Methods and systems for managing to do items or notes or electronic messages

• US 8,261,197 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lemay, Stephen, Forstall, Scott, Langoulant, Brendan, Christie, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, TUYETLIEN T
• Application Number:
  US11/499,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/752, 715/754, 709204-206
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Methods and systems for managing To do items and/or notes and/or emails (or other electronic messages) are described. On exemplary method includes receiving an input to create a To do item based on a portion of an email record, such as a received email, and creating, in response to the input, the To do item. Another exemplary method includes storing a note having a To do item in the note, the note being stored as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database and storing the To do item in the To do database and receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

Claims

1. A machine readable storage medium containing program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

displaying an email message body;

recognizing a user highlighting a portion of the email message body, the portion of the email message body being less than all of the email message body;

in response to a user selecting a feature displayed on a user interface, concurrently creating a note and To do item, the note identified as a note, the To do item identified as a To do item, the To do item being part of the note such that when the note is displayed, the To do item is displayed within the displayed note and separately identified as a To do item within the displayed note, the text of the note and the To do item being the portion of the email message body;

storing the note as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database;

storing the To do item in the To do database;

receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

2. A medium as in claim 1, wherein the To do item is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the To do database as the note is edited by a user and wherein the note is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the note database as the To do item is edited by the user.

3. A medium as in claim 2, wherein the To do item and the note are automatically synchronized by the data processing system as the user edits either the To do item or the note.

4. A medium as in claim 1, wherein the To do item and note, without further user input, is automatically displayed within the email application along with the email record and the email inbox that lists the email record.

5. A medium as in claim 1, wherein selection of the feature comprises one of (1) pressing a mouse'"'"'s button or (2) pressing a key on a device with keys, or (3) touching the displayed command as displayed on a display device or (4) a spoken command which is designed to select the single button and wherein the selected portion of the selected email'"'"'s written text is displayed in an email window which includes the displayed command interface and wherein a user can select from the displayed command interface, while in the email window which displays the inbox, without having to switch to a window showing To do items.

6. A medium as in claim 1, wherein the To do item comprises at least one of (1) a due date;

or (2) a specification of an action or action item or action required;

or (3) a priority;

or (4) a settable alarm;

or (5) an identification of a particular selectable calendar within a set of a user'"'"'s calendars or (6) a completed status indicator.

7. A machine implemented method comprising:

displaying an email message body;

recognizing a user highlighting a portion of the email message body, the portion of the email message body being less than all of the email message body;

in response to a user selecting a feature displayed on a user interface, concurrently creating a note and To do item, the note identified as a note, the To do item identified as a To do item, the To do item being part of the note such that when the note is displayed, the To do item is displayed within the displayed note and separately identified as a To do item within the displayed note, the text of the note and the To do item being the portion of the email message body;

storing the note as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database;

storing the To do item in the To do database;

receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the To do item is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the To do database as the note is edited by a user and wherein the note is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the note database as the To do item is edited by the user.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein the To do item and the note are automatically synchronized by the data processing system as the user edits either the To do item or the note.

10. A method as in claim 7, wherein the To do item and note, without further user input, is automatically displayed within the email application along with the email record and the email inbox that lists the email record.

11. A method as in claim 7, wherein selection of the feature comprises one of (1) pressing a mouse'"'"'s button or (2) pressing a key on a device with keys, or (3) touching the displayed command as displayed on a display device or (4) a spoken command which is designed to select the single button and wherein the selected portion of the selected email'"'"'s written text is displayed in an email window which includes the displayed command interface and wherein a user can select from the displayed command interface, while in the email window which displays the inbox, without having to switch to a window showing To do items.

12. A method as in claim 7, wherein the To do item comprises at least one of (1) a due date;

or (2) a specification of an action or action item or action required;

or (3) a priority;

or (4) a settable alarm;

or (5) an identification of a particular selectable calendar within a set of a user'"'"'s calendars or (6) a completed status indicator.

13. A handheld electronic computing device, comprising a machine readable storage medium containing executable program instructions which cause the handheld electronic computing device to perform a method comprising:

displaying an email message body;

recognizing a user highlighting a portion of the email message body, the portion of the email message body being less than all of the email message body;

in response to a user selecting a feature displayed on a user interface, concurrently creating a note and To do item, the note identified as a note, the To do item identified as a To do item, the To do item being part of the note such that when the note is displayed, the To do item is displayed within the displayed note and separately identified as a To do item within the displayed note, the text of the note and the To do item being the portion of the email message body;

storing the note as an entry in a note database which is separate from a To do database;

storing the To do item in the To do database;

receiving an input within either a note view or a To do view to edit the To do item and causing the note to be edited and causing the To do item to be edited in response to the input.

14. A handheld electronic computing device as in claim 13, wherein the To do item is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the To do database as the note is edited by a user and wherein the note is edited dynamically by the data processing system in the note database as the To do item is edited by the user.

15. A handheld electronic computing device as in claim 14, wherein the To do item and the note are automatically synchronized by the data processing system as the user edits either the To do item or the note.

16. A handheld computing device as in claim 13, wherein the To do item and note, without further user input, is automatically displayed within the email application along with the email record and the email inbox that lists the email record.

17. A handheld computing device as in claim 13, wherein selection of the feature comprises one of (1) pressing a mouse'"'"'s button or (2) pressing a key on a device with keys, or (3) touching the displayed command as displayed on a display device or (4) a spoken command which is designed to select the single button and wherein the selected portion of the selected email'"'"'s written text is displayed in an email window which includes the displayed command interface and wherein a user can select from the displayed command interface, while in the email window which displays the inbox, without having to switch to a window showing To do items.

18. A handheld computing device as in claim 13, wherein the To do item comprises at least one of (1) a due date;

or (2) a specification of an action or action item or action required;

or (3) a priority;

or (4) a settable alarm;

or (5) an identification of a particular selectable calendar within a set of a user'"'"'s calendars or (6) a completed status indicator.