Dynamic controlling of attribute-specific list for improved object organization

• US 20020095464A1
• Filed: 12/01/2000
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meek, Christopher A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,732,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Improving object organization by presenting controlling attribute-specific lists is disclosed. For example, the object can be an email and the controlling attribute the sender of the email. Sender-specific lists are dynamically maintained and can include the most recent folders into which email have been moved. When a current email is selected, or when the user otherwise so indicates, a sender-specific list for the sender of the current email is displayed to the user. The user can select one of the folders from the list into which to move the current email. Besides email, the object can be a file, such that the controlling attribute can be the creator of the file.

Claims

1. A method for assisting email organization comprising:

initializing a plurality of sender-specific lists, each list having a plurality of entries corresponding to folders into which email from a sender have been moved and ordered from a first most recently moved-to folder to a last most recently moved-to folder;

in response to a first email being moved to a folder, the first email having a sender, updating a first list of the plurality of sender-specific lists corresponding to the sender of the first email, such that the folder into which the email was moved becomes the first most recently moved-to entry within the first list; and

,

in response to the plurality of sender-specific lists being invoked as to a current sender, displaying a second list of the plurality of sender-specific lists corresponding to the current sender.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initializing the plurality of sender-specific lists comprises setting each of the plurality of entries of each list to empty.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initializing the plurality of sender-specific lists comprises, for a current list of the plurality of sender-specific lists corresponding to a current sender:

for each of one or more folders into which email from the current sender have been moved, determining a date and time of a most recent email from the current sender;

constructing a temporary list of date and time-folder pairs from the one or more folders and the most recent email from the current sender of each folder;

sorting the temporary list by date and time from most recent to least recent; and

,

setting the current list of the plurality of sender-specific lists as a first number of the one or more folders from the temporary list as has been sorted.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sender-specific lists being invoked as to the current sender comprises the plurality of sender-specific lists being invoked as to a second email from the current sender such that the second list is displayed for a user from which to select a folder into which to move the second email.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of sender-specific lists being invoked as to the current sender comprises receiving indication from the user to display the second list corresponding to the current sender of the second email.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of sender-specific lists being invoked as to the current sender comprises detecting that the second email has been selected, indicating that the second list corresponding to the current sender of the second email is to be automatically displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sender-specific lists being invoked as to the current sender comprises receiving indication from a user to display the second list corresponding to the current sender.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by execution of a computer program by a processor from a computer-readable medium.

9. A method for assisting email organization comprising:

initializing a plurality of sender-specific lists, each list having a plurality of entries corresponding to folders into which email from a sender have been moved and ordered from a first most recently moved-to folder to a last most recently moved-to folder;

in response to a first email being moved to a folder, the first email having a sender, updating a first list of the plurality of sender-specific lists corresponding to the sender of the first email, such that the folder into which the email was moved becomes the first most recently moved-to entry within the first list; and

,

in response to the plurality of sender-specific lists being invoked as to a current sender, displaying a combined list based on a list other than one of the plurality of sender-specific lists and a second list of the plurality of sender-specific lists corresponding to the current sender.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the list other than one of the plurality of sender-specific lists is a non-sender-specific list having a plurality of entries corresponding to folders into which email from any sender have been moved and ordered from a first most recently moved-to folder to a last most recently moved-to folder.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the combined list is constructed by appending one or more entries of the list other than one of the plurality of sender-specific lists to one or more entries of the second list.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the combined list is constructed by integrating one or more entries of the list other than one of the plurality of sender-specific lists with one or more entries of the second list.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method is performed by execution of a computer program by a processor from a computer-readable medium.

15. The method of claim 14, further initially comprising initializing the plurality of controlling attribute-specific lists.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the first object and the second object corresponds to an email.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the controlling attribute of each of the first object and the second object corresponds to a sender of the email.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the first object and the second object corresponds to a file.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the controlling attribute of each of the first object and the second object corresponds to a creator of the file.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the action is movement to a folder.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the action is setting an object property.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the sort criterion is how recent the action has been performed.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the sort criterion is how frequent the action has been performed.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is performed by execution of a computer program by a processor from a computer-readable medium.

14. A method for assisting object organization comprising:

in response to a first object being subjected to an action, the first object having a controlling attribute, updating a first list of a plurality of controlling attribute-specific lists corresponding to the controlling attribute of the first object according to a sort criterion related to the action, each list of the plurality of controlling attribute-specific lists corresponding to a controlling attribute and having a plurality of entries ordered according to the sort criterion and providing alternatives as to how the action can be performed relative to objects having the controlling attribute; and

,

in response to the plurality of controlling-attribute specific lists being invoked as to a second object, the second object having a controlling attribute, displaying a second list of the plurality of controlling attribute-specific lists corresponding to the controlling attribute of the second object to provide alternatives as to how the action can be performed relative to the second object.