DOCUMENT STREAM OPERATING SYSTEM Steinberg, Lifestreams, Wired 5.02, Feb
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111111 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 US006006227 A United States Patent [19J [11] Patent Number: 6,006,227 Freeman et al. [45] Date of Patent: *Dec. 21, 1999 [54] DOCUMENT STREAM OPERATING SYSTEM Steinberg, Lifestreams, Wired 5.02, Feb. 28, 1997, 11 pages. [75] Inventors: Eric Freeman, Branford; David H. Freeman et al, Lifestreams: Organizing your Electronic Life, Gelernter, Woodbridge, both of Conn. AAAI Fall Symposium, Al Applications in Knowledge [73] Assignee: Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Navigation and Retrieval, Nov. 30, 1995, Cambridge MA, 6 pages. [ *] Notice: This patent issued on a continued pros ecution application filed under 37 CFR Getting Results with Microsoft Outlook, copyright 1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year Microsoft Corporation 1995-1996, pp. 28-29, Jan. 1, 1995. patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C. 154(a)(2). Nelson, Theodor H., The Right Way to Think About Soft ware Design, In The Art of Human-Computer Interface [21] Appl. No.: 08/673,255 Design, Brenda Laurel, (Ed.), (1990): pp. 235-243. [22] Filed: Jun. 28, 1996 Landsdale, M., The Psychology of Personal Information 6 [51] Int. Cl. ...................................................... G06F 17/30 Management, Applied Ergonomics, (Mar. 1988): pp. 55-66. [52] U.S. Cl. .................................... 707/7; 707/2; 707/102 [58] Field of Search ..................................... 395/611, 616; Malone, Thomas W., How Do People Organize Their 707/100, 102, 200, 2, 7 Desks? Implications For The Design Of Office Information Systems., ACM Transactions On Office Systems, vol. 1, No. [56] References Cited 1 (Jan. 1983): pp. 99-112. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 5,063,495 11/1991 MacPhail ................................ 395/761 5,140,676 8/1992 Langelaan ............................... 395/777 Primary Examiner-Wayne Amsbury 5,159,669 10/1992 Trigg et a!. ............................. 395/357 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cooper & Dunham LLP 5,402,526 3/1995 Bauman et a!. .......................... 706/49 5,448,729 9/1995 Murdock ................................. 395/615 [57] ABSTRACT 5,530,859 6/1996 Tobias, II et a!. ...................... 395/551 5,535,063 7/1996 Lamming .................................... 360/4 5,625,818 4/1997 Zarmer et a!. .......................... 395/615 A document stream operating system and method is dis 5,649,182 7/1997 Reitz ........................................... 707/7 closed in which: (1) documents are stored in one or more 5,835,129 11/1998 Kumar ...................................... 348/15 5,890,177 3/1999 Moody eta!. .......................... 707/511 chronologically ordered streams; (2) the location and nature of file storage is transparent to the user; (3) information is 01HER PUBLICATIONS organized as needed instead of at the time the document is Cowart, Mastering Windows 3.1, 1992, chapter 12, pp. created; ( 4) sophisticated logic is provided for summarizing 396-417, Jan. 1, 1992. a large group of related documents at the time a user wants Gelernter, The Cyber-Road Not Taken, The Washington a concise overview; and (5) archiving is automatic. The Post, Apr. 3, 1994, 9 pages. documents can include text, pictures, animations, software Freeman, Lifestreams Project Home Page, 3 pages, 1994-1996, Jan. 1, 1994. programs or any other type of data. Freeman, Lifestreams for the Newton, Steve Mann's Devel opers Corner, Oct. 31, 1995, 5 pages. 33 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets to tOO I Stream, Eric_Freeman Tue WOS/95 ' Wain slream 4701 Documents Wed 12/06/95 20 d• 70 30 40 90 50 80 \Jl • ~ 5 ......~ ~ =...... 60 ~ ~ !"l N ~'"""' '0 '0'"""' '0 'JJ. ~= .....~ I 0......,'"""' 0'1 0\ Thu 12114196 .... Wed 12/06/95 = ....=0\ N 20 FIG. I N ......::. U.S. Patent Dec. 21, 1999 Sheet 2 of 6 6,006,227 120 190 200 FIG. 2 FIG. 3 U.S. Patent Dec. 21, 1999 Sheet 3 of 6 6,006,227 / 190 Thursday, Feb 22 11:27 AM 1996 EST Jl ----~--~-~~-~----- .. ·-,_;.;..·---- Set Thne to the Present (Mow) set Time to the Future or the Past Freeze>j I Xler j IPrint l .. December 1995 • Sun t.fon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat lrnlrnl• IDJIITJIITJIOJIOJIOJIITJI IOQJIDIJIDIJIDIJIDIJICilliDIJI [[][]]I[J[JiaiOIJI[]]II 23 11 •· ICilliOIJIIOOIOIJIOOICIDIII 30 II· . II 31 II FIG. 5 U.S. Patent Dec. 21, 1999 Sheet 4 of 6 6,006,227 can who? Set up call FIG. 6A ----------------------------------------WHO ON AT ABOUT Scott Fertig Tue Aug 12:05 EDT 1995 432-6433 Port to PPC Ward Mullins Tue Aug 11:57 EDT 1995 415 224-1912 Tel/Java discussion Beth Freeman Tue Aug 10:22 EDT 1995 432-1287 insurance FIG. 68 U.S. Patent Dec. 21, 1999 Sheet 5 of 6 6,006,227 CJ.·.·.·..·.·. ..o Wed Aug 15 14:16;0.0 EOl 1995 · ·.