Schedule management apparatus, schedule management method and program

• US 20060136280A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Tomohiro, Okamoto, Masayuki, Hattori, Masanori, Cho, Kenta, Okamoto, Yuzo
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

A context estimation rule is applied to spare time on a user'"'"'s schedule, and contexts are estimated. On the basis of a task template, an input task is divided into plural subtasks. A task recommendation rule for recommending tasks to do from the relation between contexts and metadata of tasks is applied to the spare time of the user, and tasks to do in the spare time are recommended on the basis of the contexts of the spare time and the metadata of the subtasks. The recommended tasks are managed as schedules.

Claims

1. A schedule management apparatus for managing user'"'"'s schedules and tasks, comprising:

a context estimation rule storage device which stores a context estimation rule for use in estimation of contexts indicative of conditions of the user;

a listing device configured to list up spare time blocks wherein there is no schedule set by the user;

a context estimation device configured to apply the context estimation rule to the listed spare time blocks, thereby estimating contexts of the spare time blocks;

a task template storage device which associates a task with subtasks of the task, and stores a task template showing respective metadata of the subtasks;

a task input device which inputs a task;

a dividing device configured to divide the task input by the task input device into plural subtasks on the basis of the task template;

a task recommendation rule storage device which stores a task recommendation rule for recommending tasks to do in accordance with the relation between contexts and metadata of tasks;

a task recommendation device configured to apply the task recommendation rule to the listed spare time blocks, and to recommend tasks to do in the spare time blocks on the basis of the contexts of the spare time blocks and the metadata of the subtasks; and

a task schedule management device configured to manage recommended tasks as schedules.

2. A schedule management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor information acquisition device which acquires information from a sensor, wherein

the context estimation device estimates contexts on the basis of the information.

3. A schedule management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sensor detects information signals including one of latitude, longitude, and gateway address, from the outside, and the sensor information acquisition device estimates a place-context on the basis of the information signals.

4. A schedule management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the context estimation rule generates contexts corresponding to schedule types before spare time whose contexts are estimated.

5. A schedule management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device to delete one of contexts that cannot occur at the same time.

6. A schedule management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device which sets a level of importance to the task recommendation rule.

7. A schedule management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a schedule view to display schedules;

a task view to display tasks; and

a view control device configured to control the views to display the tasks recommended by the task recommendation device as schedules on the schedule view, and display the tasks recommended by the task recommendation device together with scheduled date and time on the task view.

8. A schedule management method for managing user'"'"'s schedules and tasks, comprising:

storing a context estimation rule for use in estimation of contexts indicative of conditions of the user;

listing up spare time blocks wherein there is no schedule set by the user;

applying the context estimation rule to the listed spare time blocks, thereby estimating contexts of the spare time blocks;

associating a task with subtasks of the task, and storing a task template showing respective metadata of the subtasks;

inputting a task;

dividing the input task into plural subtasks on the basis of the task template;

storing a task recommendation rule for recommending tasks to do in accordance with the relation between contexts and metadata of tasks;

applying the task recommendation rule to the listed spare time blocks, and recommending tasks to do in the spare time blocks on the basis of the contexts of the spare time blocks and the metadata of the subtasks; and

managing the recommended tasks as schedules.

9. A schedule management method according to claim 8, further comprising:

acquiring information from a sensor; and

estimating contexts on the basis of the information from the sensor.

10. A schedule management method according to claim 9, wherein said acquiring includes detecting information signals including one of latitude, longitude, and gateway address, from the outside, and said estimating includes estimating a place-context on the basis of the information signals.

11. A schedule management method according to claim 8, wherein

the context estimation rule generates contexts corresponding to schedule types before spare time whose contexts are estimated.

12. A schedule management method according to claim 8, further comprising:

deleting one of contexts that cannot occur at the same time.

13. A schedule management method according to claim 8, further comprising:

setting a level of importance to the task recommendation rule.

14. A schedule management method according to claim 8, further comprising:

displaying recommended tasks as schedules on a schedule view, and displaying the tasks together with scheduled date and time on a task view.

15. A schedule management program for managing user'"'"'s schedules and tasks, stored in a computer readable medium, the program comprising:

means for instructing a computer to store a context estimation rule for use in estimation of contexts indicative of conditions of the user;

means for instructing the computer to list up spare time blocks wherein there is no schedule set by the user;

means for instructing the computer to apply the context estimation rule to the listed spare time blocks, thereby estimating contexts of the spare time blocks;

means for instructing the computer to associate a task with subtasks of the task, and store a task template showing respective metadata of the subtasks;

means for instructing the computer to input a task;

means for instructing the computer to divide the input task into plural subtasks on the basis of the task template;

means for instructing the computer to store a task recommendation rule for recommending tasks to do in accordance with the relation between contexts and metadata of tasks;

means for instructing the computer to apply the task recommendation rule to the listed spare time blocks, and recommend tasks to do in the spare time blocks on the basis of the contexts of the spare time blocks and the metadata of the subtasks; and

means for instructing the computer to manage the recommended tasks as schedules.