Determining and displaying a list of most commonly used items

• US 20060218499A1
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Matthews, David A., Stabb, Charles W., Ligameri, Mark R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,543,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/313 Selection or weighting of terms for indexing

Abstract

An operating system program launch menu, such as a Start menu, provides various mechanisms for a user to quickly and efficiently locate and launch desired data items such as programs, data files, storage locations, and the like. A search box within the program launch menu may be used to quickly locate programs, documents, communications, and other data items. An auto-complete feature may be used, e.g., when the user restricts the locations searched for the user-entered search text. A most commonly used program list may include programs based on various criteria including both frequency of use and recent use, thereby always including a most recently used item. An all programs view may display programs and documents in a hosted-tree view within the original confines of the program launch menu, thereby negating the need to open sub-menus on top of a large portion of the desktop displayed on the display device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying historically selected items in a menu of a computer program, comprising steps of:

a) determining a most frequently used (MFU) item;

b) determining a most recently used item (MRU); and

c) displaying on a computer display device the MFU item and the MRU item in the menu.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the most frequently used item is a different item from the most recently used item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu comprises a program launch menu, and the computer program comprises an operating system of a computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein steps a) and b) are based on a number of usage points corresponding to each of a plurality of items capable of being displayed in the menu, wherein a predetermined number of items having largest numbers of usage points are displayed in the menu.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising steps of:

d) for each of the plurality of items, adding usage points as corresponding to the item when the item is launched within the computer program; and

e) for each of the plurality of items, removing usage points from the usage points corresponding to the item when the item goes unlaunched for a predetermined period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein step d) comprises, when one of the plurality of items is launched within the computer program, adding to the one of the plurality of items usage points equal to the lesser of:

A) a predetermined number of usage points; and

B) a number of usage points so that the one of the plurality of items is within the predetermined number of items.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein when two items have the same number of usage points, whichever of the two items was more recently used in the computer program receives priority for display in the menu, and

wherein the number of usage points so that the one of the plurality of items is within the predetermined number of items is the difference in usage points between the one of the plurality of items and an item in the predetermined number of items having the lowest number of usage points.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined period comprises a session of use of a computer to which the computer display is attached.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined period comprises a predetermined amount of time.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein step e) comprises removing a predetermined number of usage points corresponding to the item.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein step e) comprises removing a percentage of usage point corresponding to the item.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein step e) comprises removing a number of usage points corresponding to the item according to a decay algorithm.

13. A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

14. A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 6.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the number of usage points corresponding to each item includes usage points corresponding to any shortcut links to the item.

16. A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform a method of selecting items for display in a program launch menu of an operating system, said method comprising steps of:

a) determining a number of usage points corresponding to each of a plurality of items capable of inclusion in the program launch menu, wherein said determining comprises;

i) assigning an initial number of usage points to each of the plurality of items;

ii) when one of the plurality of items is launched within the operating system, increasing usage points corresponding to that item;

iii) decreasing usage points corresponding to any item that is not launched within the operating system for one or more predetermined periods,

b) determining a predetermined number of the plurality of items as having the largest numbers of usage points; and

c) displaying in the program launch menu the determined items.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein step ii) comprises increasing usage points by a number equal to the lesser of a predetermined number of usage points and a the difference in usage points between the launched item and an item with the lowest number of usage points in the predetermined number of the plurality of items having the largest numbers of usage points.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein in step iii) the each predetermined period comprises a session of use of the computer by a user.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein step iii) comprises decreasing the usage points by a predetermined number of usage points

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein step iii) comprises decreasing the usage points by a predetermined percentage of usage points.