Multi-user integrated task list

• US 9,356,790 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zambetti, Nicholas, Tane, Jesse, Gosling, Katrin B., Stafford, Coe Leta Rayne, Heaton, Martin Nicholas John, Adams, Matthew Robert, Riering-Czekalla, Peter, Switky, Andrew Paul, Gibson, Michael, Cerami, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): CHUANG, JUNG-MU T
• Application Number:
  US12/981,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Solutions for providing integrated task list functionality. Some such solutions use a user supersystem as a communications hub to generate, display, and/or handle user-based tasks for a family group. For example, tasks may be assigned to one or more members of the family and associated with various types of dates, rewards, audits, etc. Family members may then interact with the tasks through the communications hub and/or through other devices (e.g., cell phones, etc.).

Claims

1. A communication system for providing a household task list, the system comprising:

a computing device, comprising at least one processor and at least one computer readable storage medium in communication with the at least one processor, the at least one computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the computer system to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for storing, in a data store, a multi-user task list comprising a plurality of tasks, each task being assigned to one or more users;

instructions for generating a new task to add to the multi-user task list;

instructions for parsing a plain text sentence description of the new task content to determine when the new task is due, by inferring a due date only from a context of the plain text sentence description of the new task content;

instructions for parsing the plain text sentence description of the new task content to determine and assign one or more users of the new task, by inferring the one or more users only from the context of the plain text sentence description of the new task content;

instructions for assigning one or more task properties to the new task, the one or more task properties comprising the due date, the one or more users, and one or more other task properties, wherein the one or more other task properties comprise at least one of a reminder setting, one or more task auditors, or one or more hidden rewards associated with completion of the new task, and wherein the one or more task auditors are responsible for determining whether the new task has been completed or not;

instructions for notifying the one or more users assigned to the new task, by transmitting a notification to one or more mobile devices associated with the one or more users;

instructions for sending a reminder to the one or more users to complete the new task to a standard first user device;

instructions for sending, based on a determination that the new task has not been completed by the one or more users, a second reminder to the one or more users to complete the new task, wherein the second reminder is sent to a second user device that is most likely to capture the attention of the one or more users;

instructions for receiving an indication that the new task has been completed by the one or more users;

instructions for determining and verifying whether the new task has been completed by the one or more users, wherein the instructions for determining and verifying whether the new task has been completed by the one or more users comprise instructions for notifying the one or more task auditors of the indication that the new task has been completed and instructions for receiving, from the one or more task auditors, confirmation that the new task has been completed;

instructions for updating a record of the new task in the data store to indicate that the new task has been completed by the one or more users, wherein the instructions for updating the record of the new task in the data store to indicate that the new task has been completed by the one or more users comprise instructions for updating a record of the new task in the data store only upon receiving, from the one or more task auditors, the confirmation that the new task has been completed;

instructions for notifying the one or more users that the new task has been completed, which has been verified and confirmed by the one or more task auditors and the record of the new task has been updated in the data store, by updating a dashboard screen icon, associated with each of the one or more users to whom the new task has been assigned, to decrement a number on the dashboard screen icon, the number indicating tasks waiting for completion by each of the one or more users; and

instructions for providing a reward to the one or more users that have completed the new task, wherein at least one of an existence of the reward or a nature of the reward is hidden until the new task has been verified and confirmed as being completed, and wherein a reward counter is updated on the dashboard screen for each of the one or more users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is part of a supersystem for providing interactive communications services within a local network, the supersystem comprising:

a tablet system, comprising a first client subsystem of the local network and a first user interface module configured to provide interactivity with first communications services provided by the first client subsystem;

a handset system, comprising a second client subsystem of the local network and a second user interface module configured to provide interactivity with second communications services provided by the second client subsystem; and

a base station system, comprising;

a first interface subsystem configured to communicatively and removably couple the base station with the tablet system;

a second interface subsystem configured to communicatively and removably couple the base station with the handset system; and

a communications subsystem configured to communicatively couple the base station with the local area network such that at least a portion of the first and second communications services are provided via the base station.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the base station system comprises the computing device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the tablet system comprises the computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer readable storage medium comprises the data store.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a household communication hub comprising a display device and an input device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the display device comprises a touchscreen that serves as the input device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions for generating a new task comprise instructions for receiving, via the input device, user input pertaining to the new task.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions for generating a new task comprise instructions for receiving, from a mobile device in communication with the computing device, user input pertaining to the new task.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions for notifying one or more users of the new task comprise instructions for displaying an indication of the new task on the display device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions for displaying an indication of the new task comprise instructions for displaying a list of at least a portion of the plurality of tasks, the at least a portion of the plurality of tasks comprising the new task.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions for displaying an indication of the new task further comprise filtering the plurality of tasks according to the one or more users to which each of the plurality of tasks is assigned.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more mobile devices execute a household communication application that interacts with the household communication hub, and wherein the notification comprises a notification delivered with the household communication application.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises one or more of a voice message, a text message, an email message, or an image.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more task properties include a set of one or more users to whom the task is assigned, and wherein the instructions for notifying one or more users comprise instructions for notifying the set of one or more users to whom the task is assigned.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises a credit to an account separate from the communication system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the account is an account at a financial institution.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the account is a prepaid account at an electronic commerce provider.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by one or more computers to perform one or more operations for providing a household task list, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for maintaining, in a data store, a multi-user task list comprising a plurality of tasks, each task being assigned to one or more users;

