U.S. patent application number 17/124112 was filed with the patent office on 2021-04-08 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, Benjamen Ljudmilov MATEEV, Bernd Ingo PLONTSCH, Julius Raphael Melchior SCHAPER.
Application Number | 20210103878 17/124112 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005279766 |
Filed Date | 2021-04-08 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210103878 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
FOWLER; Chad ; et
al. |
April 8, 2021 |
EFFICIENCY ENHANCEMENTS IN TASK MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS
Abstract
Presenting and manipulating task items includes creating a task
item within a productivity application in association with a
content item created with the productivity application and
assigning the task item to one or more users. When the task item
has been assigned, the task item is displayed to each user when
each users opens the productivity application, or when the
productivity application is already open to the user. User activity
is then monitored in relation to the content item that is
associated with the task item such that metadata for the user
activity is captured. Based on the captured metadata, the users are
alerted to the user activity that has occurred on the content
item.
Inventors: |
FOWLER; Chad; (Memphis,
TN) ; MATEEV; Benjamen Ljudmilov; (Berlin, DE)
; SCHAPER; Julius Raphael Melchior; (Berlin, DE) ;
PLONTSCH; Bernd Ingo; (Berlin, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC |
Redmond |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Microsoft Technology Licensing,
LLC
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
1000005279766 |
Appl. No.: |
17/124112 |
Filed: |
December 16, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15450874 |
Mar 6, 2017 |
|
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17124112 |
|
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62418268 |
Nov 6, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/1097 20130101;
G06Q 10/1093 20130101; G06Q 10/06314 20130101; G06F 16/9024
20190101; G06Q 10/06312 20130101; G06Q 10/1095 20130101; G06F 9/453
20180201; G06F 3/0484 20130101; G06F 3/04817 20130101; G06Q
10/06311 20130101; G06F 21/31 20130101; G06Q 10/107 20130101; G06Q
10/109 20130101; G06Q 10/063116 20130101; G06F 3/0482 20130101;
G06F 40/30 20200101; G06F 16/90324 20190101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20060101
G06Q010/06; G06Q 10/10 20060101 G06Q010/10; G06F 16/901 20060101
G06F016/901; G06F 21/31 20060101 G06F021/31; G06F 3/0482 20060101
G06F003/0482 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method, comprising: determining, based on a past interaction
by an individual with one or more task items in a task list
associated with the individual, when to present a task item to the
individual, the task item being associated with a due date and a
content item associated with a productivity application; receiving
an indication of an interaction by the individual with the
productivity application associated with the task item; based on
receiving the indication, determining whether to present the task
item to the individual, the determining being based, at least in
part, on the past interaction by the individual with the one or
more task items in the task list; and based on determining that the
task item is to be presented, displaying the task item within the
productivity application, the task item including the due date.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining
contextual information associated with the past interaction.
23. The method of claim 22, further comprising using the contextual
information when determining whether to present the task item to
the individual.
24. The method of claim 21, wherein the task item is associated
with an assigning individual.
25. The method of claim 24, further comprising displaying
information associated with the assigning individual when the task
item is presented.
26. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication of the
interaction comprises receiving an open command that causes the
content item to be opened in the productivity application.
27. The method of claim 21, wherein the displaying the task item
within the productivity application comprises displaying the task
item as a pop-up.
28. The method of claim 21, wherein the displaying the task item
within the productivity application comprises displaying the task
item as an overlay.
29. The method of claim 21, wherein the task item includes
information corresponding to additional individuals that have been
assigned the task item.
30. The method of claim 21, wherein the task item is associated
with a particular section of the content item.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the indication of the
interaction by the individual with the productivity application
associated with the task item comprises a detected interaction with
the particular section.
32. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the
processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the
processor, perform operations, comprising: determining, based on a
past interaction by an individual with one or more task items in a
task list associated with the individual, when to present a task
item to the individual, the task item being associated a content
item associated with a productivity application; receiving an
indication of an interaction by the individual with one or more of
the productivity application associated with the task item or the
content item; based on receiving the indication, determining
whether to present the task item to the individual, the determining
being based, at least in part, on the past interaction by the
individual with the one or more task items in the task list; and
based on determining that the task item is to be presented,
displaying the task item within the productivity application.
33. The system of claim 32, wherein the task item is associated
with a due date.
34. The system of claim 32, further comprising instructions for
determining contextual information associated with the past
interaction.
35. The system of claim 34, further comprising instructions for
using the contextual information when determining whether to
present the task item to the individual.
