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Computer-human interface which provides for user customization of object behavior    
United States Patent5680617   
Link to this pagehttp://www.wikipatents.com/5680617.html
Inventor(s)Gough; Michael Lane (Ben Lomond, CA), Katz; Glenn (Campbell, CA), Coleman; Patricia (Montara, CA), Ames; Greg (Redwood City, CA)
AbstractA computer-user interface facilitates interaction between the user and the computer in a manner which enables the computer to assist the user in accomplishing desired goals. The computer works with the user to automatically exhibit desired behavior in response to triggering events designated by the user. Any executable function can be designated by the user as the object of a task. The initiation of this task can be carried out in response to any programmatically detectable event, or trigger, which is also designated by the user. The existence and implementation of the behavior is unknown to the files and other objects with which it is associated. With the flexibility offered by this arrangement, the user can customize the operation of a computer to suit his or her particular needs.
   














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Drawing from US Patent 5680617
Computer-human interface which provides for user customization of object
     behavior - US Patent 5680617 Drawing
Computer-human interface which provides for user customization of object behavior
Inventor     Gough; Michael Lane (Ben Lomond, CA) , Katz; Glenn (Campbell, CA) , Coleman; Patricia (Montara, CA) , Ames; Greg (Redwood City, CA)
Owner/Assignee     Apple Computer, Inc. (Cupertino, CA)
Patent assignment
All assignments
Publication Date     October 21, 1997
Application Number     08/242,973
PAIR File History     Application Data   Transaction History
Image File Wrapper   Patent Term   Fees
Litigation
Filing Date     May 16, 1994
US Classification     707/104.1 707/100 707/101 707/102 707/200 707/3 707/4 715/530
Int'l Classification    
Examiner     Black; Thomas G.
Assistant Examiner     Lewis; C.
Attorney/Law Firm     Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis, LLP
Address
Parent Case    
Priority Data    
USPTO Field of Search     395/600 395/161 395/615 395/603 395/604 395/611 395/612 395/613 395/614 395/616 395/333 395/792 364/419.17 348/14
Patent Tags     computer-human interface which provides user customization object behavior
   
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What is claimed is:

1. In a computer, a method for associating user-specified behavior with a file or other computer-system object, comprising the steps of:

identifying a computer-system object as one that has behavior associated with it;

creating a file which includes a specification of a user-specified behavior that is to be exhibited in connection with the identified object;

detecting the occurrence of an event associated with said object; and

running a program that causes the behavior specified in said file to be exhibited upon the detection of said event, independently of any operation associated with the object itself.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said computer-system object is a data file and said event is the opening of said file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said behavior is the display of a visual message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said behavior is the generation of an audible message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said behavior is the transmission of a message to a site remote from said computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said object can be represented by an icon on a display for said computer, and said identifying step includes displaying an indicator that is associated with said icon.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said indicator is accessible by a user to cause information which identifies said behavior to be displayed to the user.

8. A method for enabling computer users to associate behavior with objects in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

providing an interface via which a user identifies a behavior and an object that is to have said behavior associated with it;

establishing a file which includes a specification of the behavior that is to be associated with the object and a triggering event associated with said object that causes instantiation of said behavior;

detecting the occurrence of said triggering event; and

launching an activity in response to said detection to thereby cause said behavior to occur.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said behavior is the display of a message and said activity comprises running a script file that controls the display of said message.

10. A system for associating behavior with objects in a computer, comprising:

means for storing a plurality of behavior files, wherein each file includes at least an identification of an action to be performed and an event associated with an object;

means for examining each behavior file and for creating a trigger object which provides a notification when the event identified in the behavior file occurs; and

means responsive to a notification that an event has occurred in connection with an object for initiating the action to be performed.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the initiation of an action includes the launching of a program which performs said action.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said behavior file includes information pertaining to the execution of said program.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein a task file includes an identification of at least two events, and wherein said examining means creates a separate trigger object for each respective event.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said event is user-specified.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said user-specified event is selected from a plurality of events which occur during the operation of the computer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said user-specified behavior is selected from a plurality of behaviors that can be associated with objects.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said file includes an identification of said user-specified event.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of detecting the occurrence of an event includes the steps of:

establishing a trigger instance in an operating system of the computer, to detect the occurrence of the event;

providing an indicator from said trigger instance when the event is detected;

determining from within said operating system whether the indicator has been provided; and

launching said program when the indicator is detected.