~· Wed Aug 15 14:16:39 EDT 1995 Contact: I Scott Fertig ~~~~ll.._a_ss-_22_12_ ____,..____,........,.,....,.,...,.,.....,.,____,..--__. Notes: call about LS paper If save Jl FIG. 7 Quote-0-Matic Stock Service for 5/16/95 GVIL 14.00 LMASX 20.84 ODWA 18.50 SPLS 27.12 TSA 19.25 lavtx 21 .41 FIG. SA •d \Jl 11 Close 1ll1Hardcopy)ll1 About II Portfolio Summary for 8/12/95 • Closing Price ~ ......~ 38.00- :··· GVIL ~ 36.00- KALib =...... 34.00- .. - :· . L'MA·ss . · ... .... 32.00- ·.· ··· .. ~- ... ~···· ..... · .·· . COWA 30.00- : ._.. .,. .... SPLS ~ ·' .· .. ~ 28.00- . •:. !"l . .. TSA N ·,·. \ 26.00- .. ··.... ~"""" .: ... lmvtx '0"""" 24.00- ·: ·., ........ '0 phstx '0 22.00- _,....._ __ ..,;..:..:..:.:. ..-..~ ·- - - . - . ... ,___ .. _..... -·-··::.·-· .. ~:r........:--·~ .... .,.,: popcx 20.00- - --" ;:} ··~·.r--'i. \ /-· !! .. If'·-' 'JJ. 18.00- temfx ~= ~ 16.00- ..... 0'1 14.00- 0......, 0'1 12.00- 10.00- ••••••••-••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••n•••••••••••' ••••• ••••••••••••••••'' o•••••••••••••• ooou••••-•-•• •••••••• ••••••••••••••• ,.,-••'' ••••••u••••• ,, .. •••' •oo, •••••••" ,,•••''''••-••••••••••••• •••••••••••••• • 8.00- 6.00- ....0\ 4.00- I I I I Days = -200.00 -150.00 -100.00 -50.00 ....=0\ N FIG. 88 N ......::. 6,006,227 1 2 DOCUMENT STREAM OPERATING SYSTEM Reminding is a critical function of computer-based sys tems [2] [3], yet current systems supply little or no support FIELD OF THE INVENTION for this function. Users are forced either to use location on The present invention relates to an operating system in their graphical desktops as reminding cues or to use add-on which documents are stored in a chronologically ordered 5 applications such as calendar managers. "stream". In other words, that is, as each document is A solution to these disadvantages is to use a document presented to the operating system, the document is placed stream operating system. One such system is outlined in a according to a time indicator in the sequence of documents 1994 article [ 4]. However, this article fails to address many already stored relative to the time indicators of the stored of the disadvantages of conventional operating systems. documents. 10 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Within this application several publications are referenced by arabic numerals within parentheses. Full citations for One object of the present invention is to provide a these and other references may be found at the end of the document stream operating system and method which solves specification immediately preceding the claims. The disclo many, if not all, of the disadvantages of conventional oper 15 sures of all of these publications in their entireties are hereby ating systems. incorporated by reference into this application in order to Another object of the present invention is to provide a more fully describe the state of the art to which this document stream operating system in which documents are invention pertains. stored in one or more chronologically ordered streams. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 20 An additional object of the present invention is to provide an operating system in which the location and nature of file Conventional operating systems frequently confuse inex storage is transparent to the user, for example, the storage of perienced users because conventional operating systems are the files is handled automatically and file names are only not well suited to the needs of most users. For example, used if a user chooses to invent such names. conventional operating systems utilize separate applications 25 A further object of the present invention is to provide an which require file and format translations. In addition, operating system which takes advantage of the nature of conventional operating systems require the user to invent electronic documents. For example, a conventional paper pointless names for files and to construct organizational document can only be accessed in one place, but electronic hierarchies that quickly become obsolete. Named files are an documents can be accessed from multiple locations. invention of the 1950's and the hierarchical directories are 30 an invention of 1960's. Another object of the present invention is to organize information as needed instead of at the time the document is Some conventional operating systems employ a "desktop created. For example, streams may be created on demand metaphor" which attempts to simplify common file opera and documents may belong to as many streams as seems tions by presenting the operations in the familiar language of reasonable or to none. the paper-based world, that is, paper documents as files, 35 folders as directories, a trashcan for deletion, etc. Also, the An additional object of the present invention is to provide paper-based model is a rather poor basis for organizing an operating system in which archiving is automatic. information where the state of the art is still