Keyword-driven assistance

• US 20060277210A1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Starbuck, Bryan T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

Embodiments of keyword-driven assistance are presented herein.

Claims

1. A method comprising outputting a user interface having a user-selectable portion that, when selected, causes:

items to be data mined to locate keywords and map closeness of the keywords, one to another; and

searches to be automatically performed based on keywords from the data mining that are contained in a message currently being displayed in the user interface.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the closeness involves criteria that define relevancy of one said item to another said item.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the user interface includes an entry portion that is configured to accept one or more keywords; and

the searches are automatically performed based on the one or more keywords and the message currently being displayed.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the items are data mined by:

forming a single dictionary of keywords for the items; and

forming a dictionary of keywords for each said item.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the searches are automatically performed for items that are configured as email, instant messages, contacts, appointments, documents, newsgroups and web pages that are accessible via a client device that outputs the user interface.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the searches are performed for items available remotely via a network.

7. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising displaying hyperlinks associated with keywords contained within the message currently being displayed that are selectable to navigate to a corresponding result of the searches.

8. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising arranging results of the searches into one or more keyword hierarchies based on keywords contained in the respective items.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the arranging includes:

forming a plurality of groupings of the keywords based on the mapped closeness; and

combining the plurality of groupings until a predetermined number of groupings remain.

10. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computer to output a user interface having:

a display pane that is configured to display a message communicated over a network; and

a search pane having an entry portion configured to accept one or more keywords and perform a search based on the message currently being displayed in the display pane and the one or more keywords.

11. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 10, wherein the search is performed for items stored locally on the computer and for items available remotely over a network.

12. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 10, wherein the entry portion accepts the one or more keywords that are selected by a user from the message currently being displayed in the display pane.

13. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 10, wherein:

the search is performed at least in part based on a relative closeness of the plurality of keywords, one to another, contained in electronically-stored items; and

the closeness involves criteria that define relevancy of one said item to another said item.

14. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 13, wherein the plurality of items include email, instant messages, contacts, appointments and documents which are accessible on the computer.

15. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 10, wherein:

the computer-executable instructions direct the computer to output a user-selectable portion that, when selected, maps closeness of keywords, one to another, that are contained in a plurality of items stored on the computer; and

the search pane is not configured to perform the search on said items available remotely over a network until the user-selectable portion is selected.

16. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 10, wherein the user interface further comprises a notes pane that is configured to include portions of messages copied from the display pane.

17. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computer to output a user interface having:

a display pane configured to display messages communicated over a network; and

a notes pane displayed concurrently with the display pane that is configured to include portions of messages copied from the display pane.

18. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 17, wherein the portions copied from the display pane are displayable in the notes pane after deletion of respective said messages.

19. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further direct the computer to organize the portions of the messages in the notes pane based on keywords contained in the portions.

20. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 19, wherein the portions of the messages are organized in keyword hierarchies.