Methods and systems of providing information to computer users

• US 7,689,929 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Banks, Richard, Ruthfield, Scott L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US11/056,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 715/853, 715/854, 715/855, 715/712, 715/749, 715/748, 715/760, 715/763, 715/802, 715/805, 715/752, 715/804, 715/841, 715/825, 715/826, 715/963
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

Methods and systems of providing information to computer users are described. In one embodiment, multiple different algorithms are displayed for a user to select. The algorithms are configured to display quick links to which a user can navigate. Individual algorithms are employable across different content types. A user can select an individual algorithm and, responsively, the methods and systems can display one or more quick links that are provided by the selected algorithm.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a selectable list of multiple different algorithms from which a user can select within a single navigable window of a single application program that provides multiple different functionalities including at least email functionality, web browser functionality, calendar functionality, and word processing functionality, wherein;

one or more of the algorithms are configured as filters operable on respective collections of data to generate corresponding sets of quick links to which a user can navigate responsive to user selection of the algorithms, and each of the collections of data represents items associated with one of the multiple different functionalities;

at least some of the algorithms are employable with different collections of data associated with the multiple different functionalities;

at least one of the algorithms is a recent items list operable to select most recently used items across the multiple different functionalities;

at least one of the algorithms is a top favorites algorithm operable to select items across the multiple functionalities based upon frequency of use of the items; and

the algorithms are configured to filter dynamically changing information in the respective collections of data to generate the sets of quick links to display by selective inclusion of items from the collections of data in the generated quick links;

receiving a user selection of an individual algorithm when the single application program is navigated to enable interaction with a current functionality of the multiple different functionalities; and

responsive to receiving the user selection, displaying a set of quick links generated by operation of the selected algorithm on at least one of the collections of data to filter the data in accordance with the selected algorithm and without navigating away from the currently functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the top favorites algorithm enables the user to view quick links associated with items on a favorites list that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently added to a user'"'"'s favorites list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the algorithms is a suggested favorites algorithm that enables the user to view quick links associated with items that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently visited by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recent items list is configured to display multiple items, each of which comprising a different content type associated with one of the multiple different functionalities that was the last item of a particular content type that was visited by a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the algorithms comprise each of:

the top favorites algorithm that enables the user to view quick links associated with items on a favorites list that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently added to a user'"'"'s favorites list;

a suggested favorites algorithm that enables the user to view quick links associated with items that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently visited by the user; and

the recent items list that is configured to display multiple items, each of which comprising a different content type associated with one of the multiple different functionalities that was the last item of a particular content type that was visited by a user.

6. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer implement the method of claim 1.

7. A computing system embodying the one or more computer-readable media of claim 1.

8. A method comprising:

automatically displaying multiple different algorithms within a single navigable window of a single application program that provides multiple different functionalities including at least two of email functionality, web browser functionality, calendar functionality, and word processing functionality, the algorithms being configured to filter a database to output collections of quick links to which a user can navigate responsive to selection of the algorithms, at least some of the algorithms being employable across different content types associated with the multiple different functionalities including at least one of;

a top favorites algorithm operable to select items from the database based upon frequency of use of the items;

a recent items list operable to select most recently used items from the database;

receiving a user selection of an individual algorithm; and

responsive to receiving the user selection, displaying a collection of quick links that is output by operation of the selected algorithm to filter the database, wherein some of the quick links in the collection pertain to a currently selected functionality of the multiple different functionalities and other displayed quick links in the collection pertain to other functionalities of the multiple different functionalities, the displaying performed without switching away from the currently selected functionality.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein individual algorithms are configured to process dynamically changing information to determine which quick links to display.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the top favorites algorithm enables the user to view quick links associated with items on a favorites list that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently added to a user'"'"'s favorites list.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the algorithms is a suggested favorites algorithm that enables the user to view quick links associated with items that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently visited by the user.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the recent items list is configured to display multiple items, each of which comprising a different content type associated with one of the multiple different functionalities that was the last item of a particular content type that was visited by a user.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the algorithms comprise:

the top favorites algorithm that enables the user to view quick links associated with items on a favorites list that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently added to a user'"'"'s favorites list;

a suggested favorites algorithm that enables the user to view quick links associated with items that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently visited by the user; and

the recent items list that is configured to display multiple items, each of which comprising a different content type associated with one of the multiple different functionalities that was the last item of a particular content type that was visited by a user.

14. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer implement the method of claim 8.

15. A computing system embodying the one or more computer-readable media of claim 14.

16. A method comprising:

exposing, by a single application, a single window having;

multiple navigation instrumentalities operable to cause navigation of the single window between different functionalities of the single application including at least two of browser functionality, calendar functionality, email functionality and word processing functionality; and

multiple user-engagable portions, each portion associated with one of the functionalities and selectable to generate quick links corresponding to the associated functionality;

responsive to a selection of a particular user-engagable portion, displaying multiple different algorithms from which a user can select, to cause generation of the quick links in accordance with the algorithms for the functionality associated with the particular user-engagable portion by selective inclusion in the generated quick links of items from collections of data that each represent items associated with one of the different functionalities, wherein;

at least one of the algorithms is a recent items list operable to select most recently used items across the different functionalities; and

at least one of the algorithms is a top favorites algorithm operable to select items across the different functionalities based upon frequency of use of the items;

receiving a user selection of an individual algorithm; and

responsive to receiving the user selection, displaying one or more quick links that are generated by applying the selected algorithm to filter at least one of the collections of data to obtain the quick links, at least some of the quick links pertaining to a functionality to which the single window is currently navigated, the displaying performed without navigating to a different functionality.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein individual algorithms are configured to process dynamically changing information to determine which quick links to display.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving the user selection occurs while the single window is navigated to enable interaction with a selected functionality of the different functionalities and the displaying includes displaying quick links associated with at least two of the different functionalities.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the algorithms is a suggested favorites algorithm that enables the user to view quick links associated with items that have been visited most often by the user as well as items that have been most recently visited by the user.