System and method for organizing, managing, and manipulating desktop objects with an activity-oriented user interface

• US 8,584,022 B1
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Everex Systems Incorporated (MidgardXXI, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Everex Systems Incorporated (MidgardXXI, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Shaughnessy, Gerald E., Karash, Oskar, Spirin, Vladimir, Ivlev, Alexei, Medvedev, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choi, David
• Application Number:
  US11/748,289
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/821, 707/828, 707/829, 715/209, 715/212, 715/230, 715/231, 715/853, 715/751, 715/752
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

An email client and file manager provides combined file management and communications management in a single interface. An interface allows documents, email messages, contact information, web links or pages, and user-attached notes to be stored in the same folders. This facilitates communication by email and fax. The interface permits the user to combine this data in folders which the user categorizes according to a folder tree created by the user. In one embodiment of the invention, the client, in its email function, communicates with a dedicated host which in turn communicates with external servers according to standard internet protocol.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for a general purpose computer having access to storage for computer files organized in a general folder structure, such files comprising (a) files generated by executable application programs that generate various kinds of application files and (b) application type files, the computer providing a computing environment via a user interface comprising an input responsive to user commands and a display capable of displaying the computer files in the general folder structure, the computer-readable storage medium further comprising:

code for displaying and manipulating in response to user commands or communication with an email server different kinds of application type files within said general folder structure, said general folder structure having one or more activity folders;

code for storing communication files within said general folder structure, wherein a communication file comprises one or more application type files;

code for automatically associating the individual application type files comprising a communication with each other;

code for visibly annotating the communication, or any of the application type files comprising the communication, with information about its one or more communications, and displaying the annotation information within the display of the general folder structure, wherein the annotation information includes whether the communication or file was sent or received, names of senders and recipients of the file, time of the file, and date and time the file was sent and received;

code for saving any new file created with any application accessible to the user'"'"'s computing environment into any activity folder within the general folder structure; and

code for manipulating computer files within the activity folders, thereby allowing a user to group and organize subjectively related files of various application types within any of said activity folders, including grouping files which are associated with communications together with files which are not associated with communications within any of said activity folders.

2. A method for displaying and manipulating computer files within a general purpose computer having access to storage for computer files organized in a general folder structure, such files comprising (a) files generated by executable application programs that generate various kinds of application files and (b) application type files, the computer providing a computing environment via a user interface comprising an input responsive to user commands and a display capable of displaying the computer files in the general folder structure, comprising:

displaying and manipulating in response to user commands or communication with an email server different kinds of application type files within said general folder structure, said general folder structure having one or more activity folders into which any new file created with any application accessible to the user'"'"'s computing environment can be saved into any of said activity folders;

storing communication files within said general folder structure, wherein a communication file comprises one or more application type files;

automatically associating the individual application type files comprising a communication with each other;

visibly annotating the communication, or any of the application type files comprising the communication, with information about its one or more communications, and displaying the annotation information within the display of the general folder structure, wherein the annotation information includes whether the communication or file was sent or received, names of senders and recipients of the file, time of the file, and date and time the file was sent and received; and

manipulating, in response to user commands, computer files within the activity folders, thereby allowing a user to group and organize subjectively related files of various application types within any of said activity folders, including grouping files which are associated with communications together with files which are not associated with communications within any of said activity folders.

3. A method for displaying and manipulating computer files within a general purpose computer having access to storage for computer files organized in a general folder structure, such files comprising (a) files generated by executable application programs that generate various kinds of application files and (b) application type files, the computer providing an environment via a user interface comprising an input responsive to user commands and a display capable of displaying the computer files in the general folder structure relating to a user selected activity, the method comprising:

displaying and manipulating in response to user commands or communication with an email server different kinds of application type files in the general folder structure, the different kinds of application type files corresponding to said user selected activity, including the displaying of files which are associated with communications together with files which are not associated with communications within said user selected activity,

visibly annotating a communication, or any application type files comprising the communication, with information about its one or more communications, and displaying the annotation information within the display of the general folder structure, wherein the annotation information includes whether the communication or file was sent or received, names of senders and recipients of the file, time of the file, and date and time the file was sent and received;

wherein an activity comprises any user-defined class of related files whereby a user lumps together different categories of information stored and accessed from different files into a conceptual whole and classifies the whole as a project, task, operation, etc., and where an activity contains related files which were not each created by the same application programs.

