Calendaring systems and methods

• US 20020131565A1
• Filed: 02/09/2002
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Darlene Waddington, Jerome James Scheuring, Sylvia Tidwell Scheuring
• Original Assignee: Darlene Waddington, Jerome James Scheuring, Sylvia Tidwell Scheuring
• Inventors: Scheuring, Sylvia Tidwell, Waddington, Darlene, Scheuring, Jerome James
• Application Number:
  US10/071,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20020131565A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A calendaring system communicatively coupled to a network comprises: a calendar engine capable to store and display event data from a calendar database; a portrait database capable to store portraits of users; the portraits including relationship settings for users; and an event engine, communicatively coupled to the calendar engine and portrait database, capable of scheduling events (including implicit events), sending events invitations and responding to an event invitation received, and offering appropriate services related to those events, via the network, as a function of time availability as indicated in the calendar database, relationship settings, and lifestyle wishes, monitors and gauges of the participants in the event as indicated in the portrait database.

Claims

1. A computer-based method, comprising:

receiving a telephone call;

identifying the caller; and

determining a caller relationship setting.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a user'"'"'s life wish setting.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a user'"'"'s current calendar event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the telephone call to ring through as a function of the caller relationship setting.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising enabling the telephone call to ring through as a function of the caller relationship setting and the user'"'"'s life wish setting.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the user'"'"'s current calendar event.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a user'"'"'s current calendar event; and

enabling the telephone call to ring through as a function of the caller relationship setting, user'"'"'s current calendar event and the user'"'"'s life wish setting

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising enabling the telephone call to ring through based upon the relationship setting and the current calendar event.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending the telephone call to voicemail if the telephone call is not enabled to ring through.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending the telephone call to voicemail if the telephone call is not enabled to ring through.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending the telephone call to voicemail if the telephone call is not enabled to ring through.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining an answering machine message to play if the call is sent to voicemail, the determining an answering machine message being a function of lifestyle wish setting and caller relationship setting.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an answering machine message to play if the call is sent to voicemail, the determining an answering machine message being a function of lifestyle wish setting and caller relationship setting.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining an answering machine message to play if the call is sent to voicemail, the determining an answering machine message being a function of lifestyle wish setting and caller relationship setting.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending schedule availability information to the caller if the call is not enabled to ring through, the schedule availability information based on the caller relationship setting and a user'"'"'s availability as indicated in a calendar database.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending schedule availability information to the caller if the call is not enabled to ring through, the schedule availability information based on the caller relationship setting and a user'"'"'s availability as indicated in a calendar database.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising sending schedule availability information to the caller if the call is not enabled to ring through, the schedule availability information based on the caller relationship setting and a user'"'"'s availability as indicated in a calendar database.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a response to the sent schedule availability information, the response including a date and time for a telephone call;

updating the calendar database to include the date and time for the telephone call.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a response to the sent schedule availability information, the response including a date and time for a telephone call;

updating the calendar database to include the date and time for the telephone call

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a response to the sent schedule availability information, the response including a date and time for a telephone call;

updating the calendar database to include the date and time for the telephone call.

21. A computer-based method, comprising:

receiving an invitation to an event, the invitation including the time and date of the event and an inviter'"'"'s name;

determining if an automated acceptance preference is set;

determining a relationship setting for the inviter;

determining a life style wish setting;

determining if free time available to attend the event by looking up the time and date of the event in a calendar database;

sending an acceptance to the inviter as a function of the automated acceptance preference, free time, monitors and gauges, life style wishes, and relationship setting; and

updating the calendar database to include the event if an acceptance is sent.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying the invitation if the automated acceptance preference is not set.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising declining the invitation if an acceptance is not sent.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the conference includes a telephone conference.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the determining includes accessing invitees'"'"' calendar databases to determine the invitees'"'"' availabilities.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the determining includes accessing invitees'"'"' calendar databases, life style wishes, monitors and gauges, and relationship settings to determine the invitees'"'"' preferred time availabilities.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the conference invitation includes a date and time selected by a use

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising sending a list of participants to the invitees

24. A computer-based method, comprising:

receiving, from invitees, responses to a conference invitation;

sending confirmations to invitees that signal acceptance;

sending, to the invitees, notifications of start of the conference;

determining the impact of delaying the start of the conference; and

displaying the impact of delaying the conference.

