Personal Assistant for Task Utilization

• US 20110314375A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zaika, Igor, Friend, Ned B., Kikin-Gil, Erez, Kotler, Matthew J., Parker, Charles W., Satterfield, Jesse Clay
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

An electronic personal assistant that uses task information to obtain task performance assistance and help content is provided. Tasks from an electronic tasks application may be utilized by the personal assistant application to search a variety of information sources for task performance functionality and help content related to the tasks. The personal assistant may provide functionality to help a user actually perform a given task. Alternatively, once help content is obtained, a new task may be generated or the related task may be modified to provide the help content or to provide a link to the help content. The personal assistant application may provide the help content in a separate user interface or cause an application from which the help content is obtained to be launched.

Claims

1. A method for providing assistance in association with an electronic task, comprising:

receiving a first electronic task;

searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task; and

providing the assistance associated with the first electronic task.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes searching a data source for application functionality for performing the first electronic task;

and

wherein providing the assistance associated with the first electronic task includes launching the application functionality for performing the first electronic task.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes searching a data source for help content associated with the first electronic task, and further comprising;

modifying the first electronic task to include the help content associated with the first electronic task; and

presenting the modified first electronic task and the associated help content in a task list user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes using a text string of the first electronic task as a search phrase for searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein using a text string of the first electronic task as a search phrase for searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes using one or more keywords parsed from the text string of the first electronic task as one or more keywords for searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein using one or more keywords parsed from the text string of the first electronic task as one or more keywords for searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes matching one or more words parsed from the text string against a list of predefined words for developing a search string for searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes searching a data source for assistance with the first electronic task based on one or more user task performance preferences.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first electronic task includes receiving the first electronic task based on upon a reminder to perform the first electronic task.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first electronic task is in response to receiving a selection of the first electronic task.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first electronic task is in response to the first electronic task being positioned at the top of a task list in which the first electronic task is listed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the first electronic task to include the help content associated with the first electronic task includes modifying the first electronic task to include a selectable link to the help content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the first electronic task to include the help content associated with the first electronic task includes importing a task template for providing one or more subtasks to the first electronic task for performing the first electronic task.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying the help content associated with the first electronic task in a user interface separate from a presentation of the modified first electronic task.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein in response to a selection of a help content item displayed in association with the modified task, providing the help content item in a help content user interface.

15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method for providing assistance in association with an electronic task, comprising:

receiving a first electronic task;

searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task using a text string of the first electronic task as a search phrase for searching the data source; and

providing the assistance associated with the first electronic task.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15,

wherein searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes searching a data source for application functionality for performing the first electronic task;

and

wherein providing the assistance associated with the first electronic task includes launching the application functionality for performing the first electronic task.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15,

wherein searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task includes searching a data source for help content associated with the first electronic task, and further comprising;

modifying the first electronic task to include the help content associated with the first electronic task; and

presenting the modified first electronic task and the associated help content in a task list user interface.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein using a text string of the first electronic task as a search phrase for searching the data source includes matching one or more words parsed from the text string against a list of predefined words for developing a search string for searching a data source for assistance associated with the first electronic task.

19. A system for providing help content in association with an electronic task, comprising:

a personal assistant application operative

to receive a first electronic task;

to parse a text string of the first electronic task for one or more keywords;

to search a data source using the one or more keywords for assistance associated with the first electronic task;

to provide the assistance in association with a performance of the first electronic task.

20. The system of claim 19, the personal assistant application being further operative

to search the data source for application functionality for performing the first electronic task;

and

to provide the assistance associated with the first electronic task by launching the application functionality for performing the first electronic task.