36. The system of claim 32, wherein the indication of the
interaction comprises receiving an open command that causes the
content item to be opened in the productivity application.
37. The system of claim 32, wherein the displaying the task item
within the productivity application comprises displaying the task
item as a pop-up.
38. The system of claim 32, wherein the displaying the task item
within the productivity application comprises displaying the task
item as an overlay.
39. A method, comprising: maintaining a task list associated with
an individual, the task list including a plurality of task items
accepted by the individual; analyzing the task list to determine
past interactions by the individual with one or more task items
associated with the task list; determining based, at least in part,
on the past interactions by the individual, a profile that is
predictive of when a task item should be presented to the
individual; identifying a particular task, the particular task
being associated with a productivity application; receiving an
indication of an interaction by the individual with the
productivity application; based on receiving the indication,
determining whether to present the task item to the individual, the
determining being based, at least in part, on the past interaction
by the individual with the one or more task items in the task list;
and based on determining that the task item is to be presented,
displaying the task item within the productivity application.
40. The method of claim 39, further comprising receiving
information corresponding to the task item when the task item is
displayed.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 15/450,874, filed Mar. 6, 2017, which claims benefit of U.S.
Provisional Application No. 62/418,268, filed Nov. 6, 2016, which
are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
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 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, task items are presented and manipulated in
association with a productivity application in which they are to be
completed. For example, a user when accessing a productivity
application will be presented with task items assigned for that
user that can be completed in that productivity application. In
another example, a user who accesses a productivity application
document associated with a task item will be alerted to tasks items
associated with that document (related to the user or another
user). Data and/or metadata associated with user interactions with
the productivity application are observed and used to alert other
users associated with the task items of progress on the task items,
without the users having to switch focus from the productivity
application.
[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. According to an
embodiment, 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] FIG. 2 illustrates an example graphical user interface in
which Task List item creation from within a productivity
application is shown;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface in which a
Task List is implemented;
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical user interface in which a
Task List is implemented within the productivity application in
which it can be completed;
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical user interface in which the
user interface for task list items is sorted by various categories
and provided with the calendar application on the home screen of
the user's device;
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates a graphical user interface in which a
task list application template is provided;
[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates a graphical user interface in which a
shared task list for various groups of users is provided;
[0017] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a graphical user interface in
which a task assigned by a first user can be provided to a second
user in the application relevant to completing that task item;
[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface for a digital
assistant to create task items;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in
an example method for enhancing efficiency by presenting and
manipulating task items in association with a productivity
application in which they are to be completed;
[0020] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating example physical
components of a computing device;
[0021] FIGS. 12A and 12B are block diagrams of a mobile computing
device; and
[0022] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a distributed computing
system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] 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.
[0024] 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.
[0025] In one aspect, task items are presented and manipulated in
association with a productivity application in which they are to be
completed. For example, a user when accessing a productivity
application will be presented with task items assigned for that
user that can be completed in that productivity application. In
another example, a user who accesses a productivity application
document associated with a task item will be alerted to tasks items
associated with that document (related to the user or another
user). Data and/or metadata associated with user interactions with
the productivity application are observed and used to alert other
users associated with the task items of progress on the task items,
without the users having to switch focus from the productivity
application.
[0026] 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.
[0027] 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).
[0028] 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. 11, 12A, 12B, and 13. 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).
[0029] 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.
[0030] 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.
[0031] 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.
[0032] 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).
[0033] 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) 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.
[0034] 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.
[0035] 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.
[0036] 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.
[0037] 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.
[0038] 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.
[0039] 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.
[0040] 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.
[0041] 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").
[0042] 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.
[0043] 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).
[0044] 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 include 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.).
[0045] 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.
[0046] 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.
[0047] FIGS. 2-9 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. 2-9 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.
[0048] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example graphical user
interface in which Task List item creation from within a
productivity application is shown. As is illustrated in FIG. 2, a
task creation option is provided in an email productivity
application. In one example, the system identifies the "volunteer
registration" as an entity possibly related to a task and
identifies the candidate time as "tonight" and provides the task
creation control. Upon selection of the task creation control, the
"volunteer registration" task is created as a task item for
"tonight". In another aspect, the user selects the task creation
option and identifies the objects, persons, and times relevant to
that task. In various aspects, dialogs or prompts are provided to
the user to select the values from the productivity application or
manually input those values to build the task.
