System, method and software for managing and publishing resource availability data

• US 20050246666A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Forgent Networks (Asure Software)
• Inventors: Stephens, James, Kalinoski, Ken, Norsworthy, Kirk
• Granted Patent: US 7,328,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/503 Resource availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

A system, method and software permitting the publication of resource availability information and the management of reservation requests therefor are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a resource provider provides authorization, availability, descriptive, linking and criteria information for a resource available for reservation presented on a publicly accessible web site. Users permitted to access to the data can browse and search the published resource related data and request appointments with or reservations of the listed resources. Resource providers are permitted to actively or automatically manage reservations and appointments requesting their resources. Available on a publicly accessible web site, resource providers may also control and define access limitations for various groups of viewers.

Claims

1. Software for providing resource availability and reservation content, the software embodied in computer readable media and when executed operable to:

identify an access level associated with a requester seeking to access resource availability and reservation content maintained by a resource availability and reservation management system;

extract availability content from one or more resource availability and reservation management system data storage areas based on a requester resource selection and the requester access level; and

present to the requester the extracted availability content along with one or more options enabling the requester to request reservation of an available resource.

2. The software of claim 1, further operable to enable substantially simultaneous access to the resource availability and reservation content by a plurality of users and via one or more disparate networks.

3. The software of claim 1, further operable to submit a reservation request to a resource provider associated with a requester resource reservation selection.

4. The software of claim 3, further operable to process the reservation request submitted to the resource provider in accordance with one or more resource provider reservation request processing preferences.

5. The software of claim 1, further operable to provide a requester reservation request management content page including information as to a status of one or more requester generated resource reservation requests.

6. The software of claim 1, further operable to provide a resource provider reservation request management content page including information as to a status of one or more reservation requests originated in response to a requestor resource reservation request selection and one or more selectable reservation request disposition options.

7. The software of claim 1, further operable to:

verify a current availability of a resource indicated by a requester resource reservation selection; and

notify the requester as to a determination that the resource associated with the requester resource reservation selection is currently unavailable.

8. The software of claim 1, further operable to verify requester compliance with one or more resource provider linking preferences, the linking preferences indicating a resource provider resource management preference requiring substantially concurrent requestor reservation of two or more resources.

9. The software of claim 1, further operable to verify requester compliance with one or more resource provider criteria defining requester characteristics preferred by the resource provider.

10. The software of claim 1, further operable to receive uploaded availability information concerning one or more resources to be maintained for reservation through a resource availability and reservation system.

11. The software of claim 1, further operable to perform periodic synchronization operations directed to synchronizing the resource availability content maintained in the one or more resource availability and reservation management system data storage areas with availability content in a resource provider maintained calendaring application.

12. The software of claim 1, further operable to generate a notification indicative of a requestor resource reservation request.

13. The software of claim 11, further operable to generate personnel assignment notifications associated with fulfillment of a requester resource reservation system.

14. The software of claim 1, further operable to provide one or more availability content search applications enabling a requestor to interrogate the resource availability and reservation system data storage areas.

15. A resource availability and reservation content management system, comprising:

at least one processor;

memory operably associated with the at least one processor;

at least one data storage device operably associated with the memory and the at least one processor;

at least one communication interface operably associated with the at least one processor and the memory, the at least one communication device operable to enable communications between the resource availability and reservation content management system and one or more user communication devices; and

at least one program of instructions storable in the memory and executable in the processor, the program of instructions operable to accept information defining a resource to be made available for reservation, maintain access to at least a portion of the information defining the resource to be made available for reservation through a content site accessible by a plurality of authorized users, and enable authorized user generation of reservation requests for one or more resources presented on the content site.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

the program of instructions operable permit resource provider to establish one or more reservation preferences linking two or more resources; and

the program of instructions operable to verify user compliance with the resource provider resource linking preferences.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising the program of instructions operable to process reservation requests received by a resource provider in accordance with one or more resource provider reservation request processing preferences.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising the program of instructions operable to verify user compliance with one or more resource reservation request criteria.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising the program of instructions operable to receive accept information defining a resource to be made available from one or more user maintained calendaring programs.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising the program of instructions to facilitate synchronization between the information defining a resource to be made available for reservation maintained by the resource availability and reservation content system and corresponding information in the one or more user maintained calendaring programs.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising the program of instructions operable to generate one or more notifications informing a notification recipient as to one or more aspects of a reservation request.

22. The system of claim 15, further comprising the program of instructions operable to generate one or more resource provider resource management content pages.

23. The system of claim 15, further comprising the program of instructions operable to generate one or more resource requester reservation request management content pages.

24. The system of claim 15, further comprising the program of instructions operable to present a content site permitting substantially simultaneous access to information defining one or more resources available for reservation to a plurality of users from a variety of disparate networks.

25. A method for providing a resource availability and reservation management to a plurality of users via a publicly accessible resource availability and reservation content site, comprising:

defining a plurality of resources available for reservation;

creating a reservation availability schedule for each resource available for reservation;

generating a reservation request for a resource available for reservation in response to user selection of the resource; and

processing the reservation request in accordance with one or more resource provider reservation request preferences.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising presenting a publicly accessible content site through which one or more resource requester may request reservation of the one or more resources available for reservation.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising verifying resource requester compliance with one or more resource provider reservation request criteria or linking requirements.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating one or more task assignments associated with an accepted resource reservation request, the task assignments identifying one or more actions to be taken in furtherance of the accepted resource reservation request.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising automatically synchronizing definitions and reservation availability schedules between a resource provider maintained calendaring application and that available through the publicly accessible resource availability and reservation content site.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating one or more notification in response to resource provider disposition of a receive resource reservation request.