Dynamic controlling attribute-specific list for improved object organization

• US 7,634,736 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meek, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Takele; Meseker
• Application Number:
  US10/799,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20040177123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 715/752, 715/751, 715/753, 715/762, 715/764, 715/788, 715/789
• US Class Current: 715/752
• 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 object organization comprising:

initializing a plurality of attribute-specific lists, each list having a defined association with a different controlling attribute and having a plurality of entries corresponding to selectable actions to be performed on an object having the associated controlling attribute, the selectable actions ordered from a most recently performed action to a least recently performed action with respect to an object having the associated controlling attribute;

invoking a first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists via a first object having a first controlling attribute, the first attribute-specific list associated with the first controlling attribute;

selecting an action from the first attribute-specific list to be performed on the first object;

reordering the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists in accordance with the selected action, the reordering of the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists performed independently of the remaining attribute-specific lists;

integrating a general list with the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists to define an integrated list, the general list having a plurality of entries and further not being associated with the controlling attribute of the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists, with the integrated list being sorted by a criterion such that the general list is not appended to the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists;

invoking a second of the plurality of attribute-specific lists via a second object having a second controlling attribute, the second attribute-specific list associated with the second controlling attribute;

selecting an action from the second attribute-specific list to be performed on the second objection;

reordering the second of the plurality of attribute-specific lists in accordance with the selected action, the reordering of the second of the plurality of attribute-specific lists performed independently of the remaining attribute-specific lists;

invoking the reordered first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists via a third object having the first controlling attribute; and

invoking the reordered second of the plurality of attribute specific lists via a fourth object having the second controlling attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth objects corresponds to an email.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the controlling attribute of each of the first, second, third, and fourth objects corresponds to a sender of the email.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth objects corresponds to a file.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling attribute of each of the first, second, third, and fourth objects corresponds to a creator of the file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is movement to a folder.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is setting an object property.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sort criterion is how recently the listed alternatives have been performed.

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

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the criterion is time based.

11. A method for dynamically maintaining and displaying attribute-specific lists comprising:

initializing a set of attribute-specific lists, each attribute-specific list having a defined association with an object attribute and listing selectable actions to be performed on an object having the associated object attribute, wherein the controlling attribute is based on a creator of the object;

updating a first of the attribute-specific lists based on an action performed on an object containing the attribute associated with the first of the attribute-specific lists, the update performed independently of the remaining lists in the set of attribute-specific lists;

displaying the updated attribute-specific list via a disparate object containing the same attribute; and

integrating a general list with the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists to define an integrated list, the general list having a plurality of entries and further not being associated with the controlling attribute of the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists, with entries of the integrated list being sorted by a criterion other than a source of the entries.

12. The method of claim 11, the selectable actions listed in the attribute-specific list comprising folders.

13. The method of claim 11, the attribute-specific lists initialized to be empty.

14. The method of claim 11, the object attributes comprising types of computer files.

15. The method of claim 11, the set of attribute-specific lists initialized based on a controlling attribute.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling attribute is based on at least the recipient of the object.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising sorting the attribute-specific lists based on at least one sort criterion.

18. The method of claim 17, the sort criterion corresponds to a level of priority.

19. The method of claim 17, the sort criterion corresponds to a time at which the object having the associated attribute was subject to the action.

20. The method of claim 17, the sort criterion corresponds to a frequency to which the object having the associated attribute is subject to the action.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising appending additional selectable actions to an existing attribute-specific list.

22. The method of claim 11, the action corresponds to movement of at least one object between attribute-specific lists.

23. The method of claim 11, the object corresponds to email.

24. The method of claim 11, wherein the action corresponds to setting a property on at least one object.

25. A system comprising computer-executable instructions embodied on a computer-readable storage medium that when executed on one or more processors facilitate dynamic object organization, comprising:

an initializing component that initializes a plurality of attribute-specific lists, each attribute-specific list having a defined association with one or more controlling attributes, the one or more controlling attributes based at least on a creator of the object;

an updating component that reorders a first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists based on a function performed on a first object having the associated one or more controlling attributes;

a display component that displays the reordered first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists via a second object containing the same one or more controlling attributes; and

an integrating component that integrates a general list with the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists to define an integrated list, the general list having a plurality of entries and further not being associated with the controlling attribute of the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists, with entries of the integrated list being sorted by a criterion other than a source of the entries.

26. The system claim of 25, entries in each of the plurality of attribute-specific lists comprise folders.

27. The system claim of 25, the plurality of attribute-specific lists initialized to be empty.

28. The system claim of 25, the one or more controlling attributes comprising types of computer files.

29. The system claim of 25, the first and second objects comprising email.

30. The system claim of 25, the one or more controlling attributes based on at least the recipient of the object.

31. The system claim of 25, further comprising a sorting component.

32. The system claim of 31, the sorting component utilizing one or more sort criteria.

33. The system claim of 32, the one or more sort criteria based at least on a level of priority.

34. The system claim of 32, the one or more sort criteria based at least on the time at which the object was subject to the function.

35. The system claim of 32, the one or more sort criteria based at least on the frequency to which the object was subject to the function.

36. The system claim of 25, further comprising an appending component to append one or more additional entries to the plurality of attribute-specific lists.

37. The system claim of 36, the appending component utilizing the one or more controlling attributes to append the one or more additional entries to the plurality of attribute-specific lists.

38. The system claim of 25, the function being movement of at least one object to a selected location.

39. The system claim of 25, the function being setting at least one property on the object.

40. A system comprising computer-executable instructions embodied on a computer-readable storage medium that when executed on one or more processors aid dynamic object organization, comprising:

means for initializing a set of attribute-specific lists based on at least one controlling attribute, the one or more attribute-specific lists orderable based on one or more ordering criteria, each attribute-specific list having a defined association with a different controlling attribute and comprising attribute-specific entries representing actions that have recently been performed on objects having the associated attribute;

means for updating a first of the attribute-specific lists based on an action performed on an object having the controlling attribute associated with the first attribute-specific list;

means for reordering the first of the attribute-specific lists based on the one or more ordering criteria, the ordering criteria is a function of the performed action;

means for integrating a general list with the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists to define an integrated list, the general list having a plurality of entries and further not being associated with the controlling attribute of the first of the plurality of attribute-specific lists, with entries of the integrated list being sorted by a criterion other than a source of the entries

means for subsequently displaying the integrated list via a second object having the same controlling attribute.