Method for restricting access to data based on current work

• US 20120303666A1
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sam Freed
• Original Assignee: Sam Freed
• Inventors: FREED, Sam
• Granted Patent: US 9,372,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

A system and method for presenting a user with only data relevant to a task on which the user is currently working, while preventing display and other data from other tasks from intruding on a user'"'"'s work environment. Conventional tagging is replaced and/or supplemented by a centralized method for creating, managing, and applying categories that does not require display space in individual applications for user interaction. Data access and display can be controlled across all applications, allowing the user to concentrate on a particular issue or project without being distracted or wasting display-space on information that is not relevant to the current issue or project on which a user is working.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

(a) a processing system including at least one processor and configured for

(i) receiving one or more selected categories; and

(ii) notifying, in response to receiving of said selected categories, one or more applications, to restrict interactions of each application with a user to only data associated with said selected categories.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said processing system is further configured to notify two or more applications.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said processing system is further configured for:

(iii) providing a set of categories for presentation to the user, and a user selection from the presentation provides said selected categories from said set of categories.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said processing system is A further configured to notify one or more applications at least in part by pushing said selected categories to one or more applications.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said processing system is further configured to notify one or more applications at least in part by posting said selected categories for one or more applications to access.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein restricting interaction includes each of the applications displaying on a computer user interface only data associated with said selected categories.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein notifying includes signaling one or more applications, each of the applications having an associated human machine interface (HMI), to restrict interactions of each applications via the associated HMI with the user to only data associated with said selected categories.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said selected categories are selected from the group consisting of:

(a) private;

(b) personal;

(c) public;

(d) work;

(e) project 1;

(f) project 2;

(g) hobby1;

(h) hobby2;

(i) not public;

(j) a category defined by the user; and

(k) a Boolean combination of existing categories.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more applications are selected from the group consisting of:

(a) electronic mail (email);

(b) photograph processing

(c) phone book;

(d) phone or other communications system;

(e) document composition;

(f) presentation production;

(g) spreadsheet;

(h) billing system; and

(i) time management system.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said data is selected from a group consisting of:

(a) video display components;

(b) electronic mail (emails);

(c) photographs;

(d) contacts;

(e) documents;

(f) presentations;

(g) spreadsheets;

(h) internet browser data;

(i) phone calls;

(j) calendar appointments;

(k) meeting reminders;

(l) audio recordings;

(m) video recordings;

(n) diagrams;

(o) schemas; and

(p) plans.

11. A method for controlling interactions between a user and a human machine interface (HMI) comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving one or more selected categories; and

(b) notifying, in response to receiving of said selected categories, one or more applications, each of the applications having an associated human machine interface (HMI), to restrict interactions of each application via the associated HMI with the user to only data associated with said selected categories.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of notifying is to two or more applications.

13. The method of claim 11 further including the step of:

(c) presenting a set of categories to the user allowing the user to select said selected categories from said set of categories.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said receiving is of a selection by the user from a presentation of a set of available categories.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said notifying includes pushing said selected categories to one or more applications.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said notifying includes posting said selected categories for one or more applications to access.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein restricting interaction includes each of the applications displaying on a computer user interface only data associated with said selected categories.

18. A system comprising:

(a) a processing system including at least one processor and configured for

(i) preparing one or more categories for transfer to one or more applications; and

(ii) providing said one or more categories to the applications.

19. A method for controlling interactions between a user and a human machine interface (HMI) comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing one or more categories for transfer to one or more applications; and

(b) providing said one or more categories to the applications.

20. A system comprising:

(a) a processing system including at least one processor and configured for

(i) receiving one or more selected categories; and

(ii) restricting interactions with a user to only data associated with said one or more selected categories.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said processing system further includes one or more applications configured for receiving said selected categories, each of the applications having an associated human machine interface (HMI), and configured to restrict interactions of each applications via the associated HMI with the user to only data associated with said selected categories

22. A method for controlling interactions between a user and a human machine interface (HMI) comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving one or more selected categories by one or more applications, each of the applications having an associated human machine interface (HMI); and

(b) restricting interactions, in response to receiving of said selected categories, of each application via the associated HMI with the user to only data associated with said selected categories.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the step of receiving is by two or more applications.

24. A system comprising:

(a) a processing system including at least one processor and configured for

(i) checking if a new set of selected categories is available; and

(ii) if said new set of selected categories is available;

restricting interactions with a user to only data associated with said new set of selected categories.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said processing system further includes one or more applications configured for receiving said selected categories, each of the applications having an associated human machine interface (HMI), and configured to restrict interactions of each applications via the associated HMI with the user to only data associated with said selected categories

26. A method of configuring an application comprising the steps of

(a) checking by an application if a new set of selected categories is available;

and

(b) if said new set of selected categories is available;

restricting, by the application, interactions of the application with a user to only data associated with said selected categories.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having embedded thereon computer-readable code for controlling interactions between a user and a human machine interface (HMI) the computer-readable code comprising program code for:

(a) receiving one or more selected categories; and

(b) notifying, in response to receiving of said selected categories, one or more applications, each of the applications having an associated human machine interface (HMI), to restrict interactions of each application via the associated HMI with the user to only data associated with said selected categories.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having embedded thereon computer-readable code for controlling interactions between a user and a human machine interface (HMI) the computer-readable code comprising program code for:

(a) preparing one or more categories for transfer to one or more applications; and

(b) providing said one or more categories to the applications.

29. A computer-readable storage medium having embedded thereon computer-readable code for controlling interactions between a user and a human machine interface (HMI) the computer-readable code comprising program code for:

(a) receiving one or more selected categories by one or more applications, each of the applications having an associated human machine interface (HMI); and

(b) restricting interactions, in response to receiving of said selected categories, of each application via the associated HMI with the user to only data associated with said selected categories.

30. A computer-readable storage medium having embedded thereon computer-readable code for configuring an application, the computer-readable code comprising program code for:

(a) checking by an application if a new set of selected categories is available; and

(b) if said new set of selected categories is available;

restricting, by the application, interactions of the application with a user to only data associated with said selected categories.