Dynamically configurable lists for including multiple content types

• US 20060184507A1
• Filed: 02/14/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Hai, Rayson, Steven James, Lefferts, Robert G., Watson, Andrew Sean
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

A dynamically configurable list management system that supports list elements of multiple content types is presented. Each list element is associated with an element type via an element type identifier. The element type identifier uniquely identifies the element type to the list management system. Each property associated with each element type is included in the list. Each property is identified by a unique property identifier. When adding a list element of a new element type to an existing list that does not include any elements of the new element type, the list management system identifies every property associated with the new element type. For each property associated with the new element type, the list management system determines which properties are not already included in the list, and adds those properties that are not already including to the list.

Claims

1. A list management system, implemented on a computing device, for managing a list of a plurality of elements comprising elements of a plurality of element types, wherein the list management system, upon receiving instructions to accept an element of a new element type not already included in the list:

determines the properties of the new element type; and

for each property of the new element type not already included in the list, adds that property to the list.

2. The list management system of claim 1, wherein each list element in the list is associated with its element type by a element type identifier that uniquely identifies its element type.

3. The list management system of claim 2, wherein each property is associated with a unique property identifier.

4. The list management system of claim 3, wherein the list management system is configured to accept items of the new element type prior to adding an element of the new element type to the list.

5. The list management system of claim 3, wherein the list management system is configured to accept items of the new element type upon adding an element of the new element type to the list.

6. A method, implemented on a computing device, for adding a new element type to an existing list comprising elements not of the new element type, the method comprising:

on the computing device;

receiving an instruction to add a new element type to the existing list;

determining the properties of the new element type; and

for each property of the new element type not already included in the list, adding that property to the list.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each list element in the list is associated with its element type by an element type identifier that uniquely identifies its element type.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each property is associated with a unique property identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the new element type is added to the existing list prior to accepting an element of the new element type to the list.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the new element type is added to the existing list upon accepting an element of the new element type to the list.

11. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computing device, carry out a method for adding a list element of a new element type to an existing list comprising elements not of the new element type, the method comprising:

receiving an instruction to add a list element to the existing list;

determining the properties of the new element type;

for each property of the new element type not already included in the list, adding that property to the list; and

adding the list element of the new element type to the list.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each list element in the list is associated with its element type by an element type identifier that uniquely identifies its element type.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each property is associated with a unique property identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the new element type is added to the existing list prior to accepting an element of the new element type to the list.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the new element type is added to the existing list upon accepting an element of the new element type to the list.