Machine-implemented activity management system using asynchronously shared activity data objects and journal data items

• US 7,197,502 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2004
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Friendly Polynomials, Inc.
• Inventors: Feinsmith, Jason B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Kuen S.
• Application Number:
  US10/782,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20050182773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/10, 707/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• 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

Machine-assisted methods and apparatus are disclosed for allowing individual users to develop and organize respective activity descriptions and supporting journal items according to their respective preferences. Cross-referencing mappings may be created between activity descriptions and journal items in order to find, filter and organize disparate data. Cross-referencing mappings may also be created between the developed activity descriptions of different users so they can better understand each others perspectives and possibly overlapping goals. Different users'"'"' activity descriptions can be presented to a user even while the user may be disconnected from communication networks. Hierarchical relationships between activity descriptions may be provided. Machine-assisted means may be provided for creating work-sharing, work-delegating and/or informational sharing agreements between different users. Further machine-implemented means may be provided for automatically and asynchronously updating users on shared activities by other users even though all users are not necessarily connected to one or more respective communication networks at same time.

Claims

1. An expression storing and transmitting system that can be used by a first user and enables the first user to develop expressions of ideas for one or more activities and to share the expressed activity ideas with one or more other users, wherein the expression storing and transmitting system comprises:

(a) activity description recording means for recording in an activity descriptions holding area of the first user, a first set of one or more first activity descriptions wherein each said recorded first activity description comprises an activity data object (ADO) and wherein each given ADO comprises;

(a.1) at least one of a short activity descriptor field and long activity descriptor field for respectively providing a relatively short description and a comparatively longer or more detailed description of a corresponding activity of the given ADO; and

(a.2) an ADO owner identifying field for identifying an owner-user who has ownership and modification rights over the said ADO for creating or modifying at least said short description or comparatively longer or more detailed description of the corresponding activity of the given ADO; and

(a.3) a uniqueness providing field for use alone or in combination with said ADO owner identifying field for providing the given ADO with a unique identification so as to make the given ADO uniquely identifiable respectively among other ADO'"'"'s owned by said owner-user of the given ADO and among other ADO'"'"'s owned by a specifiable pool of other users with whom the owner-user of the given ADO is sharing or may be sharing activity idea information;

means for selecting activity description expressions for sharing with one or more other users;

means for deriving a transmittable bundle of one or more selected activity description expressions for transmitting as derived copies to one or more other users; and

(b) first sharing means for transmitting the derived copies of selected activity description expressions stored in the said activity descriptions holding area of the first user to alike systems or unalike systems usable by one or more other users so that the one or more other users can at least review the activity description expressions developed by the first user and transmitted via said first sharing means.

2. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further wherein:

(a.4) the said activity description recording means includes means for recording in one or more activity descriptions holding areas, corresponding ones of activity descriptions.

3. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further comprising:

(c) journaling means for recording in one or more journal data items holding areas, corresponding ones of journal data items.

4. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further comprising:

(c) second sharing means for receiving and recording a second set of one or more corresponding and second activity description expressions from said alike systems, where the second set may include alike ADO structures associated with, and owned by the second users of the alike systems, wherein portions or wholes of said second set of activity descriptions can be recorded into the said activity descriptions holding area of the first user as updates to or as new members of the respective first set of one or more activity descriptions of the first user; and

(d) expressing means for presenting to the first user in an integrated presentation, expressions of the first set of one or more of the recorded activity descriptions and expressions of the received and recorded second set of one or more activity descriptions.

5. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further each given ADO comprises:

(a.4) a common-idea-tying field for identifying the given ADO as being a member of a corresponding and exclusive first group of further ADOs that can be logically tied together under an exclusive, common-idea-tying field such that said first group of common-idea-tied ADOs is unique among at least all other common-idea-tied groups of ADOs that are recorded in the activity descriptions holding area of the first user and in the activity description holding areas of other users in a specifiable sharing pool, and such that no ADO member of said exclusive, first group of common-idea-tied ADOs is also a member of another alike and exclusive group of common-idea-tied ADOs recorded in the said activity descriptions holding area of the first user and the holding areas of other users in a specifiable sharing pool.

6. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 5 and further comprising:

(c) second sharing means for receiving and recording a second set of second one or more activity description expressions where the second set may include alike ADO structures associated with, and owned by second users of alike said systems; and

(d) expressing and preview means for presenting to the first user a presentation including one or more of said second activity descriptions that may not yet have been reviewed by said first user, for which the ADOs corresponding to said presented second activity descriptions comprise said common-idea-tying fields that do not match such fields corresponding to any other ADOs that are already recorded in the activity descriptions holding area of the first user.

7. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 5 and further comprising:

(c) integrating means for allowing the first user to integrate into his own recorded collections of said recorded first activity descriptions, new, third respective, derived copies of second activity descriptions received from outside his collections in a manner;

such that;

(C.1) the common-idea-tying fields of respective second activity descriptions do not match the common-idea-tying fields of any first activity descriptions before respective said integration;

(c.2) said integrated third derived copies are owned by the first user; and

(c.3) the common-idea-tying fields of respective said third derived copies indicate the same values as the common-idea-tying fields of the respective second activity descriptions.

8. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 5 and further comprising:

(c) second sharing means for receiving a second set of second one or more activity description expressions where the second set may include alike ADO structures associated with, and owned by second users of alike said systems; and

further wherein;

(a.5) the activity description recording means includes means of automatically updating said activity descriptions in the activity descriptions holding area of the first user, wherein if both the common-idea-tying field and the owner-user indicated by a said first activity description respectively match the common-idea-tying field and the owner-user indicated by a said received second activity description, then one or more portions of the received second activity description are used by said means of automatically updating to update the values of the corresponding one or more portions of the matching first activity description in the activity descriptions holding area of the first user.

9. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 8 and further wherein:

(a.5a) the automatic updating means includes sharing progress tracking means wherein the said portions of updated activity descriptions owned by other than the said first user, include one or more of a sharing or delegating agreement indicator, an activity completion status indicator, a priority indicator or other activity description indicators; and

(a.5b) said sharing progress tracking means includes expressing means for presenting to the first user expressions of these indicators.

10. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 5 and further wherein:

(b.1) the first sharing means includes means of automatically transmitting derived copies of said one or more first activity descriptions that are owned by said first user, to machine areas of other users who are respectively indicated as originators of respective activity idea expressions corresponding to the respectively said common-idea-tying fields of the one or more first user owned first activity descriptions.

11. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 10 and further wherein:

(b.1a) the said indicators of originators of the respective activity idea expressions are recorded in the said one or more first owned activity descriptions or are recorded in any other of the first activity descriptions that are members of the common-idea-tied group of the respective said one or more first owned activity descriptions.

12. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 5 and further wherein:

(b.1) the first sharing means includes means of automatically transmitting derived copies of said one or more first activity descriptions that are owned by said first user, to machine areas of other users who are respectively indicated as the owners of respective other one or more of the said first activity description; and

(a.5) the common-idea-tying fields of the transmitted copies that correspond to the respective said owned activity descriptions match the common-idea-tying fields corresponding to the said respective other one or more activity descriptions.

13. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further wherein:

(b.1) the first sharing means includes means of automatically transmitting derived copies of said one or more first activity descriptions that are owned by said first user, to machine areas of other users who are indicated as supervisory users relative to said first user and wherein;

(b.1a) said automatic transmitting means is initiated directly or indirectly when said one or more first activity descriptions are created by said first user or if said one or more first activity descriptions are modified by said first user.

14. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 wherein each given ADO further comprises:

(a.4) common-idea-tying reference data which alone, or overlappingly with one or both of said ADO owner identifying field and said uniqueness providing field, logically ties the given ADO to one or more other ADO'"'"'s to thereby define a corresponding, first group of ADOs that are logically tied together under a unique identification for an expressed activity idea.

15. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 14 wherein:

(a.4a) said common-idea-tying reference data is defined by at least one of the ADOs-tying set consisting of;

(a.4a1) a Common Idea Expression Reference (CIER) field;

(a.4a2) a pointer pointing to a linked list of the other ADOs in said first group of common-idea-tied ADOs; and

(a.4a3) a reference to a linking table which identifies the other ADOs in said first group of common-idea-tied ADOs.

16. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 wherein each given ADO further comprises:

(a.4) one or more ADO naming fields which, alone or in combination, uniquely identify the said ADO from amongst at least all other ADO'"'"'s that are recorded in the activity descriptions holding area of the first user.

17. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further wherein each given ADO comprises at least one of:

(a.4) an indication of privacy level;

(a.5) an indication of other users to whom activity descriptions or derived copies of activity descriptions may be transmitted; and

(a.6) an indication of other users to whom activity descriptions or derived copies of activity descriptions may not be transmitted.

18. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 each given ADO further comprises:

(a.4) an inbound sharing request type indicating field for identifying each given respective activity description as corresponding to a respective inbound sharing request type, which may be null;

and further wherein the system includes;

(c) expressing means for presenting to the user, expressions of the first one or more recorded activity descriptions, wherein said expressing means includes means to automatically and selectively filter from the presentation, first activity descriptions corresponding to a specified one or more inbound sharing request types.

19. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 each given ADO further comprises:

(a.4) a sharing request type indicating field for identifying each given activity description as corresponding to a respective sharing request type, wherein the said indication of sharing request type is selected from a group of sharing request types including;

a “

For Your Information”

type (FYI) or equivalent type, wherein the “

For Your Information”

sharing type does not correspond to a request for receiving users to actively participate in regard to the activity description.

20. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further wherein each given ADO comprises:

(a.4) an indication of a sharing request type among a set of sharing request types, wherein a said set of said sharing request types includes one of at least;

(a.4a) a first combination indicating a no sharing request; and

a sharing request;

(a.4b) a second combination indicating a no sharing request;

a request for involvement; and

a request for awareness but no involvement (FYI); and

(a.4c) a third combination indicating a no sharing request;

a request for shared involvement;

a request for delegated involvement; and

a request for awareness but no involvement (for your information).

21. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further wherein said first sharing means includes:

(b.1) means for transmitting translated ADO copies in one or more formats from the group consisting of;

(a) message body ASCII text;

(b) message body rich text;

(c) message body HTML;

(d) a message or email encoded binary attachment;

or

(e) data encrypted or compressed into message body ASCII text.

22. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further wherein:

(a.4) the first sharina means includes means of automatically transmitting derived copies of said one or more first activity descriptions that are owned by said first user to machine areas of other users to whom the first user has indicated the activity descriptions should be shared to; and

wherein;

(a.5) said automatic transmitting means is initiated directly or indirectly when said one or more first activity descriptions are created by said first user or if said one or more first activity descriptions are modified by said first user.

23. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 wherein these-of said activity descriptions that are owned by a given user are hierarchically organized at least as parent nodes and corresponding child nodes of a primary hierarchical tree, wherein each said activity description has as its parent in the primary hierarchical tree, only one primary parent node, unless said activity description defines a root node, and each said activity description has as its children, zero or more primary child nodes.

24. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 23 wherein each ADO further comprises one or more of:

(a.4) a primary parent identifying field for identifying the one primary parent ADO of the given ADO unless the given ADO defines a root node of its corresponding, primary hierarchical tree;

(a.5) one or more primary children identifying fields for identifying, alone or in combination, the one or more primary child ADO'"'"'s, if any, of the given ADO.

25. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 23 wherein said activity descriptions that are primary child nodes also have one or more secondary parent nodes that are not the same as their primary parent nodes, and wherein any activity description can have zero, one or more secondary child nodes for which such secondary child nodes can be different from their corresponding primary child nodes.

26. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 23 wherein:

(b.1) the first sharing means includes means for automatically transmitting a derived copy of a to-be-shared one of said first activity descriptions, that is owned by said first user, to machine areas of one or more predefined reporting-to users, if any.

27. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 23 wherein:

(b.1) the first sharing means includes means for automatically transmitting a derived copy of a to-be-shared one of said first activity descriptions, that is owned by said first user, to machine areas of reporting-to users, if any, wherein;

(b.1a) a reporting-to user can be described as an owner of any activity description of said first activity descriptions and wherein the any activity description corresponds to a same common-idea-tied group of activity descriptions to which the given activity description is tied.

(b.1b) said automatic transmission is transmitted to reporting-to users of the to-be-shared activity description'"'"'s primary parent activity descriptions or further progenitor activity descriptions.

28. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 23 further wherein those of said activity descriptions that are owned by a given user are hierarchically organized as child nodes to foyered nodes, wherein said foyered nodes are described as nodes of recorded activity descriptions that are not owned by the said first user yet are recorded in the said activity descriptions holding area of the first user.

29. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 28 wherein:

(b.1) the first sharing means includes means of automatically transmitting a derived copy of a to-be-shared one of said first activity descriptions, that is owned by said first users, to machine areas of foyered parent reporting-to users if any, wherein;

(b.1a) a foyered parent reporting-to user can be described as an originator of the activity idea expression corresponding to a foyered parent node of the to-be-shared activity description.

30. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 28 wherein:

(b.1) the first sharing means includes means of automatically transmitting a derived copy of a to-be-shared one of said first activity descriptions, that is owned by said first users, to machine areas of foyered parent reporting-to users if any, wherein;

(b.1a) a foyered parent reporting-to user can be described as an owner of a foyered parent activity description of the to-be-shared activity description.

31. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further comprising:

(c) journal data recording means for recording in a journal items holding area of the first user, one or more journal items wherein each said recorded journal item comprises a journal data item that is recorded in a format other than that of the activity data object format;

(d) first expression linking means for generating first logical links between selectable ones of the recorded activity data objects and at least a corresponding one of the recorded journal data items.

32. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 31 and further comprising:

(e) transmitting means for generating and transmitting derived copies of one or more of the recorded activity data objects including transmitting of derived copies of the at least one respectively logically linked journal data item.

33. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 1 and further comprising:

(c) expressing means for presenting to the said first user, second activity description expressions owned by users other than the first user, wherein underlying activity descriptions are recorded in the activity descriptions holding area of the first user.

34. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 33 wherein:

(c.1) said expressing means includes means for presenting to the first user even when the said expression storing and transmitting system is decoupled from any telecommunications networks.

35. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 33 wherein:

(c.1) said expressing means includes integrated presenting means for presenting an integrated presentation of the expressions of said first activity descriptions owned by the first user and the expressions of the second activity descriptions owned by users other than the first user.

36. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 35 wherein:

(c.1a) said integrated expressing means includes foyered activity filtering means for limiting the presented expressions of the second activity descriptions to ones that correspond to a selected first activity description expression wherein the presented second activity description expressions and the selected first activity description expression all correspond to one common-idea-tied group of ADOs.

37. The expression storing and transmitting system of claim 33 wherein:

(c.1) said expressing means includes embedded attribute presentation means for presenting one or more of the second activity descriptions, owned by the other users, wherein;

(c.1a) presented expressions for specified ADO fields are replaced by presented expressions for alike ADO fields obtained from the respectively corresponding first activity descriptions, owned by the said first user; and

(c.1b) wherein the respective second and first underlying activity descriptions correspond according to respective common-idea-tied groups of ADOs.