AGENDA DETERMINATION IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20080066018A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Scott, Sherryl Lee Lorraine, ZINN, Ronald Scotte
• Application Number:
  US11/469,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20080066018A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/866
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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

Abstract

A method of displaying an agenda at an electronic device includes retrieving, from at least one database of the electronic device, calendared events that meet a set of constraints, determining free time periods absent of the calendared events, and providing the calendared events and at least some of the free time periods in a time-ordered list.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

retrieving from at least one database of said electronic device, calendared events that meet a set of constraints;

determining free time periods absent of said calendared events; and

providing said calendared events and at least some of said free time periods in a time-ordered list.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining comprises determining for each of said free time periods, a start date/time and an end date/time.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said determining comprises determining only those free time periods absent of said calendared events that occur on or after a current date/time according to a clock at said electronic device.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said determining comprises calculating a duration of each of said free time periods by subtracting respective said start date/time from said end date/time.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising comparing said duration of each of said free time periods to a minimum duration prior to said displaying, wherein said displaying comprises displaying said calendared events and only those free time periods that are equal to or greater in duration than said minimum duration.

6. The method according to claim 4, comprising comparing said duration of each of said free time periods to a minimum duration prior to said displaying, wherein said displaying comprises displaying said calendared events and only those free time periods that are greater in duration than said minimum duration.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein said start time of each said free time period is based on one of a configured start time of a calendar day, an end date/time of a non-conflicting calendared event and a latest end date/time of a set of conflicting calendared events.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said end date/time of each said free time period is based on one of a configured end time of a calendar day, a start date/time of the next one of said non-conflicting calendared events and an earliest start date/time of a next set of conflicting calendared events.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing comprises providing said at least some of said free time periods with a user-selectable display attribute.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing comprises providing said at least some of said free time periods with display attributes different from display attributes of said calendared events.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a memory for storage of a plurality of calendared events in at least one database;

a display device for displaying said calendared events in a list;

a user input device for user selection and manipulation of said calendared events; and

a processor connected to the memory, the display device and the user input device, for retrieving from at least one database of said electronic device, calendared events that meet a set of constraints, determining free time periods absent of said calendared events, and causing said display device to display said calendared events and at least some of said free time periods in a time-ordered list.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein said processor determines only those free time periods that occur on or after a current date/time according to a clock at said electronic device.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein said processor calculates a duration of each of said free time periods by subtracting said start date/time from said end date/time.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein said processor causes said display device to display said calendared events and only those free time periods that are equal to or greater in duration than a minimum duration.

15. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein said processor causes said display device to display said calendared events and only those free time periods that are greater in duration than a minimum duration.

16. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein said processor causes said display device to display said at least some of said free time periods with a user-selectable display attribute.

17. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein said processor causes said display device to display said at least some of said free time periods with a display attribute different from that of the calendared events.

18. A computer program product for displaying a plurality of calendared events in a list on a display of an electronic device, said computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for:

retrieving from at least one database of said electronic device, calendared events that meet a set of constraints;

determining free time periods absent of said calendared events; and

causing a display device to display said calendared events and at least some of said free time periods in a time-ordered list.