Grouping and displaying multiple tasks within an event object of an electronic calendar

• US 20050222971A1
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James C. Cary
• Original Assignee: James C. Cary
• Inventors: Cary, James C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,370,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A system for the display and editing of scheduled tasks and timeslots represented in the form of user interface elements embedded in the calendar regions of the graphical user interface of electronic calendaring systems. It provides structures and methods for editing schedule data in the form of individual tasks and timeslots, sub-groups of tasks and timeslots, and related collections of scheduled tasks and timeslots. It provides for the automated generation of scheduled tasks and timeslots information using a template structure, thereby reducing the amount of decisions and key strokes required for the user to generate and load into their personal calendars a predefined program of recurring tasks and timeslots. Methods are employed to minimize routine program maintenance requirements. In particular, a structure is provided which allows scheduled tasks information to be defined in such a way that particular tasks may be added or removed from a user'"'"'s schedule either after predefined intervals of time, or, dynamically in response to changes in a predefined metric such as might be used to measure a user'"'"'s skill level or efficiency.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying scheduled tasks within a calendar, comprising:

providing a plurality of displayable event objects within the calendar, each event object corresponding to a time period not coincident with a day;

receiving a user specification of at least two tasks scheduled to be undertaken within a single time period associated with a first event object of the calendar;

representing the at least two tasks as at least two separately displayable task objects within the calendar; and

displaying the at least two task objects within the first event object.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the task objects are independently manipulable within the calendar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one event object comprises a displayable container object representing a time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a spatial relationship between the first event object and a timescale for the calendar indicates the at least one time period within which the at least two tasks are scheduled to be undertaken.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of and dragging the first event object to a second event object of the calendar, modifying occurrence information for the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the occurrence information comprises at least one of a starting time, an ending time, a start date, an end date, an occurrence date, a recurrence calculation type identifier, a day of week indicator, a days of week indicator, a week of month indicator, a month of year indicator, a user identifier, a user group identifier, a time interval in which an event repeats, a number of time intervals between occurrences of an event, a non-recurring event indicator, an indicator that exception occurrences exist, a listing of event occurrences, and a listing of any exception occurrences.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to a second event object of the calendar, modifying occurrence information of the selected task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to a first date-related object of the calendar, modifying occurrence date information of the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to a date represented by the first date-related object.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to a first date-related object of the calendar, modifying occurrence date information of the selected task object to conform to a date represented by the first date-related object.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to a first user-related object of the calendar, modifying user identity information associated with the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to user identity information represented by the first user-related object.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the least two task objects within the first event object to a first user-related object of the calendar, modifying user identity information associated with the selected task object to conform to user identity information represented by the first user-related object.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to the first event object, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the date-related object, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to a second date-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the first date-related object, and modifying occurrence date information of the found task objects to conform to a date represented by the second date-related object.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar;

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to a first user-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the first date-related object, and modifying user identity information associated with the found task objects to conform to a user identity represented by the first user-related object.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to the first event object, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar;

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to a first date-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying occurrence date information of the found tasks objects to conform to a date represented by the first date-related object.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to a second user-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying user identity information associated with the found task objects to conform to a user identity represented by the second user-related object.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a third task object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to the third task object, modifying occurrence information of the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a third task object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to the third task object, modifying occurrence information of the selected task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to the first task object, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the first date-related object, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to the first task object, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one sub-group object within the calendar;

displaying the at least one sub-group object within the first event object; and

associating at least one task object in a subordinate relationship with the at least one sub-group object.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the at least one sub-group object to a second event object of the calendar, modifying occurrence information of the at least one task object which is in a subordinate relationship to the at least one sub-group object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the at least one sub-group object to a first user-related object of the calendar, modifying user identity information associated with the at least one task object which is in a subordinate relationship to the at least one sub-group object to conform to user identity information represented by the first user-related object.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the at least two task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the selected task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first task object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the first task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

representing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first sub-group object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the at least one task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

29. A system for displaying scheduled tasks within a calendar, comprising:

means for providing a plurality of displayable event objects within the calendar, each event object corresponding to a time period not coincident with a day;

means for receiving a user specification of at least two tasks scheduled to be undertaken within a single time period associated with a first event object of the calendar;

means for representing the at least two tasks as at least two separately displayable task objects within the calendar; and

means for displaying the at least two task objects within the first event object.

30. A computer-readable medium comprising:

program code for providing a plurality of displayable event objects within the calendar, each event object corresponding to a time period not coincident with a day;

program code for receiving a user specification of at least two tasks scheduled to be undertaken within a single time period associated with a first event object of the calendar;

program code for representing the at least two tasks as at least two separately displayable task objects within the calendar; and

program code for displaying the at least two task objects within the first event object.