[0049] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a graphical user interface in
which a Task List is implemented. In one aspect, upon selection of
the Task creation option in FIG. 2, the task item is created in
relation to the content item from which it was created and is
displayed in a calendar. For example, the system identifies the
"volunteer registration" task in the email illustrated in FIG. 2
and that the task needs to be completed tonight--relative to the
day of creation or a date in the content item. The system creates
the task and displays the task in the calendar application as
illustrated in FIG. 3 for completion tonight. In one example, the
user is provided with an option whether to accept the task or to
make any desired changes to the task such as for example, change
the date and or time, reassigned the task, etc.
[0050] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a graphical user interface in
which a Task List is implemented within the productivity
application in which it can be completed. For example, as
illustrated in FIG. 4, a presentation application is in use and the
tasks from the tasks list that are identified by the system to be
completed in the presentation application are displayed for the
user therein. This allows the user to open the task application and
view the tasks to be completed without switching to the task list
application. In various aspects, the user is also linked to the
document or section of the document, via a hyperlink in the user
interface that is related to the task item, to improve user
navigation to task-relation documents or portions thereof.
[0051] In another aspect, the user is allowed to add a task item,
as illustrated in FIG. 4, from the productivity application without
having to open or give focus to the task list application for
interacting with the task list items. For example, the user is
allowed to add a task item to the task list from the presentation
application without ever leaving the presentation application and
without having to access the task list application to create a task
list item.
[0052] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a graphical user interface in
which the user interface for task list items is sorted by various
categories and provided with the calendar application on the home
screen of the user's device. Additional functionalities, such as
for example, an option to add a task list item are also provided.
In one example, the interface is provided on the user's desktop. In
another example, the interface is provided on the user's home
screen or splash screen before or after logging into the user
device 110. In some aspects, the user interface is laid on top of a
background image set by the user.
[0053] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a graphical user interface in
which a task list application template is provided. Task list
templates allow for the task items of a given list to be presented
in repeated circumstances. For example, one or more task list
templates may be provided to easily share information between the
employees of an organization. In another example, a template task
list may be added to a new employee's task list by the employee's
manager, wherein that template task list is provided to each new
employee for onboarding purposes, and the manager may receive
notifications of the status of the completion for that employee. As
task list items are completed by the employee the tasks will be
marked as complete for that employee, but another new employee, who
was provided the same template list, will need to independently
fill out the task items; despite being based on the same template,
each user receives a unique task list.
[0054] In various aspects, the task list templates are set up
manually. In other examples, task list templates are created
automatically. For example, a grocery shopping task list template
is created for a user based on the user's previous task lists for
grocery shopping so that frequently purchased items automatically
appear as items on the task list. The user may manually add to the
template task list or to the resultant individual task list (e.g.,
always buy bread (add to template), buy bread this time (add to
individual task list)). In various aspects, task lists for repeated
tasks include items with varying frequencies (e.g., every time the
list is created, every other time the list is created, after n days
since the last list was created) so that, for example, a template
for grocery shopping include a task item for "buy toothpaste" that
appears as part of the template task list, but only appears on the
grocery shopping task list for an individual reminder to go grocery
shopping once per month, despite the user going grocery shopping
(based on the template task list) four times per month.
[0055] FIG. 7 is an illustration of a graphical user interface in
which a shared task list for various groups of users is provided.
For example, managers can share organization-owned tasks with their
teams. The task list service 120 enables the managers to create and
assign tasks to their employees in aggregate as well as for
individual employees. In one embodiment, various notifications such
as for example, in-app notifications, push notifications, and email
notifications are provided to allow easy tracking of the new task
list and the progress of the assigned user is meeting its goals.
The system provides the users access to their assigned tasks at any
time from various devices. In one example, as illustrated in FIG.
7, an organization "XYZ Inc." has shared a task list with a group
of users. The task list item "Stocktake of Kids section" is
displayed as completed, while the other task list items are
displayed as incomplete or in progress/accepted by a specific user.
The system provides the manager of the task list a notification
with additional details such as time of completion, user who
completed/accepted the task list item etc. The system indicates the
users and the manager the task list item "Cashier Saturday" with a
user, indicating that the user is working on the particular task
list item. This prevents the other users from beginning to work on
the task list item that is already being worked on by another user
and improves productivity. In another example, users can reassign
task between each other while they are performing the task.
[0056] FIGS. 8A and 8B are illustrations of a graphical user
interface in which a task assigned by a first user can be provided
to a second user in the application relevant in completing that
task item. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the task list
items related to the presentation application that will need to be
completed within the presentation application are provided as soon
as the second user accesses the presentation application. Along
with the task list item, additional information about the first
user who assigned the task list item, due date, percentage
completed is provided. In another example, as illustrated in FIG.
