DYNAMIC EVENT PLANNING THROUGH LOCATION AWARENESS

• US 20110066468A1
• Filed: 09/11/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Yue, Huang, Yunwu
• Application Number:
  US12/558,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066468A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• 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

Abstract

Discloses a computer-implemented apparatus for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees. Included is an event scheduler to schedule, update and delete events for the plurality of attendees, an event location finder invoked by the event scheduler to select at least one event location having an available timeslot for an event for the plurality of attendees, a transition requirement monitor invoked by the event scheduler to estimate a transition time from an origin location to the event location to determine if the available timeslot is feasible for the event, and a dynamic location tracker to track a location of the plurality of attendees and generate an event exception notice for the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot. Also disclosed is a computer-implemented method for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees and a computer program product for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented apparatus for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees comprising:

an event location finder to select at least one event location having an available timeslot for an event for the plurality of attendees;

a transition requirement monitor to estimate a transition time from an origin location to the event location to determine if the available timeslot is feasible for the event; and

a dynamic location tracker to track a location of the plurality of attendees and provide an event exception notice to the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the event location finder further includes to estimate a transition cost for an attendee to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the transition cost includes at least one of a geocode distance from the origin location to the event location, an estimated travel time from the origin location to the event location, an estimated mileage from the origin location to the event location, and an estimated travel expense to travel to the event location from the origin location.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein an overall transition cost is estimated for the plurality of attendees to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot and the event location finder selects the event location and available timeslot having the lowest overall transition cost.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dynamic location tracker keeps track of a current location of the plurality of attendees for a predetermined period of time, determines if any of the plurality of attendees likely will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot given the current location of the plurality of attendees and notifies by an event exception notice the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the event is rescheduled in response to the event exception notice.

7. A computer-implemented apparatus for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees comprising:

an event scheduler to schedule, update and delete events for the plurality of attendees;

an event location finder invoked by the event scheduler to select at least one event location having an available timeslot for an event for the plurality of attendees;

a transition requirement monitor invoked by the event scheduler to estimate a transition time from an origin location to the event location to determine if the available timeslot is feasible for the event; and

a dynamic location tracker to track a location of the plurality of attendees and generate an event exception notice for the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the event exception notice is provided to the event scheduler and further comprising a notifier to receive the event exception notice from the event scheduler and provide the event exception notice to the plurality of attendees.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the event location finder further includes to estimate a transition cost for an attendee to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the transition cost includes at least one of a geocode distance from the origin location to the event location, an estimated travel time from the origin location to the event location, an estimated mileage from the origin location to the event location, and an estimated travel expense to travel to the event location from the origin location.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein an overall transition cost is estimated for the plurality of attendees to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot and the event location finder selects the event location and available timeslot having the lowest overall transition cost.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the dynamic location tracker keeps track of a current location of the plurality of attendees for a predetermined period of time, determines if any of the plurality of attendees likely will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot given the current location of the plurality of attendees and generates an event exception notice to the event scheduler if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the event is dynamically rescheduled by the event scheduler in response to the event exception notice.

14. A computer-implemented method for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one event location having an available timeslot for an event for the plurality of attendees;

estimating a transition time from an origin location to the event location to determine if the available timeslot is feasible for the event; and

dynamically tracking a current location of the plurality of attendees and providing an event exception notice to the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein selecting at least one event location further includes estimating a transition cost for an attendee to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the transition cost includes at least one of a geocode distance from the origin location to the event location, an estimated travel time from the origin location to the event location, an estimated mileage from the origin location to the event location, and an estimated travel expense to travel to the event location from the origin location.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of estimating a transition cost includes estimating an overall transition cost for the plurality of attendees to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot and the step of selecting includes selecting the event location and available timeslot having the lowest overall transition cost.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of dynamically tracking includes tracking a current location of the plurality of attendees for a predetermined period of time, determining if any of the plurality of attendees likely will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot given the current location of the plurality of attendees and notifying by an event exception notice the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of rescheduling the event in response to the event exception notice.

20. A computer-implemented method for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees comprising:

obtaining an event scheduler to schedule, update and delete events for the plurality of attendees;

invoking an event location finder by the event scheduler to select at least one event location having an available timeslot for an event for the plurality of attendees;

invoking a transition requirement monitor by the event scheduler to estimate a transition time from an origin location to the event location to determine if the available timeslot is feasible for the event; and

dynamically tracking a current location of the plurality of attendees and generating an event exception notice for the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein invoking an event location finder by the event scheduler for selecting at least one event location includes estimating a transition cost for an attendee to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

22. A computer program product for dynamic event planning for a plurality of attendees, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to select at least one event location having an available timeslot for an event for the plurality of attendees;

computer readable program code configured to estimate a transition time from an origin location to the event location to determine if the available timeslot is feasible for the event; and

computer readable program code configured to dynamically track a current location of the plurality of attendees and provide an event exception notice to the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the computer readable program code configured to select at least one event location further includes computer readable program code configured to estimate a transition cost for an attendee to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein the computer readable program code configured to estimate a transition cost includes computer readable program code configured to estimate an overall transition cost for the plurality of attendees to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot and the computer readable program code configured to select includes computer readable program code configured to select the event location and available timeslot having the lowest overall transition cost.

25. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the computer readable program code configured to dynamically track includes computer readable program code configured to track a current location of the plurality of attendees for a predetermined period of time, computer readable program code configured to determine if any of the plurality of attendees likely will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot given the current location of the plurality of attendees and computer readable program code configured to notify by an event exception notice the plurality of attendees if at least one attendee will be unable or late to attend the event at the event location at the available timeslot.