Methods and systems for managing to do items or notes or electronic messages

• US 20080033950A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Forstall, Scott, Langoulant, Brendan, Christie, Gregory, Lemay, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,261,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Methods and systems for managing To do items and/or notes and/or emails (or other electronic messages) are described. On exemplary method includes receiving an input to create a To do item based on a portion of an email record, such as a received email, and creating, in response to the input, the To do item. Another exemplary method includes storing a note having a To do item in the note, the note being stored as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database and storing the To do item in the To do database and receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

Claims

1. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving an input to create a To do item based on a portion of an email record;

creating, in response to the input, the To do item.

2. A medium as in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the To do item in a database; and

wherein the input is a selection, with a single button activation, of a displayed command interface for creating a To do, and wherein the portion comprises text selected within the email record and wherein the displayed command interface is displayed concurrently with a display of the portion of the email record.

3. A medium as in claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying, in response to an input to display To do items, a set of To do items;

receiving an input to convert a note to an email;

receiving a command to send the email and causing the email to be sent.

4. A medium as in claim 3, wherein the email is sent as a note in a note template having horizontal lines resembling a paper page, and wherein a recipient of the email can convert the email into a note having the note template.

5. A medium as in claim 2, wherein the single button activation comprises one of (1) pressing a mouse'"'"'s button or (2) pressing a key on a device with keys, or (3) touching the displayed command as displayed on a display device or (4) a spoken command which is designed to select the displayed command and wherein the text selected is displayed in an email window which includes the displayed command interface and wherein a user can select the displayed command interface, while in the email window which displays emails, without having to switch to a window showing To do items.

6. A medium as in claim 3, wherein the note is maintained in a note database as a separate item from the email which is maintained in an email database, and wherein the note comprises a pointer to the email.

7. A medium as in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an input to create a note;

receiving an input to create a To do item based on a portion of the note;

creating, in response to the input to create, the To do item based on the portion of the note.

8. A medium as in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an input to convert the note to an email;

receiving a command to send the email and causing the email to be sent.

9. A medium as in claim 8, wherein the note is maintained in a note database as a separate item from the email which is maintained in an email database, and wherein the note comprises a pointer to the email.

10. A medium as in claim 1, wherein the To do item comprises at least one of (1) a due date;

or (2) a specification of an action or action item or action required;

or (3) a priority;

or (4) a settable alarm;

or (5) an identification of a particular selectable calendar within a set of a user'"'"'s calendars or (6) a completed status indicator.

11. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving an input to create a To do item based on a portion of an email record;

creating, in response to the input, the To do item.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the To do item in a database; and

wherein the input is a selection, with a single button activation, of a displayed command for creating a To do, and wherein the portion comprises text selected within the email record.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying, in response to an input to display To do items, a set of To do items;

receiving an input to convert a note to an email;

receiving a command to send the email and causing the email to be sent.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein the email is sent as a note in a note template having horizontal lines resembling a paper page, and wherein a recipient of the email can convert the email into a note having the note template.

15. A method as in claim 12, wherein the single button activation comprises one of (1) pressing a mouse'"'"'s button or (2) pressing a key on a device with keys, or (3) touching the displayed command as displayed on a display device or (4) a spoken command which is designed to select the displayed command and wherein the text selected is displayed in an email window which includes the displayed command interface and wherein a user can select the displayed command interface, while in the email window which displays emails, without having to switch to a window showing To do items.

16. A method as in claim 13, wherein the note is maintained in a note database as a separate item from the email which is maintained in an email database, and wherein the note comprises a pointer to the email.

17. A method as in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an input to create a note;

receiving an input to create a To do item based on a portion of the note;

creating, in response to the input to create, the To do item based on the portion of the note.

18. A method as in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an input to convert the note to an email;

receiving a command to send the email and causing the email to be sent.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein the note is maintained in a note database as a separate item from the email which is maintained in an email database, and wherein the note comprises a pointer to the email.

20. A method as in claim 11, wherein the To do item comprises at least one of (1) a due date;

or (2) a specification of an action or action item or action required;

or (3) a priority;

or (4) a settable alarm;

or (5) an identification of a particular selectable calendar within a set of user'"'"'s calendars.

21. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving an input to create a To do item based on a portion of an email record;

means for creating, in response to the input, the To do item.

22. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

storing a note having at least a portion of a To do item in the note, the note being stored as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database;

storing the To do item in the To do database;

receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

23. A medium as in claim 22, wherein the To do item is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the To do database as the note is edited by a user and wherein the note is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the note database as the To do item is edited by the user.

24. A medium as in claim 23, wherein the To do item and the note are automatically synchronized by the data processing system as the user edits either the To do item or the note.

25. A machine implemented method comprising:

storing a note having at least a portion of a To do item in the note, the note being stored as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database;

storing the To do item in the To do database;

receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

26. A method as in claim 25, wherein the To do item is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the To do database as the note is edited by a user and wherein the note is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the note database as the To do item is edited by the user.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein the To do item and the note are automatically synchronized by the data processing system as the user edits either the To do item or the note.

28. A data processing system comprising:

means for storing a note having at least a portion of a To do item in the note, the note being stored as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database;

means for storing the To do item in the To do database;

means for receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

29. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a selection of text and a command to create a To do item;

determining whether the selection contains a date;

creating automatically, in response to the command, the To do item with the date as the due date.

30. A medium as in claim 29, wherein the text is in one of an email received from a network or a note maintained separate from an email database.

31. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving a selection of text and a command to create a To do item;

determining whether the selection contains a date;

creating automatically, in response to the command, the To do item with the date as the due date.

32. A method as in claim 31, wherein the text is in one of an email received from a network or a note maintained separate from an email database.

33. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving a selection of text and a command to create a To do item;

means for determining whether the selection contains a date;

means for creating automatically, in response to the command, the To do item with the date as the due date.

34. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving an input to convert a note to an email;

receiving a command to send the email and causing the email to be sent.

35. A medium as in claim 34, wherein the email is sent as a note in a note template and wherein a recipient of the email can convert the email into a note having the note template and wherein the note is maintained in a note database as a separate item from the email which is maintained in an email database and wherein the note comprises a pointer to the email, and wherein the note is maintained in the database even if the email is deleted and wherein the note is not a draft email.

36. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving an input to convert a note to an email;

receiving a command to send the email and causing the email to be sent.

37. A method as in claim 36, wherein the email is sent as a note in a note template and wherein a recipient of the email can convert the email into a note having the note template and wherein the note is maintained in a note database as a separate item from the email which is maintained in an email database and wherein the note comprises a pointer to the email, and wherein the note is maintained in the database even if the email is deleted and wherein the note is not a draft email.

38. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving an input to convert a note to an email;

means for receiving a command to send the email and causing the email to be sent.

39. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving an input, through a displayed command interface, to create a To do item based on a portion of a note displayed concurrently with the displayed command interface;

creating, in response to the input, the To do item based on the portion of the note.

40. A medium as in claim 39, wherein the note is maintained in a note database accessed by an email application program which also accesses a To do database which stores the To do item.

41. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving an input, through a displayed command interface, to create a To do item based on a portion of a note displayed concurrently with the displayed command interface;

creating, in response to the input, the To do item based on the portion of the note.

42. A method as in claim 41, wherein the note is maintained in a note database accessed by an email application program which also accesses a To do database which stores the To do item.

43. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving an input, through a displayed command interface, to create a To do item based on a portion of a note displayed concurrently with the displayed command interface;

means for creating, in response to the input, the To do item based on the portion of the note.