8B, the system allows the user to add an assigned task list item to
the user's own task list for later completion by selecting "Add",
to perform the task at that moment by selecting "Do it now", or to
delegate the task to another user by selecting "Delegate". In one
example, the system provides a notification to the first user (the
task assignor) of the second user's selection to update the status
or assignee of the task list item.
[0057] FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface for a digital
assistant to create task items. As illustrated in FIG. 9, a digital
assistant has been invoked and provides various controls for
defining a task item. In various aspects, user input may be
received by the digital assistant from input devices such as
keyboards, mice, and touch screens, but also from microphones when
the digital assistant is operable to interpret speech for content
input and commands. The digital assistant may be invoked by the
user uttering a command sequence to summon the digital assistant,
selecting a control in a user interface, or automatically in
response to user actions in a productivity application, task list
application, or operating system.
[0058] Input fields include, but are not limited to, title,
description, persons involved, places involved, and times involved
fields. The user is operable to set which task list the task item
is added to, or the system may automatically add the task item to a
task list according to a determination of common subject matter,
time, or location according to a clusterer 123. Additional controls
are provided for the user to accept the creation of the task item
(e.g., "remind"), reject the creation of the task item (e.g.,
"cancel"), and to locate additional data related to the task item
(e.g., "search for . . . ").
[0059] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in
an example method 1000 for enhancing efficiency by presenting and
manipulating task items in association with a productivity
application in which they are to be completed. As users do not
generally work in task managers to author content items, but in
email, messaging, calendaring, word processing, spreadsheet,
presentation, and other productivity applications, switching back
and forth between a task management application and a productivity
application introduces inefficiencies into the user's workflow and
requires the expenditure of computing resources to maintain (and
switch between) multiple applications. Users are enabled to set
tasks for themselves or others within a productivity application
associated with completing that task so that when a relevant user
accesses that productivity application, the tasks for that user
will be displayed in the context of the productivity application.
Similarly, as users access the productivity application and take
actions therein, metadata are collected to share their actions with
the other relevant users and update their task lists.
[0060] Method 1000 begins at OPERATION 1010, where a task item is
created in the context of a productivity application. The context
in which the task is created includes the entity--including a
productivity application or specific document--opened by the
assigning user at the time of task creation. For example, a manager
may set a task item to copyedit pages X-Z of a word processing
document and assign the task item to a work group or an individual
user. The manager, for example, may a select the pages X-Z while
accessing those pages in a word processing application and select
an option to create a task based on that selection, which is shared
from the word processing application to the task list service 120
to assign as a task to the members of the work group. The manager
is enabled to make multiple selections of users to whom to assign
the task item and may assign multiple sections or whole-document
tasks to one or more users. Similarly, the manager is enabled to
set a directive relative to the assigned user and section (e.g.,
"copyedit", "review", "complete"), which is provided in various
embodiments as a text entry from the assigning user or selected
from a pre-populated list, and allows the assigning user to set
deadlines to complete the task item. The relationships for the task
item are stored in a relational store 127, and in some embodiments
include the assigning user, the assigned user(s), the assigned
productivity application, the assigned document(s)--in embodiments
where they have been already created, the task item directives,
deadlines, and the interaction record with the task item.
[0061] At OPERATION 1020 user activity from the assigned user is
observed in the productivity application. For example, a user to
whom the task is assigned may open the document in which the task
has been assigned, or may open the productivity application in
which the task was created (e.g., in a "home" or "start" interface
of the productivity application). Activities also include making
edits or changes to a document related to a task item and/or
interacting with the task item within the productivity application
(e.g., marking a task as complete, delegating the task, accepting
or rejecting the task). In various aspects, the document or
productivity application may be accessed via a hyperlink provided
by a task list view from the task list service 120 (as a preview or
hyperlink to direct the user to the assigned portions of the
document) or by opening the document/application independently of
the task list view.
[0062] Proceeding to OPERATION 1030, the task item is displayed
within the context of the productivity application for the user.
For example, a pop-up notification, overlay, or windowed message
may alert a user who accesses the document or productivity
application that a task exists to complete. In various aspects,
users who are assigned the task item are provided with details on
that task, such as, for example, who assigned the task, who else
has been assigned the task (e.g., a working group's members),
whether work has been done in relation to the task since it has
been assigned (and by whom), a due date for the task item, a
description of the task, etc. In some aspects, users already
accessing the productivity application (e.g., working on a first
document) are provided notification within the productivity
application when a newly assigned task using that productivity
application (e.g., to edit a second document) is assigned to
them.