19. A system for automatically causing user-specified behavior to be exhibited in connection with objects stored in a computer system, comprising:

a memory storing a plurality of behavior objects which respectively relate to different types of behavior that can be associated with objects;

means responsive to user selection of one of said behavior objects, and identification of a programmatically detectable event that is associated with a designated computer system object, for creating a behavior file which identifies said selected behavior object and identified event, and for labelling the designated computer system object as one having behavior associated with it; and

means responsive to the occurrence of said identified event in connection with said designated computer system object for causing the behavior associated with said selected behavior object to be carried out.

20. The system of claim 19 further including a graphical user interface for displaying an icon which represents the designated computer system object, and wherein said creating and labelling means causes said interface to display an indicator in association with said icon which visually identifies the object as one having behavior associated with it.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said indicator is accessible by a user, and said graphical user interface is responsive to user access of the indicator to display information which describes the behavior associated with the designated computer system object.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein said computer-system object is a data file and said event is the opening of said file.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein said behavior is the display of a visual message.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein said behavior is the generation of an audible message.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein said behavior is the transmission of a message to a site remote from said computer.
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FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the interface between a computer and a human user of that computer, and more particularly to an interface which provides the user with the ability to configure a computer to exhibit certain types of automatic behavior.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, most personal computers are employed as passive tools. Users of the computers are required to directly manipulate interface elements in order to accomplish desired tasks. Often, the discovery of new features and services available through a computer only takes place through trial and error. As a result, the computers are not being utilized in the most efficient manner, because the users do not understand how to take advantage of the power that is available to them. In other words, the vast potential of the computer often goes unrealized, because users are unfamiliar with all of the capabilities at their disposal or unable to employ them effectively.

In order to increase the efficiency with which computers are used, it is desirable to revise the fundamental manner in which users interact with their computers. More particularly, rather than using the computer as a passive tool that is directly manipulated by the user, it is preferable to employ the computer as a cooperative partner that assists in accomplishing results desired by the user. To this end, it is desirable to provide a mechanism by which computers can be set up to exhibit certain types of automatic behavior desired by the user, without requiring the user to instruct or otherwise manipulate the computer each time an operation is to be performed.

Some computer programs provide certain capabilities in this regard. For example, some electronic mail programs contain a scheduling feature by which a server computer is automatically accessed at predetermined times of the day to determine whether the user has any incoming mail. If so, that mail is downloaded to the user's computer, and the connection with the server computer is then terminated. Other application programs also offer an automatic scheduling feature.

As another example, most operating systems provide the capability to have certain actions carried out upon startup. For example, the user can designate that certain programs be launched and running when the computer is first started. In a similar manner, some applications programs can be configured to automatically open a particular file when they are launched.

While these various features provide the user with the ability to automate certain operations, they are each limited in their applicability. More particularly, the scheduling feature of an application program such as an electronic mail program is hard coded into the software for that program, and therefore only available within the context of that particular program. Furthermore, the program must be running in order for the scheduled operations to be carried out. This requirement may be undesirable since the program will use some of the computer's memory while it is running, thereby reducing the amount available for other programs. It also places a practical limit on the number of scheduled operations that can be carried out, since each different program that has a scheduled task must be running in memory in order for its task to be implemented.

Similarly, the ability to launch applications upon startup is limited to that one particular instance. It does not provide the user with the capability to have desired operations automatically carried out at other times or in response to other events.

It is desirable, therefore, to provide a mechanism for configuring a computer to automatically carry out any operation that may be desired by a user in response to a variety of different events or at any desirable time, without requiring the user to have any familiarity with the programming of computers. To have applicability to any of the variety of operations that might be desired by a user, such a mechanism should preferably function at the level of the computer's operating system, rather than be tied to specific applications programs or the like.

BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

In pursuit of this objective, the present invention provides a computer-user interface that facilitates interaction between the user and the computer in a manner which enables the computer to assist the user in accomplishing desired goals. Through the medium of this interface, the user describes the goals and specifies the behavior that is to be exhibited. Based upon a particular action to be performed, the computer interviews the user to obtain the information pertinent to that action. Once the information is provided to the computer, it works with the user to create a file that causes the computer to automatically perform the desired actions in response to triggering events designated by the user. Where desired, the computer can also notify the user whenever the action is being carried out.

