U.S. patent application number 15/450521 was filed with the patent office on 2018-05-10 for efficiency enhancements in task management applications.
This patent application is currently assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC. Invention is credited to Chad Fowler, Julius Raphael Melchior Schaper.
Application Number | 20180130007 15/450521 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62063865 |
Filed Date | 2018-05-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180130007 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fowler; Chad ; et
al. |
May 10, 2018 |
EFFICIENCY ENHANCEMENTS IN TASK MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS
Abstract
Efficiency improvements for electronic task managers and an
improved user experience are realized when more relevant and fewer
irrelevant tasks are presented to users and users are given greater
control in manipulating those task items. By heuristically
determining times, locations, and semantics associated with task
relevance and integrating the management of tasks into more
applications, the functionality of the systems providing for
electronic task management is improved, as computer resources are
spent with greater utility to the users and the user experience is
improved for the users.
Inventors: |
Fowler; Chad; (Mepmphis,
TN) ; Schaper; Julius Raphael Melchior; (Berlin,
DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC |
Redmond |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Microsoft Technology Licensing,
LLC
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
62063865 |
Appl. No.: |
15/450521 |
Filed: |
March 6, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62418268 |
Nov 6, 2016 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/1095 20130101;
G06F 40/30 20200101; G06F 21/31 20130101; G06Q 10/063116 20130101;
G06F 16/9024 20190101; G06Q 10/107 20130101; G06F 9/453 20180201;
G06Q 10/06311 20130101; G06Q 10/109 20130101; G06F 3/04817
20130101; G06F 16/90324 20190101; G06Q 10/1093 20130101; G06Q
10/06312 20130101; G06Q 10/1097 20130101; G06F 3/0484 20130101;
G06Q 10/06314 20130101; G06F 3/0482 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20060101
G06Q010/06; G06Q 10/10 20060101 G06Q010/10 |
Claims
1. A method for providing an interface displaying tasks associated
with a selected time period and by intelligently drawing candidate
tasks from other task sources when a task list service is accessed,
comprising: invoking a focused time period list planning service,
the focused time period list planning service providing the
interface; displaying, in the interface, a blank time period list
interface for the selected time period; determining suggested tasks
for inclusion in a focused task list for the selected time period;
presenting the suggested tasks to a user; receiving user input
selecting tasks from the suggested tasks for the selected time
period; adding the selected tasks to the focused time period list;
updating heuristics based on the user input; and displaying, in the
interface, the focused time period list to the user.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested tasks include a
subset of available tasks for the selected time period.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the heuristics gathered and
updated from prior invocations of the focused time period list
planning service are used to select the subset of the available
tasks for presentation as the suggested tasks.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the available tasks for the
selected time period are identified and provided from at least one
of: an email service; a calendar service; and a productivity
service.
5. The method of claim 2, further comprising: in response to
receiving the user input selecting tasks from the suggested tasks
for the selected time period, updating the subset of the available
tasks presented in the interface to the user based on the user
input.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein a given selected task selected
from the subset is a master task historically associated with a
plurality of sub-tasks, and wherein updating the subset of the
available tasks presented in the interface to the user includes
presenting at least one sub-tasks of the plurality of
sub-tasks.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein a given selected task selected
from the subset is a first sub-task task historically associated
with a plurality of sub-tasks as part of a master task, and wherein
updating the subset of the available tasks presented in the
interface to the user includes presenting a second sub-tasks of the
plurality of sub-tasks.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to invoking the
focused time period list planning service at an end of a current
time period, the selected time period is one time period ahead of
the current time period.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the end of the current time
period is identified according to the heuristics as a last time
that the user historically invokes the focused time period list
planning service for a given time period.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to invoking the
focused time period list planning service at a beginning of a
current time period, the selected time period is the current time
period.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the beginning of the current
time period is a first invocation of the focused time period list
planning service during the current time period.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving additional
user input rejecting tasks from the suggested tasks; and updating
the heuristics based on the rejected tasks.
13. A system for providing an interface displaying tasks associated
with a selected time period and by intelligently drawing candidate
tasks from other task sources when a task list service is accessed,
comprising: a processor; and a memory storage device including
instructions that when executed by the processor provide the task
list service, including: a suggestion engine, configured to
identify candidate tasks items for display in the interface from
available tasks in response to a user invoking the task list
service, wherein the candidate tasks items are identified as a
subset of the available tasks based on a current time period
compared to scheduled times for available tasks and a user profile,
the user profile indicating likelihoods for whether a given
available task will be accepted or rejected when presented to a
user; and a heuristic engine, configured to observe selections and
rejections of the candidate task items to update the user
profile.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the scheduled times relative to
the current time period include the current time period and a next
time period.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein the task list service further
includes: a preview generator, configured to provide previews in
the interface of entities related to the suggested tasks, the
entities including at least one of a person, a document, and a
location for the suggested tasks.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein the focused tasks list is blank
until the user input selects at least one candidate task.
17. A computer readable memory storage device including
instructions that are executed by a processor in response to a
focused time period list planning service being invoked to provide
an interface displaying candidate tasks associated with a selected
time period that are intelligently drawn from other task sources,
comprising: displaying, in the interface, a blank time period list
interface for a focused task list for the selected time period;
determining the candidate tasks for suggested inclusion in the
focused task list for the selected time period from a plurality of
available tasks from the other task sources scheduled for the
selected time period, wherein the candidate tasks comprise a subset
of the available tasks; presenting, in the interface, the candidate
tasks to a user; receiving user input selecting one or more of the
candidate tasks as selected tasks; adding the selected tasks to the
focused time period list; and displaying, in the interface, the
focused time period list to the user.
18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the
instructions further comprise: receiving user input rejecting one
or more of the candidate tasks as rejected tasks; and maintaining
heuristics for the user based on the selected tasks and the
rejected tasks.
19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the
instructions further comprise: determining whether the selected
time period is a current time period or a next time period based on
a time in the current time period at which the focused time period
list planning service is invoked, wherein it is determined that the
selected time period is the current time period when the time
occurs early in the current time period and wherein it is
determined that the selected time period is the next time period
when the time occurs late in the current time period.
