Systems and methods for presenting data items

• US 9,378,281 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Melton, Don, Ording, Bas
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/929,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,164 Days
• Field of Search: 707/708
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software for presenting data are described. Previously accessed data items are presented in a manner that is non-chronological relative to when the data items were accessed. The presentation optionally includes an indication of a significance of the data item with the representation.

Claims

1. In a graphical user interface for a computing device, a method comprising:

receiving a selection of a data item;

updating a list of previously accessed data items in response to the selection;

automatically choosing an organizational method for presentation of the previously accessed data items to a user from a plurality of organizational methods for presentation, the organizational method chosen by the computing device in the absence of a user-supplied input specifying an organizational method;

automatically choosing a characteristic of the data items from a plurality of characteristics by analyzing information about the previously accessed data items to determine for each characteristic, a degree of commonality of the respective characteristics of the previously accessed data items, and wherein the plurality of characteristics comprise at least the subject matter of the data items and the date of access of the data items; and

automatically choosing an organizational method that organizes data items based on the chosen characteristic; and

graphically presenting a history of previously accessed data items, the history organized using the chosen organizational method.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the history is further presented with a graphical indication of a significance of each of the data items in the history.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the history is further presented in a manner that is non-chronological relative to when the data items were accessed.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the history upon each selection of an additional data item.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising redisplaying the data item by selecting the data item from the history.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously accessed data items include web pages.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously accessed data items include data files.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously accessed data items include audio files.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously accessed data items include image files.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously accessed data items include media files.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said choosing a characteristic of the data items is further based on user assigned weights that indicate a relative preference between at least two characteristics of the plurality of characteristics.

12. In a graphical user interface for a computing device, a method comprising:

receiving a selection of a data item;

updating a list of previously accessed data items in response to the selection;

automatically choosing an organizational method for presentation of the previously accessed data items to a user from a plurality of organizational methods for presentation, the organizational method chosen by the computing device in the absence of a user-supplied input specifying an organizational method;

automatically choosing a characteristic of the data items from a plurality of characteristics by analyzing information about the previously accessed data items to determine, for each characteristic, a degree of commonality of the respective characteristics of the previously accessed data items, and wherein the plurality of characteristics comprise at least the subject matter of the data items and the domain of the data items; and

automatically choosing an organizational method that organizes data items based on the chosen characteristic; and

graphically presenting a history of previously accessed data items, the history organized using the chosen organizational method.

13. A computing device configured to graphically present a history of previously accessed data items in a graphical user interface, the computing device comprising:

one or more processor;

a storage device containing instructions, which when executed on the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a selection of a data item;

updating a list of previously accessed data items in response to the selection;

automatically choosing an organizational method for presentation of the previously accessed data items to a user from a plurality of organizational methods for presentation, the organizational method chosen by the computing device in the absence of a user-supplied input specifying an organizational method;

automatically choosing a characteristic of the data items from a plurality of characteristics by analyzing information about the previously accessed data items to determine for each characteristic, a degree of commonality of the respective characteristics of the previously accessed data items, and wherein the plurality of characteristics comprise at least the subject matter of the data items and the date of access of the data items; and

automatically choosing an organizational method that organizes data items based on the chosen characteristic; and

graphically presenting a history of previously accessed data items, the history organized using the chosen organizational method.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said automatically choosing a characteristic of the data items is further based on user assigned weights that indicate a relative preference between at least two characteristics of the plurality of characteristics.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the history is further presented in a manner that is non-chronological relative to when the data items were accessed.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein the history is further presented with a graphical indication of a significance of each of the data items in the history.

17. A non-transitory storage medium bearing instructions which, when executed on one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations to graphically present a history of previously accessed data items of a computing device, the history presented in a graphical user interface, the operations comprising:

receiving a selection of a data item;

updating a list of previously accessed data items in response to the selection;

automatically choosing an organizational method for presentation of the previously accessed data items to a user from a plurality of organizational methods for presentation, the organizational method chosen by the computing device in the absence of a user-supplied input specifying an organizational method;

automatically choosing a characteristic of the data items from a plurality of characteristics by analyzing information about the previously accessed data items to determine for each characteristic, a degree of commonality of the respective characteristics of the previously accessed data items, and

wherein the plurality of characteristics comprise at least the subject matter of the data items and the date of access or the domain of the data items; and

automatically choosing an organizational method that organizes data items based on the chosen characteristic; and

graphically presenting a history of previously accessed data items, the history organized using the chosen organizational method.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17 wherein said automatically choosing a characteristic of the data items is further based on user assigned weights that indicate a relative preference between at least two characteristics of the plurality of characteristics.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17 wherein the history is further presented in a manner that is non-chronological relative to when the data items were accessed.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17 wherein the history is further presented with a graphical indication of a significance of each of the data items in the history.