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

• US 7,627,552 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2003
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guzak, Chris J., Ballou, Nathaniel H., Sheldon, David J., Miner, Patrice L., Banks, Richard M., De Vorchik, David, Chalivendra, Sasanka C., Kaasten, Shaun A., Moore, Jason F.
• Primary Examiner(s): EHICHIOYA, IRETE FRED
• Application Number:
  US10/403,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20040189707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707/102, 707/200, 707/100, 707/101, 707/203, 707/103.R, 707/205, 707/104.1, 360/48, 709/219, 709/238, 709/229, 709/231, 709/201, 709/206, 709/203, 710/5, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/854, 715/210, 715/851, 715/738, 715/19, 705/26, 705/51
• 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. 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, comprising:

representing a plurality of items on the display, wherein individual items within the plurality of items have metadata properties, wherein a metadata property is a category of metadata and a metadata value is the entry in a metadata property for a specific item;

displaying a quick link that is associated with a specified metadata value within a category of metadata;

responsive to a user selection of the quick link, providing a view on the display of a first subset of the plurality of items associated with the specified metadata value;

dynamically determining, in the computer system, a common metadata property that is associated with at least two of the plurality of items;

representing a second subset the first subset of the plurality of items that are associated with the metadata property as a stack, wherein a stack is a virtual folder, and wherein the stack displays a number of items within the stack;

selecting a first metadata value from an item within the second subset as a filter term;

representing the filter term on the display;

receiving a user selection of the filter term; and

responsive to the user selection, reducing the items that are represented on the display by representing on the display only those items within the second subset that have the metadata value that corresponds to the filter term, wherein the representation of the stack is modified to indicate a new number of items within the second subset that have the meta data value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of items are stored in different physical folders.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the different physical folders are stored in different physical locations.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the different physical folders are stored in a same physical location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of items comprises both file items and non-file items.

6. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable software components for implementing a method for filtering items in a computer system, the computer system having a display and a memory for storing items, the method comprising:

representing a plurality of items on the display;

analyzing, at a computing device, a plurality of metadata properties associated with the plurality of items to determine common metadata properties that are associated with at least two of the plurality of items, wherein a metadata property is a category of metadata and a metadata value is the entry in a metadata property for a specific item;

representing subsets of the plurality of items that are associated with the common metadata properties as a plurality of stacks, wherein a stack is a virtual folder, and wherein an individual stack displays a number of items within the individual stack that share the common metadata property associated with the stack;

receiving a user selection of one of the plurality of stacks represented on the display;

responsive to the user selection, displaying representations of the individual items within the one of the plurality of stacks;

displaying a quick link that is associated with a specified metadata value within a category of metadata; and

responsive to a user selection of the quick link, providing a view on the display of a subset of the representations of the individual items associated with the specified metadata value.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of items are stored in different physical folders.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the different physical folders are stored in different physical locations comprising a present computer and at least one of a different computer, a location on a network, and an external storage device.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of items comprise both file items and non-file items.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

displaying each of a plurality of stacks on a display, wherein a stack contains references to items grouped by a common metadata property, and wherein an individual stack displays a number of items within the individual stack that share the common metadata property associated with the stack;

analyzing, at a computing device, a plurality of metadata properties associated with a plurality of items within the plurality of stacks to determine a plural subset of the metadata properties each being associated with at least two of the plurality of items, wherein a metadata property is a category of metadata and a metadata value is the entry in a metadata property for a specific item;

generating a plurality of filter terms each based on a metadata value associated with at least one of the subset of the metadata properties;

displaying each of the filter terms on the display as a plurality of quick links, wherein each of the plurality of quick links is associated with an individual metadata value;

receiving a user selection of one of the displayed quick links; and

responsive to the user selection, displaying a subset of the plurality of items having a metadata value associated with the metadata property corresponding to the filter quick link but not those of the plurality of items having a metadata value associated with the metadata property not corresponding to the quick link.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the step of displaying the filter terms includes displaying the filter terms as a list of quick links.

12. A computer-assisted method, comprising:

displaying each of a plurality of stacks on a display, wherein a stack contains references to items grouped by a common metadata property, and wherein an individual stack displays a number of items within the individual stack that share the common metadata property associated with the stack;

analyzing, at a computing device, a plurality of metadata properties associated with a plurality of items within the plurality of stacks to determine a plural subset of the metadata properties each being associated with at least two of the plurality of items, wherein a metadata property is a category of metadata and a metadata value is the entry in a metadata property for a specific item;

generating a plurality of filter terms each based on a metadata value associated with at least one of the subset of the metadata properties;

displaying each of the filter terms on the display as a plurality of quick links, wherein each of the plurality of quick links is associated with an individual metadata value;

receiving a user selection of one of the plurality of quick links and responsive to the user selection, displaying those of the items having a metadata value corresponding to the individual metadata value associated with the selected quick link but not those of the items having a metadata value not corresponding to the quick link.