METHOD AND SOFTWARE FOR FACILITATING INTERACTION WITH A PERSONAL INFORMATION MANAGER APPLICATION AT A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20090216800A1
• Filed: 02/27/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Chalmers, Paul, NEIL, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

Software executable by a wireless communication device may include instructions for receiving at least one markup language document containing a markup language definition defining a query of a notional database table. The notional database table may be characterized by a set of notional fields, each corresponding to a field of a data record within an information category maintained by each of a plurality of wireless communication device-executable personal information manager (PIM) software applications. The software may further include instructions for instantiating, based on the markup language definition, an instance of at least one object-oriented class containing code for effecting the query through interaction with one PIM software application, executable at said wireless communication device, of the plurality. Software for defining the query in markup language may also be provided.

Claims

1. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a wireless communication device, adapt said wireless communication device to:

receive at least one markup language document containing a markup language definition defining a query of a notional database table, said notional database table having a set of notional fields, each of said notional fields corresponding to a field of a data record within an information category maintained by each of a plurality of wireless communication device-executable personal information manager (PIM) software applications; and

instantiate, based on said markup language definition, an instance of at least one object-oriented class containing code for effecting said query through interaction with a PIM software application of said plurality of PIM software applications, said PIM software application being executable at said wireless communication device.

2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said at least one markup language document further contains a markup language definition defining a user-defined database table and a markup language definition defining a query of said user-defined database table, wherein said markup language definition defining said query of said user-defined database table and said markup language document defining said query of said notional database table both have the same format.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said at least one markup language document further contains a markup language definition defining a user-defined database table and a markup language definition defining a query of said user-defined database table, wherein said markup language definition defining said query of said user-defined database table and said markup language document defining said query of said notional database table both conform to the same markup language schema.

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said at least one markup language document further contains a markup language definition of a rule for processing a message received at said wireless communication device, said rule indicating a manner in which fields of said message impact upon said notional fields of said notional database table, and further comprising instructions for instantiating an instance of at least one object-oriented class containing code for effecting said rule through interaction with said PIM software application.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 4 wherein said impact upon said notional fields of said notional database table comprises one of adding a record to said notional database table, modifying the contents of at least one of the notional fields of a record of said notional database table, and deleting a record from said notional database table.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said at least one markup language document further contains a markup language definition of an action to be performed by said wireless communication device upon the occurrence of a user-specified event, said action being the sending of an electronic mail (email) message to a user-defined email address, and further comprising instructions for instantiating an instance of at least one object-oriented class containing code for effecting said action through interaction with said PIM software application.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said information category is one of a plurality of information categories, said plurality of information categories including at least one of an email message inbox, an email message outbox, a set of previously sent email messages, an address book containing contact information, a scheduling calendar, notes, and a list of tasks to be completed.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said information categories include a contacts information category and wherein said set of notional fields for the contacts information category includes at least one of a first name field, a last name field, a street address field, a city field, a state or province field, a country field, a zip or postal code field, a telephone number field, a facsimile number field, and an email address field.

9. A method comprising, at a wireless communication device:

receiving at least one markup language document containing a markup language definition defining a query of a notional database table, said notional database table having a set of notional fields, each of said notional fields corresponding to a field of a data record within an information category maintained by each of a plurality of wireless communication device-executable personal information manager (PIM) software applications; and

instantiating, based on said markup language definition, an instance of at least one object-oriented class containing code for effecting said query through interaction with a PIM software application of said plurality of PIM software applications, said PIM software application being executable at said wireless communication device.

10. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, adapt said computing device to:

present at least one graphical user interface control for specifying a notional database table corresponding to an information category maintained by each of a plurality of wireless communication device-executable personal information manager (PIM) software applications, said notional database table being characterized by a set of notional fields, each of said notional fields corresponding to a field of a data record within said information category; and

generate, based on user interaction with said at least one graphical user interface control, a markup language definition defining a query of said notional database table.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions for adapting said computing device to:

generate, based on user interaction with at least one other graphical user interface control, a markup language definition defining a user-defined database table; and

further generate, based on further user interaction with said at least one other graphical user interface control, a markup language definition defining a query of said user-defined database table,

wherein said markup language definition defining said query of said notional database table and said markup language definition defining said query of said user-defined database table both have the same format.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions for adapting said computing device to:

generate, based on user interaction with at least one other graphical user interface control, a markup language definition defining a user-defined database table; and

further generate, based on further user interaction with said at least one other graphical user interface control, a markup language definition defining a query of said user-defined database table,

wherein said markup language definition defining said query of said notional database table and said markup language definition defining said query of said user-defined database table both conform to the same markup language schema.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising:

machine-executable code for defining, in a markup language and based on user input, a rule for processing a message received at said wireless communication device, said rule indicating a manner in which fields of said message impact upon the notional fields of said notional database table.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 wherein said impact upon said notional database table comprises one of adding a data record to said notional database table, modifying the content of at least one of said notional fields of a record of said notional database table and deleting a data record from said notional database table.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising machine-executable code for defining, in a markup language and based on user input, an action to be performed by said wireless communication device upon the occurrence of a user-defined event, said action being the sending of an electronic mail (email) message to a user-defined email address.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 10 wherein said information category is one of a plurality of information categories, said plurality of information categories including at least one of an email message inbox, an email message outbox, a set of previously sent email messages, an address book containing contact information, a scheduling calendar, notes, and a list of tasks to be completed.