DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Dynamically displaying the current status of tasks is described herein. A list of items or prompts that is to be traversed by a user in a particular order is displayed to the user (e.g., a set of tasks the user is to perform in a particular sequence as part of his or her job, a set of words to be spoken, a list of questions or fields to be answered, and so forth). At least a portion of the list is displayed at any given time along with an indication of which item in the list is the next item that the user needs to handle (e.g., the next task to perform, the next word to speak, the next question to answer, and so forth). As the user progresses through the list of tasks, the current status of his or her progression through the prompts on the list is dynamically updated so as to readily inform the user as to what the current task is that needs to be performed, as well as what tasks have already been performed and/or what tasks remain to be performed.

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computing device 100 such as may be used 18 in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention. Computing device 100 represents a wide variety of computing devices, such as wearable computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld or pocket computers, telephones (e.g., cell phones), laptop computers, gaming consoles or portable gaming devices, desktop computers, Internet appliances, etc. Although the dynamic displaying of current status of tasks described herein is particularly useful if computing device has a small display, any size display may be used with the invention.

[0022] Computing device 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 102 , memory 104 , a storage device 106 , one or more input controllers 108 , and one or more output controllers 110 (alternatively, a single controller may be used for both input and output) coupled together via a bus 112 . Bus 112 represents one or more conventional computer buses, including a processor bus, system bus, accelerated graphics port (AGP), universal serial bus (USB), peripheral component interconnect bus (PCI), etc.

[0023] Memory 104 may be implemented using volatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), Flash memory, electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), disk, and so forth. Storage device 106 is typically implemented using non-volatile “permanent” memory, such as ROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical diskette, memory cards, and the like.

[0024] Input controller(s) 108 are coupled to receive inputs from one or more input devices 114 . Input devices 114 include any of a variety of conventional input devices, such as a microphone, voice recognition devices, traditional qwerty keyboards, chording keyboards, half qwerty keyboards, dual forearm keyboards, chest mounted keyboards, handwriting recognition and digital ink devices, a mouse, a track pad, a digital stylus, a finger or glove device to capture user movement, pupil tracking devices, a gyropoint, a trackball, a voice grid device, digital cameras (still and motion), and so forth.

[0025] Output controller(s) 110 are coupled to output data to one or more output devices 116 . Output devices 116 include any of a variety of conventional output devices, such as a display device (e.g., a hand-held flat panel display, an eyeglass-mounted display that allows the user to view the real world surroundings while simultaneously overlaying or otherwise presenting information to the user in an unobtrusive manner), a speaker, an olfactory output device, tactile output devices, and so forth.

[0026] One or more application programs 118 are stored in memory 104 and executed by CPU 102 . When executed, application programs 118 generate data that may be output to the user via one or more of the output devices 116 and also receive data that may be input by the user via one or more of the input devices 114 . For discussion purposes, one particular application program is illustrated with a user interface (UI) component 120 that is designed to present information to the user including dynamically displaying the current status of tasks as discussed in more detail below.

[0027] Although discussed herein primarily with reference to software components and modules, the invention may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. For example, one or more application a 5 specific integrated circuits (ASICs) could be designed or programmed to carry out the invention.

[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary user interface display in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention. User interface display 150 can be, for example, the display generated by user interface 120 of FIG. 1 . UI display 150 includes an item or prompt list portion 152 , a user choices portion 154 , and an applet window portion 156 . Additional labels or prompts 158 may also be included (e.g., a title for the task being handled, the current time, the amount of time left to finish the task, etc.). List portion 152 displays a list that prompts the user of tasks that are to be handled by the user in a particular order. An indication is also made to the user within list portion 152 of where the user currently is in that list (that is, what the next item or task is that needs to be handled by the user), and also identifies items or tasks (if any) that have already been handled by the user as well as future items or tasks (if any) that need to be handled by the user. The manner in which an item or task is handled by the user is dependent on the nature of the list, as discussed in more detail below.

[0029] User choices portion 154 displays the options for the user to select from based on the next item or task in the list that needs to be handled by the user. For example, assume that the list in portion 152 is a list prompting the user regarding what information needs to be gathered in order for the user to set up a meeting with a potential customer. The list of prompts in list portion 152 could be a list of tasks the user must perform—that is, a list of information that needs to be collected (e.g., the customer's name, the location of the meeting, the time of the meeting, and so forth). If we further assume that the current task that needs to be handled by the user is entry of the location of the meeting, user choices portion 154 could display the various permissible inputs for the location of the meeting (e.g., at the user's main office, at a remote office, at the customer's facility, and so forth).

