Method and systems of providing information to computer users

• US 6,948,135 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Banks, Richard, Ruthfield, Scott L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/599,806
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 715/804, 715/805, 715853-855, 715/760, 715748-749, 715/767, 715/811, 715817-820, 715/752, 715/742, 715712-713, 715/711, 345853-855, 345708-714, 345/81.7, 345771-773, 345/760, 345748-749, 345744-747, 345802-806, 345811-813, 345/792
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

Methods and systems of providing information to computer users are described. In one embodiment, a user interface is provided having a display area that permits a user to accomplish various tasks. Individual tasks can be associated with individual different functionalities which can enable the user to accomplish tasks in different user contexts, e.g. word processing-tasks, email tasks web browsing tasks and the like. The different tasks can advantageously pertain to different content types or document types. When a user is working within a particular context, they can view quick links that are associated with one or more of the different contexts without having to change their particular context. By clicking on a quick link, the user then can automatically navigate to the context associated with the quick link so that they can then accomplish context-specific tasks. Advantageously, the various functionalities or contexts can be provided by a single application program that also manages the user'"'"'s navigation activities to and between the different functionalities. In various embodiments, a user can select from among a number of different algorithms that are deployable across different content types and which affect which quick links are displayed.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a computer user comprising:

displaying, in a navigable window of a display area of a user interface, a first contextual display associated with a first context that can enable a user to accomplish one or more tasks, said displaying being accomplished using a single application program that is configured to provide multiple different contexts; and

without changing the first context and using the single application program, presenting quick link to one or more contexts that are different from the user'"'"'s current context and that are provided by the single application program, each context being associated with a functionality that can enable the user to accomplish various tasks that are different form the one or more task that the user can accomplish using the first contextual display, the quick links being selectable to navigate the navigable window to a context associated with a selectable quick link, wherein said displaying is accomplished by the single application program using a navigable window comprising a single window, the application program being configured to navigate the single window between different contexts responsive to the user selecting a quick link;

displaying user-engagable indicia, each of which being associated with one or more quick links, said indicia being configured for engagement by a user so that the user can view the associated one or more quick links.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each functionality comprises a document-centric functionality.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the functionalities is different.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising prior to said presenting, automatically determining at least some of the quick links based, at least in part, on a user'"'"'s behavior within the single application program.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising prior to said presenting, automatically determining at least some of the quick links based, at least in part, on a user'"'"'s history within the single application program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the single application program is configured with navigation instrumentalities that enable a user to navigate back and forth between the multiple different contexts.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the single application program is configured with a navigation model to manage navigation activities of the user, the navigation model comprising a navigation stack.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

presenting the user with a choice of multiple different algorithms, each algorithm being configured to provide a different collection of quick links; and

said presenting of the quick links being performed responsive to a user selecting one of the multiple different algorithms.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the multiple different algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents quick links on a favorites list based on items visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently added by a user to a favorites list.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the multiple different algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents quick links based on items visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently visited by a user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents multiple quick links each of which representing a different document type that was the last item of a particular document type that was visited by a user.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein some of the algorithms are employable across multiple different content types.

13. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

provide multiple different functionalities within the confines of a single application program, the multiple different functionalities being associated with individual different document-centric tasks that can be accomplished by a user, individual document-centric tasks being associated with different document types and different contents;

define a single navigable window associated with a first content within which the different functionalities can be presented to a user so that they can accomplish a task associated with a particular functionality, the single navigable window being configured to navigate back and forth between the different functionalities;

define individual user-engagable indicia and associate those indicia with one or more of the multiple different functionalities, each indicia being engagable by a user to display quick links that are associated with a functionality, individual quick links being associated with a document that can enable a user to accomplish a task;

each in a content separate from each other and

display one or more of the quick links associated with one functionality and content while a user is engaged in a task associated with another of the functionalities and content without requiring the user to change the functionality or content within which they are working.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the computer to display a selection of multiple different algorithms from which a user can choose and which affect the quick links that are displayed.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein one of the multiple different algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents quick links on a favorites list based on items visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently added by a user to a favorites list.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein one of the multiple different algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents quick links based on items visited most often by a user in combination with items that have been recently visited by a user.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein one of the algorithms comprises an algorithm that presents multiple quick links each of which representing a different document type that was the last item of a particular document type that was visited by a user.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein said algorithm that presents multiple quick links is extendable to include newly created document types.

19. A method of providing information to a computer user comprising:

receiving information that pertains to multiple different user contacts within an application program;

presenting a display comprising a navigable window to a user, the display pertaining to a fit user contact within the application program, the first user context permitting the user to accomplish tasks pertaining to a first content type; and

without changing the first context, and using the single application program, displaying multiple quick links that are associated with multiple contexts that are different from the first user context, the displayed quick links being associated with said information and being associated with a different content type, the quick links being selectable to navigate the navigable window to the different contexts, wherein each context is associated with a functionality that enables a user to accomplish various tasks that are different from the one or more tasks that the user can accomplish using the first contextual display;

displaying user-engagable indicia, each of which being associated with one or more quick links, said indicia being configured for engagement by a user so that the user can view the associated one or more quick links.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the multiple different user contexts are each associated with a different content type.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said displaying of said at least one quick link comprises displaying multiple quick links, at least some of the quick links being associated with context that are each associated with a different content type.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the at least one quick link in a drop down menu.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said displaying comprises doing so without changing content of the display that pertains to the first user context.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said information comprises information that is generated by the user.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein said information comprises information that is not generated by the user.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein said information comprises information that can dynamically change.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein said receiving comprises receiving said information while the user is working within the first user context.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving user input that selects a displayed quick link; and

presenting a display by navigating the navigable window to the user pertaining to a context that is associated with the selected quick link.

29. Software code embodied on a computer-readable medium which, when executed by a computer, provides a user interface (UI) comprising:

a single window that is capable of being navigated to and between multiple different functionalities in different contents that enable a user to accomplish multiple tasks in connection with a single application that provides the multiple different functionalities;

links associated with the different functionalities and configured to enable the user to navigate the single window to and between the multiple different functionalities; and

user-engagable indicia associated with one or more of the links, the user-engagable indicia being engagable by a user to display quick links that are associated with a particular functionality, the quick links being engagable by the user to automatically navigate the single window to a functionality with which the quick link is associated, said software code being configured to enable a user to navigate backward and forward, in a browser-like fashion, between the different functionalities and contents,

wherein the user interface comprises at least one command area that is configured to present context-sensitive commands that automatically change as the user'"'"'s context changes when they navigate to and between the multiple different functionalities, said at least command area configured to display a context block that contains multiple algorithms from which a user can select to vary a list of quick links that are displayed for the user.

30. The software code of claim 29, wherein at least some of the algorithms are employable with different content types.

31. The software code of claim 29, wherein the UI further comprises browser-like navigation buttons that are engagable by the user for navigating to and between the multiple different functionalities.

32. A computer embodying the computer-readable medium of claim 29.