Providing meeting information from a meeting server to an email server to store in an email database

• US 20070143412A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Qi, Xiaoying
• Granted Patent: US 8,433,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for providing meeting information from a meeting server to an email server to store in an email database. A meeting database has information on scheduled meetings. A meeting server manages access to the meeting database. The meeting server calls an email server to provide information on meetings from the meeting database to an email database including email accounts and calendars of scheduled events for users. The email server manages access to the email database. The email server stores the provided information on the meetings in the email database in response to the call from the meeting server. The email server updates the calendar of scheduled events in the email database for one of the users to include information from the email database on at least one meeting.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a meeting database having information on scheduled meetings, wherein a meeting server manages access to the meeting database;

calling, by the meeting server, an email server to provide information on meetings from the meeting database to an email database including email accounts and calendars of scheduled events for users, wherein the email server manages access to the email database;

storing, by the email server, the provided information on the meetings in the email database in response to the call from the meeting server; and

updating, by the email server, the calendar of scheduled events in the email database for one of the users to include information from the email database on at least one meeting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting server calls the email server to provide information on one meeting from the meeting database in response to creating information in the meeting database for the meeting.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information on the meeting provided to the email server includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, wherein the message address identifies an email account and associated calendar in the email database, further comprising:

submitting, by the meeting server, email invitations including information on one of the meetings to the message addresses of the invitees to the meeting, wherein the email invitation includes a user selectable call that invokes the email server to schedule the meeting;

storing, by the email server, the received emails in the email accounts of the invitees in the email database; and

receiving, by the email server, invitee invocation via the user selectable call to schedule the meeting, wherein the email server updates the calendar for the invitee to indicate the meeting as scheduled for the invitee in response to receiving the invitee invocation to schedule the meeting.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information on the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting that are directed to an email server maintaining the email accounts and calendars in the email database, further comprising:

transmitting, by the email server, a message to the user accounts of the invitees of the meeting in response to the call from the meeting server; and

receiving, by the email server, invocation from one of the invitees that received the message to schedule the meeting, wherein the email server updates the calendar for the invitee to indicate the meeting as scheduled for the invitee in response to receiving the invocation to schedule the meeting.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message includes a user selectable call that when selected by the invitee invokes the email server to schedule the meeting.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the meeting server, an update to the information for one of the meetings in the meeting database;

calling, by the meeting server, the email server to provide the update for the meeting added to the meeting database to the email database to store in the email database; and

updating, by the email server, the calendars of users whose calendars include information on the updated meeting to indicate the update to the information in response to the call by the meeting server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the email server, a message to the users whose calendars are scheduled with the updated meeting providing notification of the update to the calendar.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the email server, indication that the message was viewed by one user, wherein the calendar of the user that viewed the message is updated with the update to the information for the meeting in response to receiving the indication that the message was viewed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting database includes identifiers for meetings created in the meeting database, further comprising:

creating, by the meeting server, identifiers for the information on the meetings stored in the email database in response to storing the information on the meetings in the email database; and

providing, by the email server, for each of a plurality of meetings stored in the email database, an association of one identifier in the meeting database and one identifier in the email database for one meeting.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

calling, by the meeting server, the email server to provide an update to the information for one of the meetings in the meeting database including the identifier in the meeting database of the updated meeting;

determining, by the email server, from the associations the identifier in the email database associated with the received identifier of the updated message in the meeting database in response to the call from the email server to provide the update; and

using, by the email server, the determined identifier in the email database to update the information in the email database for the identified meeting with the received update.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information for the updated meeting in the email database indicates users whose calendars are scheduled with the updated meeting, further comprising:

updating, by the email server, the calendars of the indicated users with the received update.

12. A system, comprising:

a meeting server;

a meeting database having information on scheduled meetings, wherein the meeting server manages access to the meeting database;

an email server;

an email database including email accounts and calendars of scheduled events for users, wherein the email server manages access to the email database;

wherein the meeting server is configured to perform operations comprising calling the email server to provide information on meetings from the meeting database to the email database;

wherein the email server is configured to perform operations comprising;

providing information on the meetings in the email database in response to the call from the meeting server; and

updating the calendar of scheduled events in the email database for one of the users to include information from the email database on at least one meeting.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the meeting server calls the email server to provide information on one meeting from the meeting database in response to creating information in the meeting database for the meeting.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the information on the meeting provided to the email server includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, wherein the message address identifies an email account and associated calendar in the email database,

wherein the meeting server is further configured to submit email invitations including information on one of the meetings to the message addresses of the invitees to the meeting, wherein the email invitation includes a user selectable call that invokes the email server to schedule the meeting;

and

wherein the email server is further configured to perform;

storing the received emails in the email account of the invitee in the email database; and

receiving invocation from the invitee via the user selectable call to schedule the meeting; and

updating the calendar for the invitee to indicate the meeting as scheduled for the invitee in response to receiving the invocation to schedule the meeting.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the information on the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting that are directed to an email server maintaining the email accounts and calendars in the email database, wherein the email server is further configured to perform:

transmitting a message to the user accounts of the invitees of the meeting in response to the call from the meeting server; and

receiving invocation from one of the invitees that received the message to schedule the meeting, wherein the email server updates the calendar for the invitee to indicate the meeting as scheduled for the invitee in response to receiving the invocation to schedule the meeting.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the message includes a user selectable call that when selected by the invitee invokes the email server to schedule the meeting.

