System and method for automatically grouping items

• US 20050166156A1
• Filed: 01/23/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Frigon, Kathleen M., Brodie, Alex, Parlin, David Roger
• Application Number:
  US10/764,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20050166156A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

A system and a method for a user interface that presents items to a user in accordance with default groupings. The interface includes a filter selection area that provides a listing of one or more filters that may be selected by a user. Each of the filters has an associated default grouping. The interface further includes an item presentation area that displays filtered items to the user in accordance with a default grouping associated with a selected filter.

Claims

1. A computer system for presenting a plurality of items to a user, the system comprising:

one or more filters selectable by the user which may be applied to said plurality of items to select one or more filtered items, each of said filters having an associated default grouping; and

an item presentation display component which presents at least a portion of the filtered items to the user, wherein said filtered items are displayed in one or more groups in accordance with the default grouping associated with a selected filter.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the filtered items has an associated visual representation which may be presented to the user.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the filtered items are digital images.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein said digital images are digital photographs.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the filtered items has an associated icon and/or thumbnail view.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered items by selecting items having one or more desired characteristics.

7. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said selected filter chooses the filtered items by selecting items having an associated date and/or time within a desired interval of time.

8. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said desired interval of time is essentially one calendar year.

9. The computer system of claim 8 wherein said default grouping places the filtered items in groups according to the month associated which the filtered items.

10. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said desired interval of time is essentially one calendar month.

11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein said default grouping places the filtered items in groups according to the day associated with the filtered items.

12. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said interval of time is essentially one day.

13. The computer system of claim 12 wherein said default grouping places the filtered items in groups according to the time of day associated with the filtered items.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said default grouping utilizes one or more gaps in time to group the filtered items.

15. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered items by selecting items stored within a desired file folder.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said default grouping utilizes one or more subfolder relationships to divide said filtered items into groups.

17. The computer system of claim 17 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered items by selecting items associated with one or more desired keywords.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein each of the filtered items is associated with at least one of the one or more desired keywords.

19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein said default grouping divides the filtered items associated with one of the desired keyword into a group.

20. A graphical user interface embodied on one or more computer-readable media and executable on a computer, said graphical user interface comprising:

a filter selection area which provides a listing of one or more filters selectable by a user which may be applied to a plurality of digital images to select one or more filtered digital images, wherein each of said filters has an associated default grouping; and

a digital image presentation area which displays at least a portion of said filtered digital images to the user in accordance with the default grouping associated with a selected filter.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 20 wherein one or more of said filtered digital images are digital photographs.

22. The graphical user interface of claim 20 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered digital images by selecting digital images having one or more desired characteristics.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 20 wherein said selected filter chooses the filtered digital images by selecting items having an associated date and/or time within a desired interval of time.

24. The graphical user interface of claim 23 wherein said interval of time is essentially one calendar year, month, or day.

25. The graphical user interface of claim 24 wherein said default grouping places the filtered digital images in groups according to the month or the day associated with the filtered digital images.

26. The graphical user interface of claim 24 wherein said default grouping utilizes one or more gaps in time to group the filtered digital images.

27. The graphical user interface of claim 20 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered digital images by selecting items stored within a desired file folder.

28. The graphical user interface of claim 27 wherein said default grouping utilizes one or more subfolder relationships to divide said filtered digital images into groups.

29. The graphical user interface of claim 20 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered digital images by selecting digital images associated with one or more desired keywords.

30. The graphical user interface of claim 29 wherein said default grouping divides the filtered digital images associated with one of the desired keyword into a group.

31. The graphical user interface of claim 22 wherein said default grouping divides said filtered images into groups according to one or more group characteristics.

32. The graphical user interface of claim 31 wherein the one or more group characteristics are subsets of the desired characteristic.

33. The graphical user interface of claim 20 wherein said default grouping divides said filtered images into groups automatically.

34. A method for presenting a plurality of items to a user, the method comprising:

providing one or more filters that may be applied to said plurality of items, wherein each of said filters are associated with a default grouping;

receiving a user input indicating a user selection to apply one of said filters to said plurality of items;

applying said selected filter to said plurality of items to select one or more filtered items; and

displaying said filtered items in one or more groups in accordance with the default grouping associated with the selected filter.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein one or more of the filtered items are digital images.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered items by selecting items having one or more desired characteristics.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein said selected filter chooses the filtered items by selecting items having an associated date and/or time within a desired interval of time.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered items by selecting items stored within a desired file folder.

39. The method of claim 34 wherein said selected filter chooses said filtered items by selecting items associated with one or more desired keywords.