List Authoring Surface

• US 20110314418A1
• 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: Kotler, Matthew J., Friend, Ned B., Kikin-Gil, Erez, Parker, Charles W., Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Zaika, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A list authoring surface (LAS) is provided that includes a lightweight user interface component for entering, displaying, manipulating, and providing reminders for one or more tasks that takes the place of hand-written notes, scraps of paper, or “sticky” notes. The list authoring surface may be deployed across a multitude of software applications and may be readily accessed anywhere on a stationary or mobile desktop or display screen. Information may be manually or automatically entered into the list authoring surface user interface. An event timeline that uses a “fuzzy” reminder method allows for reminders to be associated with tasks where some tasks must be accomplished or must occur at hard dates/times, but where other tasks may be accomplished or may occur during soft or “fuzzy” date/time ranges.

Claims

1. A method for populating a list user interface, comprising:

receiving into the list user interface a first list item;

receiving a first text entry into the list user interface, the first text entry including a first metadata item associated with the first list item;

applying the first metadata item to the first list item;

generating a first task for the first list item based on the association of the first list item with the first metadata item; and

displaying the first task in the list user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the list user interface in association with any of a plurality of software application user interfaces for displaying the generated first task and for receiving any other list items regardless of any particular software application user interface with which the list user interface is displayed.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

generating a second task in the list user interface from a second list item; and

displaying the second task in the list user interface relative to the first task to represent an hierarchical relationship of the second task with the first task.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

prior to generating a second task in the list user interface from a second list item, receiving a second text entry into the list user interface, the second text entry including a second metadata item associated with the second list item;

applying the second metadata item to the second list item; and

associating the second task with the first task based on an association of the first metadata item applied to the first list item with the second metadata item applied to the second list item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising manipulating tasks displayed in the list user interface based on metadata items applied to the tasks displayed in the list user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein manipulating tasks displayed in the list user interface includes filtering tasks, editing tasks, searching tasks, sorting tasks and pivoting tasks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a first task for the first list item includes generating the first task for a first list user interface and further comprising:

generating a second task for a second list item in a second list user interface; and

automatically exporting the second task from the second list user interface to the first list user interface.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically completing generation of a second list item during entry of a first list item based on an association of the being entered second list item with a previously entered list item.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein prior to displaying the first task in the list user interface, importing the list user interface to a stationary computing device and to a mobile computing device from a remote server;

wherein displaying the first task in the list user interface includes displaying an instantiation of the list user interface on the stationary computing device and on the mobile computing device; and

wherein changes made to the first task in the list user interface at the remote server are made to the first task in the instantiation of the list user interface displayed on the stationary computing device and on the mobile computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving into the list user interface a first list item includes receiving a manual input of the first list item into the list user interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving into the list user interface a first list item includes receiving an automatic input of the first list item into the list user interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving an automatic input of the first list item into the list user interface includes capturing and exporting to the list user interface the first list item from an electronic file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein capturing and exporting to the list user interface the first list item from an electronic file includes capturing and exporting to the list user interface the first list item from one of a word processing document, a spreadsheet application document, a slide presentation application slide, Internet browser content, social media site content, a video file, an audio file, an electronic inking file, a digital photograph, an electronic mail item, an electronic calendar item, and an electronic task application item.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a first metadata item to the first list item includes:

automatically parsing the first list item to determine whether the first list item should receive application of a first metadata item; and

if the first list item should receive application of a first metadata item, automatically applying the first metadata item to the first list item.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a first list item attribute to the first list item including applying a first list item attribute to the first list item from one of a group attribute, a person attribute, a date attribute, a time attribute, a location attribute, a name attribute, an address attribute, a telephone number attribute, an alphanumeric attribute, an audio attribute, a video attribute, and one or more customized attributes.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the first task for the first list item in the list user interface relative to an arrangement of other tasks in the list user interface based on a specified arrangement.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising arranging tasks in the list user interface relative to one another such that any of one or more tasks that must be performed at a particular time are arranged according to the particular time and such that any of the one or more tasks that may be performed at anytime are arranged at other available times not including the particular time.

18. A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method for populating a list user interface, comprising:

receiving into the list user interface a first list item;

receiving a first text entry into the list user interface, the first text entry including a first metadata tag associated with the first list item;

applying the first metadata tag to the first list item;

applying a first list item attribute to the first list item;

associating the first list item with the first metadata tag and the first list item attribute;

generating in the list user interface a first task for the first list item based on the association of the first list item with the first metadata tag and the first list item attribute;

generating in the list user interface a second task for a second list item based on an association of the second list item with the first metadata tag and the first list item attribute;

importing the list user interface to a stationary computing device and to a mobile computing device from a remote server;

displaying an instantiation of the list user interface on the stationary computing device and on the mobile computing device; and

wherein changes made to the first and second tasks in the list user interface at the remote server are made to the first and second tasks in the instantiation of the list user interface displayed on the stationary computing device and on the mobile computing device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the method further comprising arranging tasks in the list user interface relative to one another such that any of one or more tasks that must be performed at a particular time are arranged according to the particular time and such that any of the one or more tasks that may be performed at anytime up to a particular ending time are arranged according to one or more different times as long as the one or more different times are not past the particular ending time

20. A system for populating a list user interface, comprising:

a list user interface application operative

to receive a list item for display in a list user interface, the list item received manually or automatically;

to receive a first text entry into the list user interface, the first text entry including a metadata item associated with the first list item;

to receive application of the metadata item to the list item;

to receive application of a list item attribute to the list item;

to associate the list item with the metadata item and the list item attribute; and

to generate a task for the list item based on the association of the list item with the metadata item and the list item attribute; and

to display the first task in the list user interface on a display screen of a stationary or mobile computing device in association with a user interface of one or more software applications.