[0030] By way of another example, the item list may be a list of prompts for the information to be verbally input by the user in each step, with user choices portion 154 displaying a list of which words can be spoken in each step.

[0031] Applet window portion 156 displays additional information clarifying or amplifying the choices in user choices portion 154 (or the current item or task in item list portion 152 ). Following the previous example, if the current task that needs to be handled by the user is entry of the location of the meeting, applet window portion 156 could display additional descriptive information for one or more of the permissible inputs for the location of the meeting (e.g., a street address, a distance from the user's home, a map flagging the locations of the various meeting locations, and so forth).

[0032] The list displayed in list portion 152 is a list of items that is to be traversed by a user in a particular order. This can be a list of task prompts regarding tasks that the user is to perform, a list of tasks prompts regarding tasks to be performed by another user or computer, and so forth. Any of a wide variety of lists can be displayed, such as a set of tasks the user is to perform in a particular sequence as part of his or her job (this can be used, for example, to assist in training users to do their jobs), a set of tasks the user is to perform in a particular sequence in order to assemble or install a product he or she has purchased, a set of words to be spoken (e.g., queues as to what voice inputs the user is to make in order to carry out a task), a list of questions or fields to be answered, and so forth. Alternatively, the list of items may be a list of tasks or steps to be performed by a computer or computer program. Such a list can be used, for example, by a user to track the process of the computer or program in carrying out the particular sequence of steps. Additionally, depending on the nature of the sequence of tasks being performed, multiple lists of items may be displayed (e.g., a multi-tiered item list).

[0033] Situations can arise in which the list of items or prompts is too large to be displayed in its entirety. In such situations, only a portion of the list is displayed (e.g., centered on the item or prompt for the next task to be performed). This subset of the steps to be performed is then scrolled as tasks are completed, resulting in a dynamic list display that changes when a task is completed.

[0034] By displaying the list of prompts (or at least a portion thereof), the user is able to readily identify the status of the set of tasks being performed (in other words, the user is also able to obtain a feel for where he or she is (or where the user or computer being monitored is) in progressing through the sequence of tasks). The user is able to quickly identify one or more previous tasks (if any) in the sequence, as well as one or more future tasks (if any) in the sequence. Such information is particularly helpful in reorienting the user to the sequence of tasks if his or her attention has been diverted away from the sequence. For example, the user's attention may be diverted away from the sequence to answer questions from another employee. After answering the question, the user can look back at display 150 and quickly reorient him- or her-self into the sequence of tasks being performed.

[0035] Item lists may be a set of predetermined items, such as a particular set of steps to be followed to assemble a machine or a set of words to be uttered to carry out a task for a speech-recognizing computer. Alternatively, item lists may be dynamic, changing based on the user's current location, current activity, past behavior, etc. For example, computer 100 of FIG. 1 may detect where the user is currently located (e.g., in his or her office, in the assembly plant, which assembly plant, etc.), and provide the appropriate instructions to perform a particular task based on that current location. Additional information regarding detecting the user's current context (e.g., current location, current activity, etc.) can be found in a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/216,193, entitled “Method and System For Controlling Presentation of Information To a User Based On The User's Condition”, which was filed Dec. 18, 1998, and is commonly assigned to Tangis Corporation. This application is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary display of an item list and current location marker such as may be used in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention. Assume that the sequence of items on the list is a set of prompts regarding information that needs to be supplied by the user in order to schedule a meeting. In the illustrated example, this list includes the following information: who the meeting is with (who), the date and time for the meeting (when), the duration of the meeting (how long), the location of the meeting (where), an indication of any materials to bring to the material (bring), and an indication of anyone else that should be notified of the meeting (cc).

