Information organization and collaboration tool for processing notes and action requests in computer systems

• US 7,146,381 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Actioneer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Actioneer, Inc.
• Inventors: Allen, David, Joaquin, James, Mann, Tony, Rabbani, Danny, Buchheim, Dennis, Hagan, Thomas, Smiga, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, UYEN T
• Application Number:
  US09/468,222
• Time in Patent Office: 2,542 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/103.R, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/6, 707/102, 704/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/284 Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A natural language-based information organization and collaboration tool for a computer system is disclosed. The system includes an apparatus and method for processing text expressions in a computer system. The apparatus comprises a user input device for receiving an input text expression; a parser to identify the keyword in the input text expression, the parser including functions for linking the input text expression to the information object based on the keyword identified in the input text expression; and a user output device for displaying to the user the identity of the information object to which the input text expression was linked.

Claims

1. An apparatus for executing an action in response to a message entered by a user in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:

a user input device for receiving an input message from the user;

a parser to identify a keyword in the input message, the parser to parse the input message in real-time as the user enters the input message, the parser to associate the input message to an information object associated with the keyword and to classify the message as a particular message type; and

a user output device to provide, prior to the message being sent to a location dependent on the message type, an indication of an action to be taken by the information object in response to the message from the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the parser is further to detect presence of the keyword in the message immediately upon the completion of the keyword, the parser to reparse the message whenever a word delimiter is detected in the message.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parser is further to reparse the message upon detection of any keystroke, to immediately detect completion of a keyword.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a set of information objects, each information object designed to execute one or more actions when triggered by the user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the action to be taken by the information object is based upon contents of the input message other than the keyword.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the action combines data from the input message with data extracted from other sources determined by the information object.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the action comprises one or more of the following:

posting to one or more data repositories, querying one or more data sources, and triggering an execution of a stored program.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication of the action is provided by the user output device at one or more of the following times:

immediately upon detection of the keyword while the message is entered, and after the message completely entered but before the completely entered message is sent.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the indication comprises one or more of the following:

presenting output to indicate presence of the keyword to the user, and presenting user prompt information associated with the information object to the user.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a mechanism to override the information object, and redirect the action.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the user input device is further to enable the user to enter a command to initiate execution of the action.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the user input device is further to allow the user to override a selection of the information object determined by the parser and presented by the output device after reviewing the action shown by the indication and prior to dispatching the message, and to enable the user to select an alternate information object for execution of a desired action.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

when the parser does not detect a keyword in the message, the user input device is further to enable the user to select an information object from a list of available information objects.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a list of keywords and actions each of the keywords invokes available for the user'"'"'s review while composing the message.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a user input device is further to enable the user to customize the system by adding an alias to keywords associated with the information object, the alias used to invoke the information object in subsequent user messages.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the user output device is further to present to the user, upon execution of the action, information obtained by executing the action.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is to be sent to another user if the message type is a shared message type.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is to be sent to storage if the message type is a personal message type.

19. A system comprising:

an object database including a plurality of information objects, each information object coupled to one or more keywords;

a user interface to receive a user input message;

a parser to parse the user input message in real-time as a user enters the input message to detect a keyword and select an information object coupled to the keyword; and

a user output device to provide feedback to the user indicating an action to be taken by the selected information object prior to executing the action.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface and the user output device are on a client device, and the object database and the parser are on a server.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the client device is a mobile system, further comprising a communication unit to communicate with the server.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the action is selected from the group consisting of:

triggering a second information object, posting to a data repository, and querying a data source.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second information object, comprising one or more of the following:

a data repository or a data source, is on a remote server.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the user may override the selection of the information object.

25. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

one or more aliases for the keyword, the aliases created by the user, to enable customization.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the system waits for user confirmation prior to triggering the information object to take action.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the parser continuously parses the user input message to immediately detect the keyword.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the user output device is further to display information to the user immediately upon detection of the keyword.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the information displayed comprises one or more of the following:

the detected keyword, an identity of information object, the action to be taken by the information object, a description of the action to be taken by the information object, and a prompt instructing the user how to complete the message.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the parser parses the message upon detecting a word delimiter.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the parser parses the message character-by-character as each character is entered by the user.

32. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a first device including the user interface and the output device, to enable the user to enter a keyword to create a message to another user;

a second device including another user interface and another user output device to be used by the other user, to receive the message from the first device.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

a messaging system to create the message including a header for the message based on keywords, and to send the message to the other user.

34. A method to respond to a message comprising:

receiving an input message from a user;

parsing the input message in real-time as the user enters the input message;

identifying a keyword in the input message;

associating the input message with an information object associated with the keyword; and

presenting information to the user based on the information object prior to executing an action to be taken by the information object.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

determining if no keyword is identified in the input message, and

if no keyword is identified in the input message then associating a default information object with the input message.

36. An apparatus for executing action in response to a message entered by a user in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:

a user input device for receiving an input message from the user;

a parser to identify a keyword in the input message, the parser to parse the input message in real-time as the user enters the input message to immediately detect the keyword as the keyword is entered, and the parser further to associate the input message to an information object associated with the keyword; and

a user output device to provide information to the user.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the parser parses the input message upon detection of a word delimiter.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the parser parses the input message character-by-character as each character is entered by the user.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein

the user input device is further to enable the user to customize keywords, by adding an alias to keywords associated with the information object, the alias used to invoke the information object.

40. A system for executing an action in response to a message entered by a user in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of keywords, each keyword associated with one or more information objects, each information object designed to execute one or more actions;

a keyword including an alias created by a user, to customize the user'"'"'s interaction with the system;

a user input device for receiving an input message from the user, the input message including at least one keyword;

a parser to identify the keyword in the input message, the parser to parse the input message in real-time as the user enters the input message, the parser to associate the input message to an information object associated with the keyword in the input message; and

a user output device to provide feedback to the user.