Using chronology as the primary system interface for files, their related meta-data, and their related files

• US 8,949,244 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Skychron Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Skychron Incorporated
• Inventors: Porter, Sheridan L, Porter, Swain W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hung
• Application Number:
  US13/901,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

Methods, Apparatuses, and Storage Medium associated with chronology based file management are disclosed herein. In embodiments, a method may include receiving a selection of a plurality of files or the plurality of files, and generating association data selectively associating the plurality of files with a plurality of events scheduled in a calendar of a user or time periods of the user. The method may further include storing the association data to facilitate subsequent selectively retrieval of the plurality of files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with selected ones of the plurality of events scheduled in the calendar of the user or the time periods of the user. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, from a user of the computing device, a selection of a plurality of files or the plurality of files;

receiving, by the computing device, from the user, through a calendar interface, a selection of an era of the user, wherein the era is a selected one of a childhood era, a teenage era, a high school era, a college era, an era expressed in term of residence in a country, a state, a city, or a street or an era expressed in term of association with an organization or institution;

generating, by the computing device, association data, in response to occurrence of both receiving, to selectively associate the plurality of files with the selected era of the user; and

storing, by the computing device, the association data to facilitate subsequent selective retrieval of the plurality of files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with the era of the user.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein receiving a selection of a plurality of files or the plurality of files comprises receiving, from the user, a selection of photos taken, sound or video recordings made, or emails or text messages sent or received by the user, during the era of the user;

and

wherein generating comprises generating association data associating the photos, the sound or video recordings or the emails or text messages with the elected era of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively retrieving, or causing to be retrieved, by the computing devices, selected ones of the files, in response to retrieval requests for files associated with the time period of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of an era of the user comprises receiving, by the computing device, from the user, through a calendar interface, a time period having an era designation from the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the era designation comprises a childhood era designation, a teenage era designation, a high school era designation, a college era designation, an era designation having a time period, an era designation having a country, a state, a city, a street or an organization name.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the files comprise photos taken, sound or video recordings made, emails, or text messages sent or received, by the user, during the time period of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the files comprise files or webpages viewed or edited by the user during the time period of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the calendar interface comprises an elastic linear time continuum representation for the user to zoom into a time period of the user that spans a plurality of decades.

9. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution of the instructions by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to operate a calendar application for a user of the apparatus, to:

receive, from a user of the computing device, a selection of a plurality of files or the plurality of files;

receive, from the user, through a calendar interface, a selection of an era of the user, wherein the era is a selected one of a childhood era, a teenage era, a high school era, a college era, an era expressed in term of residence in a country, a state, a city, or a street or an era expressed in term of association with an organization or institution;

generate association data in response to occurrence of both receiving, to selectively associate the plurality of files with the selected era of the user; and

store the association data to facilitate subsequent selective retrieval of the plurality of files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with the era of the user.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the apparatus is further caused to:

second receive, from a remote server associated with a teaching institution or a product or service provider, a second selection of a plurality of files or the plurality of files, wherein a service provider is a selected one of a medical care provider, a transportation service provider or a hospitality service provider;

second generate association data, in response to the receive, to selectively associate the second plurality of files with one or more events previously scheduled in a calendar of a user of the apparatus by the user; and

second store the association data to facilitate subsequent selective retrieval of the second plurality of files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with the one or more events scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

11. The storage medium of claim 10,

wherein second receive a selection of a second plurality of files or the second plurality of files comprises receive, from a teaching institution, a selection of handouts reading materials, or assignments associated with a class having multiple class sessions spanning at least a plurality of weeks previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the users;

and

wherein second generate comprises generate association data associating the handouts, reading materials, or assignments with the class sessions previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user to facilitate subsequent selectively retrieving of the second received files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with the class session previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user independent.

12. The storage medium of claim 10,

wherein second receive a selection of a second plurality of files of a user or the second plurality of files comprises receive, from a product or service provider, product or service literature or coupons;

and

wherein second generate comprises generate association data associating the product or service literature or coupons with the one or more events previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user, based at least in part on location information associated with the one or more events previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user, to facilitate subsequent selectively retrieving of the second received files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with selected one of the one or more events previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein second receive comprises receive the second plurality of files, and the apparatus is further caused to automatically name one or more of the second received files, based at least in part on respective contexts or metadata of the second received files.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein events previously scheduled in a calendar of the user comprise an appointment, a class, a movie, a concert, a theatrical performance, a sport event, a trip, or an occasion previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein second store comprises respectively store the association data in metadata of the second received files, wherein selective retrieval comprises access of the metadata to examine the association data.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein second store comprises respectively store the association data in a database, wherein selective retrieval comprises access of the database to examine the association data.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus to selectively retrieve the second received files, in response to a request to retrieve files associated with the one or more events previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the second received files comprises text files or graphics files of a class having a plurality of class sessions spanning a plurality of weeks previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus to receive the text or graphics files, from the teaching institution, in response to a retrieval request for files associated with one of the class sessions previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

20. The at least one storage medium of claim 17, wherein the second received files comprises coupons of products or services from providers with location or timing information respectively related to locations or timing associated with the one or more events previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

21. The at least one storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus to indicate to the user when an event previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user, has associated coupons provided by a product or service provider.

22. The at least one storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus to receive the coupons from the product or service providers, and retrieve or cause to be retrieved the files, in response to a retrieval request for files associated with the one or more events previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

23. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein

the product or service provider is a medical care provider;

the one or more events comprises a health care related event previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user; and

the second received files are health care related materials.

24. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the product or service provider is a transportation or hospitality service provider, the one or more events comprises a vacation or trip previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user, with associated invitation extended by the user for hospitality service offers, and the second received files are transportation or hospitality service offer related materials.

25. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus to receive an input from the user, through a calendar interface, to designate invitation for hospitality service offers for the vacation or trip scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

a chronology based file subsystem to be operated by the one or more processors to;

receive, from a user of the apparatus, a selection of a plurality of files or the plurality of files;

receive, from the user, through a calendar interface of a calendar application, a selection of an era of the user, wherein the era is a selected one of a childhood era, a teenage era, a high school era, a college era, an era expressed in term of residence in a country, a state, a city, or a street or an era expressed in term of association with an organization or institution;

generate association data in response to occurrence of both receiving, to selectively associate the plurality of files with the selected era of the user; and

store the association data to facilitate subsequent selective retrieval of the plurality of files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with the era of the user.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the chronology based file subsystem to be further operated to:

receive, from a plurality of product or service providers, a selection of a second plurality of files or the second plurality of files, wherein a service provider is a selected one of a medical care provider, a transportation service provider or a hospitality service provider;

generate association data, in response to the receive, to selectively associate the second plurality of files with a plurality of events previously scheduled in a calendar of a user by the user; and

store the association data generated for the second plurality of files to facilitate subsequent selectively retrieval of the second plurality of files in response to retrieval requests for files associated with selected ones of the plurality of events previously scheduled in the calendar of the user by the user.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

the calendar application, to be operated by the one or more processors to provide calendaring service to the user to maintain the calendar, including scheduling of events for the user, and accessing the events, including accessing files associated with the events by the chronology based file subsystem; and

a networking interface to couple the apparatus to a network, to offer the chronology based file subsystem and the calendar, as a service in a computing cloud.