The computer-human interface has an open architecture which provides the user a great deal of flexibility in the creation of automated behavior. Generally speaking, any executable function can be designated by the user as the subject of an automated operation. The initiation of this operation can be carried out in response to any programmatically detectable event, or trigger, which is also designated by the user. As a further feature, the user has the ability to select from among a number of different types of notification to be provided whenever the desired action is being performed. With the flexibility offered by this arrangement, the user can customize the operation of a computer to suit his or her particular needs.

Each of the elements of an automated operation, e.g. the action to be performed, the trigger and the notification, is stored as a separate object at the operating system level. These various objects can be selected by the user and associated with a file to add behavior to the file. Since these elements are operated upon at the system level, they can be activated at any time in response to the triggering event, even though the associated file is itself dormant. Furthermore, the file itself need not have any awareness of the scheduling of the automated operation. Thus, no customization of the file itself, e.g. added cede, is required to enable behavior to be associated with that file.

The overall effect of the present invention, therefore, is to enable the user to concentrate on the accomplishment of goals, rather than focus upon how to use a computer. Further features of the invention, and the advantages offered thereby, are described in detail hereinafter with reference to embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an illustration of a desktop display containing a button for accessing automatic task building features in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the assist button;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an access window;

FIGS. 3A-3D, 4A-4B, 5A-5B and 6 are illustrations of interview panels for setting up an automated task;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of the assistant portion of the interface for creating an automated task;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are illustrations of a task system window;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are illustrations of a reporter window in an intermediate and a fully-open state, respectively;

FIG. 12 is a general block diagram of the architecture for controlling the instantiation of tasks;

FIG. 13 is an example of a behavior resource data string;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of the architecture of a behavior instance;

FIGS. 15-20 are flowcharts illustrating the operation of the background process for controlling the instantiation of automated tasks; and

FIG. 21 is an illustration of an icon which includes a behavior indicator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides an interface that enables computer users to automate the operation of their computer to replay sequences of actions, as well as to delegate the performance of tasks to the computer or otherwise exhibit certain types of behavior upon the occurrence of certain triggering events or at certain times. To facilitate an understanding of the invention, specific examples are described hereinafter with reference to their implementation on a Macintosh.RTM. brand computer manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. It will be appreciated, however, that the practical applications of the invention are not limited to this particular embodiment. Rather, the application of the invention to other types of computers and operating systems will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Basically speaking, the computer-human interface of the present invention provides a vehicle through which the user can configure a computer to carry out desired tasks. This functionality can be implemented in the context of a more general interface that assists the user in understanding the operation of his or her computer, and the manner in which to control it to perform desired objectives. In this regard, such an interface preferably contains features which address the needs of a wide variety of users, from the novice to the advanced user. With reference to the novice user, the interface can provide information that enables the user to carry out basic operations necessary to the proper functioning of the computer. For the more advanced user, the interface enables the user to automatically set up tasks to be performed. In general, therefore, the interface provides assistance to users so that they can utilize their computers more effectively.

One example of such an interface within which the principles of the present invention can be implemented is known as Apple Guide. This interface provides a help system that guides the user in a step-by-step manner to accomplish desired operations. For further information regarding this interface, reference is made to commonly assigned, copending applications Ser. No. 08/010,063, filed Jan. 27, 1993, Ser. No. 08/056,367, filed Apr. 30, 1993, and Ser. No. 08/059,542, filed May 10, 1993, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Preferably, the features of the present invention are incorporated into a interface of the type disclosed in these applications.

To provide ease of use for all types of computer users, access to the features provided by the present invention can be provided through a simple interface object. One example of such an object is illustrated in FIG. 1A. Referring thereto, this figure illustrates a display screen of the type that is typically presented to a user by an interface which employs a desktop metaphor to represent objects stored in the computer. As shown in FIG. 1A, the major portion of the screen comprises an area that is known as the desktop 10. Located at the upper portion of the desktop is a menu bar 12 which provides the user with access to basic functions for controlling the operation of the computer. Various icons 14 on the desktop represent objects accessible by the computer user, such as disk drives, folders, files and application programs. As is well known in this art, access to the menu items and icons can be provided by means of a cursor that is controlled by a suitable input device manipulated by the user, such as mouse, pen or the like.

