Dynamic appointment tracking

• US 20070282656A1
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koch, Robert A., Battcher, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US11/448,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282656A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• 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

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and devices for tracking appointment information. In this regard, one embodiment of such a method, among others, can be broadly summarized by the following steps: maintaining a plurality of appointment records for a plurality of appointments with meeting times that have been arranged in advance, the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur in sequential order such that performance of a second appointment is dependent upon the completion of a first appointment scheduled to occur prior to the second appointment; and after completion of the first appointment, notifying users associated with the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur after the first appointment the performances or which are dependent upon completion of the first appointment, with notification messages having updated meeting times for respective appointments. Other methods and devices are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for tracking appointment information, comprising the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of appointment records for a plurality of appointments with meeting times that have been arranged in advance, the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur in sequential order such that performance of a second appointment is dependent upon the completion of a first appointment scheduled to occur prior to the second appointment; and

after completion of the first appointment, notifying users associated with the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur after the first appointment the performances or which are dependent upon completion of the first appointment, with notification messages having updated meeting times for respective appointments.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

maintaining notification preferences for a user indicating preferred addresses for notifying the user with changes in appointment information for the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication that an appointment that is a subject of an appointment record is canceled; and

updating the appointment record as being canceled, wherein appointment records of appointments that occur subsequently to the canceled appointment are updated with new estimates of meeting times.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining an estimate of travel time between a location of the first appointment and a location of the second appointment; and

computing an estimate of a meeting time for the second appointment based at least upon the estimate of travel time between the location of the first appointment and the location of the second appointment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

computing an estimate of a meeting time for a third appointment based at least upon the estimate of travel time between the location of the second appointment and the location of the third appointment.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

enabling a notification message having an updated meeting time to allow a recipient of the notification message to confirm acceptance of the updated meeting time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

prompting the recipient to schedule a new appointment meeting time if the recipient does not confirm acceptance of the updated meeting time.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

prompting the recipient to cancel the appointment associated with the updated meeting time.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of:

enabling a notification message having an updated meeting time to allow a recipient of the notification message to send a message directly to a person assigned to perform a job associated with the appointment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of appointment records have been assigned to a common person, the method further comprising the step of:

receiving instructions from the person to create a record indicating that time is being allocated to a new event; and

upon creation of the record, notifying customers associated with the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur after the new event and whose performance is dependent upon completion of the new event with notification messages having updated meeting times for respective appointments.

11. A computer readable medium having a computer program for tracking appointment information, the program having instructions for performing the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of appointment records for a plurality of appointments with meeting times that have been arranged in advance, the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur in sequential order such that performance of a second appointment is dependent upon the completion of a first appointment scheduled to occur prior to the second appointment; and

after completion of the first appointment, notifying users associated with the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur after the first appointment the performances or which are dependent upon completion of the first appointment, with notification messages having updated meeting times for respective appointments.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, the program further performing the step of:

maintaining notification preferences for a user indicating preferred addresses for notifying the user with changes in appointment information for the user.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, the program further performing the steps of:

receiving an indication that an appointment that is a subject of an appointment record is canceled; and

updating the appointment record as being canceled, wherein appointment records of appointments that occur subsequently to the canceled appointment are updated with new estimates of meeting times.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, the program further performing the steps of:

determining an estimate of travel time between a location of the first appointment and a location of the second appointment; and

computing an estimate of a meeting time for the second appointment based at least upon the estimate of travel time between the location of the first appointment and the location of the second appointment.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, the program further performing the step of:

computing an estimate of a meeting time for a third appointment based at least upon the estimate of travel time between the location of the second appointment and the location of the third appointment.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, the program further performing the step:

enabling a notification message having an updated meeting time to allow a recipient of the notification message to confirm acceptance of the updated meeting time.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the program further performing the step of:

prompting the recipient to schedule a new appointment meeting time if the recipient does not confirm acceptance of the updated meeting time.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program further performing the step of:

prompting the recipient to cancel the appointment associated with the updated meeting time.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the program further performing the step of:

enabling a notification message having an updated meeting time to allow a recipient of the notification message to send a message directly to a person assigned to perform a job associated with the appointment.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of appointment records have been assigned to a common person, the program further performing the step of:

receiving instructions from the person to create a record indicating that time is being allocated to a new event; and

upon creation of the record, notifying customers associated with the plurality of appointments scheduled to occur after the new event and whose performance is dependent upon completion of the new event with notification messages having updated meeting times for respective appointments.