ENABLING SERVICE FEATURES WITHIN PRODUCTIVITY APPLICATIONS

• US 20130125011A1
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Williams, Sam Franklin III, Hwang, Jennifer Hui-ni, Eckstein, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 10,192,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software are described herein for enhancing features within program applications. In an implementation, a user associated with a productivity application is identified and a service application associated with the user is identified. A service feature that corresponds to the service is enabled within the productivity application. The service feature allows the user to perform a function on content generated with the productivity application that is related to the service.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing productivity applications, the method comprising:

identifying a user associated with a productivity application used to generate content;

identifying a service with which the user is associated; and

,

enabling a service feature within the productivity application that corresponds to the service and that allows the user to perform a function on the content related to the service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the service feature comprises a sub-feature of a productivity feature within the productivity application that, when invoked through a graphical user interface on a client device running the productivity application, directs the client device to initiate a communication with the service.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying the user associated with the productivity application comprises, in a service management system, identifying the user from a login identity carried in a request transferred for delivery to the service management system over a communication network by the client device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying the service associated with the user comprises, in the service management system, identifying any of a plurality of services associated with the login identity.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein enabling the service feature comprises transferring from the service management system, for delivery over the communication network to the client device, a response that identifies the service and service information with which the client device initiates the communication.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting to the user, via a graphical user interface, a catalog of services from which to graphically select a subset of the services to associate with the user, wherein the service is included in the catalog of services.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the service comprises a website, the productivity feature comprises a send command, and the service feature directs the send command to send the content generated by the productivity application to the website.

8. A method of operating a service management system, the method comprising:

receiving a service request transferred for delivery to the service management system by a client device that identifies a login identity associated with a productivity application running on the client device and used by a user to generate content;

processing the service request to determine, based on the login identity, which services of a plurality of services to enable within the productivity application;

to enable the services, transferring a response for delivery to the client device that includes service information with which service features within productivity features of the productivity application communicate with the services to allow the user to perform features on the content related to the services.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the service features comprise sub-features of the productivity features within the productivity application that, when invoked through a graphical user interface on the client device, direct the client device to initiate communications with the service.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising transferring for presentation to a user via a graphical user interface a catalog of the plurality of services from which to graphically select a subset of the plurality of services to associate with the login identity.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the services comprise the subset of the plurality of services selected in the catalog of the plurality of services.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the services comprise websites, at least one of the productivity features comprises a send command, and at least one of the service features directs the send command to send the content produced by the productivity application to at least one of the websites.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one of the websites comprises a social networking web-site.

14. A computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a feature enablement system, direct the feature enablement system to:

identify a user associated with a productivity application with which the user interacts with content;

identify a service associated with the user; and

,

enable a service feature within a productivity feature of the productivity application that corresponds to the service application and that allows the user to perform a function with the content related to the service.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the service feature comprises a sub-feature of the productivity feature that, when invoked through a graphical user interface on a client device running the productivity application, directs the client device to initiate a communication with the service.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein, to identify the user associated with the productivity application, the program instructions when executed by the feature enablement system direct the feature enablement system to identify the user from a login identity.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein, to identify the service associated with the user, the program instructions when executed by the feature enablement system direct the feature enablement system to identify any of a plurality of service applications associated with the login identity.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, to enable the service feature, the program instructions when executed by the feature enablement system direct the feature enablement system to identify the service and service information to a client device through which the productivity application initiates a communication with the service.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the program instructions, when executed by the feature enablement system, further direct the feature enablement system to present to the user, via a graphical user interface, a catalog of services from which to graphically select a subset of the services to associate with the user, wherein the service is included in the catalog of service.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the service comprises a website, the productivity feature comprises a share command, and the service feature directs the share command to share content produced by the productivity application with the website.

21. A computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a client device operated by a user identified to a productivity application by a first identity, direct the client device to:

present through a user interface a productivity feature menu in the productivity application that corresponds to a plurality of productivity features;

responsive to a selection from the productivity feature menu that corresponds to one of the plurality of productivity features, present through the user interface a service feature menu in the productivity application that corresponds to a plurality of service features comprising at least one service feature enabled based on an association between the user and an online service corresponding to the one service feature, wherein the user is identified to the online service by a second identity different than the first identity; and

responsive to a selection of the one service feature, initiate a function on content generated with the productivity application using content associated with the online service.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the one service feature comprises an insert feature, and wherein the function comprises an insert function that inserts the content associated with the online service into the content generated with the productivity application.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the one service feature comprises a search feature, and wherein the function comprises a search function that searches content associated with the online service.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the service feature menu comprises graphical representations of the plurality of service features, and wherein a one of the graphical representations of the plurality of service features corresponding to the one service feature includes graphical representations of content associated with the online service.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the online service comprises a social networking website.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the content associated with the online service comprises images or video stored by the online service within a profile of the user associated with the online service.

27. A method of presenting a productivity application on a client device operated by a user identified to the productivity application by a first identity, the method comprising:

presenting through a user interface a productivity feature menu in the productivity application that corresponds to a plurality of productivity features;

responsive to a selection from the productivity feature menu that corresponds to one of the plurality of productivity features, presenting through the user interface a service feature menu in the productivity application that corresponds to a plurality of service features comprising at least one service feature enabled based on an association between the user and an online service corresponding to the one service feature, wherein the user is identified to the online service by a second identity different than the first identity; and

responsive to a selection of the one service feature, initiating a function on content generated with the productivity application using content associated with the online service.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the one service feature comprises an insert feature, and wherein the function comprises an insert function that inserts the content associated with the online service into the content generated with the productivity application.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the service feature menu comprises graphical representations of the plurality of service features, and wherein a one of the graphical representations of the plurality of service features corresponding to the one service feature includes graphical representations of content associated with the online service.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the online service comprises a social networking website, and wherein the content associated with the online service comprises images or video stored by the social networking website within a profile of the user.