Also illustrated on the desktop is an assist button 16, which is shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 1B. This button provides the user with access to the guidance and assistance features of the interface. Preferably, this button is situated on a palette that floats above all other objects on the desktop, such as windows and icons, so that it is always accessible by the user. To permit the user to remove the button from the desktop, the palette can be provided with a close button 18, which functions in a well-known manner to remove the display of that feature. Once the button has been closed, access to it can be gained through an item on the menu bar 12, such as a help menu.

To call up the assistance features of the interface, the user actuates the assist button 16, for example, by clicking a mouse button while a cursor pointer is positioned over the assist button. Upon doing so, an access window, such as that shown in FIG. 2, is presented to the user. The access window is also a system window that floats above all application windows and icons on the desktop when it is called by the user.

The access window presents a list of predefined questions, problems and tasks that are appropriate to the context within which the computer is being used. Thus, for example, when the user is working on the desktop itself, the contents of the access window may relate to basic functions associated with the operation of a computer, such as those illustrated in FIG. 2. On the other hand, if the user is working within a particular application, such as a word processing program, the contents of the access window can pertain to functions associated with that particular application. This information can be provided as part of the program, for example in a help file. Thus, the contents of the access window are always context sensitive.

In the specific example illustrated in FIG. 2, the upper region of the access window contains three buttons 20-24 which enable the user to switch between different search modes. A first button 20, which is illustrated as being highlighted in FIG. 2, enables the user to select areas of inquiry by general topics. The middle button 22 causes information to be presented to the user alphabetically, or in some other indexed fashion. The rightmost button 24 enables the user to input a particular query upon which the computer conducts a search to locate topics related thereto.

The middle portion of the access window contains two panes of information. The left pane 26 presents the information defined by the particular one of the three search mode buttons actuated by the user. Thus, in the example of FIG. 2, the left pane contains a listing of the various topics about which the user can obtain information. The user can select one of the topics identified in this pane. In response thereto, the right pane 28 presents a list of tasks that match the selected topic. In the particular example of FIG. 2, the user has selected the topic "files and dish." In response thereto, the right pane presents the user with a choice of more specific items of information under this general topic. For further information regarding the functionality of these features of the access window, reference is made to the patent applications identified previously.

The bottom of the access window contains three user-assistance mode buttons. The rightmost button 30, labeled "Guide Me," leads the user through step-by-step instructions for performing a particular task, such as those provided by the Apple Guide system described in the aforementioned patent applications. This type of operation is appropriate when the users want to learn how to accomplish that task. The middle button 32, labeled "Do It For Me," leads the user through a path that provides as much automation of the task as possible, streamlining the steps that are required to complete the task. This mode is appropriate when a user wants to get a particular task accomplished, without desiring to learn how it is done. Upon actuation of this button, the task is carried out one time. Before implementing the task, it may be necessary for the computer to solicit information from the user regarding the parameters of the task. For example, if the requested task is to back up files, the computer can request the user to specify the files to be backed up, and the destination disk onto which they are to be copied. Upon entry of this information, the computer carries out the task without further input by the user.

The third button 34, labeled "Automate It", enables the user to automate the performance of repetitive tasks. When it is actuated, it causes the system to create an automated task that is carried out whenever a specified trigger condition occurs. Similar to the "Do It For Me" operation, the type of assistance provided by this button carries out an interview sequence with the user, to obtain the necessary information regarding the task. However, in this case additional choices are presented which allow the user to specify a triggering condition for the initiation of the task, and a notification or logging that is provided when the task occurs.

The automated task feature of the interface is based upon three main concepts, namely tasks, triggers and assistants. Tasks are actions or sequences of actions that can be programmatically launched at some time specified by the user. A task is composed of three items of information which specify (i) what is to be done, (ii) when it is to be done and (iii) how the user should be notified. The "what" specification for a task describes the variables that make the task unique. These variables might include the names of folders or directories whose contents should be backed up, the name of a folder to look for on a network, or the list of people whose electronic mail addresses are considered to be important, for example. The "when" specification for a task describes a time or event condition that triggers the performance of an automated task. The "notification" specification describes user preferences regarding how they want to be notified when the task is running, and whether the notification should be logged for later review.

