Time request queue

• US 20030220826A1
• Filed: 05/23/2002
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mansour, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

A group scheduling solution offers an organized and formalized solution to the time management problem in which the desired meeting includes one person who is difficult to schedule. In the inventive approach, a scheduling system is provided in which a hard-to-schedule attendee takes over responsibility for setting the start time of an event. In the invention, a workflow is provided, in which the organizer sends a request to the hard-to-schedule person. The request preferably contains the desired duration of the meeting. The request may contain a list of attendees, location, and other details. These requests are maintained in a queue for the hard-to-schedule person. Batching requests in a queue is a key feature of the invention. The hard-to-schedule person, or their proxy, can then review these requests and select a suitable time for the meeting, set this time in a meeting request, thereby causing an update to be sent back to the organizer and the other attendees, thus indicating the appointed time for the meeting. The organizer of the meeting can still update the meeting details, etc. However, any changes in the start time or the duration of the meeting must be made by the hard-to-schedule person or their proxy. The hard-to-schedule person can also decline the meeting entirely.

Claims

1. An apparatus for scheduling a meeting) via a time request queue, comprising:

a mechanism for receiving at least one request to attend a meeting that is directed to a hard-to-schedule person;

a mechanism for maintaining said at least one request for review;

a mechanism for said hard-to-schedule person or their proxy to select a desired time to attend said meeting;

a mechanism for setting a meeting request;

a mechanism for updating said meeting request; and

a mechanism for sending said updated meeting request to a meeting requestor and any other meeting attendees.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said request contains a desired duration of said meeting.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said request contains any of a list of attendees, a location, and other details.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a mechanism for said meeting requestor to update meeting details.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said mechanism for said meeting requestor to update meeting details comprises a mechanism for any of adding attendees and changing a location of said meeting.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein any change to any of a start time and a duration of said meeting must be made by said hard-to-schedule person, or their proxy.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hard-to-schedule person can decline said meeting entirely.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein meeting requests are collected and held until said hard-to-schedule person or their proxy sets a meeting time.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a display for representing said time request queue.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said display comprises:

at least one schedule view for providing a reference to what meetings are currently scheduled; and

a list of time requests that have not yet been assigned a specific time.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said list shows any of a length of time requested, a requester, and a title of said meeting.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a meeting request is dragged from said list and dropped onto said at least one schedule view to assign it to a particular time.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a meeting request is double-clicked to bring up a more detailed dialog box in which a time can be set.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein once a time request has been assigned a timeslot, it is moved from said time requests list and into said at least one schedule view.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, once a time request is scheduled, said meeting request is displayed in at least one schedule view for each attendee.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an appointment is additionally scheduled based upon preferences of a meeting requester.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said meeting requestor provides any of alternatives and a ranking of preferences to help accommodate the needs of said difficult-to-schedule person.

18. A method for scheduling a meeting via a time request queue, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one request to attend a meeting that is directed to a hard-to-schedule person;

maintaining said at least one request for review;

said hard-to-schedule person or their proxy selecting a desired time to attend said meeting;

setting a meeting request;

updating said meeting request; and

sending said updated meeting request to a meeting requestor and any other meeting attendees.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said request contains a desired duration of said meeting.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said request contains any of a list of attendees, a location, and other details.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

said meeting requestor updating meeting details.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said updating by said meeting requestor comprises the step of any of adding attendees and changing a location of said meeting.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein any change to any of a start time and a duration of said meeting must be made by said hard-to-schedule person, or their proxy.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said hard-to-schedule person can decline said meeting entirely.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein meeting requests are collected and held until said hard-to-schedule person or their proxy sets a meeting time.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

providing a display for representing said time request queue.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said display comprises:

at least one schedule view for providing a reference to what meetings are currently scheduled; and

a list of time requests that have not yet been assigned a specific time.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said list shows any of a length of time requested, a requester, and a title of said meeting.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein a meeting request is dragged from said list and dropped onto said at least one schedule view to assign it to a particular time.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein a meeting request is double-clicked to bring up a more detailed dialog box in which a time can be set.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein once a time request has been assigned a timeslot, it is moved from said time requests list and into said at least one schedule view.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein, once a time request is scheduled, said meeting request is displayed in at least one schedule view for each attendee.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein an appointment is additionally scheduled based upon preferences of a meeting requester.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said meeting requestor provides any of alternatives and a ranking of preferences to help accommodate the needs of said difficult-to-schedule person.