Semantic note taking system

• US 9,251,297 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Brown, Stephen J., Schobel, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/099,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20140091139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/492, 235/486, 235/487, 235/383, 23547201-47203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A semantic note taking system and method for collecting information, enriching the information, and/or binding the information to services is provided. User-created notes are enriched with labels, context traits, and relevant data to minimize friction in the note-taking process. In other words, the present invention is directed to collecting unscripted data, adding more meaning and use out of the data, and binding the data to services. Mutable and late-binding to services is also provided to allow private thoughts to be published to a myriad of different applications and services in a manner compatible with how thoughts are processed in the brain. User interfaces and semantic skins are also provided to derive meaning out of notes without requiring a great deal of user input. Linking physical objects to notes are also provided, such as through QR codes.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer server, a comment to a note that is published on a first website, the first note published according to an initial audience level that defines restrictions relating to users that can access the note, wherein only a first set of users can access the note while the note is published according to the initial audience level;

determining, by the computer server and based on comment, an updated audience level for the note, the updated audience level defining updated restrictions relating to users that can access the note; and

publishing the note, by the computer server, to the updated audience level, wherein only a second set of users can access the note while the note is published according to the second audience level and the first set of users and the second set of users are different.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the note comprises at least one of text, audio media, visual media, audio-visual media, recorded data, a weblink, or a pointer to an information source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comment is included in a plurality of comments organized chronologically.

4. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to;

receive a comment to a note that is published on a first website, the first note published according to an initial audience level that defines restrictions relating to users that can access the note, wherein only a first set of users can access the note while the note is published according to the initial audience level;

determine, based on the comment, an updated audience level for the note, the updated audience level defining updated restrictions relating to users that can access the note; and

publish the note according to the updated audience level, wherein only a second set of users can access the note while the note is published according to the second audience level and the first set of users and the second set of users are different.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the note comprises at least one of text, audio media, visual media, audio-visual media, recorded data, a weblink, or a pointer to an information source.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the comment is included in a plurality of comments organized chronologically.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions that when executed by one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to:

receive a comment to a note that is published on a first website, the first note published according to an initial audience level that defines restrictions relating to users that can access the note, wherein only a first set of users can access the note while the note is published according to the initial audience level;

determine, based on the comment, an updated audience level for the note, the updated audience level defining updated restrictions relating to users that can access the note; and

publish the note according to the updated audience level, wherein only a second set of users can access the note while the note is published according to the second audience level and the first set of users and the second set of users are different.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the note comprises at least one of text, audio media, visual media, audio-visual media, recorded data, a weblink, or a pointer to an information source.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the comment is included in a plurality of comments organized chronologically.