30. A system communicatively coupled to a network, comprising:

a calendar engine capable to store and display event data from a calendar database;

a portrait database capable to store portraits of users;

the portraits including relationship settings for users; and

an event engine, communicatively coupled to the calendar engine and portrait database, capable to respond to an event invitation received, via the network, from an inviter as a function of time availability as indicated in the calendar database and relationship setting of the invitee as indicated in the portrait database.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising a life style wish preference file capable to store a life style wish set by a system user.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising a voicemail engine, communicatively coupled to the calendar engine, the life style wish preference file, and the portrait database, capable to receive a phone call, identify the caller, wherein the caller is a user, and determine whether to let the phone call ring through as a function of the life style wish and the caller relationship setting.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the voicemail engine is further capable to send the phone call to voicemail if it is determined not to let the phone call ring through.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the voicemail engine is further capable to select an answering machine message as a function of caller relationship setting when the phone call is sent to voicemail.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the voicemail engine is further capable to notify the caller of available free time to reschedule a call as a function of available free time per the calendar database and of the caller relationship.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the conference scheduler engine is capable to determine a time and date for a conference by determining availability of invitees by examining their respective calendar databases.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the calendar engine is further capable to update the calendar database to include the conference.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the conference scheduler engine is further capable to display a schedule status update showing the impact of delaying a scheduled conference, wherein the update includes schedules of invitees as indicated in their respective calendar databases.

36. The system of 31, further comprising a conference scheduler engine communicatively coupled to the calendar engine, the portrait database and the life style wish preference file, the conference scheduler engine capable to send, via the network, invitations to invitees, wherein the invitees are users;

receive replies to the invitations; and

send scheduling data to the invitees.

40. A computer-based method, comprising

examining a calendar entry;

and

selecting one or more services appropriate to the event.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising offering the services to a user.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising launching services selected by the user.

43. The method of claim 41, further comprising collecting choices of services from the user and launching those services.

44. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code to execute a method, the method comprising:

receiving a telephone call;

identifying the caller; and

determining a caller relationship setting.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising determining a user'"'"'s life wish setting.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising determining a user'"'"'s current calendar event.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising enabling the telephone call to ring through as a function of the caller relationship setting.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, further comprising enabling the telephone call to ring through as a function of the caller relationship setting and the user'"'"'s life wish setting.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, further comprising determining the user'"'"'s current calendar event.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, further comprising:

determining a user'"'"'s current calendar event; and

enabling the telephone call to ring through as a function of the caller relationship setting, user'"'"'s current calendar event and the user'"'"'s life wish setting

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, further comprising enabling the telephone call to ring through based upon the relationship setting and the current calendar event.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, further comprising sending the telephone call to voicemail if the telephone call is not enabled to ring through.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, further comprising sending the telephone call to voicemail if the telephone call is not enabled to ring through.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, further comprising sending the telephone call to voicemail if the telephone call is not enabled to ring through.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, further comprising determining an answering machine message to play if the call is sent to voicemail, the determining an answering machine message being a function of lifestyle wish setting and caller relationship setting.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 53, further comprising determining an answering machine message to play if the call is sent to voicemail, the determining an answering machine message being a function of lifestyle wish setting and caller relationship setting.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 54, further comprising determining an answering machine message to play if the call is sent to voicemail, the determining an answering machine message being a function of lifestyle wish setting and caller relationship setting.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 55, further comprising sending schedule availability information to the caller if the call is not enabled to ring through, the schedule availability information based on the caller relationship setting and a user'"'"'s availability as indicated in a calendar database.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 56, further comprising sending schedule availability information to the caller if the call is not enabled to ring through, the schedule availability information based on the caller relationship setting and a user'"'"'s availability as indicated in a calendar database.

60. The computer-readable medium of claim 57, further comprising sending schedule availability information to the caller if the call is not enabled to ring through, the schedule availability information based on the caller relationship setting and a user'"'"'s availability as indicated in a calendar database.

61. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, further comprising:

receiving a response to the sent schedule availability information, the response including a date and time for a telephone call;

updating the calendar database to include the date and time for the telephone call.

62. The computer-readable medium of claim 59, further comprising:

receiving a response to the sent schedule availability information, the response including a date and time for a telephone call;

updating the calendar database to include the date and time for the telephone call

63. The computer-readable medium of claim 60, further comprising:

receiving a response to the sent schedule availability information, the response including a date and time for a telephone call;

updating the calendar database to include the date and time for the telephone call.

64. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code to execute a method, the method comprising:

receiving an invitation to an event, the invitation including the time and date of the event and an inviter'"'"'s name;

determining if an automated acceptance preference is set;

determining a relationship setting for the inviter;

determining a life style wish setting;

determining if free time available to attend the event by looking up the time and date of the event in a calendar database;

sending an acceptance to the inviter as a function of the automated acceptance preference, free time, monitors and gauges, life style wishes, and relationship setting; and

updating the calendar database to include the event if an acceptance is sent.

65. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code to execute a method, the method comprising:

receiving, from invitees, responses to a conference invitation;

sending confirmations to invitees that signal acceptance;

sending, to the invitees, notifications of start of the conference;

determining the impact of delaying the start of the conference; and

displaying the impact of delaying the conference.