Dynamic event scheduling

• US 10,467,599 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Gardner, Michael, Hicken, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US15/625,834
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/2057 Career enhancement or continuing education service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission

Abstract

Implementations provide a calendar application for dynamic scheduling and adjustment of events, such as sequential training events. The calendar application is used to specify events that are to occur within a schedule of events, an order in which the events are to occur, and a duration for each event. The calendar application is also used to specify available time periods in which the events may be scheduled. Based on the specified events and available time periods, the events are scheduled into available time periods to generate a calendar, a schedule of the events that preserves the specified order of events. On detecting a change in the inputs, such as a change in the specified events and/or available time periods, the calendar may be automatically updated (in real time with respect to the change) to accommodate the change, while preserving the order and duration of events.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, event information describing events, a specified event order in which the events are to be performed, and a respective duration of each of the events;

receiving, by the at least one processor, availability information indicating available time periods for scheduling the events;

generating, by the at least one processor, a calendar by scheduling each of the events in at least one respective available time period, in the order and according to the respective duration of each of the events, wherein the calendar is generated based on a set of rules that govern the scheduling of the events, wherein generating the calendar according to the respective duration of each of the events comprises;

determining that a duration of at least one of the events exceeds a threshold duration, and

in response to a determination that the duration of the at least one event exceeds the threshold duration, automatically splitting the at least one event across multiple available time periods such that the schedule of the events completes in the shortest amount time relative to the time when the first event occurs;

providing, by the at least one processor, the calendar for presentation through a user interface (UI);

receiving, by the at least one processor, an indication of a change in at least one of the scheduled events in the calendar;

automatically regenerating, by the at least one processor, the calendar according to the change by rescheduling at least one of the events to avoid down time that is unused due to the change while preserving the specified event order, wherein the calendar is regenerated based on the respective duration of each of the events and the set of rules; and

providing, by the at least one processor, the regenerated calendar for presentation through the UI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the events has a duration that is longer than one of the available time periods; and

the at least one of the events is divided for scheduling in multiple available time periods.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the availability information further indicates at least one time period that is unavailable for scheduling the events.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of rules indicate that an event is scheduled in a single available time period based on the duration of the event being less than a threshold duration.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the events is scheduled the multiple available time periods that are at a same time on multiple days.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the change includes one or more of:

an addition of at least one event;

a deletion of at least one event;

an unavailability of at least one time period for at least one event; and

a change in the duration of at least one event.

7. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, instruct the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving event information describing events, an order in which the events are to be performed, and a respective duration of each of the events;

receiving availability information indicating available time periods for scheduling the events;

generating a calendar by scheduling each of the events in at least one respective available time period, in the order and according to the respective duration of each of the events, wherein the calendar is generated based on a set of rules that govern the scheduling of the events, wherein generating the calendar according to the respective duration of each of the events comprises;

determining that a duration of at least one of the events exceeds a threshold duration, and

in response to a determination that the duration of the at least one event exceeds the threshold duration, automatically splitting the at least one event across multiple available time periods such that the schedule of the events completes in the shortest amount time relative to the time when the first event occurs;

providing the calendar for presentation through a user interface (UI);

receiving an indication of a change in at least one of the scheduled events in the calendar;

automatically regenerating, by the at least one processor, the calendar according to the change by rescheduling at least one of the events to avoid down time that is unused due to the change while preserving the specified event order, wherein the calendar is regenerated based on the respective duration of each of the events and the set of rules; and

providing the regenerated calendar for presentation through the UI.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

at least one of the events has a duration that is longer than one of the available time periods; and

the at least one of the events is divided for scheduling in multiple available time periods.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the availability information further indicates at least one time period that is unavailable for scheduling the events.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the set of rules indicate that an event is scheduled in a single available time period based on the duration of the event being less than a threshold duration.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the events is scheduled into the multiple available time periods that are at a same time on multiple days.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the change includes one or more of:

an addition of at least one event;

a deletion of at least one event;

an unavailability of at least one time period for at least one event; and

a change in the duration of at least one event.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving event information describing events, an order in which the events are to be performed, and a respective duration of each of the events;

receiving availability information indicating available time periods for scheduling the events;

generating a calendar by scheduling each of the events in at least one respective available time period, in the order and according to the respective duration of each of the events, wherein the calendar is generated based on a set of rules that govern the scheduling of the events, wherein generating the calendar according to the respective duration of each of the events comprises;

determining that a duration of at least one of the events exceeds a threshold duration, and in response to a determination that the duration of the at least one event exceeds the threshold duration, automatically splitting the at least one event across multiple available time periods such that the schedule of the events completes in the shortest amount time relative to the time when the first event occurs;

providing the calendar for presentation through a user interface (UI);

receiving an indication of a change in at least one of the scheduled events in the calendar;

automatically regenerating, by the at least one processor, the calendar according to the change by rescheduling at least one of the events to avoid down time that is unused due to the change while preserving the specified event order, wherein the calendar is regenerated based on the respective duration of each of the events and the set of rules; and

providing the regenerated calendar for presentation through the UI.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein:

at least one of the events has a duration that is longer than one of the available time periods; and

the at least one of the events is divided for scheduling in multiple available time periods.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the availability information further indicates at least one time period that is unavailable for scheduling the events.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the set of rules indicate that an event is scheduled in a single available time period based on the duration of the event being less than a threshold duration.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the events is scheduled into the multiple available time periods that are at a same time on multiple days.