Task grouping by context

• US 9,424,102 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boenisch, Volker M., Buendgen, Reinhard, Geisert, Franziska, Lang, Jakob C., Lattermann, Mareike, Nunez Mencias, Angel
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US14/277,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/48 Program initiating; Program switching, e.g. by interrupt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores

Abstract

In an approach to grouping tasks initialized by a first user, one or more computer processors receive a first task initialization by a first user. The one or more computer processors determine whether one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use by the first user. Responsive to determining one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use, the one or more computer processors determine whether the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks. Responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, the one or more computer processors add the first task to the task group containing the at least one related task of the one or more additional tasks.

Claims

1. A computer program product for grouping related tasks, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a first task initialization by a first user, wherein a task is at least one of;

an application, a tab within a window, or a process that has a user interface, and wherein a task represents a work unit that belongs to a work assignment of the first user;

program instructions to determine whether one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use by the first user;

responsive to determining one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use, program instructions to determine whether the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, wherein the first task and the at least one task are related by sharing one or more resources; and

responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, program instructions to add the first task to the task group containing the at least one related task of the one or more additional tasks.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining the first task is not related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, program instructions to determine whether an event is detected;

responsive to determining an event is detected, program instructions to generate a new task group; and

program instructions to add the first task to the new task group.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, further comprising, responsive to determining an event is not detected, program instructions to add the first task to a task group that contains a second task, wherein the second task is in focus immediately prior to the first task initialization.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are not in use, program instructions to generate a new task group; and

program instructions to add the first task to the new task group.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one of the one or more additional tasks, program instructions to determine whether the first task is related to at least one task in a first task group and at least one task in a second task group; and

responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one task in a first task group and at least one task in a second task group, program instructions to merge the first and the second task groups into a merged task group, wherein the merged task group includes at least the first task and the first and the second task groups.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

program instructions to determine at least one of the one or more tasks of the one or more task groups are inactive for a pre-defined threshold of time; and

program instructions to alert the first user of the inactivity.

7. A computer system for grouping related tasks, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a first task initialization by a first user, wherein a task is at least one of;

an application, a tab within a window, or a process that has a user interface, and wherein a task represents a work unit that belongs to a work assignment of the first user;

program instructions to determine whether one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use by the first user;

responsive to determining one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are in use, program instructions to determine whether the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, wherein the first task and the at least one task are related by sharing one or more resources; and

responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, program instructions to add the first task to the task group containing the at least one related task of the one or more additional tasks.

8. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to determining the first task is not related to at least one task of the one or more additional tasks, program instructions to determine whether an event is detected;

responsive to determining an event is detected, program instructions to generate a new task group; and

program instructions to add the first task to the new task group.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising, responsive to determining an event is not detected, program instructions to add the first task to a task group that contains a second task, wherein the second task is in focus immediately prior to the first task initialization.

10. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to determining one or more additional tasks contained in one or more task groups are not in use, program instructions to generate a new task group; and

program instructions to add the first task to the new task group.

11. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one of the one or more additional tasks, program instructions to determine whether the first task is related to at least one task in a first task group and at least one task in a second task group; and

responsive to determining the first task is related to at least one task in a first task group and at least one task in a second task group, program instructions to merge the first and the second task groups into a merged task group, wherein the merged task group includes at least the first task and the first and the second task groups.