Structured task naming

• US 7,587,682 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2004
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meredith, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Takele; Meseker
• Application Number:
  US10/796,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: 345/810, 707/300, 707200-204, 707/3, 707/4, 715/705, 715/810, 715/853, 715/530, 704/9
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

The concept of a specialized task identifier is disclosed to indicate the content of a file within a computer-implemented system for providing help content to a user. In one embodiment, the specialized task identifier includes at least one element selected from a controlled vocabulary. In another embodiment, the specialized task identifier is arranged in accordance with a predetermined structure of organizational elements. In yet another embodiment, the specialized task identifier is utilized as a basis to at least semi-automatically categorize within a taxonomic organization scheme.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for creating and using a task identifier for indexing help file within a system for providing help content to a computer operator, the method comprising:

providing a user with a limited, closed set of word selections that can be assigned to represent one of a plurality of elements that together form the task identifier, the task identifier being indicative of a help-related task described in the content of the help file;

providing a task name grammar that designates said one of the plurality of elements as requiring an action entry in the form of a common or compound verb;

providing access to a collection of taxonomic organization data, wherein the taxonomic organization data relates each word selection in the limited, closed set to a taxonomic category, and wherein the taxonomic category for each word selection is not apparent in the word selection itself;

receiving a selection from the user that is indicative of a particular word selection from the limited, closed set of word selections;

automatically determining, based at least in part on a referral to a reference included within the taxonomic organization data, a particular taxonomic category that corresponds to the particular word selection, wherein the reference includes a record of an association that links the particular taxonomic category to the particular word selection, wherein automatically determining is a step conducted by a computer processor that is a functional component of the computer;

based on said automatic determination, automatically assigning the particular taxonomic category to the file;

automatically determining, based at least in part on the referral to the reference included within the taxonomic organization data, a second particular taxonomic category that corresponds to the particular word selection, wherein the reference further includes a record of an association that links the second particular taxonomic category to the particular word selection; and

facilitating a user-initiated sorting of the file based on the particular taxonomic category, wherein the result of the sort based on the particular taxonomic category is not the same as a result of a sort based on the particular word selection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the user with a second limited set of word selections that can be assigned to represent a second of the plurality of elements;

receiving a second selection from the user that is indicative of a word selection from the second limited set of word selections; and

assigning said word selection from the second limited set of word selections to represent the second of the plurality of elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a user with a limited set of word selections that can be assigned to represent a first of a plurality of elements comprises providing a user with a limited set of word selections that can be assigned to represent an object element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a user with a limited set of word selections that can be assigned to represent a first of a plurality of elements comprises providing a user with a limited set of word selections that can be assigned to represent an action element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements are arranged in accordance with a predetermined structure of organizational elements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements are arranged in accordance with a predetermined order of linguistic structural components.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a task name grammar further comprises providing a task name grammar that designates a second one of the plurality of elements as requiring a semantic-relationship entry.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the collection of taxonomic organization data is a pre-established classification hierarchy organized in multiple levels.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection comprises receiving a something other than a natural language input.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the limited, closed set of word selections is a controlled vocabulary in that the selection received from the user is a selection from a list of choices.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein said particular taxonomic category is positioned within the pre-established classification hierarchy within a different hierarchical branch than a branch within which the second particular taxonomic category is positioned.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the limited, closed set of word selections is a controlled vocabulary in that the selection received from the user is a selection from a list of choices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the selection comprises receiving a something other than a natural language input.

11. A computer-implemented method for at least semi-automatically applying a taxonomic classification to a file to be incorporated into a system for providing help content to a user, the method comprising:

assigning a first taxonomic category to a first word selection from a set of word selections;

providing a user with the set of word selections that can be assigned to represent an element of a task identifier, the task identifier indicative of a help-related task described in the content of the file;

receiving a selection from the user that is indicative of a first word selection from the set of word selections, the first word selection having a meaning that is indicative of the help-related task;

determining, based on referencing a taxonomy data record indicating an association that links the first word selection to a first taxonomic category, that the firs word selection is linked by association to the first taxonomic category;

automatically assigning, based on the selection received from the user, and based on said determination that the first word selection is linked by association to the first taxonomic category, the first taxonomic category to the file;

determining, based on referencing the taxonomy data record which indicates an association that links the first word selection to the a second taxonomic category, that the first word selection is linked by association to the second taxonomic category;

automatically assigning, based on the received from the user, and based on said determination that the first word selection is lined by association to the second taxonomic category, the second taxonomic category to the file;

wherein said taxonomy data record comprises a hierarchically organized taxonomic classification structure, and wherein the first and second taxonomic categories fall within completely separate and distinct branches of the hierarchically organized taxonomic classification structure; and

wherein each automatic assigning step of the computer-implemented method is a step conducted by a computer processor that is a component of the computer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of word selections is a limited, closed set of word selections thus forming a controlled vocabulary.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the task identifier is arranged in accordance with a predetermined order of multiple linguistic structural components, the element being one of said multiple linguistic structural components.

14. The method of claim 11, farther comprising providing a task name grammar that designates said element as requiring an action entry in the form of a common or compound verb.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the selection from the user comprises

receiving an input that is not a natural language input.

19. A computer-implemented method for applying a taxonomic classification to a file to be incorporated into a system for providing help content to a user, the method comprising:

assigning a first taxonomic category to a first word selection included in a closed set of word selections;

providing a user with the closed set of word selections, the word selections being presented as a list of candidate word selections from which an element of a task identifier can be chosen, the task identifier, when fully formed, being indicative of a help-related task described in the content of the file;

receiving a selection from the user that is indicative of a first word selection from the set of word selections, the first word selection having a meaning that is indicative of the help-related task;

assigning the first word selection as said element of the task identifier;

automatically determining, based on referencing a taxonomy data record indicating an association that links the first word selection to a first taxonomic category, that the first word selection is linked by association to the first taxonomic category;

automatically assigning, based on the selection received from the user, and based on said determination that the first word selection is linked by association to the first taxonomic category, the first taxonomic category to the file; and

wherein the automatic assigning step of the computer-implemented method is a step conducted by a computer processor that is a component of the computer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing a task name grammar that designates said element as requiring a particular linguistic structural characteristic; and

requiring that the first word selection include said particular linguistic structural characteristic.