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates an example item list displayed in list portion 152 of FIG. 2 . Initially, the item list 170 is displayed, including the following prompts: “who?”, “when?”, “how long?”, “where?”, and “bring?”. The prompts in list 170 provide a quick identification to the user of what information he or she needs to input for each task in the sequence of tasks for scheduling a meeting. Due to the limited is display area, list 170 does not include the prompts for each step in the sequence, but rather scrolls through the prompts as discussed in more detail below. A current location marker 172 is also illustrated in FIG. 3 to identify to the user what the current step is in the sequence. Assuming the meeting scheduling process has just begun, the first step in the sequence is to identify who the meeting is with (who), which is identified by current location marker 172 being situated above the prompt “who?”. In the illustrated example, location marker 172 is a circle or ball. Alternatively, other types of presentation changes may be made to alter the appearance of a prompt (or area surrounding a prompt) in order to distinguish the current step from other steps in the sequence. For example, different shapes other than a circle or ball may be used for a location marker, the text for the prompt may be altered (e.g., a different color, a different font, a different size, a different position on screen (e.g., slightly higher or lower than other prompts in the list), and so forth), the display around the prompt may be altered (e.g., the prompt may be inverted so that it appears white on a black background rather than the more traditional black on a white background, the prompt may be highlighted, the prompt may be encircled by a border, and so forth), etc. Those skilled in the art can easily determine a variety of alternate methods for marking the current step.

[0038] One additional presentation change that can be made to distinguish the current step from other steps in the sequence is to change the prompt itself. The prompt could be replaced with another prompt, or another prompt could be superimposed on the prompt for the current step. For example, the user may have a set of individuals that he or she typically meets with, and these may be superimposed on the “who?” prompt when it is the current step. FIGS. 4 A- 4 B illustrates different ways in which the prompt in a sequence can be changed. FIG. 4A illustrates an example item list with the prompt for the current step in the sequence being superimposed with various input options. A list 190 is illustrated and the current step is to input who the meeting is to be with (the “who?” prompt). As illustrated, a set of common people that the user schedules meetings with (Jane, David, Lisa, and Richard) are superimposed on the “who?” prompt. The appearance of the underlying prompt “who?” may be changed (e.g., shadowed out, different color, etc.) in order for overlying input options to be more easily viewed. It is to be appreciated that the exact location of the superimposed set of input options can vary (e.g., the characters of one or more input options may overlap the prompt, or be separated from the prompt).

[0039] FIG. 4B illustrates an example item list with the prompt for the current step in the sequence being replaced by the set of input options. A list 192 is illustrated and the current step is to input who the meeting is to be with (the “who?” prompt). However, as illustrated, the “who?” prompt is replaced with a set of common people that the user schedules meetings with (Jane, David, Lisa, and Richard).

[0040] The user is thus given an indication of both the current step in the sequence as well as common responses to that step. The type of information that is superimposed on or replaces the prompt can vary based on the current step. For example, when the “when?” prompt is the current step it may have superimposed thereon the times that the user is available for the current day (or current week, and so forth).

[0041] Returning to FIG. 3 , once the user enters the information identifying who the meeting is with (assume for purposes of this example the meeting is with Bob Smith), list 170 is changed to list 174 in which the prompt “who?” is replaced with the name “Bob Smith” and the current location marker 172 is changed to indicate the next prompt (“when?”) is the current task that needs to be handled by the user. Assuming the user inputs that the meeting is to occur at 1 Oam on October 31 , list 174 is changed to list 176 in which the prompt “when?” is replaced with the date and time of the meeting, and the current location marker 172 is changed to indicate the next prompt (“how long?”) is the current task that needs to be handled by the user. Thus, as can be seen from lists 172 , 174 , and 176 , the current location marker 172 “bounces” along the list from item to item, making the user readily aware of what the current task is that he or she should be performing (that is, which data he or she should be inputting in the present example).

[0042] Once the user inputs the duration of the meeting, list 176 is changed to list 178 . Given the limited display area, the user interface now scrolls the list so that the leftmost item is no longer shown but a new item is added at the right. Thus, the identification of “Bob Smith” is no longer shown, but a prompt for who else should be notified of the meeting (“cc?”) is now shown. Once the user enters the location for the meeting (“home office”), list 178 is changed to list 180 and current location marker 172 is changed to indicate the next prompt (“bring?”) is the current task that needs to be handled by the user. Thus, as can be seen with lists 176 , 178 , and 180 , current location marker 172 may not be moved in response to an input but the list may be scrolled.

