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

• US 7,512,586 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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): Vital; Pierre M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ehichioya; Fred I
• Application Number:
  US11/379,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/100, 707/101, 707/200, 709/219, 709/231, 715/210
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 is provided. Filters are provided for manipulating the items. The filters are essentially tools for narrowing down a set of items. The filters can be 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.

Claims

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

providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items, wherein the plurality of display objects is populated using a first enumerator structure and wherein display objects in the plurality can be directly manipulated;

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

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 populated by a second enumerator structure;

providing additional filtering functions on the display; and

in response to the modifying of the display objects, modifying the additional filtering functions provided on the display corresponding to metadata properties of the filtered items that are represented on the display.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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 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.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the library comprises a shell browser.

8. 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 within a hierarchical tree structure.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

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

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

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first enumerator structure is a conversion of a data structure of rows and columns in a relational database into a first identification list of the plurality of display objects;

and wherein the second enumerator structure is a conversion, of the data structure, from rows and columns in the relational database into a second identification list containing entries associated with the items that have the metadata property that correspond to the filter term.

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

providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items, wherein the display objects of the plurality are capable of direct manipulation and wherein the plurality of display objects is populated using a first enumerator structure;

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

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 populated by a second enumerator structure and 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;

providing additional filtering functions on the display; and

in response to the modifying of the display objects, modifying the additional filtering functions provided on the display according to the filtered items that are represented on the display.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

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

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

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

providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items and that can be directly manipulatedm wherein the plurality of display objects is populated using a first enumerator structure;

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

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 and wherein one or more of the modified display objects comprises a virtual folder populated by a second enumerator structure;

providing additional filtering functions on the display; and

in response to the modifying of the display objects, modifying the additional filtering functions provided on the display corresponding to metadata associated with the filtered items that are represented on the display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-file items comprise at least one of contacts or e-mails.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-file items comprise an electronic communication.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

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

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