20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the
instructions further comprise: in response to receiving the user
input selecting one or more of the candidate tasks as the selected
tasks, updating the subset of the available tasks presented in the
interface to the user based on the user input based on the selected
tasks.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 62/418,268 filed Nov. 6, 2016, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electronic task management systems and applications enable
users to track various tasks more efficiently than with hardcopy
notes; users can access the same tasks from multiple devices,
rearrange the tasks, and share tasks between users remotely. The
ease of adding tasks to an electronic task manager, however, can
leave users overwhelmed; too many, irrelevant, or contextually
inappropriate tasks can distract the user from the tasks that are
relevant to the user at a given time and place. The provision of
unwanted tasks not only degrades the user experience, but also
wastes computing resources that are used to provide tasks that are
not wanted by the user that could be used more efficiently for
other tasks.
SUMMARY
[0003] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description section. This summary is not intended to
identify all key or essential features of the claimed subject
matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of
the claimed subject matter.
[0004] Enhancements to the efficiency of a task management
application are discussed herein in relation to systems, methods,
and computer readable media embodying instructions that provide
such enhancements. Relational data for entities and the context in
which users interact with task items, including the productivity
applications used to complete task items, are used to provide users
with more relevant tasks, fewer irrelevant tasks, and with greater
control and convenience in manipulating task items.
[0005] In one aspect, users are provided with an interface for
choosing tasks for various time periods (e.g., weekly, daily) that
intelligently draws candidate tasks from various task sources. The
user is initially presented with a blank slate to interact with, to
accept suggested tasks, reject suggested tasks, and to manually add
tasks. As the user interacts with the interface, a heuristic
service develops a user profile to provide suggested tasks that are
more likely to be accepted as tasks by the user for that time
period. Suggested tasks are presented in the interface as previews,
which allows the user to see related entities for the task, such
as, for example, a document to complete, a person who requested the
task, a document relevant to a task (e.g., a shopping list for a
shopping task, an itinerary for a travel task), etc., before
accepting or rejecting the task.
[0006] By providing enhanced efficiency for a task management
application, not only is the user's experience improved, but the
functionality of the device used to provide the task management
application is also improved. The device spends computing resources
(processor cycles and memory storage space) with greater precision;
wasting fewer resources to provide unwanted tasks for the user's
consideration.
[0007] Examples are implemented as a computer process, a computing
system, or as an article of manufacture such as a device, computer
program product, or computer readable medium that embodies
instructions. According to an aspect, the computer program product
is a computer storage medium readable by a computer system and
encoding a computer program comprising instructions for executing a
computer process.
[0008] The details of one or more aspects are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and description below. Other features and
advantages will be apparent from a reading of the following
detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is
to be understood that the following detailed description is
explanatory only and is not restrictive of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various aspects.
In the drawings:
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an example operating environment in which
the present disclosure may be practiced;
[0011] FIGS. 2A and 2B are illustrations of example graphical user
interfaces in which a task list is implemented;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an example graphical user interface in
which is displayed suggested tasks on which a user may focus;
[0013] FIG. 4A illustrates a calendar application showing one or
more events illustrated in relation to a calendar and order of
occurrence for a day;
[0014] FIG. 4B illustrates a Plan of tasks for the user based on
data received from the calendar application illustrated in FIG.
4A;
[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates various source attributions for suggested
tasks items;
[0016] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate example user interfaces for a
time period view of a set of task items as the time period's task
list is constructed;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an
example method for enhancing efficiency by providing users with an
interface for choosing tasks for various time periods (e.g.,
weekly, daily) that intelligently draws candidate tasks from
various task sources;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating example physical
components of a computing device;
[0019] FIGS. 9A and 9B are block diagrams of a mobile computing
device; and
[0020] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a distributed computing
system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The following detailed description refers to the
accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference
numbers are used in the drawings and the following description
refers to the same or similar elements. While examples may be
described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations
are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or
modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the
drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by
substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed
methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not
limiting, but instead, the proper scope is defined by the appended
claims. Examples may take the form of a hardware implementation, or
an entirely software implementation, or an implementation combining
software and hardware aspects. The following detailed description
is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0022] Enhancements to the efficiency of a task management
application are discussed herein in relation to systems, methods,
and computer readable media that provide such enhancements.
Relational data for entities and the context in which users
interact with task items, including the productivity applications
used to complete task items, are used to provide users with more
relevant tasks, fewer irrelevant tasks, and with greater control
and convenience in manipulating task items.
[0023] In one aspect, users are provided with an interface for
choosing tasks for various time periods (e.g., weekly, daily) that
intelligently draws candidate tasks from various task sources. The
user is initially presented with a blank slate to interact with, to
accept suggested tasks, reject suggested tasks, and to manually add
tasks. As the user interacts with the interface, a heuristic
service develops a user profile to provide suggested tasks that are
more likely to be accepted as tasks by the user for that time
period. Suggested tasks are presented in the interface as previews,
which allows the user to see related entities for the task, such
as, for example, a document to complete, a person who requested the
task, a document relevant to a task (e.g., a shopping list for a
shopping task, an itinerary for a travel task), etc., before
accepting or rejecting the task.
[0024] By providing enhanced efficiency for a task management
application, not only is the user's experience improved, but the
functionality of the device used to provide the task management
application is also improved. The device spends computing resources
(processor cycles and memory storage space) with greater precision;
wasting fewer resources to provide unwanted tasks for the user's
consideration.
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an example operating environment 100 in
which the present disclosure may be practiced. As illustrated, a
user device 110 is in communication with a task list service 120.
In various aspects, the task list service 120 is hosted on the user
device 110, while in other aspects, the task list service 120 is
hosted on a remote device as a service accessible by the user
device 110. The task list service 120 includes in various
configurations one or more of a: heuristic engine 121, a suggestion
engine 122, a context clusterer 123, a preview generator 124, user
profiles 125, a context listener 126, and a relational store 127.
The task list service 120 is in further communication with one or
more services that may be hosted on the user device 110 or another
device that include, but are not limited to: a relational graph
service 130, an email service 140, a calendar service 150, and a
productivity service 160. Although only one of each component is
illustrated in FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that in different
aspects more than one of one or more components are provided (e.g.,
more than one user device 110 is in communication with the task
list service 120, which is in communication with more than one
email service 140).
