Calendar overlays

• US 20060190313A1
• Filed: 04/17/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Larry L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Implementing an electronic calendar can include accessing a first electronic calendar owned by a first party, accessing a second electronic calendar owned by a second party, and presenting a view that combines at least one existing entry from within each of the first and second electronic calendars. Source information for each of the first and second electronic calendars may be electronically maintained. The combined view may be updated electronically to reflect a change to at least one of the existing entries from within at least one of the first and second electronic calendars. Electronic calendars may be accessed and overlaid without importing events, thus enabling simple updating. Event information may be imported and source or other attributes may be associated with imported information to enable updating and other sorting functions.

Claims

1. A method of implementing an electronic calendar, the method comprising:

accessing calendar information hosted by a first electronic calendar owned by a first party, the calendar information including event information hosted by the first electronic calendar and referencing event information hosted by a second electronic calendar published by a second party, the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar differing from the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar;

accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar;

generating a calendar view using the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar owned by the first party and the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar published by the second party; and

presenting the generated calendar view.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the calendar view to reflect a change made to the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein updating the calendar view comprises updating the calendar view after determining the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar used in generating the calendar view differs from the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar currently published by the second party.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein updating the calendar view comprises updating the calendar view automatically based on a triggering event.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the triggering event includes determining that a predetermined amount of time has passed.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the triggering event includes receiving an indication from the second party that the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar has changed.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the calendar view to remove event information hosted by the second electronic calendar that is depublished by the second party.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the calendar view to reflect a change made to the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein updating the calendar view to reflect a change made to the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar comprises updating the calendar view to reflect a change made to the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein updating the calendar view to reflect a change made to the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar comprises updating the calendar view to reflect a change made to which event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein updating the calendar view to reflect a change made to which event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar comprises removing event information hosted by the second electronic calendar that is dereferenced by the first party.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar to include a portion of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar as event information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the portion of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is included in the generated calendar view even if the portion of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is no longer referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the portion of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is included in the generated calendar view even if the portion of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is no longer published by the second party.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar to add event information hosted by the first electronic calendar that is related to the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar that is related to the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is unaffected by changes made to the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar that is related to the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is modified based on changes made to the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is denied if the first party does not have permission to access the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining electronic source information for each of the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar and the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein maintaining electronically source information for each of the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar and the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar comprises maintaining a first source attribute for the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar and a second source attribute for the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein maintaining the second source attribute comprises storing a user ID for the owner of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising presenting at least part of the source information in the calendar view.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein presenting at least part of the source information in the calendar view comprises:

presenting event information hosted by the first electronic calendar differently than event information hosted by the second electronic calendar; and

providing an indication of a source for event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the source information for the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar comprises a link to a location from which the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar originates.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the source information for the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar comprises a link to an instantiation of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar and the second party controls the instantiation.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar comprises the source information for the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

27. The method of claim 1 further comprising copying the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar and maintaining the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar and the copy of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar in separate files.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar includes accessing the copy of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising updating the copy of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein updating the copy of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar comprises updating the copy after determining the copy differs from the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar currently published by the second party

31. The method of claim 29 wherein updating the copy of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar comprises updating the copy automatically based on a triggering event.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the triggering event includes determining that a predetermined amount of time has passed.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the triggering event includes receiving an indication from the second party that the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar has changed.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the calendar view comprises overlaying the event information hosted by the second electronic calendars onto a calendar view previously generated using the event information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the generated calendar view includes event information hosted by each of the first and second electronic calendars for a specific time period.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar comprises accessing a device operated by the second party.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein accessing the device is performed in response to interaction between the first party and a calendar application.

38. The method of claim 1 wherein the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar comprises an update schedule for the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

39. The method of claim 1 wherein:

accessing the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar comprises accessing, by an electronic calendar system, the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar on behalf of the first party,

accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar comprises accessing, by the electronic calendar system, the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar on behalf of the first party, the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar including an entry, and

the method further comprises the electronic calendar system providing a reminder for the entry to the first party.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the reminder is included in the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar and is set by a party other than the first party.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the party other than the first party is the second party.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein:

the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar includes event information from a third electronic calendar, the third electronic calendar being owned by a third party, and

the party other than the first party is the third party.

43. The method of claim 39 wherein an original reminder for the entry is included in the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar, and the method further comprises modifying, by the first party, content from the original reminder to generate the reminder that is provided to the first party.

44. The method of claim 39 wherein the reminder is set by the first party.

45. The method of claim 39 wherein the reminder is set by the electronic calendar system using a default setting associated with the first party.

46. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar referenced by the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar, generating the calendar view, and presenting the generated calendar view are performed automatically in conjunction with accessing the calendar information hosted by the first electronic calendar.

47. The method of claim 1 wherein calendar information is hosted by the first electronic calendar when the first party enters the calendar information into the first electronic calendar.

48. The method of claim 1 wherein calendar information is hosted by the first electronic calendar when the first party generates the calendar information.

49. The method of claim 1 wherein event information is hosted by the first electronic calendar when the first party enters the event information into the first electronic calendar.

50. The method of claim 1 wherein event information is hosted by the first electronic calendar when the first party generates the event information.

51. The method of claim 1 wherein event information is hosted by the second electronic calendar when the second party enters the event information into the second electronic calendar.

52. The method of claim 1 wherein event information is hosted by the second electronic calendar when the second party generates the event information.

53. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar includes accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar from a location remote from a location where the generated calendar view is being presented while the generated calendar view is being presented.

54. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar includes accessing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar from a location remote from a location where the generated calendar view is being presented.

55. The method of claim 54 further comprising storing the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar as a local version of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar in memory situated in a location local to the location where the generated calendar view is being presented.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein generating the calendar view includes, if a local version of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar is available, generating the calendar view using the local version of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar instead of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar accessed from a location remote from a location where the generated calendar view is being presented.

57. The method of claim 55 further comprising updating the local version of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar when the local version of the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar differs from the event information hosted by the second electronic calendar accessed from a location remote from a location where the generated calendar view is being presented.

58. A method of importing event information into an electronic calendar, the method comprising:

accessing a first electronic calendar owned by a first party;

accessing a second electronic calendar owned by a second party that has been published by the second party;

selecting event information included in the second electronic calendar to import into the first electronic calendar;

storing information that references the second electronic calendar and indicates the event information included in the second electronic calendar selected; and

associating the information with the first electronic calendar.