Method and apparatus to reschedule room resources

• US 20050071213A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Melear, Jan K., Kumhyr, David Bruce
• Application Number:
  US10/674,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20050071213A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for allocating meeting room resources. A database of meeting room resources is provided. The database includes attributes describing physical characteristics of each meeting room in the meeting room resources. A request for a meeting room is received. The request includes at set of attributes. A determination is made as to whether the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is available. In response to a determination that the meeting room is available, the meeting room is allocated to a user.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for allocating meeting room resources, the method comprising:

providing a database of meeting room resources, wherein the database includes attributes describing physical characteristics of each meeting room in the meeting room resources;

receiving a request for a meeting room, wherein the request includes at set of attributes;

determining whether the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is available;

responsive to a determination that the meeting room is available, allocating the meeting room to a user; and

responsive to a determination that the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is unavailable, presenting a set of reserved meeting room resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attributes include a room capacity and a location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attributes a white board, a conference phone, wired network connections, wireless network connections, an overhead projector, and a podium.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting step comprises:

sending the set of reserved meeting room resources to a client, wherein the set of reserved meeting room resources are displayed to a user at the client.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to a selection of a reserved meeting room from the set of reserved meeting room resources, presenting contact information for a reserving party of the reserved meeting room.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to a selection of a reserved meeting room from the set of reserved meeting room resources by a user, determining whether the user has priority over a reserving party of the reserved meeting room; and

responsive to the user having priority over the reserving party, allocating the reserved meeting room the user.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

responsive to an allocation of the reserved meeting room to the user, sending the reserving party a notification of the allocation.

8. A data processing system for allocating meeting room resources, the data processing system comprising:

providing means for providing a database of meeting room resources, wherein the database includes attributes describing physical characteristics of each meeting room in the meeting room resources;

receiving means for receiving a request for a meeting room, wherein the request includes at set of attributes;

determining means for determining whether the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is available;

allocating means, responsive to a determination that the meeting room is available, for allocating the meeting room to a user; and

presenting means, responsive to a determination that the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is unavailable, for presenting a set of reserved meeting room resources.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the attributes include a room capacity and a location.

10. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the attributes a white board, a conference phone, wired network connections, wireless network connections, an overhead projector, and a podium.

11. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the presenting means comprises:

sending means for sending the set of reserved meeting room resources to a client, wherein the set of reserved meeting room resources are displayed to a user at the client.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the presenting means is a first presenting means and further comprising:

second presenting means responsive to a selection of a reserved meeting room from the set of reserved meeting room resources, for presenting contact information for a reserving party of the reserved meeting room.

13. The data processing system of claim 8 wherein the determining means is a first determining means and wherein the allocating means is the first allocating means and further comprising:

second determining means, responsive to a selection of a reserved meeting room from the set of reserved meeting room resources by a user, for determining whether the user has priority over a reserving party of the reserved meeting room; and

second allocating means, responsive to the user having priority over the reserving party, for allocating the reserved meeting room the user.

14. The data processing system of claim 13 further comprising:

sending means, responsive to an allocation of the reserved meeting room to the user, for sending the reserving party a notification of the allocation.

15. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for allocating meeting room resources, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for providing a database of meeting room resources, wherein the database includes attributes describing physical characteristics of each meeting room in the meeting room resources;

second instructions for receiving a request for a meeting room, wherein the request includes at set of attributes;

third instructions for determining whether the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is available;

fourth instructions, responsive to a determination that the meeting room is available, for allocating the meeting room to a user; and

fifth instructions, responsive to a determination that the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is unavailable, for presenting a set of reserved meeting room resources.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the attributes include a room capacity and a location.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the attributes a white board, a conference phone, wired network connections, wireless network connections, an overhead projector, and a podium.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the fifth instructions comprises:

sub-instructions for sending the set of reserved meeting room resources to a client, wherein the set of reserved meeting room resources are displayed to a user at the client.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the fifth instructions includes:

sub-instructions responsive to a selection of a reserved meeting room from the set of reserved meeting room resources, for presenting contact information for a reserving party of the reserved meeting room.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprises:

sixth instructions responsive to a selection of a reserved meeting room from the set of reserved meeting room resources by a user, for determining whether the user has priority over a reserving party of the reserved meeting room; and

seventh instructions responsive to the user having priority over the reserving party, for allocating the reserved meeting room the user.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising:

eighth instructions responsive to an allocation of the reserved meeting room to the user, for sending the reserving party a notification of the allocation.

22. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to provide a database of meeting room resources wherein the database includes attributes describing physical characteristics of each meeting room in the meeting room resources;

receive a request for a meeting room, wherein the request includes at set of attributes;

determine whether the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is available;

allocate the meeting room to a user in response to a determination that the meeting room is available; and

present a set of reserved meeting room resources in response to a determination that the meeting room meeting the set of attributes is unavailable.