[0026] Each of the user device 110, task list service 120, and the
services 130-160 are illustrative of a multitude of computing
systems including, without limitation, desktop computer systems,
wired and wireless computing systems, mobile computing systems
(e.g., mobile telephones, netbooks, tablet or slate type computers,
notebook computers, and laptop computers), hand-held devices,
multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable
consumer electronics, minicomputers, printers, and mainframe
computers. The hardware of these computing systems is discussed in
greater detail in regard to FIGS. 8, 9A, 9B, and 10. User devices
110 are operated by users, who may be humans or automated systems
(e.g., "bots"). In various aspects, the user device 110, task list
service 120, and the services 130-160 may be accessed by a user or
each other locally and/or by a network, which may include the
Internet, a Local Area Network (LAN), a private distributed network
for an entity (e.g., a company, a university, a government agency),
a wireless ad hoc network, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or other
direct data link (e.g., Bluetooth connection, a direct wired
link).
[0027] The user device 110 is accessed by a user to operate a task
list application among other features and applications. The task
list application provides user-specific tasks that the user wishes
to be reminded of to complete and tools for manipulating those
tasks (e.g., assign task to another user, share task with another
user, complete task, mark status of task, add task, remove task).
For example, a user may access the task list application to receive
a reminder to pay rent on a given set of days, to attend a meeting
at a given time, or to go grocery shopping at an undefined time. In
various aspects, the task list application is provided by the task
list service 120 in a thin client running on the user device 110 in
conjunction with a client running on a remote server. In other
aspects, the task list application is provided by a task list
service 120 running on the user device 110 as a thick client. In
yet other aspects, the task list service 120 operates as a
distributed system, running on the user device 110 as a thick
client when a network connection to the remote server is not
available (or not needed) and as a thin client when the network
connection is available.
[0028] The task list service 120 includes one or more components
that may be enabled or disabled as users enable or disable features
or network connections to a remote server are established or lost.
In various aspects, a task list service 120 local to a given user
device 110 may also disable or reduce in size or complexity one or
more components compared to a task list service 120 that is
accessible over a network by multiple user devices 110.
[0029] A heuristic engine 121 is operable to learn user behavior
over time to enhance the determinations of which candidate tasks
discovered from task sources are to be presented, and in what
order, to a given user at a given time and location. The heuristic
engine 121 is operable to use one or more machine learning
approaches to determine how to best serve the needs and use cases
presented by individual users.
[0030] A suggestion engine 122 is operable to determine whether a
candidate task received from a tasks source should be suggested to
the user as a task to perform at a given time and/or location. From
all of the candidate task items that may be presented to the user
at any given time, the suggestion engine 122 filters those task
items to a manageable subset based on the user's existing task
items (to avoid scheduling conflicts), prior acceptances/rejections
of suggested task items, and the prior actions of the user. For
example, if a user's calendar includes an event for an upcoming
birthday, a suggested task is created that the person whose
birthday is coming up should be called prior to that date. In
another example, where the user sent an email that included a
promise to send an attachment by a deadline, a task is suggested to
meet this deadline. In a further example, an important meeting is
observed on the calendar service 150 as occurring on Friday, and
the suggestion service 122 will observe the rest of the week's
calendar to determine which days prior to the meeting are likely to
allow for a task item to prepare for the important meeting. For
example, the task item will be presented on Monday and Thursday,
but not Tuesday or Wednesday, due to the number of task items
already accepted for on those days (Tuesday and Wednesday being
busier or having more task items accepted in the present example
than Monday and Thursday).
[0031] A content clusterer 123 is operable to cluster tasks and
entities that are related in the location, time, and semantics
terms that they contain. As will be understood, clustering is a
statistical operation that groups items based on shared
characteristics (and combinations thereof). In one aspect, tasks
interacted with (created/completed) with similar time ranges are
clustered together based on similar time characteristics. In
another aspect, tasks interacted with (created/completed) when the
user is at a given location will be clustered together based on
location characteristics. In a further aspect, tasks with similar
words, terms, or entities (persons, documents, resources/locations)
will be clustered together based on semantic characteristics. For
example, the content clusterer 123 is operable to create two
clusters of events when it is noticed that a user performs certain
tasks when working at a first location during a first time period
and performs other tasks when working at a second location during a
second time period to inform the heuristic engine 121 that there
are two clusters of activity types regularly performed by the user.
The content clusterer 123 enables the suggestion engine 122 to
provide suggested tasks that are appropriate for a given time
and/or location at which those tasks are presented to the user.
[0032] For example, the user will be presented with task items
related to work on days associated with the work week and business
hours, but will be presented with tasks items related to domestic
activities (e.g., clean bathroom, go shopping, groom dog) outside
of business hours. In another example, the user will be presented
with tasks related to work when located at the user's place of work
(e.g., detected via Global Positioning System (GPS), Internet
Protocol (IP) Location Services, network names in range of the user
device 110) and domestic tasks when located at another location
(e.g., home, the grocery store, the dog groomer). In various
aspects, the suggestion engine 122 will place various weights on
clustering determinations that may change over a period of time, so
that as time progresses, more or less weight will be given to the
clustered content's location, time, or semantic data to allow for
blended suggestions. For example, as the workday draws to a close,
the user may be presented fewer work related tasks for the day as
suggestions, and more domestic related tasks (e.g., "pick up milk
on the way home from work"). In another example, when a location or
a time period unknown to the content clusterer 123 is observed by
the suggestion engine 122, the suggestion engine 122 may rely on
the other contextual data used to cluster tasks, such as, when a
user is on vacation (in a location previously unknown to the
suggestion engine 122), the suggestion engine 122 may rely on time
context and semantic context to provide suggestions, and ignore
locational context.
[0033] A preview generator 124 is operable to generate previews for
entities associated with a suggested task (or a selected task). For
example, a portion of a document that is to be completed as part of
a task is extracted by the preview generator 124 for presentation
in a user interface as a preview. In another example, a portion of
an audio recording of a phone call that is related to a task is
generated as a preview. In a further example, a person who is
related to a task (as a resource, an assignor, a teammate, or
object of the task) has a preview generated with information from
the relational graph service 130, such as, for example, that
person's contact information, an image of that person, biographical
details of that person, etc.
