INTEGRATED NOTE-TAKING FUNCTIONALITY FOR COMPUTING SYSTEM ENTITIES

• US 20160259632A1
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Michelle, Chang, Jih-Shiang, Natu, Madan
• Granted Patent: US 9,910,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A computing system comprises, in one example, a display system configured to generate user interface displays, a first application configured to define an entity in the computing system, an interface component configured to control a second application to generate a notebook component corresponding to the entity, and an association component configured to generate and store an association between the entity and the notebook component. The first application is configured to control the display system to generate a first application user interface display that displays data for the entity in the first application and includes a user input mechanism corresponding to the notebook component in the second application based on the association.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a display system configured to generate user interface displays;

a first application configured to define an entity in the computing system;

an interface component configured to control a second application to generate a notebook component corresponding to the entity; and

an association component configured to generate and store an association between the entity and the notebook component;

wherein the first application is configured to control the display system to generate a first application user interface display that displays data for the entity in the first application and includes a user input mechanism corresponding to the notebook component in the second application based on the association.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the second application comprises a note-taking application.

3. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the first application is configured to control the display system to generate workflow user interface displays with user input mechanisms that detect user inputs to perform workflow tasks in the computing system relative to the entity.

4. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the notebook component comprises at least one of a notebook, a section within a notebook, or a page within a section of a notebook.

5. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the association component generates a mapping table having a plurality of entries, each entry mapping an entity in the computing system to a notebook component in the note-taking application.

6. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the first application is configured to control the display system to generate an entity creation user interface display with user input mechanisms and to detect user interaction with the user input mechanisms that creates the entity within the computing system, and wherein, in response to creation of the entity, the interface component automatically controls the note-taking application to create the notebook component.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the interface component is configured to receive a location indicator, indicative of a location of the notebook component, from the note-taking application, the association being generated to include the location indicator.

8. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the note-taking application populates the notebook component with a link to the entity in the computing system.

9. The computing system of claim 1, and further comprising:

a preview generator configured to generate a preview of content in the notebook application, the preview being displayed in first application user interface display.

10. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is configured to receive an indication, from the second application, of a second notebook component that is associated with the entity, and to control the association component to generate and store a second association between the entity and the second notebook component.

11. The computing system of claim 1, and further comprising:

a configuration component configured to control the display system to generate a configuration user interface display with user input mechanism and to detect user interaction with the user input mechanisms that selects a set of entity types for which to generate notebook components.

12. The computing system of claim 1, and further comprising a collaboration component that facilitates collaborative access by a plurality of users to the notebook component, wherein the plurality of users share the notebook component relative to the entity.

13. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is configured to transmit content related to the entity from the first application to the second application, for storage in the notebook component.

14. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the user input mechanism corresponding to the notebook component comprises a navigation link that, when actuated by a user, navigates the user to the notebook component in the second application.

15. A computing system comprising:

a display system configured to generate user interface displays with user input mechanisms;

a notebook creation component configured to create a notebook component;

an association component configured to identify an entity associated with the notebook component; and

a display system controller configured to control the display system to generate a notebook component user interface display that displays content of the notebook component along with a user actuatable navigation link to the entity.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the notebook creation component comprises a component of a first, note-taking application, and the computing system is configured to detect a user interaction with the notebook component user interface display that actuates the navigation link to the entity and, in response, communicate an indication of the actuation to a second application, that is different than the first application, to generate a user interface display corresponding to the entity.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the computing system is configured to detect a user interaction with the user input mechanisms that identifies a second notebook component as being associated with the entity, and to communicate an indication of the second notebook component to the second application.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating a user interface display with user input mechanisms;

detecting user interaction with the user input mechanisms that defines an entity in a computing system;

generating a first notebook component for the entity;

storing an association record that associates the first notebook component with the entity;

detecting an input that identifies a second notebook component that is selected by a user as being associated with the entity; and

in response to detecting the input, storing an association record that associates the second notebook component with the entity.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the entity and the first notebook component are generated within different application contexts.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating an entity view user interface display that displays information stored in association with the entity along with user interface elements that identify the first and second notebook components.