MACHINE-IMPLEMENTED ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING ASYNCHRONOUSLY SHARED ACTIVITY DATA OBJECTS AND JOURNAL DATA ITEMS

• US 20100070542A1
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tarabunk Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Feinsmith, Jason B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/812
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Machine-assisted methods and apparatus are disclosed for allowing individual users to develop and organize respective activity descriptions and supporting journal items according to their respective preferences. Cross-referencing mappings may be created between activity descriptions and journal items in order to find, filter and organize disparate data. Cross-referencing mappings may also be created between the developed activity descriptions of different users so they can better understand each others perspectives and possibly overlapping goals. Different users'"'"' activity descriptions can be presented to a user even while the user may be disconnected from communication networks. Hierarchical relationships between activity descriptions may be provided. Machine-assisted means may be provided for creating work-sharing, work-delegating and/or informational sharing agreements between different users. Further machine-implemented means may be provided for automatically and asynchronously updating users on shared activities by other users even though all users are not necessarily connected to one or more respective communication networks at same time.

Claims

1-88. -88. (canceled)

89. A method comprising:

storing in a first area of a memory of a first computer system a hierarchical data structure including a plurality of activity descriptions each having one or both of a parent activity description and a child activity description, wherein the child activity descriptions contain a description of a subtask of a parent activity description thereof;

storing in a second area of the memory of the first computer system an unstructured set of activity descriptions; and

receiving a user input instructing a processor of the first computer system to associate an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure.

90. The method of claim 89, further comprising:

receiving from a second computer system an activity description; and

storing the received activity description in the second area.

91. The method of claim 90, further comprising receiving a user input instructing the processor to associate the received activity description with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure.

92. The method of claim 91, further comprising transmitting from the first computer system to the second computer system information regarding at least one of the parent and child activity descriptions of the received activity description following association of the received activity description with the hierarchical data structure.

93. The method of claim 91, further comprising:

receiving a user input on the first computer system instructing the processor to perform a modification on the received activity description; and

transmitting the modification from the first computer system to the second computer system.

94. The method of claim 91, further comprising:

receiving a user input on the first computer system instructing the processor to perform a modification on one of a child activity description and a parent activity description of the received activity description; and

transmitting the modification from the first computer system to the second computer system.

95. The method of claim 91, wherein receiving the user input instructing the processor to associate the received activity description with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure comprises associating the received activity description with the hierarchical data structure as a child of a first parent activity description;

the method further comprising associating the received activity description to the hierarchical data structure as a child of a second parent activity description.

96. The method of claim 90, wherein receiving from the second computer system an activity description comprises receiving the received activity description by way of a central server operable to translate at least one field of the received activity description from a field that is not defined on the first computer system to a field that is defined on the first computer system.

97. The method of claim 89, wherein receiving the user input instructing the processor of the first computer system to associate an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure comprises:

receiving a user input in a graphical user interface dragging and dropping a graphical representation of an activity description from a graphical representation of the unstructured set of activity descriptions onto a graphical representation of the hierarchical data structure.

98. The method of claim 89, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure include a start date;

and wherein the method further comprises refraining from displaying an activity description having a start date prior to the start date thereof.

99. An article of manufacture including a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

storing in a first area of a memory of a first computer system a hierarchical data structure including a plurality of activity descriptions each having one or both of a parent activity description and a child activity description, wherein the child activity descriptions contain a description of a subtask of a parent activity description thereof;

storing in a second area of the memory of the first computer system an unstructured set of activity descriptions; and

receiving a user input instructing a processor of the first computer system to associate an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure.

100. The article of claim 99, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a second computer system an activity description; and

storing the received activity description in the second area.

101. The article of claim 100, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user input instructing the processor to associate the received activity description with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure.

102. The article of claim 101, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting from the first computer system to the second computer system information regarding at least one of the parent and child activity descriptions of the received activity description following association of the received activity description with the hierarchical data structure.

103. The article of claim 101, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user input on the first computer system instructing the processor to perform a modification on the received activity description; and

transmitting the modification from the first computer system to the second computer system.

104. The article of claim 101, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user input on the first computer system instructing the processor to perform a modification on one of a child activity description and a parent activity description of the received activity description; and

transmitting the modification from the first computer system to the second computer system.

105. The article of claim 99, wherein receiving the user input instructing the processor of the first computer system to associate an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure comprises:

receiving a user input in a graphical user interface dragging and dropping a graphical representation of an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions onto a graphical representation of the hierarchical data structure.

106. A computing device, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

storing in a first area of a memory of a first computer system a hierarchical data structure including a plurality of activity descriptions each having one or both of a parent activity description and a child activity description, wherein the child activity descriptions contain a description of a subtask of a parent activity description thereof;

storing in a second area of the memory of the first computer system an unstructured set of activity descriptions; and

receiving a user input instructing a processor of the first computer system to associate an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure.

107. The computing device of claim 106, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a second computer system an activity description; and

storing the received activity description in the second area.

108. The computing device of claim 107, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user input instructing the processor to associate the received activity description with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure.

109. The computing device of claim 106, wherein receiving the user input instructing the processor of the first computer system to associate an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions with the hierarchical data structure as a child or parent of one of the activity descriptions of the hierarchical data structure comprises:

receiving a user input in a graphical user interface dragging and dropping a graphical representation of an activity description from the unstructured set of activity descriptions onto a graphical representation of the hierarchical data structure.