A trigger is any event that can be programmatically detected and used to initiate the performance of an automated task. For example, a time-based trigger can specify a single time or a repeating time interval. Other, more complicated triggers can be based upon specific events, such as system start-up, system shut-down, or the launch of an application. They can also be based upon complex conditions to be monitored. For example, the trigger can monitor the amount of free space on a hard disk, and initiate a task when the available space drops below a specified threshold. Other triggers can detect specific keystroke combinations, or wait until another task has been completed.

A third feature of automated tasks, i.e., an assistant, is a collection of one or several templates of potential automated tasks and interview sequences to collect the parameters needed to specify instances of these tasks. Each task template represents a skill or a service that the assistant is capable of providing. When an assistant is called by a user, it displays its available skills, and allows the user to create automated tasks by specifying the required what, when and notification information for each task, by means of an interview. Each assistant can create many instances of the automated task that it is designed to set up. In other words, an assistant is a collection of skills, which can be multiply instantiated to produce any number of task instances.

The assistant collects the parameters needed to define a task by means of an interview sequence. Each sequence comprises an introduction, a what specification sequence, a when specification sequence, a notification specification sequence and a closing, to provide a consistent interface to the user, regardless of the specific task being automated. When a user chooses the automated form of assistance, by selecting the appropriate button 34 in the access window displayed in FIG. 2, the parts of the interview sequence are presented to the user, to fully specify the automated task. This operation will now be explained with reference to a specific example illustrated in FIGS. 3A-6.

Referring first to FIG. 2, the illustrated example pertains to the situation in which the user has selected the entry "Please back up my files" from the right pane 28 in the access window, and then actuated the "Automate It" button 34. In response thereto, an introductory panel such as that shown in FIG. 3A is presented to the user. In this panel, the assistant provides a message 36 that introduces the user to its particular skills. In this case, that skill is the ability to automatically back up files at regular intervals. In addition to the description of its skills, the introductory panel contains a task icon 38 which provides the user with a meaningful indication of the task that will be created.

Each panel which forms part of the interview sequence includes a suitable control mechanism that allows the user to navigate through the interview sequence. Referring to FIG. 3A, in the illustrated example this mechanism comprises a pair of buttons 40 and 42 located in the lower right corner of the panel. The numeral "1" displayed between these two buttons indicates that this is the first panel of the interview sequence.

By clicking the right arrow button 40, the interview sequence proceeds to the second panel, illustrated in FIG. 3B. In this panel, the user is requested to identify the disk which contains the files that are to be backed up. After selecting the appropriate disk, the right arrow button 40 is actuated, to present the next panel in the sequence, which is shown in FIG. 3C. In this panel, the user specifies the particular types of files that are to be included in the backup procedure. Finally, in the fourth panel of FIG. 3D, the user indicates the disk onto which the backed-up files are to be copied.

This sequence of panels comprises the "what" portion of the task specification. The specific information presented in the panels is determined by the developers of the code for the particular task being automated. Depending upon the nature of the task, users can perform certain kinds of actions and make selections as part of the interview process. For example, if a task involves completion of a form, such as an expense report, the assistant for that task can display the form, guide the user in filling it out, and route it to selected recipients, if appropriate.

After completing the what specification for a task, the user is prompted to specify when this task should be carried out. The panel for obtaining this information is illustrated in FIG. 4A. In this particular example, the user is requesting that the files be backed up at 5:00 p.m. every Friday. Located in the upper portion of the main pane 43 of the panel is an information box 44 which indicates that the task is to be performed at a scheduled time. Additional user input elements 46 and 48 are displayed for specifying the particular time and day of the week at which the task is to be performed.

Rather than occurring at a predetermined time, it is also possible to trigger the task on the basis of other detectable events. For example, the user may desire to back up the files each time the computer is turned off. To specify one of these other types of triggering events, an arrow button in the "When:" box 44 can be actuated, to call a pop-up menu of the available types of triggering events. An example of such a menu is shown in FIG. 4B. As can be seen, therein, the pop-up menu 50 provides the user with various choices as to the different types of events that can be employed to trigger a task. Rather than time-related events, other programmatically detectable events can be selected to instantiate a task, such as the launch of an application program or shut down of the computer. Depending upon the particular type of trigger event chosen by the user, the appropriate interface elements 46 and 48 are displayed within the pane 43 to allow the user to specify the parameters associated with that event.

