Threshold view

• US 9,524,071 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Auer, Nathaniel E. B., Smith, Nicholas S., McPherson, Jonathan A., Kim, Jane T., Giacobbe, Gail
• Primary Examiner(s): Nabi, Reza
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/759,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20140223311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 715/730
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

The description relates to threshold views. One example can include a display, storage and a processor. The storage can store instructions for execution by the processor. The processor can be configured to process the instructions to create a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display. The GUI can include a threshold view that shows elements that relate to a family on a given day. The elements can include time bound elements, semi-time bound elements and non-time bound elements.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processors, comprising:

receiving a user instruction from a user to present a threshold view associated with a family of the user;

responsive to the user instruction, generating the threshold view to be presented on a screen of a computing device on which the user entered the user instruction, wherein events associated with an individual day are presented within the threshold view; and

,

responsive to the user instruction, using resources to obtain personalized information about an individual event to surface within the threshold view, the resources including natural language processing resources and search engine resources, the using the resources comprising;

using the natural language processing resources to perform an analysis of the individual event, previous related events, and information resources that are specific to the user and the family of the user,

generating customized event information based on the analysis, wherein the customized event information comprises a reminder derived from the analysis of the previous related events and a contextual media item associated with at least one of the previous related events and retrieved from the information resources,

generating an internet search query that is customized for the user and the individual event and using the search engine resources to obtain real-time information associated with the individual event, wherein the real-time information comprises at least one of location-based information, weather conditions, and traffic conditions, and,

surfacing the personalized information about the individual event, wherein the personalized information includes the generated customized event information and the obtained real-time information.

2. The method of claim 1, performed by the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the threshold view comprises providing an indication relative to an individual event of the threshold view whether the individual event is a time bound event, a semi-time bound event, or a non-time bound event.

4. The method of claim 1, performed by another computing device by communicating with the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the surfacing the personalized information about the individual event is performed without further input from the user beyond the user instruction to present the threshold view relating to the individual day.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the using the search engine resources comprises accessing traffic resources and a result of the internet search query comprises the traffic conditions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising scaling and abridging the events associated with the individual day to allow the events to be presented at a different scale and with a different amount of event information within another threshold view on another screen of another computing device, the another screen being a different size than the screen.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

a storage device storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to;

create a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display, the GUI comprising a threshold view that shows elements that relate to a family, on a given day,

receive user input from a family member of the family and associate the user input with an individual element of the threshold view, and

responsive to the user input, obtain personalized information about the individual element to generate an updated GUI, the personalized information obtained using resources, comprising;

using natural language processing resources to perform an analysis of the individual element, previous related elements, and information resources that are specific to the family,

generating customized information based on the analysis, wherein the customized information comprises a reminder derived from the analysis of the previous related elements and a contextual media item associated with at least one of the previous related elements and retrieved from the information resources,

generating an internet search query that is customized for the family and the individual element using search engine resources to obtain real-time information associated with the individual element, wherein the real-time information comprises at least one of location-based information, weather conditions, and traffic conditions, and

surfacing the personalized information about the individual element, wherein the personalized information includes the generated customized information and the obtained real-time information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the individual element is shown on the GUI with an indication of whether the individual element is time bound, semi-time bound, or non-time bound.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the one or more processing devices to:

scale the individual element based on a size of the GUI, lengths of the elements, and how many of the elements are shown.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the individual element is shown on the GUI with an indicator configured to indicate which family member is associated with the individual element.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the threshold view further includes media that relates to the family or to the individual element.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the elements are events.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the user input comprises a user gesture.

15. The system of claim 8, embodied on a single device.