[0034] User profiles 125 are stored by the task list service 120 so
that as the behaviors of the users are observed by the heuristic
engine 121, the observations are stored to provide an increasingly
more accurate view of the user's habits and use patterns for
predicting future behaviors. In various aspects, the user or an
administrator may also manually set preferences in the user
profiles 125 to define how tasks are to be presented to the user
and aid the heuristic engine 121 in determining the user's
preferences in addition to observing the user's actions to learn
those preferences.
[0035] A context listener 126 is operable to receive (or request)
contextual data and task items from the user device 110 and the
services 130-160 for use by the task list service 120. In various
aspects, these data include appointments, events, meetings, and
tasks set for the user and/or accepted by the user in addition to
when and where these appointments, events, meetings, and tasks were
set, accepted, worked on, and/or completed. In some aspects, the
context listener 126 is operable to provide the state of the
computing device (e.g., what applications were active, which
application resulted in interacting with the task) to the task list
service 120. For example, metadata related to whether a user has
looked at a given entity part of a task, how long the user has
worked on a given task, how long it took between accepting the task
and starting or completing the task, and what interactions were
made by the user may be gathered for analysis and reporting.
[0036] A relational store 127 stores the relations observed for the
creation of task items so that dynamic context can be provided to
the user when the task is suggested to the user at a later date.
For example, when the user manually or a system automatically
creates a task item, the task is parsed to locate entities (e.g.,
persons involved, objects to be acted on) and recent actions (e.g.,
actions taken in the last m minutes) that may relate to the task
item. For example, if the user receives a message containing the
phrase "profit sharing plan" and creates a task that also include
that phrase, a relationship between the task and the message will
be formed and stored in the relational store 127. In another
example, when the user creates a task item to meet with another
person, a relationship is formed between the task item, the
meeting, and the person so that additional information about the
meeting or the person can be recalled (e.g., from the relational
graph service 130) when the task item is presented to the user. In
various aspects, the node identifiers from the relation graph
service 130 for related entities are stored in the relational store
127.
[0037] The relational graph service 130 hosts a graph database of a
relational graph with nodes describing entities and a set of
accompanying properties of those entities, such as, for example,
the names, titles, ages, addresses, etc. Each property can be
considered a key/value pair--a name of the property and its value.
In other examples, entities represented as nodes that include
documents, meetings, communication, etc., as well as edges
representing relations among these entities, such as, for example,
an edge between a person node and a document node representing that
person's authorship, modification, or viewing of the document. The
relational graph service 130 executes graph queries that are
submitted by various users to return nodes or edges that satisfy
various conditions (e.g., users within the same division of a
company, the last X documents accessed by a given user). In various
aspects, the relational graph 130 is in communication with the
other services 140-160 to match actions to documents and track
edges between nodes representing entities from those other services
140-160.
[0038] The email service 140 hosts the email communications for one
or more users. In various aspects, the email service 140 is part of
or includes a directory service for an organization. In other
aspects, the email service 140 is integrated into or accessible by
a productivity application of the productivity services 160. For
example, an email server storing email messages for an organization
is accessible by email applications for members of that
organizations and acts as an email service 140 accessible by the
task list service 120.
[0039] Emails provided from the email service 140 may be added as
entities in the relational graph 130, and/or the communications
embodied by the emails are treated as edges between communicating
parties. In various aspects, emails that are part of the tasks
(e.g., "send an email to John Doe") that are monitored by the task
list service 120, and also provide context for other tasks, such
as, for example, when a task is originated in an email (e.g., an
email whose content includes "please review the meeting agenda"
originates the task of "review meeting agenda").
[0040] The calendar service 150 hosts calendar and appointment
information for one or more users. Various appointments, meetings,
and events (collectively, events) are stored in the calendar
service 150 that include one or more persons as participants/hosts.
Events include one or more of: participants (required or optional),
attendance information, times, locations, resources, attached
documents, and event information (e.g., event title and
description). In various aspects, the calendar service 150 is
provided in a unified email/calendar application, such as, for
example, THUNDERBIRD.RTM. (offered by the Mozilla Fnd of Mountain
View, Calif.) or GMAIL.RTM. (offered by Alphabet Inc. of Mountain
View, Calif.), which stores events for a user of that application.
In other aspects, the calendar service 150 includes a social media
platform, such as, for example, FACEBOOK.RTM. (offered by Facebook,
Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif.) where various events are posted that
users may attend.
[0041] Events provided from the calendar service 150 may be added
as entities in the relational graph 130, and/or the interactions
embodied by the events are treated as edges between interacting
parties. In various aspects, events are part of the tasks (e.g.,
"attend birthday party") that are monitored by the task list
service 120, and also provide context for other tasks, such as, for
example, when a task is originated in an event (e.g., action items
created during a meeting).
[0042] The productivity service 160 includes one or more
productivity applications and document repositories that are
accessible by one or more users. In various aspects, the
productivity service 160 is hosted on the user device 110 and/or a
remote server accessible by the user device 110. For example, the
productivity service 160 includes a locally executed authoring
application (e.g., PAGES.RTM., KEYNOTE.RTM., or NUMBERS.RTM.
offered by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.) and remotely executed
authoring applications (e.g., the GOOGLE DOCS.TM. suite offered by
Alphabet, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif.) that are accessible via a
thin client or web browser. In another example, the productivity
service 160 includes a library of documents stored on the user
device 110 as well as libraries stored on networked computers or as
part of a document management system and remote storage locations
(e.g., GOOGLE DRIVE.TM. offered by Alphabet, Inc. of Mountain View,
Calif.).
[0043] Documents provided from the productivity service 160 may be
added as entities in the relational graph 130. In various aspects,
documents are part of the tasks (e.g., "edit the quarterly report")
that are monitored by the task list service 120, and provide
context to report on how tasks have been handled to an initiating
or collaborating party. For example, when a manager assigns the
task of "edit the quarterly report" to an employee, the manager may
receive an indication when the employee has completed the task, and
the interactions that comprise that task. Similarly, when a manager
assigns the task to a work group of several employees, when one
employee assumes the task (e.g., begins work, accepts the task,
completes the task), the other employees may be notified that the
task has been assumed by their coworker.