4. A method for visibly annotating any individual application type file, located or stored within a general folder structure within a general purpose computer and which has at any point been sent or received as a part of a communication, with information about its one or more communications, from within its location in the general folder structure, comprising:

in response to user commands or communication with an email server, receiving and storing annotation information pertaining to the individual application type file; and

displaying the annotation information, wherein the annotation information is displayed within a display of the general folder structure,

wherein the general folder structure may contain any application type files available to a user on the computer, and

wherein the annotation information includes whether the application type file was sent or received, names of senders and recipients of the file, time of the file, and date and time the file was sent and received.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for a general purpose computer having access to storage for computer files, such files comprising (a) files generated by executable application programs that generate various kinds of application files and (b) application type files, the computer providing a computing environment via a user interface comprising an input responsive to user commands and a display capable of presenting the computer files in a general folder structure, the computer-readable storage medium further comprising:

code for receiving and storing annotation information pertaining to the individual application type file, in response to user commands or communication with an email server; and

code for displaying the annotation information, wherein the annotation information is displayed within a display of the general folder structure, wherein the annotation information includes whether the application type file was sent or received, names of senders and recipients of the file, time of the file, and date and time the file was sent and received.

6. A method for displaying and manipulating computer files within an information handling system comprising a general purpose computer having access to storage for communication files organized in a general folder structure, such files comprising (a) files generated by executable application programs that generate various kinds of application files, (b) application type files, (c) email messages, and their (d) attachments generated by various executable application programs, the computer providing a computing environment via user interface comprising an input responsive to user commands and a display capable of presenting the files in one or more folders in the general folder structure, the method comprising:

in response to user commands or communications with an email server, automatically identifying a particular communication comprising one or more files of one or more application types, including both email message and attachments;

automatically storing the communication in one folder in the general folder structure;

automatically generating code for associating the individual parts of the communication in the general folder structure with each other;

automatically visibly annotating the communication, or any of the application type files comprising the communication, with information about its one or more communications, and displaying the annotation information within the display of the general folder structure, wherein the annotation information includes whether the communication or file was sent or received, names of senders and recipients of the file, time of the file, and date and time the file was sent and received; and

automatically allowing each of the individual files comprising the communication in the general folder structure to be manipulated and processed independently of one another by the user, including processing and performing operations on any one of the attachments without having to so process the email message.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for a general purpose computer having access to storage for communication files organized in a general folder structure, such files comprising (a) files generated by executable application programs that generate various kinds of application files, (b) application type files, (c) email messages, and their (d) attachments generated by various executable application programs, the computer providing a computing environment via user interface comprising an input responsive to user commands and a display capable of presenting the files in one or more folders in the general folder structure, comprising:

code for, in response to user commands or communications with an email server, automatically identifying a particular communication comprising one or more files of one or more application types, including both email message and attachments;

code for automatically storing the communication in one folder in the general folder structure;

code for automatically generating code for associating the individual parts of the communication in the general folder structure with each other;

code for automatically visibly annotating the communication, or any of the application type files comprising the communication, with information about its one or more communications, and displaying the annotation information within the display of the general folder structure, wherein the annotation information includes whether the communication or file was sent or received, names of senders and recipients of the file, time of the file, and date and time the file was sent and received; and

code for automatically allowing each of the individual files comprising the communication in the general folder structure to be manipulated and processed independently of one another by the user, including processing and performing operations on any one of the attachments without having to so process the email message.