SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING THE STATUS OF A CONFERENCE ROOM AND METHOD OF USE

• US 20080291021A1
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Peterson, Robert, Seacat, Lisa Anne, Miller, Steven M., Bhogal, Kulvir S.
• Application Number:
  US11/752,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20080291021A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources

Abstract

A method for determining availability of a conference room is disclosed. The method comprises transporting a mobile device into a conference room by a user wherein the conference room has an RFID tag, a conference room number, and is identified in a reservation system. The method further includes utilizing the mobile device to retrieve a conference room number by scanning the RFID tag within the conference room. Next, the mobile device is utilized to query the reservation system. The method further comprises determining whether the conference room is currently reserved. Next, the mobile device is utilized to alert the user if the reservation system indicates that the conference room is currently reserved.

Claims

1. A method for determining availability of a conference room comprising:

transporting a mobile device into a conference room by a user, the conference room has a RFID tag, a conference room number, and is identified in a reservation system;

utilizing the mobile device to retrieve the conference room number by scanning the RFID tag within the conference room;

utilizing the mobile device to query the reservation system;

determining whether the conference room is currently reserved; and

utilizing the mobile device to alert the user if the reservation system indicates that the conference room is currently reserved.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the mobile device to identify an alternate conference room.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein alerting the user is any of the group comprising an audible alert, a visual alert, and a vibrating alert.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is any of the group comprising a cell phone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, and an employee badge.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device queries the reservation system via a WiFi capability of the mobile device.

6. A method for efficiently utilizing a conference room comprising:

utilizing a meeting organizer to make a reservation for a conference room, the conference room being identified in a reservation system and wherein the reservation system associates a list of attendees with the conference room at a specified time period for a meeting both provided by the meeting organizer and wherein each attendee has a mobile device which has an unique radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and wherein the conference room includes a RFID scanner;

utilizing the RFID scanner within the conference room to scan for each of the unique RFID tags of the attendees to search for the attendees scheduled to utilize the conference room at the specified time period for the meeting;

retrieving contact information of the meeting organizer when the RFID scanner fails to identify at least one of the attendees in the conference room;

utilizing the retrieved contact information to send a message to the meeting organizer that there are no attendees in the conference room via the RFID scanner to request a status of the meeting;

determining whether the meeting organizer wants to cancel the reservation based upon the meeting organizer'"'"'s response to the message; and

canceling the reservation of the conference room if the meeting organizer so elects in response to the message.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, making the conference room available for a new reservation in the reservation system if the meeting organizer elects to cancel the meeting.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile device is any of the group comprising a cell phone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, and an employee badge.