[0063] Users who are not assigned the task who access a document in
which a task is assigned to another user may be provided with an
alert that the document (or sections thereof) is designated for
another user to perform a task in relation to. In some aspects, the
alert specifically identifies which user and/or section has been
assigned as a task item or provides a private alert to the
accessing user that does not specify one or more of the assigned
user or section (e.g., "Someone has been assigned a task related to
a portion of this document").
[0064] Metadata for the user activity in the productivity
application are captured at OPERATION 1040. For example, when a
user accesses a document in which a task is assigned, the access
metadata are gathered, which may distinguish assigned users, users
related in a relational graph to the assigned users (e.g., a
manager, a direct report, a spouse, the assigning user), and users
who are not assigned the task or are related to users who have been
assigned the task. The metadata include, but are not limited to
when an assigned user accesses a task item, when an unassigned user
accesses a task item, an amount of time spent interacting with a
task item, whether the task item is reassigned to another party,
the user who assigned the task item, whether the task item is
completed, etc. In various aspects, a user may indicate manually a
portion of completion with a task item (e.g., "25% done", "section
A completed", "done") or a portion of completion may be
automatically inferred, for example, by saving and/or sending the
document, by sending an email observed by the context listener 126
or an agent as involving the document, etc. Metadata may also be
collected by an agent or listener in the productivity application
that shares the metadata with the task list service 120.
[0065] At OPERATION 1050, the users related to the task item are
alerted to the user activity relative to the task object. In
various aspects, the user who created the task is alerted as
progress is made on the assigned task item (e.g., "access by
assigned user", "X % complete", "done"). In other aspects, assigned
users are alerted as other users (part of an assigned group or
otherwise) accept or reject the task or make progress on the
assigned task. These alerts may be provided, in various aspects,
within a task management application, a productivity application,
or by an operating system, as a popup, overlay, or in a windowed
area used for alerts. Method 1000 may then 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 embodiment, the embodiments 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 embodiment, 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. 11-13 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. 11-13 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. 11 is a block diagram illustrating physical components
(i.e., hardware) of a computing device 1100 with which examples of
the present disclosure may be practiced. In a basic configuration,
the computing device 1100 includes at least one processing unit
1102 and a system memory 1104. According to an embodiment,
depending on the configuration and type of computing device, the
system memory 1104 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 embodiment, the system memory 1104
includes an operating system 1105 and one or more program modules
1106 suitable for running software applications 1150. According to
an embodiment, the system memory 1104 includes the task list
service 120. The operating system 1105, for example, is suitable
for controlling the operation of the computing device 1100.
Furthermore, embodiments 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. 11 by those
components within a dashed line 1108. According to an embodiment,
the computing device 1100 has additional features or functionality.
For example, according to an embodiment, the computing device 1100
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. 11 by a
removable storage device 1109 and a non-removable storage device
1110.
[0071] As stated above, according to an embodiment, a number of
program modules and data files are stored in the system memory
1104. While executing on the processing unit 1102, the program
modules 1106 (e.g., task list service 120) perform processes
including, but not limited to, one or more of the stages of the
method 1000 illustrated in FIG. 10. According to an embodiment,
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 embodiment, the computing device 1100 has
one or more input device(s) 1112 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a
pen, a sound input device, a touch input device, etc. The output
device(s) 1114 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. are
also included according to an embodiment. The aforementioned
devices are examples and others may be used. According to an
embodiment, the computing device 1100 includes one or more
communication connections 1116 allowing communications with other
computing devices 1118. Examples of suitable communication
connections 1116 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 1104, the removable storage device 1109, and the
non-removable storage device 1110 are all computer storage media
examples (i.e., memory storage.) According to an embodiment,
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 1100. According to an embodiment,
any such computer storage media is part of the computing device
1100. Computer storage media do not include a carrier wave or other
propagated data signal.
[0074] According to an embodiment, 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 embodiment, 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. 12A and 12B illustrate a mobile computing device 1200,
for example, a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a tablet personal
computer, a laptop computer, and the like, with which embodiments
may be practiced. With reference to FIG. 12A, an example of a
mobile computing device 1200 for implementing the embodiments is
illustrated. In a basic configuration, the mobile computing device
1200 is a handheld computer having both input elements and output
elements. The mobile computing device 1200 typically includes a
display 1205 and one or more input buttons 1210 that allow the user
to enter information into the mobile computing device 1200.