The same triggers are generally available for all of the tasks that can be automated. If desired, a default trigger can be specified for each task, which automatically appears in the information box 44 during the interview sequence. Users can select other triggers through the pop-up menu 50 if the default is not desired. In this regard, the list of available triggers can be limited to only certain types of triggering events for any specific task, or special triggers can be created for individual tasks.

After the user has completed the when specification, and clicked on the right arrow button 40 for that panel, he or she is prompted to specify the form of notification that is to occur when the task is performed. This information is provided by means of the notification specification panel illustrated in FIG. 5A. Similar to the when specification panel, this panel includes a pop-up menu 52 that allows users to switch between the various types of notifications available on their computers, as shown in FIG. 5B. For example, the notification might be in the form of a text message, a visual cue such as a flashing indicator, sounds, text-to-speech messages specified by the user, or some combination thereof. The notification specification panel also includes a pane 54 that switches to display an interface that is appropriate for the type of notification that has been selected. In the particular example of FIG. 5A the user has chosen a spoken message for notification. In response thereto, the interface pane 54 provides a listing of the various messages that are available under this form of notification.

Also included in the notification specification panel is a check box 56 which enables the user to indicate whether each notification should be logged into a record. This feature provides the user with an additional means by which to determine that automatic tasks are being successfully carried out.

The final panel in the interview sequence is a closure panel, as illustrated in FIG. 6. This panel presents simple text summaries of the what, when and notification specifications, and offers the user another chance to edit them before creating the automated tasks. Once a user is satisfied with the information specifying the task, acceptance is confirmed by clicking a Create 58 button. In response thereto, the assistant creates and installs the automated task.

The architecture of the assistant portion of the interface is illustrated in FIG. 7. From the access window shown in FIG. 2, the user identifies a particular task to be automated, as described previously. This action causes one of several assistants 60 to be selected. In essence, each assistant represents a different type of task that can be performed. The various assistants are stored in the computer as system-level objects that can be individually selected by the user.

Once activated, the selected assistant controls the presentation of the interview panes 62, as depicted in FIGS. 3A-6. The what portion of the interview process is specific to the task being automated, and presents the user with only those choices that are appropriate in the context of the task. Furthermore, each successive pane that is presented during this portion of the interview process can be adaptively selected on the basis of the user's response to the choices presented in the preceding pane, as well as the state of the user's computer. In other words, the what portion of the interview process assists the user by virtue of the fact that it is inherently tailored to the task and only requests the information needed for that task. Further in this regard, instructional features, such as those described in the aforementioned patent applications, can be employed to guide the user through the interview process.

In contrast to the what specification, the when and notification aspects of a task are not specific to individual tasks. Rather, any of the various triggers and forms of notification can be used with any given task. Preferably, each of the triggers and forms of notification are stored in respective folders 63 and 64 that are accessible by all of the assistants 60.

Once the interview process is completed, the assistant has obtained the user's input regarding all of the necessary parameters pertaining to the task. This information is used to complete a script file 65 associated with the task. This completed script file is stored in a task file 66 that also contains information pertaining to the what, when and notification specifications of the task. For instance, in the example given previously, the script file contains the instructions to copy specified files from one disk to another.

Any number of automated tasks can be created and installed with this approach. A task system window, such as that illustrated in FIG. 8, enables users to view and manage all of the tasks installed on their systems. This window can be opened by an appropriate menu item on the help menu, for example. The automated task window lists all the tasks that are currently scheduled to run on the system, as well as others that may have been created but are not currently active. Referring to FIG. 8, each task is listed once, in a separate row of the window. The rows contain several cells of information which describe the task. The left column of cells is labeled the "task" column. This column displays the distinctive icon 38 for each task that has been created. The next column comprises a listing of the "What" specifications for the tasks. It presents a textual description of the functions to be accomplished by the respective tasks. The third column comprises the "When" specifications for the tasks. The listings in this column comprise a textual description of the triggering condition that will cause the task to be performed, as specified by the user in the "when" specification sequence.

The fourth column presents a textual description of the Notification mechanisms that will be used when the respective tasks are performed, as also specified by the user. A fifth column presents a symbolic indication of whether each task is enabled or disabled. In the example of FIG. 8, a check mark indicates that the task is enabled, and the international "no" symbol indicates that the task is disabled. The final column in the window comprises the status column. This presents the last notification message that was received when the task was performed. In a typical example, this message displays the time that the task was last successfully completed. If the task resulted in an error, or could not be performed, an error message is displayed in this column.