instructions for generating a new task to add to the multi-user task list;

instructions for parsing a plain text sentence description of the new task content to determine when the new task is due, by inferring a due date only from a context of the plain text sentence description of the new task content;

instructions for parsing the plain text sentence description of the new task content to determine and assign one or more users of the new task, by inferring the one or more users only from the context of the plain text sentence description of the new task content;

instructions for assigning one or more task properties to the new task, the one or more task properties comprising the due date, the one or more users, and one or more other task properties, wherein the one or more other task properties comprise at least one of a reminder setting, one or more task auditors, or one or more hidden rewards associated with completion of the new task, and wherein the one or more task auditors are responsible for determining whether the new task has been completed or not;

instructions for notifying the one or more users assigned to the new task, by transmitting a notification to one or more mobile devices associated with the one or more users;

instructions for sending a reminder to the one or more users to complete the new task to a standard first user device;

instructions for sending, based on a determination that the new task has not been completed by the one or more users, a second reminder to the one or more users to complete the new task, wherein the second reminder is sent to a second user device that is most likely to capture the attention of the one or more users;

instructions for receiving an indication that the new task has been completed by the one or more users;

instructions for determining and verifying whether the new task has been completed by the one or more users, wherein the instructions for determining and verifying whether the new task has been completed by the one or more users comprise instructions for notifying the one or more task auditors of the indication that the new task has been completed and instructions for receiving, from the one or more task auditors, confirmation that the new task has been completed;

instructions for updating a record of the new task in the data store to indicate that the new task has been completed by the one or more users, wherein the instructions for updating the record of the new task in the data store to indicate that the new task has been completed by the one or more users comprise instructions for updating a record of the new task in the data store only upon receiving, from the one or more task auditors, the confirmation that the new task has been completed;

instructions for notifying the one or more users that the new task has been completed, which has been verified and confirmed by the one or more task auditors and the record of the new task has been updated in the data store, by updating a dashboard screen icon, associated with each of the one or more users to whom the new task has been assigned, to decrement a number on the dashboard screen icon, the number indicating tasks waiting for completion by each of the one or more users; and

instructions for providing a reward to the one or more users that have completed the new task, wherein at least one of an existence of the reward or a nature of the reward is hidden until the new task has been verified and confirmed as being completed, and wherein a reward counter is updated on the dashboard screen for each of the one or more users.

20. A method of providing a household task list, the method comprising:

maintaining, in a data store, a multi-user task list comprising a plurality of tasks, each task being assigned to one or more users;

generating, with a computer, a new task to add to the multi-user task list;

parsing a plain text sentence description of the new task content to determine when the new task is due, by inferring a due date only from a context of the plain text sentence description of the new task content;

parsing the plain text sentence description of the new task content to determine and assign one or more users of the new task, by inferring the one or more users only from the context of the plain text sentence description of the new task content;

assigning, with the computer, one or more task properties to the new task, the one or more task properties comprising the due date, the one or more users, and one or more other task properties, wherein the one or more other task properties comprise at least one of a reminder setting, one or more task auditors, or one or more hidden rewards associated with completion of the new task, and wherein the one or more task auditors are responsible for determining whether the new task has been completed or not;

notifying, with the computer, the one or more users assigned to the new task, by transmitting a notification to one or more mobile devices associated with the one or more users;

sending a reminder to the one or more users to complete the new task to a standard first user device;

sending, based on a determination that the new task has not been completed by the one or more users, a second reminder to the one or more users to complete the new task, wherein the second reminder is sent to a second user device that is most likely to capture the attention of the one or more users;

receiving an indication that the new task has been completed by the one or more users;

determining and verifying whether the new task has been completed by the one or more users, wherein determining and verifying whether the new task has been completed by the one or more users comprises notifying the one or more task auditors of the indication that the new task has been completed, and receiving, from the one or more task auditors, confirmation that the new task has been completed;

updating a record of the new task in the data store to indicate that the new task has been completed by the one or more users, wherein updating the record of the new task in the data store to indicate that the new task has been completed by the one or more users comprises updating a record of the new task in the data store only upon receiving, from the one or more task auditors, the confirmation that the new task has been completed;

notifying the one or more users that the new task has been completed, which has been verified and confirmed by the one or more task auditors and the record of the new task has been updated in the data store, by updating a dashboard screen icon, associated with each of the one or more users to whom the new task has been assigned, to decrement a number on the dashboard screen icon, the number indicating tasks waiting for completion by each of the one or more users; and

providing a reward to the one or more users that have completed the new task, wherein at least one of an existence of the reward or a nature of the reward is hidden until the new task has been verified and confirmed as being completed, and wherein a reward counter is updated on the dashboard screen for each of the one or more users.