According to an embodiment, the display 1205 of the mobile
computing device 1200 functions as an input device (e.g., a touch
screen display). If included, an optional side input element 1215
allows further user input. According to an embodiment, the side
input element 1215 is a rotary switch, a button, or any other type
of manual input element. In alternative examples, mobile computing
device 1200 incorporates more or fewer input elements. For example,
the display 1205 may not be a touch screen in some examples. In
alternative examples, the mobile computing device 1200 is a
portable phone system, such as a cellular phone. According to an
embodiment, the mobile computing device 1200 includes an optional
keypad 1235. According to an embodiment, the optional keypad 1235
is a physical keypad. According to another embodiment, the optional
keypad 1235 is a "soft" keypad generated on the touch screen
display. In various embodiments, the output elements include the
display 1205 for showing a graphical user interface (GUI), a visual
indicator 1220 (e.g., a light emitting diode), and/or an audio
transducer 1225 (e.g., a speaker). In some examples, the mobile
computing device 1200 incorporates a vibration transducer for
providing the user with tactile feedback. In yet another example,
the mobile computing device 1200 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 1200
incorporates peripheral device port 1240, 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. 12B is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of
one example of a mobile computing device. That is, the mobile
computing device 1200 incorporates a system (i.e., an architecture)
1202 to implement some examples. In one example, the system 1202 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 1202 is integrated as a computing device, such
as an integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) and wireless
phone.
[0077] According to an embodiment, one or more application programs
1250 are loaded into the memory 1262 and run on or in association
with the operating system 1264. 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 embodiment, the task list
service 120 is loaded into memory 1262. The system 1202 also
includes a non-volatile storage area 1268 within the memory 1262.
The non-volatile storage area 1268 is used to store persistent
information that should not be lost if the system 1202 is powered
down. The application programs 1250 may use and store information
in the non-volatile storage area 1268, 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
1202 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 1268
synchronized with corresponding information stored at the host
computer. As should be appreciated, other applications may be
loaded into the memory 1262 and run on the mobile computing device
1200.
[0078] According to an embodiment, the system 1202 has a power
supply 1270, which is implemented as one or more batteries.
According to an embodiment, the power supply 1270 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 embodiment, the system 1202 includes a radio
1272 that performs the function of transmitting and receiving radio
frequency communications. The radio 1272 facilitates wireless
connectivity between the system 1202 and the "outside world," via a
communications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to and
from the radio 1272 are conducted under control of the operating
system 1264. In other words, communications received by the radio
1272 may be disseminated to the application programs 1250 via the
operating system 1264, and vice versa.
[0080] According to an embodiment, the visual indicator 1220 is
used to provide visual notifications and/or an audio interface 1274
is used for producing audible notifications via the audio
transducer 1225. In the illustrated example, the visual indicator
1220 is a light emitting diode (LED) and the audio transducer 1225
is a speaker. These devices may be directly coupled to the power
supply 1270 so that when activated, they remain on for a duration
dictated by the notification mechanism even though the processor
1260 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 1274 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 1225, the audio
interface 1274 may also be coupled to a microphone to receive
audible input, such as to facilitate a telephone conversation.
According to an embodiment, the system 1202 further includes a
video interface 1276 that enables an operation of an on-board
camera 1230 to record still images, video stream, and the like.
[0081] According to an embodiment, a mobile computing device 1200
implementing the system 1202 has additional features or
functionality. For example, the mobile computing device 1200
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. 12B by the
non-volatile storage area 1268.
[0082] According to an embodiment, data/information generated or
captured by the mobile computing device 1200 and stored via the
system 1202 are stored locally on the mobile computing device 1200,
as described above. According to another embodiment, the data are
stored on any number of storage media that are accessible by the
device via the radio 1272 or via a wired connection between the
mobile computing device 1200 and a separate computing device
associated with the mobile computing device 1200, 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 1200 via the radio 1272
or via a distributed computing network. Similarly, according to an
embodiment, 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. 13 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
1322, a web portal 1324, a mailbox service 1326, an instant
messaging store 1328, or a social networking site 1330. 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 embodiment, a server 1320
provides the task list service 120 to clients 1305a,b,c. As one
example, the server 1320 is a web server providing the task list
service 120 over the web. The server 1320 provides the task list
service 120 over the web to clients 1305 through a network 1340. By
way of example, the client computing device is implemented and
embodied in a personal computer 1305a, a tablet computing device
1305b or a mobile computing device 1305c (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
1316.
[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.
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