computer.

36. A system as recited in claim 35, wherein the user interface component further replaces, after the user has handled the current item, a user input in place of the current item.

37. A system as recited in claim 35, wherein the user interface includes only a subset of the list of the plurality of items at any given time.

38. A system as recited in claim 37, wherein the user interface component further scrolls through the list of items to display different subsets as items in the list are handled by the user.

39. A system as recited in claim 35, wherein the user interface component further displays, as part of the user interface, a current processing marker identifying an item in the list that is currently being processed by the system.

40. A system as recited in claim 35, wherein the list of a plurality of items comprises a list of a plurality of tasks to be completed by the user, and wherein handling of an item by the user comprises the user completing the task.

41. A system as recited in claim 40, wherein the list of tasks comprises a list of prompts corresponding to data to be entered into the system by the user.

42. A system as recited in claim 40, wherein the user interface component is implemented in software.

28. A graphical user interface comprising:

a list portion identifying a list of a plurality of items to be handled by a user;

a user choices portion identifying information corresponding to a current item in the list; and

a current location marker that identifies one item of the list that is the current item to be handled by the user, wherein the current location marker is automatically updated to identify the next item in the list after the current item in the list has been handled by the user.

35. A system comprising:

a display device;

a user interface component, coupled to the display device, causing a user interface to be displayed on the display device;

wherein the user interface includes a list portion in which a list of a plurality of items to be handled by a user are displayed;

wherein the user interface further includes a current location marker identifying one of the items in the list as the current item that needs to be handled by the user; and

wherein the user interface component further automatically updates the current location marker to identify a new item in the list in response to the user handling the current item in the list.

43. A method comprising:

displaying a list of tasks to be performed;

identifying one task in the list of tasks that is the current task needing to be performed;

receiving an input corresponding to the current task; and

updating, in response to receiving the input, the identification of the one task that is the current task to indicate that the next task in the list of tasks is the current task needing to be performed.

44. A method as recited in claim 43, wherein the displaying comprises displaying a list of tasks to be performed by a user.

45. A method as recited in claim 43, wherein the identifying comprises superimposing, on the display of the current task in the list, a set of one or more input options corresponding to the task.

46. A method as recited in claim 45, wherein the receiving comprises receiving, as the input corresponding to the current task, one of the input options from the set of one or more input options.

47. A method as recited in claim 43, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a user input.

48. A method as recited in claim 43, wherein the receiving comprises receiving an input from a computer component, wherein the input from the computer component indicates that the current task is completed.

49. A method as recited in claim 48, wherein the computer component comprises a processor executing a software program.

50. A method as recited in claim 48, wherein the computer component comprises a hardware component configured to carry out the current task.

51. A method as recited in claim 48, wherein the computer component comprises a remote computer.

52. A method as recited in claim 43, wherein displaying the list of tasks comprises displaying only a subset of the list of tasks at any given time.

53. A method as recited in claim 52, further comprising scrolling through the list of tasks to display different subsets as tasks in the list are performed by the user.

54. A method as recited in claim 43, further comprising displaying a current processing marker identifying a task in the list of tasks corresponding to a current input being processed by a computer performing the method.

55. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 43.

57. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 56, further comprising a user choices portion identifying information corresponding to the current task on the list to be performed.

58. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 56, further comprising:

a second task list portion identifying a list of a plurality of tasks to be performed by another user; and

an indication in the second task list portion of a current task to be performed by the other user, wherein the indication is changed, in response to the current task being performed by the other user, to indicate a next task in the list of tasks to be performed by the other use as the current task to be performed.

56. A graphical user interface comprising:

a task list portion identifying a list of a plurality of tasks to be performed by a user; and

an indication in the task list portion of a current task to be performed, wherein the indication is changed, in response to the current task being performed, to indicate a next task in the list as the current task to be performed.

59. A system comprising:

means for displaying a list of items to be handled by a user in a particular order; and

means for identifying one item in the list of items that is the current item, for receiving a user input corresponding to the current item, and for updating, in response to receiving the user input, the identification of the one item that is the current item to indicate the next item in the list of items as the current item.