[0044] In various aspects, the services 130-160 are operable to
transmit interactions to the task list service 120 or to have
interactions listened to/pulled from the services 130-160 to the
task list service 120. An API (Application Program Interface) or
agent between the task list service 120 and services 130-160
facilitate communication between the services 130-160 and the task
list service 120 ensuring communications are received in a format
interpretable by the receiving service. In one example, the
SIRI.RTM. or GOOGLE NOW.RTM. personal digital assistants (offered
by Apple, Inc. and Alphabet, Inc., respectively) may parse the
sources 130-160 as agents to report relevant data to the task list
service 120. In another example, the sources 130-160 are configured
to communicate to the task list service 120 as actions are taken in
those services 130-160 in a format specified via an API.
[0045] FIGS. 2A-6B illustrate various example user interfaces for a
task list application employing the tasks list service 120 to
improve the efficiency in how tasks are presented to the user. As
will be appreciated, FIGS. 2A-6B are provided as non-limiting
examples and other arrangements and groupings of user interface
elements with different content are included in the concepts of the
present disclosure.
[0046] FIGS. 2A and 2B are illustrations of example graphical user
interfaces in which a Task List is implemented. The task list user
interface illustrated in FIG. 2A displays the scheduled tasks for
"today". In one aspect, along with the task item, a link to the
application relevant in completing the task item is provided. For
example, the second item on the task list user interface displayed
in FIG. 2A, is "review notes for launch". A link to the notes
application is provided along with the task item to allow the user
to access the notes application from the task list application,
instead of the user having to search for the application and then
open it.
[0047] In one aspect, a link to the content item relevant to
completing the task item is provided. For example, the first task
item is "prepare screens for presentation". The task item is
provided along with the content item "product launchdeck" to allow
the user to access the content item "product launchdeck" in the
presentation application without having to remember the content
item and its location to complete the task item "prepare screens
for presentation".
[0048] In one example, the tasks for "today" are listed in the
order of time when they are due. In another example, they are
listed in the order of priority. According to an example, the
priority is identified by the system. In another example, the user
is allowed to provide the priority details when creating the task
item.
[0049] According to an aspect, the task list user interface
illustrated in FIG. 2B displays a suggested task list item. As
illustrated, a suggested task list item "Book flight to San
Francisco" is provided. According to an aspect, the task is
suggested based on user context. User context may be developed by
the system gradually by learning user patterns and user interaction
data. The option to add the suggested task item to the task list
shown in FIG. 2A is provided. According to another aspect, the link
provides a brief description of the task list item. For example, as
illustrated in FIG. 2B, a brief description of the city of San
Francisco is provided along with the suggested task list item "Book
flight to San Francisco". In another example, others options such
as for example, an option to provide "directions" to the city and
an option to "book tickets" are provided.
[0050] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the system displays suggested
tasks for user to focus on. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3,
the first task list item "Check in for your flight" is provided as
a focus item for the user. The system identifies a flight
reservation in one or more applications accessed by the user, such
as the mail application in which the flight confirmation may have
arrived. Based on these identified data, the system provides the
task list item "Check in for your flight".
[0051] According to another aspect, the system reviews the task
list and suggests a task item that may not be due today, as a focus
item. For example, if the system identifies a meeting scheduled for
Friday, and the task item "prepare for meeting" is scheduled for
Wednesday. The system may further identify that there are more task
items scheduled for Wednesday than on Tuesday, and the system uses
these data to provide the task item, "prepare for meeting" on
Tuesday as focus task list item instead of on Wednesday.
[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 4A, a calendar application showing
one or more events (appointments, meetings, or events) is
illustrated in relation to a calendar and order of occurrence for a
day.
[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the system provides a Plan of
tasks for the user based on data received from the calendar
application illustrated in FIG. 4A. As illustrated, the task items
that were not completed yesterday from the tasks application are
provided to the user today. Further, an interface allowing the user
to add a new task is provided. In one aspect, as illustrated in
FIG. 4B, the system provides the suggested tasks to the user based
on data learned from one or more productivity applications (e.g.,
the calendar application shown in FIG. 4A) by digital agents, for
example, SIRI.RTM. (offered by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino Calif.) or
ECHO.RTM. (offered by Amazon.com, Inc. of Seattle, Wash.), email
applications, calendar applications, etc. For example, the
suggestion task of "call grandma" is provided from the data learned
from the calendar of a task item "Grandma Ruth's Birthday".
[0054] FIG. 5 illustrates various source attributions for suggested
tasks items. As shown in FIG. 5, the task sources from which
suggested tasks are drawn and the agent or suggestion engine 122
that is used to identify those suggested tasks is presented to the
user. Various icons and source names are also presented in
association with the suggested tasks items to alert the user as to
where, and potentially why, a given suggested task item is
presented as a suggestion. For example, text from an email message
may be extracted as promising a task item that is discovered by a
context listener 126 and is therefore presented with an email icon
along with the text that cause the context listener 126 to infer
that a task item exists. In another example, a task in a user's
task list for a later date is presented with a task list icon, and
is suggested due to a surplus of inferred time on the user's
schedule for the current date (e.g., today is open and the task
item is due tomorrow). In a further example, a calendar icon is
presented in association with an inferred task list item discovered
from a calendar application.
[0055] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate example user interfaces for a
time period view of a set of task items as the time period's task
list is constructed. FIG. 6A illustrates a starting position for a
time period, a daily task list in the present example, which is
blank when the time period list initiates. The blank view allows
the user control over which candidate tasks for the day appear on
the day's task list; suggested task items are shown but are not
included on the list until selected by the user. In various
aspects, the blank view is presented to the user at the start of
the time period or at the conclusion of the prior time period.
Although a user may pre-plan several tasks, in various aspects, the
time period view is only accessible in the time period directly
before or during the time period associated with the time period
list (e.g., that day or the day before for a daily list, at the
start of a week or the end of the prior week for a weekly list,
etc.).
[0056] Proceeding from FIG. 6A, the interface illustrated in FIG.