17. The system of claim 12,

wherein the meeting server is further configured to perform:

receiving an update to the information for one of the meetings in the meeting database;

calling the email server to provide the update for the meeting added to the meeting database to the email database to store in the email database; and

wherein the email server is further configured to update the calendars of users whose calendars include information on the updated meeting to indicate the update to the information in response to the call by the meeting server.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the email server is further configured to transmit a message to the users whose calendars are scheduled with the updated meeting providing notification of the update to the calendar.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the email server is further configured to receive indication that the message was viewed by one user, wherein the calendar of the user that viewed the message is updated with the update to the information for the meeting in response to receiving the indication that the message was viewed.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the meeting database includes identifiers for meetings created in the meeting database,

wherein the meeting server is further configured to create identifiers for the information on the meetings stored in the email database in response to storing the information on the meetings in the email database;

and

wherein the email server is further configured to provide, for each of a plurality of meetings stored in the email database, an association of one identifier in the meeting database and one identifier in the email database for one meeting.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the email server is further configured to perform:

calling the email server to provide an update to the information for one of the meetings in the meeting database including the identifier in the meeting database of the updated meeting;

determining from the associations the identifier in the email database associated with the received identifier of the updated message in the meeting database in response to the call from the email server to provide the update; and

using the determined identifier in the email database to update the information in the email database for the identified meeting with the received update.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the information for the updated meeting in the email database indicates users whose calendars are scheduled with the updated meeting, and wherein the email server is further configured to update the calendars of the indicated users with the received update.

23. An article of manufacture including meeting server code and email server code, wherein the meeting server code communicates with a meeting database and wherein the email server code communicates with an email database, wherein the meeting server code and email server code cause the meeting server and email server to perform, respectively, operations, the operations comprising:

accessing, by the meeting server, the meeting database having information on scheduled meetings, wherein the meeting server code manages access to the meeting database;

calling, by the meeting server, an email server to provide information on meetings from the meeting database to an email database including email accounts and calendars of scheduled events for users, wherein the email server manages access to the email database;

storing, by the email server, the provided information on the meetings in the email database in response to the call from the meeting server; and

updating, by the email server, the calendar of scheduled events in the email database for one of the users to include information from the email database on at least one meeting.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the meeting server calls the email server to provide information on one meeting from the meeting database in response to creating information in the meeting database for the meeting.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the information on the meeting provided to the email server includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, wherein the message address identifies an email account and associated calendar in the email database, wherein the operations further comprise:

submitting, by the meeting server, email invitations including information on one of the meetings to the message addresses of the invitees to the meeting, wherein the email invitation includes a user selectable call that invokes the email server to schedule the meeting;

storing, by the email server, the received emails in the email accounts of the invitees in the email database; and

receiving, by the email server, invitee invocation via the user selectable call to schedule the meeting, wherein the email server updates the calendar for the invitee to indicate the meeting as scheduled for the invitee in response to receiving the invitee invocation to schedule the meeting.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the information on the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting that are directed to an email server maintaining the email accounts and calendars in the email database, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, by the email server, a message to the user accounts of the invitees of the meeting in response to the call from the meeting server; and

receiving, by the email server, invocation from one of the invitees that received the message to schedule the meeting, wherein the email server updates the calendar for the invitee to indicate the meeting as scheduled for the invitee in response to receiving the invocation to schedule the meeting.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, wherein the message includes a user selectable call that when selected by the invitee invokes the email server to schedule the meeting.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the meeting server, an update to the information for one of the meetings in the meeting database;

calling, by the meeting server, the email server to provide the update for the meeting added to the meeting database to the email database to store in the email database; and

updating, by the email server, the calendars of users whose calendars include information on the updated meeting to indicate the update to the information in response to the call by the meeting server.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, by the email server, a message to the users whose calendars are scheduled with the updated meeting providing notification of the update to the calendar.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the email server, indication that the message was viewed by one user, wherein the calendar of the user that viewed the message is updated with the update to the information for the meeting in response to receiving the indication that the message was viewed.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the meeting database includes identifiers for meetings created in the meeting database, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating, by the meeting server, identifiers for the information on the meetings stored in the email database in response to storing the information on the meetings in the email database; and

providing, by the email server, for each of a plurality of meetings stored in the email database, an association of one identifier in the meeting database and one identifier in the email database for one meeting.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the operations further comprise:

calling, by the meeting server, the email server to provide an update to the information for one of the meetings in the meeting database including the identifier in the meeting database of the updated meeting;

determining, by the email server, from the associations the identifier in the email database associated with the received identifier of the updated message in the meeting database in response to the call from the email server to provide the update; and

using, by the email server, the determined identifier in the email database to update the information in the email database for the identified meeting with the received update.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the information for the updated meeting in the email database indicates users whose calendars are scheduled with the updated meeting, wherein the operations further comprise:

updating, by the email server, the calendars of the indicated users with the received update.