System and method for filtering and organizing items based on common elements

• US 7,162,466 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tubbs, Kenneth M., Miner, Patrice L., De Vorchik, David G., Banks, Richard M., Kaasten, Shaun A., Moore, Jason F., Ivanovic, Relja
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ehichioya; Fred I.
• Application Number:
  US10/440,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707/102, 707/200, 707/7, 707/100, 707/103.R, 707/104.1, 360/48, 709/219, 709/238, 709/200, 709/213, 710/5, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/835, 715/854
• US Class Current: 707/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/192 Implementing virtual folder structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for filtering and organizing items from computer memories based on common elements. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, filters are provided for manipulating the items. The filters are essentially tools for narrowing down a set of items. In one embodiment, the filters are dynamically generated based on the properties of the separate items. The system utilizes virtual folders. The virtual folders expose regular files and folders to users in different views based on their metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on the disk. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, quick links are provided. In one embodiment, quick links are a set of predefined links (e.g., located on the left side of the display) that can be clicked on to generate useful views of the sets of items. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, libraries are provided. Libraries consist of large groups of usable types of items that can be associated together.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a display and a memory for storing items with metadata properties, a method of filtering items, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items;

providing a filter area on the display in which a user can enter a filter term;

receiving the filter term corresponding to a metadata property entered by the user in the filter area;

filtering the items represented by the display objects based on the filter term; and

modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that have the metadata property that corresponds to the filter term in response to the filtering of the items, wherein one or more of the modified display objects comprises a virtual folder, the virtual folders including numerical representations of the number of items that the virtual folders contain, and wherein the filtering of the items causes the numerical representations to be correspondingly reduced.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the filter term comprises a plurality of characters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein additional filtering is performed in response to the user adding additional characters to the filter term.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a timer is utilized such that the filtering is performed after a user has entered characters of a filter term and has performed no additional activity for a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a back button is provided to allow a user to back up through the filtering process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein additional filter functions are provided on the display, the method further including, in response to the modifying of the display objects, modifying the additional filter functions provided on the display according to the filtered items that are represented on the display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a library is provided that includes a collection of items and a set of tools for manipulating the items of the library, and the filter term is used for filtering the items of the library.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the library comprises a shell browser.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the items that are represented by the display objects on the display are stored in different folders unrelated within a hierarchical tree structure.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter term is selected by the user from a plurality of filter terms that are provided on the display.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the filter term is selected by the user from a plurality of filter terms that are provided on the display.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter term comprises a plurality of characters and additional filtering is performed by the user adding additional characters to the filter term.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the items that are represented by the display objects on the display are not stored in the same folder.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the items that are represented by the display objects on the display are physically stored in different folders unrelated with a hierarchical tree structure.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the items that are represented by the display objects on the display are stored in different folders in a same physical location.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the items that are represented by the display objects on the display are not stored in the same folder.

17. A method of filtering items, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items;

providing a filter area on the display in which a user can enter a filter term;

receiving the filter term corresponding to a metadata property entered by the user in the filter area;

filtering the items represented by the display objects based on the filter term; and

modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that have the metadata property that corresponds to the filter term in response to the filtering of the items, wherein the filtered items that are represented by the modified display objects on the display are stored in different physical locations comprising a present computer and a different computer, wherein one or more of the modified display objects comprises a virtual folder, the virtual folders including numerical representations of the number of items that the virtual folders contain, and wherein the filtering of the items causes the numerical representations to be correspondingly reduced.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the filter term is selected by the user from a plurality of filter terms that are provided on the display.

19. In a computer system having a display and a memory for storing items with metadata properties, a method of filtering items, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items;

providing a filter area on the display in which a user can enter a filter term;

receiving the filter term corresponding to a metadata property entered by the user in the filter area;

filtering the items represented by the display objects based on the filter term; and

modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that have the metadata property that corresponds to the filter term in response to the filtering of the items, wherein the filtered items that are represented by the modified display objects on the display comprise both file items and non-file items, wherein one or more of the modified display objects comprises a virtual folder, the virtual folders including numerical representations of the number of items that the virtual folders contain, and wherein the filtering of the items causes the numerical representations to be correspondingly reduced.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the non-file items comprise at least one of contacts or e-mails.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a timer is utilized such that the filtering is performed after a user has entered characters of a filter term and has performed no additional activity for a predetermined period of time.

22. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for implementing a method of filtering items with metadata properties, the items being represented on a display, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items;

providing a filter area on the display in which a user can enter a filter term;

receiving the filter term entered by the user in the filter area;

filtering the items represented by the display objects based on the filter term; and

modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that have the metadata property that corresponds to the filter term in response to the filtering of the items, wherein one or more of the modified display objects comprises a virtual folder, the virtual folders including numerical representations of the number of items that the virtual folders contain, and wherein the filtering of the items causes the numerical representations to be correspondingly reduced.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the filter term comprises a plurality of characters.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein additional filtering is performed by the user adding additional characters to the filter term.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a timer is utilized such that the filtering is performed after a user has entered characters of a filter term and has performed no additional activity for a predetermined period of time.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein a back button is provided to allow a user to back up through the filtering process.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein additional filter functions are provided on the display, method further including, in response to the modifying of the display objects, modifying the additional filter functions provided on the display according to the filtered items that are represented on the display.

28. A system for filtering items, comprising:

a display;

a means for providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items;

a means for providing a filter area on the display in which a user can enter a filter term;

a means for receiving the filter term entered by the user in the filter area;

a means for filtering the items represented by the display objects based on the filter term; and

a means for modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that have the metadata property that corresponds to the filter term in response to the filtering of the items, wherein one or more of the modified display objects comprises a virtual folder, the virtual folders including numerical representations of the number of items that the virtual folders contain, and wherein the filtering of the items causes the numerical representations to be correspondingly reduced.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the filter term comprises a plurality of characters.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein additional filtering is performed by the user adding additional characters to the filter term.