6B shows several suggested tasks for the time period as they are
provided to the user. As shown in an upper portion in the
interface, tasks from the prior time period (e.g., yesterday in a
daily task list) are shown to the user so that incomplete tasks may
be selected for inclusion in the current time period task list or
the user is reminded of what tasks were accomplished in the prior
time period for creating ongoing tasks. As shown in a middle
portion of the interface, tasks that are overdue are shown to the
user so that overdue tasks items may be selected for inclusion in
the current time period task list. As shown in a lower portion of
the interface, suggested task items from one or more services
130-160 as selected by a suggestion engine 120 are shown to the
user to select from for inclusion in the time period list.
[0057] Various details about the suggested task items are shown to
the user, including, without limitation: a title, a description,
interested or relevant parties (e.g., assignor, assignee, sender,
receiver, resource), due dates, start dates, portion already
completed, sub-tasks, and related objects. Controls are provided in
the interface in association with the suggested tasks to select one
or more of the suggested task items to add an existing task list or
new task list. Controls are also provided for the user to manually
add task items to an existing or new task list. In other aspects,
controls are provided to reject suggested task items, and the
suggestion engine 122 is operable, in some aspects, to replace the
rejected task items with other suggested task items. The heuristic
engine 121 is operable to learn the user's behavior based on the
user's interactions (e.g., selection, rejecting, ignoring) with the
presented task items to improve the task items that the suggestion
engine 122 provides.
[0058] FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an
example method 700 for enhancing efficiency by providing users with
an interface for choosing tasks for various time periods (e.g.,
weekly, daily) that intelligently draws candidate tasks from
various task sources when the user first access the task list
application during that period.
[0059] When a user launches a task application at the start of the
given time period, the user will see a blank space called "Today,"
"This Week," "This Month," or the like. This is the space where the
user is enabled to list the focused tasks that the user actually
plans to do that day/week/month/year. Rather than being confronted
with the totality of everything that the user might ever want to do
or the system discovering what the user has previously set to do in
that time period, the system encourages the user to refine that
list. The user is confronted with the invitation to set the time
period's focused tasks, which is a fundamental user experience
change over existing task management solutions that are cleared up
each time period. The suggestion or selection of a task in the
focused space (or the focused space being cleared at the beginning
of a subsequent time period) does not remove the tasks from the
task source; those tasks still exist, but their presentation in the
focused time period space is cleared at the end of each time
period.
[0060] Whenever a user launches the task list application for the
first time (or in anticipation of the first time) during a time
period, the default display the user will see is a blank space for
the time period and one or more suggested tasks for action in that
time period. This focused view is in contrast to the (potentially
very long) list of all the tasks relevant to a given time period.
For example, when a user first wakes up in the morning and opens
the task list application, a space for planning focused tasks for
the day is provided. In another example, a user who accesses the
task list application at the end of a first day is provided a blank
space for planning focused tasks for the subsequent day.
[0061] The tasks suggested in the focused time period space include
tasks that are manually entered by the user for the time period as
well as tasks discovered from a variety of sources including, but
not limited to: existing task lists, relational graph services 130,
emails services 140, calendar services 150, and productivity
services 160 (e.g., recently worked on documents). The suggestion
service 122 provides suggested tasks that are expected, according
to the heuristic engine 121, that the user will be interested in
including on the focused task list for the time period. Whether a
suggestion is accepted, ignored, or rejected is used to update the
user profile 125 by the heuristic engine 121 to provide more
accurate predictions of the user's interests in what tasks to focus
on.
[0062] Method 700 begins at OPERATION 710, where focused time
period list planning is invoked. In various aspects, the user may
manually signal that a given time period is to be planned for, or
the task list service 120 may determine, based on the time and/or
location at which it is accessed and prior user behavior, that the
user is likely to desire time period list planning, and
automatically invoke the mode. For example, a user may manually
select to plan for the current/subsequent day from a blank view of
that day, or the system may present the blank view when the task
list application is accessed at or after a learned time associated
with the user planning for the current/subsequent day.
[0063] At OPERATION 720 a blank view, with no selected task items,
is presented to the user for the given time period. One or more
suggested task items are presented to the user to decide from as to
whether to include or exclude from the focused time period task
list. The suggested tasks items to present to the user are
determined at OPERATION 730. The suggested task items do not
pre-populate the blank list, but are presented in a different style
or interface element from the focused time period task list to
present the suggested task items to the user and give the user full
control over which task items are added to the focused time period
task list.
[0064] In various aspects, the suggested tasks include tasks that
are overdue from a previous time period, documents or applications
accessed during the previous time period, task items from various
task sources, etc. In one aspect, historic tasks are observed so
that, for example, the suggestion engine 122 will augment a "go
grocery shopping" task with a suggested sub-task of "buy milk" when
a "buy milk" subtask that is historically present is missing from a
given "grocery shopping" task. In another aspect, a historically
observed sub-task is used to suggest the historic master-tasks so
that, for example, when "buy milk" is selected, a master-task that
includes "buy milk" (e.g., "go grocery shopping" is also suggested
to include one or more additional historic sub-tasks (e.g., "buy
bread," "buy coffee")). In another example, a task to finish the
draft email that a user started on the mail server but did not send
is suggested based on the user's actions from the prior day. In a
further example, a user who is scheduled to have a one-on-one
meeting with someone higher in the organization chart according to
the relational graph service 130 who is not someone the user
typically meets with (e.g., not a direct manager), a suggested task
to prepare for that meeting will be generated and suggested to the
user.
[0065] The suggested task items are presented to the user at
OPERATION 740. The suggestion engine 122 presents candidate focused
tasks for the user to allow for the user to say "yes, that is
something I should do during this time period," or "no, that is not
something I should do during this time period." The user's choice
is received at OPERATION 750 and, based on the user input of
selecting or rejecting suggested task items, focused task items are
added to the focused time period list at OPERATION 760 or removed
as suggestions. The user's input is passed to the heuristic engine
121 at OPERATION 770 so that over time, machine learning techniques
are applied to the user's choices to learn from the user's behavior
in the application (e.g., whether or not the user has chosen
suggested task items) to improve task item suggestion. Method 700
may then return to OPERATION 740 to present more suggested task
items to the user or conclude.
