Context-Based Task Generation

• US 20110314404A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kotler, Matthew J., Friend, Ned B., Kikin-Gil, Erez, Parker, Charles W., Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Zaika, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A triggering mechanism for generating task reminders based on contextual information associated with the tasks is provided. Contextual information may be extracted from a variety of sources and may be related to one or more tasks. Based on the contextual information, task reminders may be generated and may be presented in a manner that makes the task reminders more useful to an end user.

Claims

1. A method for providing context-based task reminders, comprising:

receiving a task item associated with a first reminder;

receiving one or more context information data sources;

parsing the one or more context information data sources for determining information relevant to the received task item;

determining a revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task item; and

displaying the revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task item.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein receiving a task item associated with a first reminder includes receiving a task item from a repository of tasks, wherein the first reminder for the received task item is set to occur at a first time;

and

wherein determining a revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task item includes setting the revised reminder to occur at a second time based on the information relevant to the received task item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task item includes filtering and reordering a display of the task item relative to other displayed task items based on the information relevant to the received task item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more context information data sources includes receiving one or more context information data sources from one of a calendar data source, a contacts data source, a tasks data source, a presence data source, a location data source, an email data source, an Internet content data source, a social networking content data source, one or more electronic documents, a person proximity data source, a motion detection data source, and a light sensing data source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein parsing the one or more context information data sources for determining information relevant to the received task item includes parsing content contained in the one or more context information data sources for one or more data sources information components;

and after receiving a task item associated with a first reminder, parsing the task item for one or more task item information components.

6. The method of claim 5, prior to determining a revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task item, further comprising:

comparing the one or more data sources information components with the one or more task item components to determine if one or more of the data sources information components matches one or more of the task item information components; and

if one or more of the data sources information components matches one or more of the task item information components, then determining information relevant to the received task item includes determining the data sources containing the one or more data sources information components matching the one or more task item information components are relevant to the received task item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task includes determining a revised reminder for the task item based a computing tool in use when receiving the task item associated with a first reminder.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task includes determining a revised reminder for the task item based on a predetermined reminder cycle.

9. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method for method for providing context-based task reminders, the method comprising:

receiving a context information source associated with a task, the task being associated with a first reminder time for performance of the task;

determining from the context information source that the first reminder should be revised to a second reminder time for performance of the task; and

triggering a presentation of the revised reminder at the second reminder time based on the determination that the first reminder should be revised to the second reminder time.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising in response to triggering a presentation of the revised reminder, displaying the revised reminder for the task at the second reminder time.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the receiving a context information source associated with a task includes receiving an opening of a context source.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein receiving an opening of a context source includes receiving an opening of one of a calendar item, a contacts item, a tasks item, a presence data item, a location data item, an email item, an Internet site, a social networking site and an electronic document.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining from the context information source that the first reminder should be revised to a second reminder time for performance of the task includes parsing the context information source for determining information relevant to the task.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein parsing the context information source for determining information relevant to the task includes parsing content contained in the context information source for one or more context information source keywords.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising parsing content contained in the task for one or more task keywords.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, prior to determining from the context information source that the first reminder should be revised to a second reminder time for performance of the task, further comprising:

comparing the one or more context information source keywords with the one or more task keywords to determine if one or more context information source keywords matches one or more task keywords; and

if one or more context information source keywords matches one or more task keywords, then context information source is relevant to the task for determining whether the first reminder time should be revised.

17. A system for providing context-based task reminders, comprising:

a list authoring surface operative

to receive a task item associated with a first reminder;

a context extractor operative

to receive one or more context information data sources;

to parse the one or more context information data sources for determining information relevant to the received task item;

a context determination module operative

to determine a revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the received task item; and

the list authoring surface being further operative

to display the revised reminder for the task item based on the information relevant to the revised task item.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a reminder triggering module operative to set the revised reminder to occur at a second time based on the information relevant to the received task item.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the reminder triggering module is further operative to trigger the list authoring surface to display the revised reminder at the second time based on the information relevant to the received task item.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein a context extractor operative is further operative to receive one or more context information data sources including one or more of a calendar data source, a contacts data source, a tasks data source, a presence data source, a location data source, an email data source, an Internet content data source, a social networking content data source, one or more electronic documents, a person proximity data source, a motion detection data source, and a light sensing data source.