When the automated task window is displayed, the user can click the cursor on any cell in the list. By doing so, this causes a specific task to be selected, and highlights all of the cells in its row. This condition is illustrated in FIG. 9, where the task pertaining to backing up of documents has been selected. When a task is selected, all of the cells in its row are displayed as buttons, to indicate that clicking on one of them will cause an action. For the What, When, and Notification cells, clicking on their respective buttons returns the user to the relevant panes in the interview sequence that enable them to edit those portions of the task. If the button for the Enabled cell is clicked, it toggles the indicator between the enabled and disabled states. Clicking on a status cell calls a reporter window, which is described hereinafter.

The automated tasks window also includes three buttons located at the lower portion thereof. A Create button 67 creates a new task in the list. When the user clicks this button, he or she is prompted to insert the appropriate information for the creation of the task, for example through an interview sequence provided by an assistant.

The Delete button 68 deletes a selected task, and the Export button 70 causes a copy of the currently selected task to be saved to a file folder or some other designated location.

As an alternative to selecting a task and then clicking on one of its cells, the editing of a task can also be directly carried out by double-clicking on any cell within the automated task window, which automatically retrieves the appropriate portion of the interview sequence.

Another feature of the assistance interface is a reporter window that allows the user to monitor task activity. This window is a system window that reports automated task status messages and notifications. It also maintains a log of past messages for automated task activities. The reporter window can be accessed through the floating pallet that displays the assistance help button, illustrated in FIG. 1B. This pallet includes a zoom box 72 in the upper right corner thereof. By clicking on this box, an intermediate state of the reporter window is displayed, as illustrated in FIG. 10. Referring thereto, the reporter window includes the assist button 16, which functions in the manner described previously to display the help access window. Located adjacent the assist button is a clock button 74, which can also be used to open the automated task window illustrated in FIG. 8, and thereby provide a listing of scheduled tasks. The right hand side of the reporter window illustrated in FIG. 10 includes a status message display area 76. Within this area are presented task-related status messages or notifications as tasks are being performed. The specific example in FIG. 10 illustrates a notification being provided as the files on a disk are being backed up.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the reporter window in its intermediate state includes a zoom box 72 and a minimize box 78. If the minimize box is actuated, the window returns to the minimized state illustrated in FIG. 1B. Alternatively, if the zoom box 72 is actuated, the window expands to its fully open state, as shown in FIG. 11. In this state, the window includes all the features of the intermediate state, plus a log pane 80. This pane presents a scrollable text field containing past status messages and notifications. These messages can be maintained in a chronological order, or any other suitable arrangement. Preferably, the text in this field can be selected and copied by the user.

As noted previously, when a status cell for a task is clicked in the automated task system window of FIG. 8, the reporter window is displayed. Preferably, when this action occurs, the particular row in the log pane which pertains to that task is highlighted for ready reference and access by the user.

As described previously, each time that an automated task is created, a task file is created. The task file contains all of the information required to define a task, including the what, when and notification specifications, as well as pointers to any related files that may be needed by the task as it is being carried out. For example, if a task is designed to play a recording that simulates the ignition of an engine each time a disk drive is started, a pointer in the task file can refer to the location of the file containing the recorded sounds.

Referring to FIG. 12, all of the task files 66 are stored in a folder 82 of scheduled items. The files in this folder are monitored by a process 84 that runs in the background, i.e., its operation is transparent to the user. In operation, the background process scans each file in the scheduled tasks folder to identify behavior resources that describe the what, when and notification specifications. An example of a behavior resource is illustrated in FIG. 13. Essentially, the resource comprises a string of data consisting of trigger data that relates to the when specification, launcher data that relates to the action to be carried out, and notification dam. For each such behavior resource in a task file, the background process 84 establishes and stores a behavior instance or behavior object 85 in a portion of memory 86.

The architecture of a behavior instance is illustrated in FIG. 14. It separates the three specifications that define a task into separate instances and orchestrates the protocol between them. In operation, a trigger instance 88 detects the occurrence of the condition that initiates the performance of the task. For example, if the task is designed to occur at a specified time, the trigger instance can continually poll a clock to determine whether it is that time of day. Alternatively, the trigger instance can cooperate with other operating system services that provide an indication when the sch