US 7,624,125 B2Granted

Machine-implemented activity management system using asynchronously shared activity data objects and journal data items

OwnerJason B. Feinsmithinventor

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Abstract

Machine-assisted methods and apparatus are described for allowing individual users to develop and organize respective activity descriptions and supporting journal items according to their respective preferences. Cross-referencing mappings may be created between activity descriptions and journal items in order to find, filter and organize disparate data. Cross-referencing mappings may also be created between the developed activity descriptions of different users so they can better understand each others perspectives and possibly overlapping goals. Different users' activity descriptions can be presented to a user even while the user may be disconnected from communication networks. Hierarchical relationships between activity descriptions may be provided. Machine-assisted means may be provided for creating work-sharing, work-delegating and/or informational sharing agreements between different users. Further machine-implemented means may be provided for automatically and asynchronously updating users on shared activities by other users even though all users are not necessarily connected to one or more respective communication networks at same time.

Claims29

Dependent claims

An expression storing and transmitting system for use by a first user to develop expressions of ideas for one or more activities and share selectable ones of the expressed activity ideas with one or more other users, wherein the expression storing and transmitting system comprises:

activity description recording means for recording in an activity description in a hierarchy within a holding area belonging to a first user, a first set of first one or more activity descriptions wherein each said recorded activity description comprises an activity data object (ADO) and wherein each given ADO comprises:
at least one of a short activity descriptor field and long activity descriptor field for respectively providing a relatively short description and a comparatively longer and more detailed description of a corresponding activity of the given ADO;
and
an ADO owner identifying field for identifying an owner-user who has ownership and modification rights over the said ADO for thereby creating or modifying at least one of said short description and comparatively longer and more detailed description of the corresponding activity of the given ADO;
a uniqueness providing field for use alone or in combination with said ADO owner identifying field for providing the given ADO with a unique identification so as to make the given ADO uniquely identifiable respectively among other ADO's owned by said owner-user of the given ADO and among other ADO's owned by a specifiable pool of other users with whom the owner-user of the given ADO is sharing activity idea information;
and
at least one parent activity description associated therewith and at least one child activity description associated therewith within the hierarchy;
first sharing means for transmitting copies of selected activity description expressions stored in the said activity descriptions holding area to other systems for use by one or more other users;
and
progeny presenting means for automatically selecting children activity descriptions of the selected activity description expressions and transmitting the automatically selected children activity descriptions to said other systems.

7 more elements

A method comprising:

recording in an activity descriptions hierarchy within a holding area stored in a memory of a computer system belonging to a first user a first set of first one or more activity descriptions wherein each said recorded activity description comprises an activity data object (ADO) and wherein each given ADO comprises:
at least one of a short activity descriptor field and long activity descriptor field for respectively providing a relatively short description and a comparatively longer and more detailed description of a corresponding activity of the given ADO;
and
an ADO owner identifying field for identifying an owner-user who has ownership and modification rights over the said ADO for thereby creating or modifying at least one of said short description and comparatively longer and more detailed description of the corresponding activity of the given ADO;
a uniqueness providing field for use alone or in combination with said ADO owner identifying field for providing the given ADO with a unique identification so as to make the given ADO uniquely identifiable respectively among other ADO's owned by said owner-user of the given ADO and among other ADO's owned by a specifiable pool of other users;
and
at least one parent activity description associated therewith and at least one child activity description associated therewith within the hierarchy;
transmitting copies of selected activity description expressions stored in the said activity descriptions holding area to other systems for use by one or more other users;
and
automatically selecting at least one child activity description of the selected activity description expressions and transmitting the at least one selected child activity description to said other systems upon transmitting of the selected activity description expressions.

7 more elements

A computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a user system including a processor, are operable to cause the processor to execute a method including:

recording by means of an activity description recording means in an activity descriptions hierarchy within a holding area belonging to a first user a first set of first one or more activity descriptions wherein each said recorded activity description comprises an activity data object (ADO) and wherein each given ADO comprises:
at least one of a short activity descriptor field and long activity descriptor field for respectively providing a relatively short description and a comparatively longer and more detailed description of a corresponding activity of the given ADO;
and
an ADO owner identifying field for identifying an owner-user who has ownership and modification rights over the said ADO for thereby creating or modifying at least one of said short description and comparatively longer and more detailed description of the corresponding activity of the given ADO;
a uniqueness providing field for use alone or in combination with said ADO owner identifying field for providing the given ADO with a unique identification so as to make the given ADO uniquely identifiable respectively among other ADO's owned by said owner-user of the given ADO and among other ADO's owned by a specifiable pool of other users;
and
at least one parent activity description associated therewith and at least one child activity description associated therewith within the hierarchy;
transmitting copies of selected activity description expressions stored in the said activity descriptions holding area to other systems for use by one or more other users;
and
automatically selecting children activity descriptions of the selected activity description expressions and transmitting copies of the selected children activity descriptions to said other systems upon transmitting of the selected activity description expressions.

7 more elements

A system including a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to execute a method including:

recording by means of an activity description recording means in an activity descriptions hierarchy within a holding area belonging to a first user a first set of first one or more activity descriptions wherein each said recorded activity description comprises an activity data object (ADO) and wherein each given ADO comprises:
at least one of a short activity descriptor field and long activity descriptor field for respectively providing a relatively short description and a comparatively longer and more detailed description of a corresponding activity of the given ADO;
and
an ADO owner identifying field for identifying an owner-user who has ownership and modification rights over the said ADO for thereby creating or modifying at least one of said short description and comparatively longer and more detailed description of the corresponding activity of the given ADO;
a uniqueness providing field for use alone or in combination with said ADO owner identifying field for providing the given ADO with a unique identification so as to make the given ADO uniquely identifiable respectively among other ADO's owned by said owner-user of the given ADO and among other ADO's owned by a specifiable pool of other users;
and
at least one parent activity description associated therewith and at least one child activity description associated therewith within the hierarchy;
transmitting copies of selected activity description expressions stored in the said activity descriptions holding area to other systems for use by one or more other users;
and
automatically selecting children activity descriptions of the selected activity description expressions and transmitting copies of the selected children activity descriptions to said other systems upon transmitting of the selected activity description expressions.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.