Integration of annotations to dynamic data sets

• US 20060206501A1
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: MacLaurin, Matthew B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,861,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A data enhancement system that facilitates attaching annotations to dynamic data items and collections. The system employs the concepts of view and item to associate an annotation to a dynamic collection and/or item prior to rendering (e.g., via a graphical user interface) such collection and/or item. A user interface can be provided to facilitate creation and attachment of the annotations (e.g., textual, graphical). A schema can facilitate associating appropriate annotations with a dynamic collection. A display system can be employed to render the annotations to a user.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates enhancing data, the system comprising:

an annotation component that corresponds to a data item referenced in a dynamic collection component, the dynamic collection component includes a dynamic association to the data item; and

an integration component that maintains a relationship between the annotation component and the data item.

2. The system of claim 1, the dynamic collection component is one of a query result set, a file system directory view and a list.

3. The system of claim 1, the annotation component is at least one of a graphical annotation and a textual annotation that corresponds to the data item.

4. The system of claim 1, the integration component maintains the relationship as a function of the data item and a view of the dynamic collection component.

5. The system of claim 1, the integration component further includes a schema component that facilitates associating the annotation component to the data item.

6. The system of claim 5, the schema component retains the annotation component.

7. The system of claim 5, the schema component facilitates attaching disparate annotation components to the data item as a function of a view.

8. The system of claim 1, the annotation component is one of a textual comment, an audible comment, a visual effect and a position identifier.

9. The system of claim 1, the integration component includes a retrieval component that employs a query to generate the dynamic collection component.

10. A user interface that employs the system of claim 1.

11. The system of claim 1, the integration component comprises:

a rule engine component that automatically instantiates a rule that implements a predefined criteria; and

a rule evaluation component that applies the rule to associate the annotation to the data item.

12. The system of claim 1, the integration component comprises an artificial intelligence component that predicts a user intention as a function of historical user criteria.

13. The system of claim 12, the artificial intelligence component comprises an inference component that facilitates automatic association of the annotation to the data item as a function of the predicted user intention.

14. A computer readable medium having stored thereon the components of claim 1.

15. A method of enhancing data, the method comprising:

creating an annotation that enhances a data item in a dynamic collection component, which dynamic collection component includes a dynamic association to the data item;

generating an annotation schema that includes the annotation and a relationship between the annotation and the data item; and

applying the annotation schema upon rendering a view of the dynamic collection component.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising relating the annotation as a function of the data item and the view.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating an annotation that corresponds to a sub-item of the dynamic data collection and applying another annotation schema upon rendering the sub-item.

18. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 17.

19. A system for annotating data, the system comprising:

means for creating an annotation that enhances a subset of items in a dynamic data collection;

means for attaching the annotation to the subset of items in a dynamic data collection; and

means for rendering the annotation with respect to the subset of items in a dynamic data collection.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for recursively applying another annotation to sub-items of the dynamic data collection.