Method and system for managing user activities and information using a customized computer interface

• US 7,366,990 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C-SAM Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: C-SAM Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pitroda, Satyan G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax; Steven P.
• Application Number:
  US09/766,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,657 Days
• Field of Search: 345/834, 345/764, 345/781, 345/733, 345/769, 345853-855, 345/837, 345/839, 345/763, 715853-855, 715771-773, 715734-737, 715/740, 715/749, 715/789, 715/811, 715/745, 715/744, 715746-747, 715/856, 715/804, 715/805
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and systems for managing user information using a customized computer interface which is user centric and geared toward creating and managing a personal information portal. In one aspect, the invention provides computerized methods for organizing a representation of user activities and information and navigating through an information management system that utilizes the representation.

Claims

1. A computerized method for organizing user activities and information, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a plurality of spheres corresponding to the activities and information;

identifying activities and information for each sphere;

creating universes corresponding to a subset of the activities and information, wherein each universe is related to at least one sphere;

creating personalities corresponding to an individual associated with the user and the user'"'"'s activities and information, wherein each personality corresponds to at least one sphere;

a computer user establishing parent, child, and jump relationships among the spheres, universes and personalities;

a computer system learning a pattern of relationships established by the computer user and creating additional relationships that follow the learned pattern; and

representing the spheres, universes, and personalities as nodes in a graphical user interface, and further representing the relationships as links between the nodes.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of associating a notebook with each universe wherein the notebook organizes a plurality of characteristics corresponding to the universe.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the notebook comprises general, communication, management, and document activities and information and access to communication, management, and document creating applications.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each universe comprises related information, and transactions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the spheres comprise objects relating to business activities and information, personal activities and information, people information, and tools.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the communication, management, and document creating applications may be compatible third party applications.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of consolidating all information from associated notebooks into one global notebook.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of performing operations on the universes and personalities to perform functions comprising communication, documentation, management, and navigation.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein operations are performed by associating software applications to perform communication, documentation, management, and navigation.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of tracking user operations and storing the user operations in a database.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of sending the graphical user interface to a networked computer for remote access.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the computer predicting additional relationships further comprises the step of the computer system examining a document to determine whether a relationship may be necessary between two universes and observing whether the computer user has established similar relationships in the past.

12. A computer system for organizing user activities and information, the system comprising:

a visual display for representing the user activities and information;

a storage medium for storing and retrieving information related to the user activities and information;

a computer processor coupled to the visual display and to the storage medium for accessing and processing information stored in the storage medium to provide a graphical user interface of user activities and information;

an input means coupled to the computer processor for entering information related to the representation of user activities and information;

a software portion for creating a plurality of spheres corresponding to the activities and information;

a software portion for identifying activities and information for each sphere;

a software portion for creating universes corresponding to a subset of the activities and information wherein each universe corresponds to at least one sphere;

a software portion for creating personalities corresponding to an individual associated with the user and the user'"'"'s activities and information, wherein each personality corresponds to at least one sphere;

a software portion for establishing parent, child, and jump relationships among the spheres, universes and personalities, for learning patterns of relationships established by a computer user and for adding relationships that follow patterns of relationships established by the computer user; and

a software portion for providing navigation of the spheres, universes, and personalities.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the graphical user interface comprises:

a software portion for displaying icons representing spheres corresponding to activities and information;

a software portion for selecting an icon, whereby the selected icon and icons representing the universes, comprising child and jump, corresponding to the selected icon are displayed;

a software portion for traversing through related universes, whereby selection of an icon representing a universe displays icons representing child and jump universes; and

a software portion for selecting a desired universe from the displayed icons representing child and jump universes.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a software portion for displaying a notebook associated with the desired universe, the notebook comprising activities and information and access to applications.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the software portions reside on top of an existing operating system and interacts with the existing operating system.

16. The system of claim 13 such that the system is embodied in an existing operating system.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the software portions reside in computer systems comprising a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a networked computer, a computer server, and a stand alone computer.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising a software portion for providing a relational database to process information and relationships between the spheres, universes, personalities and notebooks.

19. The system of claim 13 further comprising a software portion for transparently incorporating compatible third party applications into the system.

20. The system of claim 13 further comprising a software portion for synchronizing information with third party information management systems.

21. The system of claim 13 further comprising a set of preconfigured spheres, universes, and relationships between spheres and universes.

22. The system of claim 13 further comprising a remote server for providing remote access to the representation of user activities and information.

23. A computer program product for organizing user activities and information comprising:

a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the storage medium for a representation of user activities and information;

computer readable program code means to construct spheres, each sphere comprising universes, wherein each universe corresponds to particular user activities and information;

computer readable program code means to construct a hierarchy of universes corresponding to an associated sphere;

computer readable program code means to construct a notebook related to a universe, wherein the notebook organizes the user activities and information corresponding to the related universe;

computer readable program code means to establish relationships between spheres, universes, and personalities based on relationships selected by a computer user;

computer readable program code means to add relationships between spheres, universes, and personalities based on a learned pattern of relationships established by the computer readable code means to establish relationships; and

a computer readable program code means to provide a graphical user interface to navigate through the user activities and information wherein the spheres, universes, and personalities are represented as nodes and the relationships are represented as links between the nodes.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 further comprising computer readable program code means for a set of preconfigured spheres and universes.

25. The computer program product of claim 23 further comprising computer readable program code means for an expert system to predict user activities and information.