[0043] Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 3 , the item list provides a series of prompts identifying what tasks (if any) in the sequence have already been performed and what tasks (if any) remain to be performed. For those tasks that have already been performed, an indication is made in the list as to what action was taken by the user for those tasks (e.g., what information was entered by the user in the illustrated example). Thus, the user can readily orient him- or her-self to the sequence of steps, even if his or her attention is diverted from the display for a period of time. Alternatively, the prompts in the list need not be changed when the user enters the data (e.g., “who?” need not be replaced by “Bob Smith”). The data input by the user can alternatively be displayed elsewhere (e.g., in applet window portion 156 ).

[0044] One advantage of the item lists described herein is that the lists present the multiple steps or items in a concise manner - these steps or items can also be referred to as idioms. When these idioms are presented together in a sequence, the provide more information to the user than when presented in independent form. For example, the idiom “bring?” by itself does not present as much information to the user as the entire sequence of idioms “who?”, “when?”, “how long?”, “where?”, and “bring?”.

[0045] The use of item lists as described herein also allows an individual to “zoom” in on (and thus gain more information about) a particular task. For example, with reference to FIG. 3 , the user is able to select and zoom in on the “where?” prompt and have additional information about that task displayed (e.g., the possible locations for the meeting). The user is able to “backtrack” through the list (e.g., by moving a cursor to the desired item and selecting it, or using a back arrow key or icon, or changing the current location marker (e.g., dragging and dropping the location marker to the desired item), etc.) and see this additional information for tasks already completed. Alternatively, the “backtracking” may be for navigational rather than informational purposes. Moving back through the list (whether by manipulation of the location marker or in some other manner) may also be used to accomplish other types of operations, such as defining a macro or annotation.

[0046] Additionally, by displaying the prompts for future items, the speed of handling of the sequence of the items by the user can potentially be increased. For example, the user can see the prompt for the next one or more items in the list and begin thinking about how he or she is going to handle that particular item even before the computing device is finished processing the input for the item he or she just handled.

[0047] According to another embodiment, multiple location markers are displayed along with the item list—one marker identifying the current item to be handled by the user and another marker identifying the current item being processed by the computing device. Situations can arise where the user can input data quicker than it can be processed by the computing device. For example, the user may be able to talk at a faster rate than the computing device is able to analyze the speech.

[0048] The use of two such markers can allow the user to identify if the computing device is hung up on or having difficulty processing a particular input (e.g., identify a particular word spoken by the user, misrecognition of the input, improper parsing, etc.), the user can identify this situation and go back to the task the computing device is having difficulty processing and re-enter the speech.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for displaying the current status of tasks in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention. The process of FIG. 5 is carried out by the user interface of a computing device (e.g., interface 120 of FIG. 1 ), and may be performed in software. Although FIG. 5 is discussed with reference to a location marker, it is to be appreciated that any of the presentation changes discussed above an be used to identify items in the list.

[0050] Initially, an item list is displayed (act 200 ), which is a sequence of items or prompts for the user to follow. A current location marker is also displayed to identify the first item in the list (act 202 ), and input corresponding to the first item in the list is received (act 204 ). The nature of this input can vary depending on the sequence of tasks itself (e.g., it may be data input by a user, an indication from another computer program that the task has been accomplished, etc.). A check is then made as to whether the end of the list has been reached (at 206 ). If the end of the list has been reached then the process stops (act 208 ), waiting for the next sequence of tasks to begin or for the user to backtrack to a previously completed task.

[0051] However, if the end of the list has not been reached, then a check is made as to whether scrolling of the list is needed (act 210 ). Whether scrolling of the list is needed can be based on a variety of different factors. For example, the user interface may attempt to make sure that there are always at least a threshold number of prompts before and/or after the current location marker, the user interface may attempt to make sure that the current task remains as close to the center of the item list as is possible but that no portions of the item list be left empty, etc. These factors can optionally be user-configurable preferences, allowing the user to adjust the display to his or her particular likes and/or dislikes (e.g., the user may prefer to see more future tasks than previous tasks).

[0052] If scrolling is needed, then the item list is scrolled by one item (or alternatively more items) in the appropriate direction (act 212 ). The amount that the item list is scrolled can vary (e.g., based on the sizes of the different items in the list). The appropriate direction for scrolling can vary based on the activity being performed by the user and the layout of the list (e.g., in the example of FIG. 3 , the scrolling is from right to left when progressing forward through the list, and left to right when backtracking through the list). Regardless of whether the ordered item list is scrolled, after act 210 or 212 the current location marker is moved as necessary to identify the next item in the list that is to be handled by the user (act 214 ). In some situations, movement of the current location marker may not be necessary due to the scrolling performed (e.g., as illustrated with reference to lists 176 and 178 in FIG. 3 ). At some point after the current location marker is moved (if necessary), user input is received corresponding to the identified next item in the list (act 216 ). The process then returns to determine whether the end of the list has been reached (act 206 ).

