Instance messaging auto-scheduling

• US 20040128181A1
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zurko, Mary Ellen, Raven, Mary E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• 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 method and system for scheduling a meeting. The method comprises the steps of receiving a request from a participant in an instant message session to schedule a meeting; and running a natural language processing tool to determine meeting participants and available times, from a record of the message session. A calendaring and scheduling application is run to accept the meeting participants and available times, consult calendars of the meeting participants, and schedule the meeting. A notification is sent to the participants in the instant message session of the meeting schedule, and the meeting schedule is added to the calendars of the meeting participants.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling a meeting, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a participant in an instant message session to schedule a meeting;

running a natural language processing tool to determine meeting participants and available times, from a record of said instant message session;

running a calendaring and scheduling application to accept said meeting participants and available times, consult calendars of said meeting participants, and schedule said meeting;

sending a notification to the participants in said instant message session of the meeting schedule; and

adding said meeting schedule to the calendars of said meeting participants.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying at least some of the participants in the instant message session as meeting participants.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying all of the participants in the instant message session as meeting participants.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying as meeting participants at least some of the people mentioned in the message session.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the instant message session at least some people are referred to by relationships or titles, and the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying as meeting participants at least some of the people referred to in the instant message session by relationship or title.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

providing a database identifying names for a given set of relationships and titles; and

wherein

the step of identifying as meeting participants includes the steps of

i) identifying at least some of said set of relationships and titles mentioned in the instant message session, and

ii) for each of said mentioned relationships or titles, using said database to identify the name of the person referred to by said relationship or title.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of running the natural language processing tool during the instant message session to determine meeting participants and available times, from a record of said instant message session;

the step of running the calendaring and scheduling application includes the step of running the calendaring and scheduling application during the instant message session to accept said meeting participants and available times, consult calendars of said meeting participants, and schedule said meeting; and

the step of sending the notification includes the step of sending the notification to the participants in said instant message session, during said session, of the meeting schedule.

8. A system for scheduling a meeting, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a participant in an instant message session to schedule a meeting;

a natural language processing tool to determine meeting participants and available times, from a record of said instant message session;

a calendaring and scheduling application to accept said meeting participants and available times, consult calendars of said meeting participants, and schedule said meeting;

means for sending a notification to the participants in said instant message session, and

means for adding said meeting schedule to the calendars of said meeting participants.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the natural language processing tool identifies at least some of the participants in the instant message session as meeting participants.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the natural language processing tool identifies all of the participants in the instant message session as meeting participants.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein the natural language processing tool identifies as meeting participants at least some of the people mentioned in the message session.

12. A system according to claim 8, wherein in the instant message session, at least some people are referred to by relationships or titles, and the natural language processing tool identifies as meeting participants at least some of the people referred to in the instant message session by relationship or title.

13. A system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a database identifying names for a given set of relationships and titles; and

wherein the processing tool includes

i) means for identifying at least some of said set of relationships and titles mentioned in the instant message session, and

ii) means using said database to identify, for each of said mentioned relationships or titles, the name of the person referred to by said relationship or title.

14. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the natural language processing tool includes means to determine, during the instant message session, meeting participants and available times, from a record of said instant message session;

the calendaring and scheduling application includes means for operating during the instant message session to accept said meeting participants and available times, consult calendars of said meeting participants, and schedule said meeting; and

the means for sending the notification includes means for sending the notification to the participants in said instant message session, during said session, of the meeting schedule.

15. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for scheduling a meeting, said method steps comprising:

receiving a request from a participant in an instant message session to schedule a meeting;

running a natural language processing tool during said session to determine meeting participants and available times, from a record of said instant message session;

running a calendaring and scheduling application during said session to accept said meeting participants and available times, consult calendars of said meeting participants, and schedule said meeting;

sending a notification to the participants in said instant message session, during said session, of the meeting schedule; and

adding said meeting schedule to the calendars of said meeting participants.

16. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying at least some of the participants in the instant message session as meeting participants.

17. A program storage device according to claim 16, wherein the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying all of the participants in the instant message session as meeting participants.

18. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying as meeting participants at least some of the people mentioned in the message session.

19. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein in the instant message session at least some people are referred to by relationships or titles, and the step of running the natural language processing tool includes the step of identifying as meeting participants at least some of the people referred to in the instant message session by relationship or title.

20. A program storage device according to claim 19, wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

providing a database identifying names for a given set of relationships and titles; and

wherein the step of identifying as meeting participants includes the steps of

iii) identifying at least some of said set of relationships and titles mentioned in the instant message session, and

ii) for each of said mentioned relationships or titles, using said database to identify the name of the person referred to by said relationship or title.