System and method for providing temporary and limited grants of calendar access

• US 20080040188A1
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dan Klausmeier
• Original Assignee: Skadool, Inc.
• Inventors: Klausmeier, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,885 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 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

A system and method for providing temporary and limited grants of calendar access is provided. An invitee or its proxy may provide an event planner or time broker with a particular grant of calendar access comprising a date range, particular days of the week, and a particular time interval. The grant of calendar access allows the event planner to more easily identify a block of time for scheduling the particular event, the invitee calendar being updated in real-time. In some embodiments, the event planner may schedule the event and place the event directly on the invitee'"'"'s calendar.

Claims

1. A system for scheduling an event, comprising:

a first computing sub-system associated with an invitee to the event to be scheduled, the invitee computing sub-system comprising calendar data; and

a second computing sub-system associated with an event planner for the event to be scheduled, the event planner computing sub-system configured to access at least a portion of the invitee calendar data, wherein event planner access is limited to a non-zero finite set of closed time intervals as permitted by the invitee.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the finite set of closed time interval comprises a starting date and an ending date.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the finite set of closed time intervals further comprises at least one day of the week within the starting date and the ending date.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the finite set of closed time intervals comprises a time interval comprising a starting time and an ending time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the event planner accesses the at least a portion of the invitee calendar data at a server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the event planner accesses the at least a portion of the invitee calendar data locally at the second computing sub-system associated with the event planner.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the event planner access to the non-zero finite set of closed time intervals expires.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein expiration occurs as a result of the event being scheduled.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein expiration occurs as a result of occurrence of the scheduled event.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein event planner access is limited to only those portions of the finite set of closed time intervals that occur in the future.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-zero finite set of closed time intervals comprises calendar data reflecting an availability of the invitee for the event to be scheduled.

12. A method for granting a party access to calendar data associated with a non-zero finite set of closed time intervals, comprising:

identifying a starting date and an ending date;

identifying at least one day of the week within a range of dates defined by the starting date and the ending date;

identifying a time of day interval for the at least one day of the week within the range of dates defined by the starting date and the ending date; and

granting the party access to at least a portion of the calendar data subject to the non-zero finite set of closed time intervals as defined by the time interval for the at least one day of the week within the range of dates.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the party granted access to the calendar data is a planner for an event to be scheduled.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the event planner is granted access to the calendar data subsequent to a request by the event planner to schedule the event.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the party granted access to the calendar data is sent a calendar access message associated with grant of access to the calendar data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the calendar access message comprises a keyed uniform resource locator associated with a secure user interface.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising accepting a time proposed for an event by an event planner, the proposed time falling within at least one of the non-zero finite set of closed time intervals.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising adding the event to the calendar data of the party granting access to the calendar data associated with a non-zero finite set of closed time intervals.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising sending a confirmation to the event planner of having added the event to the calendar data of the party granting access to the calendar data.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for granting access to calendar data, the method comprising:

receiving a request for access to calendar data, the request initiated by a computing device coupled to a network;

aggregating a portion of calendar data, the portion of calendar data limited by a non-zero finite set of closed time intervals as defined by the owner of the calendar data;

delivering the portion of the calendar data over the network to the computing device that requested access to the calendar data; and

updating the portion of the calendar data pushed over the network, wherein the updates to the calendar data occur substantially in real-time.

21. A system for scheduling an event, comprising:

a first computing sub-system associated with an invitee to the event to be scheduled, the invitee computing sub-system comprising calendar data; and

a second computing sub-system associated with an event planner for the event to be scheduled, the event planner computing sub-system configured to access at least a portion of the invitee calendar data, wherein event planner access expires.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein expiration occurs as a result of the event being scheduled.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein expiration occurs as a result of occurrence of the scheduled event.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least a portion of the invitee calendar data includes calendar data reflecting an availability of the invitee for the event to be scheduled.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein expiration occurs as a result of the event planner having only been given access to future data.