METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING CONFLICTING CALENDAR ENTRIES

• US 20080243582A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Chen, Yen-Fu, Morgan, Fabian F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• 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

The present invention enables a user to schedule meetings and detect scheduling conflicts. A system user such as an employee schedules a meeting. The time and date of the meeting is stored in an account for that user. When the same user schedules another meeting, that meeting is detected and compared with any previously and scheduled and stored meetings for that user. If there is a conflict between the presently scheduled meeting and any previously scheduled meeting, then the present invention alerts the user and gives the user the opportunity to select the new meeting for that time or to retain the currently scheduled meeting. The present invention can also store and track the unscheduled meetings. In the event the scheduled meeting is postponed or canceled, the user can be notified and given the opportunity to schedule and attend a previously declined meeting that was scheduled for that same time.

Claims

1. A method performed in a data processing system for managing conflicting calendar meeting entries comprising the steps of:

monitoring one or more meeting entries in a meeting scheduled for a particular user that are stored in a database, the database containing scheduling information such as meeting time, date and location;

detecting a new meeting entry for the particular user;

determining whether there is a scheduling conflict between the newly detected meeting and previously scheduled meetings stored in the database;

notifying and informing the account user when the determination is that there is conflict between the newly detected meeting and previously scheduled meetings stored in the database; and

determining whether the user wants to track any unscheduled meeting in the database.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising before said step of determining whether the user wants to track any unscheduled meeting, the step of:

querying the user and determining whether the user wants to attend the newly detected meeting instead of the stored meeting that is in conflict with the newly detected meeting; and

updating the user'"'"'s meeting schedule to reflect the scheduling of the newly detected meeting, when the determination is that the user wants to attend the newly detected meeting.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising before said step of determining whether the user wants to track any unscheduled meeting, the step of:

querying the user and determining whether the user wants to attend the newly detected meeting instead of the stored meeting that is in conflict with the newly detected meeting; and

storing and tracking information about a meeting that the user has been notified of but has declined to attend.

4. The method as described in claim 3 further comprising after said step of tracking information of declined meeting, the steps of:

continuing to monitor the meeting schedule of the user;

detecting a change in a currently scheduled meeting;

determining the date and time period occupied by that changed meeting; and

determining whether there are any declined meetings that are still available in the same time period for the user to attend.

5. The method as described in claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the user wants to attend a previously declined meeting when there is a determination that the declined meeting is still available in the same time period as a previously scheduled but changed meeting;

scheduling a previously declined meeting for the same time period as a previously scheduled but changed meeting; and

storing the newly scheduled meeting for the same time period as a previously scheduled but changed meeting.

6. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising after said notifying step, the steps of:

determining whether user wants to accept a newly detected meeting that is in conflict with a currently scheduled meeting; and

sending a decline notice to a meeting requester, when the user declines to attend the new detected meeting.

7. The method as described in claim 6 wherein said determining whether the user wants to track any unscheduled meeting further comprises determining whether a user wants to implement a manual or automatic tracking of a declined meeting.

8. A method performed in a data processing system for managing conflicting calendar meeting entries comprising the steps of:

monitoring one or more meeting entries in a meeting scheduled for a particular user that are stored in a database, the database containing scheduling information such as meeting time, date and location;

detecting a new meeting B, entry for the particular user;

determining whether there is a scheduling conflict between the newly detected meeting B and previously scheduled meeting A stored in the database;

notifying and informing the account user when the determination is that there is conflict between meeting B and previously scheduled meeting A stored in the database;

determining whether user wants to schedule meeting B;

sending a decline notice to an originator of meeting B informing the originator that the user declined at attend meeting B;

tracking the declined meeting B in the database;

detecting a change in the status of meeting A in user'"'"'s meeting schedule;

notifying the user of the detected meeting status change;

checking the status of declined meeting B; and

informing user of the status of declined meeting B.

9. The method as described in claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether meeting B is still scheduled for its original time;

determining whether the user wants to attend meeting B; and

adding meeting B to the user'"'"'s schedule.

10. The method as described in claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether meeting B is still scheduled for its original time;

determining whether there is another meeting in conflict with meeting B when the determination is that meeting B has been rescheduled; and

detecting a conflict when there a determination that another meting is scheduled for the same time as the rescheduled meeting B.

11. A method performed in a data processing system for managing conflicting calendar meeting entries when a particular meeting has at least one key invitee comprising the steps of:

monitoring one or more meetings scheduled by a meeting originator;

receiving a decline notice from a key meeting invitee;

receiving from the key invitee that initially declined to attend the meeting, an inquiry of the status of the meeting and a message that the key invitee can now attend the meeting; and

determining whether there is sufficient time to reschedule the declined meeting to its originally scheduled time.

12. The method as described in claim 11 wherein said sufficient time determination step further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the meeting originator specified a sufficient amount of time for an invitee to confirm attendance in a schedule meeting; and

using the specified time when the meeting originator did specify a sufficient amount of time for an invitee to confirm attendance in a schedule meeting.

13. The method as described in claim 11 wherein said sufficient time determination step further comprises the steps of:

determining a notification time for each meeting invitee, the notification time being the minimum amount time prior to a meeting to invitee an particular invitee;

determining whether the particular meeting scheduled by the meeting originator has more than one key invitee; and

determining a sufficient amount of time for an invitee to confirm attendance in a schedule meeting by averaging the notification times for each meeting invitee, when there is a determination that there is no more than one key invitee.

15. The method as described in claim 11 wherein said sufficient time determination step further comprises the steps of:

determining a notification time for each meeting invitee, the notification time being the minimum amount time prior to a meeting to invitee an particular invitee;

determining whether the particular meeting scheduled by the meeting originator has more than one key invitee; and

when there is a determination that there is more than one key invitee, determining whether the meeting originator specified that the notification time of each key invitee had to be meet.

16. The method as described in claim 15 further comprising when there is a determination that the meeting originator did not specify that the notification time of each key invitee had to be meet, the step of using a weighted average to calculate a sufficient notification time, wherein the key invitees have a greater weight in calculating the sufficient notification time.

17. The method as described in claim 15 further comprising when there is a determination that the meeting originator did specify that the notification time of each key invitee had to be meet, the step of using a specified time based on the latest notification time of all key persons.

14. The method as described in clam 13 wherein said determining a notification time for each meeting invitee further comprises the steps of:

holding a value for an invitee that did specify a notification time; and

calculating a notification time for an invitee that did not specify a notification time by using a past history of notification times for that user.

18. A method performed in a data processing system for managing conflicting calendar meeting entries comprising the steps of:

tentatively accepting a meeting for a particular user;

updating a database to reflect the tentatively accepted meeting;

monitoring the user'"'"'s meeting schedule;

tentatively scheduling another meeting for the particular user;

determining whether there is a scheduling conflict with another scheduled meeting;

prioritizing conflicted meetings; and

maintaining a list of tentatively scheduled but conflicting meetings.

19. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising after said prioritizing step, the steps of:

monitoring the user'"'"'s schedule meetings for a particular time period;

detecting a change in the status of a prioritized meeting;

determining whether the status change affects the priority of the meetings;

reprioritizing the meetings when the status change does affect the priority of the meetings.

20. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising after said prioritizing step, the steps of:

detecting a change in a tentatively scheduled conflicting meeting;

updating the meeting schedule for the time period of the conflicting meeting to remove from that time period meetings whose status has changed;

determining whether there are more than one meeting still schedule for the original time period; and

confirming a meeting that is the only meeting still scheduled for the original time period.