[0066] While implementations have been described in the general
context of program modules that execute in conjunction with an
application program that runs on an operating system on a computer,
those skilled in the art will recognize that aspects may also be
implemented in combination with other program modules. Generally,
program modules include routines, programs, components, data
structures, and other types of structures that perform particular
tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
[0067] The aspects and functionalities described herein may operate
via a multitude of computing systems including, without limitation,
desktop computer systems, wired and wireless computing systems,
mobile computing systems (e.g., mobile telephones, netbooks, tablet
or slate type computers, notebook computers, and laptop computers),
hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or
programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, and mainframe
computers.
[0068] In addition, according to an aspect, the aspects and
functionalities described herein operate over distributed systems
(e.g., cloud-based computing systems), where application
functionality, memory, data storage and retrieval and various
processing functions are operated remotely from each other over a
distributed computing network, such as the Internet or an intranet.
According to an aspect, user interfaces and information of various
types are displayed via on-board computing device displays or via
remote display units associated with one or more computing devices.
For example, user interfaces and information of various types are
displayed and interacted with on a wall surface onto which user
interfaces and information of various types are projected.
Interaction with the multitude of computing systems with which
implementations are practiced include, keystroke entry, touch
screen entry, voice or other audio entry, gesture entry where an
associated computing device is equipped with detection (e.g.,
camera) functionality for capturing and interpreting user gestures
for controlling the functionality of the computing device, and the
like.
[0069] FIGS. 8-10 and the associated descriptions provide a
discussion of a variety of operating environments in which examples
are practiced. However, the devices and systems illustrated and
discussed with respect to FIGS. 8-10 are for purposes of example
and illustration and are not limiting of a vast number of computing
device configurations that are utilized for practicing aspects,
described herein.
[0070] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating physical components
(i.e., hardware) of a computing device 800 with which examples of
the present disclosure may be practiced. In a basic configuration,
the computing device 800 includes at least one processing unit 802
and a system memory 804. According to an aspect, depending on the
configuration and type of computing device, the system memory 804
comprises, but is not limited to, volatile storage (e.g., random
access memory), non-volatile storage (e.g., read-only memory),
flash memory, or any combination of such memories. According to an
aspect, the system memory 804 includes an operating system 805 and
one or more program modules 806 suitable for running software
applications 850. According to an aspect, the system memory 804
includes the task list service 120. The operating system 805, for
example, is suitable for controlling the operation of the computing
device 800. Furthermore, aspects are practiced in conjunction with
a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other
application program, and are not limited to any particular
application or system. This basic configuration is illustrated in
FIG. 8 by those components within a dashed line 808. According to
an aspect, the computing device 800 has additional features or
functionality. For example, according to an aspect, the computing
device 800 includes additional data storage devices (removable
and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical
disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 8 by
a removable storage device 809 and a non-removable storage device
810.
[0071] As stated above, according to an aspect, a number of program
modules and data files are stored in the system memory 804. While
executing on the processing unit 802, the program modules 806
(e.g., task list service 120) perform processes including, but not
limited to, one or more of the stages of the method 700 illustrated
in FIG. 7, respectively. According to an aspect, other program
modules are used in accordance with examples and include
applications such as electronic mail and contacts applications,
word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database
applications, slide presentation applications, drawing or
computer-aided application programs, etc.
[0072] According to an aspect, the computing device 800 has one or
more input device(s) 812 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a
sound input device, a touch input device, etc. The output device(s)
814 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. are also included
according to an aspect. The aforementioned devices are examples and
others may be used. According to an aspect, the computing device
800 includes one or more communication connections 816 allowing
communications with other computing devices 818. Examples of
suitable communication connections 816 include, but are not limited
to, radio frequency (RF) transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver
circuitry; universal serial bus (USB), parallel, and/or serial
ports.
[0073] The term computer readable media, as used herein, includes
computer storage media. Computer storage media include volatile and
nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any
method or technology for storage of information, such as computer
readable instructions, data structures, or program modules. The
system memory 804, the removable storage device 809, and the
non-removable storage device 810 are all computer storage media
examples (i.e., memory storage.) According to an aspect, computer
storage media include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable
read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology,
CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage,
magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other
magnetic storage devices, or any other article of manufacture which
can be used to store information and which can be accessed by the
computing device 800. According to an aspect, any such computer
storage media is part of the computing device 800. Computer storage
media do not include a carrier wave or other propagated data
signal.
[0074] According to an aspect, communication media are embodied by
computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules,
or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or
other transport mechanism, and include any information delivery
media. According to an aspect, the term "modulated data signal"
describes a signal that has one or more characteristics set or
changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By
way of example, and not limitation, communication media include
wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and
wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared,
and other wireless media.
[0075] FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a mobile computing device 900,
for example, a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a tablet personal
computer, a laptop computer, and the like, with which aspects may
be practiced. With reference to FIG. 9A, an example of a mobile
computing device 900 for implementing the aspects is illustrated.
In a basic configuration, the mobile computing device 900 is a
handheld computer having both input elements and output elements.
The mobile computing device 900 typically includes a display 905
and one or more input buttons 910 that allow the user to enter
information into the mobile computing device 900. According to an
aspect, the display 905 of the mobile computing device 900
functions as an input device (e.g., a touch screen display). If
included, an optional side input element 915 allows further user
input. According to an aspect, the side input element 915 is a
rotary switch, a button, or any other type of manual input element.
In alternative examples, mobile computing device 900 incorporates
more or fewer input elements. For example, the display 905 may not
be a touch screen in some examples. In alternative examples, the
mobile computing device 900 is a portable phone system, such as a
cellular phone. According to an aspect, the mobile computing device
900 includes an optional keypad 935. According to an aspect, the
optional keypad 935 is a physical keypad. According to another
aspect, the optional keypad 935 is a "soft" keypad generated on the
touch screen display. In various aspects, the output elements
include the display 905 for showing a graphical user interface
(GUI), a visual indicator 920 (e.g., a light emitting diode),
and/or an audio transducer 925 (e.g., a speaker). In some examples,
the mobile computing device 900 incorporates a vibration transducer
for providing the user with tactile feedback. In yet another
example, the mobile computing device 900 incorporates input and/or
output ports, such as an audio input (e.g., a microphone jack), an
audio output (e.g., a headphone jack), and a video output (e.g., a
HDMI port) for sending signals to or receiving signals from an
external device. In yet another example, the mobile computing
device 900 incorporates peripheral device port 940, such as an
audio input (e.g., a microphone jack), an audio output (e.g., a
headphone jack), and a video output (e.g., a HDMI port) for sending
signals to or receiving signals from an external device.
