INTERRUPTABILITY MANAGEMENT VIA SCHEDULING APPLICATION

• US 20090083742A1
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ramanathan, Rajesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 methodology that facilitates management of user accessibility via a scheduling application is provided. A user can link or map interruptability levels to schedule entries, such as calendar entries or tasks thereby facilitating automatic communication management. Essentially, interruptability rules (and corresponding categories) can be associated to calendar entries and tasks thereby automating implementation of interruptability rules to manage communications received during calendar entries, tasks, meeting, appointments, etc.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates management of interruptability levels associated to a scheduling application, comprising:

a communication management component that enables correlation of an interruptability level to a calendar entry within the scheduling application; and

a communication routing component that employs the interruptability level with respect to handling incoming communication during a period related to the calendar entry.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication management component enables association of the interruptability level to a category and wherein the category is available to associate the interruptability level to additional calendar entries.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication management component enables a user to define the interruptability level.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications management component employs one of rules-based or inference-based logic to automatically define the interruptability level on behalf of a user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) that facilitates one of creation or modification of the interruptability level.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication management component comprises:

an analysis component that evaluates one of context or content of the incoming communication; and

a category determination component that establishes a category based upon the analysis;

wherein the category is employed to route the incoming communication.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising an association logic component that maps the category to the interruptability level.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the association logic further comprises a machine learning &

reasoning (MLR) component that employs at least one of a probabilistic and a statistical-based analysis that infers call routing based at least in part upon calendar event type or associated category.

3. The system of claim 3, wherein the scheduling application enables access of the category by a plurality of participants such that the category is displayed to each of the participants with respect to the calendar entry.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the routing component renders the interruptability level to the plurality of participants via a network.

11. A computer-implemented method of managing user accessibility, comprising:

defining an interruptability level, wherein the interruptability level includes at least one routing rule;

associating the interruptability level to a calendar entry; and

routing an incoming communication in accordance with the interruptability level, wherein the communication is received at a time defined by the calendar entry.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

defining a category; and

associating the category to the interruptability level.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising publishing the category to a plurality of users, wherein the plurality of users have access to view the calendar entry.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising associating the category to a disparate calendar entry.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

analyzing the incoming communication; and

applying the analysis as a function of the at least one routing rule.

16. A computer-executable system that facilitates managing interruption levels associated with scheduling applications, comprising:

means for defining a time period related to a calendar entry;

means for associating an interruptability rule to the calendar entry; and

means for managing incoming communication during the time period.

17. The computer-executable system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for defining a category that classifies the interruptability rule;

means for associating the category to the calendar entry; and

means for rendering the association of the category to the calendar entry.

18. The computer-executable system of claim 17, further comprising means for associating the category to a plurality of disparate calendar entries, wherein the category maps the interruptability rule to each of the plurality of disparate calendar entries.

19. The computer-executable system of claim 17, further comprising means for defining or inferring the interruptability rule.

20. The computer-executable system of claim 17, further comprising means for publishing the category related to the calendar entry.