Providing information to computer users

• US 20060026534A1
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Banks, Richard, Ruthfield, Scott L.
• Application Number:
  US11/234,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026534A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

Methods of providing information to computer users are described. In one embodiment, the method displays, in a navigable window of a display area of a user interface, a first contextual display associated with a first context that can enable a user to accomplish one or more tasks. The method further, without changing the first context, presents quick links to one or more contexts that are different from the user'"'"'s current context and that are provided by the single application program. Each context is associated with a functionality that can enable the user to accomplish various tasks that are different from tasks that the user can accomplish using the first contextual display. The quick links are selectable to navigate the navigable window to a context associated with a selectable quick link.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a computer user comprising:

displaying, in a navigable window of a display area of a user interface, a first contextual display associated with a first context that can enable a user to accomplish one or more tasks, said displaying being accomplished using a single application program that is configured to provide multiple different contexts; and

without changing the first context and using the single application program, presenting quick links to one or more contexts that are different from the user'"'"'s current context and that are provided by the single application program, each context being associated with a functionality that can enable the user to accomplish various tasks that are different from the one or more tasks that the user can accomplish using the first contextual display, the quick links being selectable to navigate the navigable window to a context associated with a selectable quick link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each functionality comprises a document-centric functionality.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the functionalities is different.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising prior to said presenting, automatically determining at least some of the quick links based, at least in part, on a user'"'"'s behavior within the single application program.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising prior to said presenting, automatically determining at least some of the quick links based, at least in part, on a user'"'"'s history within the single application program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the single application program is configured with navigation instrumentalities that enable a user to navigate back and forth between the multiple different contexts.

7. The method of claim 8, wherein the single application program is configured with a navigation model to manage navigation activities of the user, the navigation model comprising a navigation stack.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

presenting the user with a choice of multiple different algorithms, each algorithm being configured to provide a different collection of quick links; and

said presenting of the quick links being performed responsive to a user selecting one of the multiple different algorithms.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the multiple different algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents quick links on a favorites list based on items visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently added by a user to a favorites list.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the multiple different algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents quick links based on items visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently visited by a user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents multiple quick links each of which representing a different document type that was the last item of a particular document type that was visited by a user

12. The method of claim 8, wherein some of the algorithms are employable across multiple different content types.

13. A method of providing information to a computer user comprising:

displaying a first contextual display within a navigable window display area of a user interface that enables a user to accomplish a task relating to a first content type;

displaying quick links associated with one or more content types that are different from the first content type; and

responsive to a user selecting a particular quick link, navigating the navigable window display area to a content type that is associated with the selected quick link to enable a user to accomplish a different task.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein all of the content types are provided by a single application program.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein all of the content types are provided by a single application program and are displayable within a navigable window display area comprising a single navigable window that can be navigated between the content types.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising prior to displaying said quick links, building said quick links based on dynamically-changing information.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising prior to displaying said quick links, building said quick links based on dynamically-changing information at least some of which is not related to any actions that the user is taking.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said displaying of the quick links comprises doing so using at least one algorithm that can be deployed across multiple different content types.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein one algorithm comprises an algorithm that presents quick links based on items on a favorites list visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently added by a user to a favorites list.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein one algorithm comprises an algorithm that presents quick links based on items visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently visited by a user.