[0076] FIG. 9B is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of
one example of a mobile computing device. That is, the mobile
computing device 900 incorporates a system (i.e., an architecture)
902 to implement some examples. In one example, the system 902 is
implemented as a "smart phone" capable of running one or more
applications (e.g., browser, e-mail, calendaring, contact managers,
messaging clients, games, and media clients/players). In some
examples, the system 902 is integrated as a computing device, such
as an integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) and wireless
phone.
[0077] According to an aspect, one or more application programs 950
are loaded into the memory 962 and run on or in association with
the operating system 964. Examples of the application programs
include phone dialer programs, e-mail programs, personal
information management (PIM) programs, word processing programs,
spreadsheet programs, Internet browser programs, messaging
programs, and so forth. According to an aspect, the task list
service 120 is loaded into memory 962. The system 902 also includes
a non-volatile storage area 968 within the memory 962. The
non-volatile storage area 968 is used to store persistent
information that should not be lost if the system 902 is powered
down. The application programs 950 may use and store information in
the non-volatile storage area 968, such as e-mail or other messages
used by an e-mail application, and the like. A synchronization
application (not shown) also resides on the system 902 and is
programmed to interact with a corresponding synchronization
application resident on a host computer to keep the information
stored in the non-volatile storage area 968 synchronized with
corresponding information stored at the host computer. As should be
appreciated, other applications may be loaded into the memory 962
and run on the mobile computing device 900.
[0078] According to an aspect, the system 902 has a power supply
970, which is implemented as one or more batteries. According to an
aspect, the power supply 970 further includes an external power
source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradle that
supplements or recharges the batteries.
[0079] According to an aspect, the system 902 includes a radio 972
that performs the function of transmitting and receiving radio
frequency communications. The radio 972 facilitates wireless
connectivity between the system 902 and the "outside world," via a
communications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to and
from the radio 972 are conducted under control of the operating
system 964. In other words, communications received by the radio
972 may be disseminated to the application programs 950 via the
operating system 964, and vice versa.
[0080] According to an aspect, the visual indicator 920 is used to
provide visual notifications and/or an audio interface 974 is used
for producing audible notifications via the audio transducer 925.
In the illustrated example, the visual indicator 920 is a light
emitting diode (LED) and the audio transducer 925 is a speaker.
These devices may be directly coupled to the power supply 970 so
that when activated, they remain on for a duration dictated by the
notification mechanism even though the processor 960 and other
components might shut down for conserving battery power. The LED
may be programmed to remain on indefinitely until the user takes
action to indicate the powered-on status of the device. The audio
interface 974 is used to provide audible signals to and receive
audible signals from the user. For example, in addition to being
coupled to the audio transducer 925, the audio interface 974 may
also be coupled to a microphone to receive audible input, such as
to facilitate a telephone conversation. According to an aspect, the
system 902 further includes a video interface 976 that enables an
operation of an on-board camera 930 to record still images, video
stream, and the like.
[0081] According to an aspect, a mobile computing device 900
implementing the system 902 has additional features or
functionality. For example, the mobile computing device 900
includes additional data storage devices (removable and/or
non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape.
Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 9B by the
non-volatile storage area 968.
[0082] According to an aspect, data/information generated or
captured by the mobile computing device 900 and stored via the
system 902 are stored locally on the mobile computing device 900,
as described above. According to another aspect, the data are
stored on any number of storage media that are accessible by the
device via the radio 972 or via a wired connection between the
mobile computing device 900 and a separate computing device
associated with the mobile computing device 900, for example, a
server computer in a distributed computing network, such as the
Internet. As should be appreciated such data/information are
accessible via the mobile computing device 900 via the radio 972 or
via a distributed computing network. Similarly, according to an
aspect, such data/information are readily transferred between
computing devices for storage and use according to well-known
data/information transfer and storage means, including electronic
mail and collaborative data/information sharing systems.
[0083] FIG. 10 illustrates one example of the architecture of a
system for improving the efficiency of managing task lists as
described above. Content developed, interacted with, or edited in
association with the task list service 120 is enabled to be stored
in different communication channels or other storage types. For
example, various documents may be stored using a directory service
1022, a web portal 1024, a mailbox service 1026, an instant
messaging store 1028, or a social networking site 1030. The task
list service 120 is operative to use any of these types of systems
or the like for improving efficiency of task list management, as
described herein. According to an aspect, a server 1020 provides
the task list service 120 to clients 1005a,b,c. As one example, the
server 1020 is a web server providing the task list service 120
over the web. The server 1020 provides the task list service 120
over the web to clients 1005 through a network 1040. By way of
example, the client computing device is implemented and embodied in
a personal computer 1005a, a tablet computing device 1005b or a
mobile computing device 1005c (e.g., a smart phone), or other
computing device. Any of these examples of the client computing
device are operable to obtain content from the store 1016.
[0084] Implementations, for example, are described above with
reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of
methods, systems, and computer program products according to
aspects. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of
the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown
in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or
the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order,
depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0085] The description and illustration of one or more examples
provided in this application are not intended to limit or restrict
the scope as claimed in any way. The aspects, examples, and details
provided in this application are considered sufficient to convey
possession and enable others to make and use the best mode.
Implementations should not be construed as being limited to any
aspect, example, or detail provided in this application. Regardless
of whether shown and described in combination or separately, the
various features (both structural and methodological) are intended
to be selectively included or omitted to produce an example with a
particular set of features. Having been provided with the
description and illustration of the present application, one
skilled in the art may envision variations, modifications, and
alternate examples falling within the spirit of the broader aspects
of the general inventive concept embodied in this application that
do not depart from the broader scope.
* * * * *