[0053] The item list and current location identifier or marker can be displayed in a wide variety of different manners. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate alternative displays of the item list and current location identifiers with reference to a sequence of tasks to be completed in order to record a new inspection (e.g., a building inspection). In the exemplary display 240 of FIG. 6 , an item list portion 242 and an applet window portion 244 are illustrated. The item list portion 242 includes a list of tasks that are to be handled by the user, each of which is information to be entered by the user. Once entered, the information is displayed in applet window portion 244 . A current location marker 246 advances down the list in portion 242 to identify the current information that the user needs to input (the customer's state in the illustrated display). Additional information is displayed at the top of display 240 , including a prompt 248 identifying a type of information being entered by the user (inspection information).

[0054] In the exemplary display 260 of FIG. 7, a multi-tiered item list is displayed including list portion 262 and list portion 264 . In list portion 262 , prompts for the overall process of recording a new inspection are listed, including selecting a new inspection option and then entering inspection information. Two current location markers 266 and 268 are illustrated, each providing a visual indication of where in the overall process the current user is (inspection info in the illustrated display). A prompt 270 provides a further identification to the user of where he or she is in the overall process. List portion 264 includes prompts for the process of entering inspection information, with a current location marker 272 providing a visual indication of where in the inspection information entry process the user currently is (customer state in the illustrated display).

[0055] In addition to tracking the status of tasks being performed by a single user, the dynamic displaying of the current status of tasks of the present invention can further be used to track the status of tasks being performed by multiple users. In this situation, information indicating the status of tasks being performed by multiple users is communicated back to the computing devices of one or more other users, who in turn can view the status information of multiple users on a single display.

[0056] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary distributed environment in which the status of tasks being performed by multiple users can be monitored. In the illustrated example, multiple users Jamie, John, Max, and Carol each have a wearable computer with an eyeglass display 300 , 302 , 304 , and 306 , respectively. An item list is displayed on the eyeglass display for each of these users, with a current location marker to identify to the respective users where they are in the task sequences they are performing. Information regarding their current location is also communicated to another computing device of their supervisor Jane, who is also wearing an eyeglass display 308 . The information communicated to Jane's computer can be simply an identification of the current location (e.g., Jane's 1 s computer may already be programmed with all of the tasks in the list), or alternatively the entire (or at least a portion of) the item list. The information for one or more of the users Jamie, John, Max, and Carol can then be displayed on display 308 , allowing Jane to keep track of the status of each of the users Jamie, John, Max, and Carol in performing their tasks. This allows Jane, as the supervisor, to see if people are proceeding through their tasks too quickly or too slowly (e.g., a user may be having difficulty and need assistance), to know when the individual users will be finished with their tasks, etc. If a multi-tiered item list is being used, then the supervisor can also zoom in on the particular step of a user and get additional information regarding where the user is stuck.

[0057] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary group of lists that may be displayed on eyeglass display 308 of FIG. 8 . Assume that each of the users John, Jamie, Max, and Carol are each performing a machine assembly process involving the following tasks: inventory the necessary parts, assemble an intake, lubricate a core part of the machine, install the assembled intake, verify that the batteries are fully charged, and then run a diagnostic program. The tasks in the machine assembly process are illustrated in a portion 310 of display 308 in an abbreviated form. Alternatively, the tasks illustrated in portion 310 may not be abbreviated, or may be represented in some other manner (e.g., as icons). A separate item list is displayed on display 308 for each of the users along with a corresponding current ii location marker in the shape of a ball or circle. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , the viewer of display 308 can readily identify that John is at the “assemble intake” step, Jamie and Max are both at the “install intake” step, and Carol is at the “verify charge” step. Thus, the supervisor viewing display 308 can quickly and easily determine, based on the item list and current location markers, that each of Jamie, Max, and Carol is proceeding normally through the assembly process, but that John is hung up on the “assemble intake” step, so the supervisor can check with John to see if he is experiencing difficulties with this step.

[0058] Conclusion

[0059] Although the description above uses language that is specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the invention.