System and method for displaying and manipulating user-relevant data

• US 6,065,012 A
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Balsara, Cyrus, Gilmore, Gay Lynn, Purcell, Sean Edward, Hewitt, Michael Elton, Cargile, Debbie Lynn, Kahl, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US09/031,638
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/103, 707/104, 707/202-203, 709/303, 345/346, 345/329, 345/330-335, 705/35-37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A dynamic summary view is generated by defining an HTML page that links data binding HTML tables and other HTML controls to predetermined data within a storage of data. For each type of data, a parameter is determined which characterizes the predetermined data from the other data within the storage. A control module related to a specific type of data, searches the storage, determines the predetermined data using the parameter and displays the predetermined data via a data binding HTML table within a section of the dynamic summary view. Upon detecting a manipulation request, such as when a user clicks a button of the mouse, the appropriate control module accesses a subset of the program module that created the predetermined data. This is advantageously done without invoking the entire program module. A subset of the program module can be accessed by executing a script to call defined methods of objects within the program module. A subset of the program module also can be accessed by calling a control module defined within the program module. The view is also dynamic in that it is updated to display "live" data by monitoring for trigger events indicating the underlying data has changed and updating the predetermined data accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for managing user-relevant data, comprising:

providing a user with a graphical user interface;

receiving through the graphical user interface a selection by the user of data created by a first program module;

receiving through the graphical user interface a selection by the user of data created by a second module;

displaying the data created by the first program module and the data created by the second program module together in a summary view that allows the user to simultaneously view the data created by the first program module and the data created by the second program module without launching the first program module or the second program module;

receiving an indication that the user wants to modify the data created by the first program module;

in response to the indication, modifying the data created by the first program module using a subset of the first program module without invoking the first program module; and

displaying the modified data in the summary view.

2. A compute-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

3. A computer system adapted to perform the method of claim 1.

4. A method for managing user-relevant data, comprising:

providing a user with a graphical user interface that includes a first plurality of data filters for data created by a first program module and a second plurality of data filters for data created by a second program module;

receiving through the graphical user interface a selection by the user of a first data filter from the first plurality of data filters and a selection by the user of a second data filter from the second plurality of data filters;

deriving a first data subset by applying the first data filter to the data created by the first program module;

deriving a second data subset by applying the second data filter to the data created by the second program module;

displaying the first data subset and the second data subset together in a summary view that allows the user to simultaneously view both the first data subset and the second data subset without launching the first program module or the second program module;

receiving an indication that the user wants to modify the first data subset;

in response to the indication, modifying the first data subset using a subset of the first program module without invoking the first program module; and

displaying the modified first data subset in the summary view.

5. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 4.

6. A computer system adapted to perform the method of claim 4.