Meeting notification and merging agents

• US 20070265903A1
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Michaelis, Paul Roller, Blair, Colin, Wan, James K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is directed generally to an information manager that identifies currently scheduled meetings satisfying selected search parameters, discloses, when permitted, details of the identified meetings to requestors, and merges requested and existing meetings when appropriate.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving a request from a requestor to participate in a meeting with a specified plurality of participants and/or regarding a selected matter;

(b) determining whether a meeting is currently scheduled for at least some of the plurality of participants and/or for the selected matter; and

(c) when a meeting is currently scheduled for at least some of the plurality of participants and/or for the selected matter, performing at least one of the following steps;

(c1) notifying the requestor of at least one of the existence and details of the currently scheduled meeting; and

(c2) forwarding an invitation to the requestor to merge the requested meeting with the currently scheduled meeting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c1) is performed and further comprising:

(d) determining whether the currently scheduled meeting is at least partially restricted and wherein step (c1) comprises the sub steps of;

when the currently scheduled meeting is at least partially restricted, notifying the requestor of the existence of the currently scheduled meeting but not details regarding the meeting.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (c1) comprises the sub steps of:

when the currently scheduled meeting is fully restricted, not notifying the requestor of the existence of the currently scheduled meeting.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein step (c1) comprises the sub steps of:

when the currently scheduled meeting is open, notifying the requestor of the existence and details of the currently scheduled meeting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c1) is performed, wherein the currently scheduled meeting is at least partially restricted, and further comprising:

(d) determining whether the requestor is authorized to receive the meeting notification; and

wherein step (c1) comprises the sub steps of;

when the requester is authorized to receive the meeting notification, performing step (c1); and

when the requester is unauthorized to receive the meeting notification, not performing step (c1).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c1) is performed and further comprising:

(e) determining whether the currently scheduled meeting is at least partially restricted;

when the currently scheduled meeting is at least partially restricted, notifying at least some of the participants of the currently scheduled meeting of the request seeking permission to provide to the requestor meeting information, which the requestor is otherwise not entitled to receive.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c2) is performed and further comprising:

determining whether the currently scheduled meeting and requested meeting are substantially similar, wherein step (c2) is performed when the meetings are substantially similar.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the meetings are merged when the requestor and at least one participant of the scheduled meeting agree to the merger.

9. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to perform the steps of claim 1.

10. An information manager, comprising:

(e) a calendar module operable to maintain scheduling information for meetings involving at least one subscriber;

(f) a messaging module operable to send and receive electronic messages; and

(g) a meeting notification agent operable to;

(c1) receive a request from a requestor to identify a currently scheduled meeting matching a set of selected parameters;

(c2) determine whether a meeting matching the set of selected parameters exists;

(c3) when a meeting matching the selected set of parameters exists, determine whether selected information regarding the meeting may be disclosed to the requestor; and

(c4) when selected information regarding the meeting may be disclosed to the requester, notify the requester of the selected information.

11. The manager of claim 10, wherein the set of selected parameters comprises at least one of a set of participant identities, a time period during which eligible meetings are scheduled, a subject of the meeting, one or more agenda items for the meeting, an attachment for the meeting, a duration of the meeting, contact details for the meeting, and physical location.

12. The manager of claim 10, wherein operation (c3) comprises the sub-operation of determining whether disclosure of information regarding the matching meeting has been restricted by at least one of the participants of the matching meeting.

13. The manager of claim 10, wherein operation (c3) comprises the sub-operation of determining whether the requester is authorized to receive information regarding the matching meeting.

14. The manager of claim 10, wherein the request comprises a set of search fields corresponding to the set of selected parameters and a set of update fields providing desired changes to any matching meeting.

15. The manager of claim 10, wherein, when the matching meeting is partially restricted, the selected information disclosed to the requestor comprises the existence of the meeting but excludes at least a plurality of the set of matching meeting participants, the scheduled time for the matching meeting, the subject matter of the matching meeting, and the location of the matching meeting.

16. The manager of claim 10, wherein, when the matching meeting is fully restricted, not disclosing the selected information to a requestor.

17. An information manager, comprising:

(h) a calendar module operable to maintain scheduling information for meetings involving at least one subscriber;

(i) a messaging module operable to send and receive electronic messages; and

(j) a meeting merge agent operable to;

(c1) receive a request from a requestor to participate in a meeting;

(c2) determine whether a currently scheduled meeting is sufficiently similar to the meeting identified in the request; and

(c3) when a currently scheduled meeting is sufficiently similar to the identified meeting, providing a meeting merge request to at least one of the requester and a participant of the currently scheduled meeting seeking permission to merge the identified meeting and the currently scheduled meeting.

18. The manager of claim 17, wherein the merge agent is operable to form a subset of the meeting information contained in the request, the subset defining when a currently scheduled meeting is substantially similar to the identified meeting and being used to search for a currently scheduled meeting.

19. The manager of claim 17, wherein, when the meetings are to be merged, at least one of the following is true:

a start time for the merged meeting is the start time of at least one of the currently scheduled and identified meetings, the merged meeting duration is the sum of the durations of the currently scheduled and identified meetings, the set of participants of the merged meeting comprises the participants of the currently scheduled and identified meetings, and the agenda for the merged meeting comprises the items in the agendas for the currently scheduled and identified meetings.

20. The manager of claim 17, further comprising:

(d) a meeting notification agent operable to;

(d1) receive a second request from a second requestor to identify a currently scheduled meeting matching a set of selected search parameters;

(d2) determine whether a meeting matching the set of selected search parameters exists; and

(d3) when a meeting matching the selected set of parameters exists, determine whether selected information regarding the meeting may be disclosed to the second requestor; and

(d4) when selected information regarding the meeting may be disclosed to the second requester, notify the second requester of the selected information.