ORGANIZING TASK ITEMS THAT REPRESENT TASKS TO PERFORM

• US 20120311585A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gruber, Thomas R., Sabatelli, Alessandro F., Anzures, Freddy A., Pitschel, Donald W.
• Application Number:
  US13/251,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311585A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Techniques for processing task items are provided. A task item is electronic data that represents a task to be performed, whether manually or automatically. A task item includes one or more details about its corresponding task, such as a description of the task and a location of the task. Specifically, techniques for generating task items, organizing task items, triggering notifications of task items, and consuming task items are described. In one approach, a task item is generated based on input from a user and context of the input. In another approach, different attributes of task items are used to organize the task items intelligently into multiple lists. In another approach, one or more criteria, such as location, are used to determine when to notify a user of a task. In another approach, actions other than generating notifications are enabled or automatically performed, actions such as emailing, calling, and searching.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of task items that are organized in a plurality of lists;

receiving input that indicates information about a new task;

in response to receiving the input, generating a task item for the new task;

determining which list of the plurality of lists to add the task item, wherein the input does not specify any list of the plurality of lists; and

in response to determining to add the task item to a particular list of the plurality of lists, storing data that associates the task item with the particular list;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing location data associated with each task item of the plurality of task items, wherein a first subset of task items from the plurality of task items are associated with a first location and a second subset of task items from the plurality of task items are associated with a second location that is different than the first location;

storing list association data that associates the first subset of task items with a first list of the plurality of lists and that associates the second subset of task items with a second list, of the plurality of lists, that is different than the first list; and

causing the first list and the second list to be displayed.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a location of a device of the user, wherein causing the first and second lists to be displayed comprises causing the first and second lists to be displayed in an order that is based on the location of the device relative to the first location and the location of the device relative to the second location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing action data associated with each task item of the plurality of task items, wherein a first subset of task items from the plurality of task items are associated with a first action and a second subset of task items from the plurality of task items are associated with a second action that is different than the first action;

storing list association data that associates the first subset of task items with a first list of the plurality of lists and that associates the second subset of task items with a second list of the plurality of lists, that is different than the first list; and

causing the first list and the second list to be displayed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first action is one of calling, purchasing, performing a search, emailing, or texting.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing trigger data associated with each task item of the plurality of task items, wherein trigger data indicates one or more criteria that indicate when an action associated with said each task item is to be performed, wherein a first subset of task items from the plurality of task items are associated with a first type of trigger data and a second subset of task items from the plurality of task items are associated with a second type of trigger data that is different than the first type of trigger data;

storing list association data that associates the first subset of task items with a first list of the plurality of lists and that associates the second subset of task items with a second list of the plurality of lists, that is different than the first list; and

causing the first list and the second list to be displayed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein first type of trigger data is one of a particular location of a device or a particular activity in which a user of device is engaged.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a second list, of the plurality of lists, that is different than the particular list to which to add the task item, wherein storing data that associates the task item with the first list comprises storing second data that associates the task item with the second list.

11. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 1.

12. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 2.

13. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 3.

14. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 4.

15. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 5.

16. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 6.

17. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 7.

18. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 8.

9. A method comprising:

storing, on a handheld device, a plurality of task items, wherein each task item is associated with at least one list of a plurality of lists;

receiving, at the handheld device, input that indicates information about a new task;

after receiving the input, generating a task item for the new task based on the information;

determining to add the task item to a particular list of the plurality of lists, wherein the input does not specify the particular list; and

in response to determining to add the task item to the particular list, storing data that associates the task item with the particular list;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining is based on one or more attributes of the task item.

19. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 9.

20. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 10.