AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINE SUGGESTED MEETING LOCATIONS BASED ON PREVIOUSLY BOOKED CALENDAR EVENTS

• US 20110184768A1
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: NORTON, KENNETH S., Marmaros, David P.
• Application Number:
  US12/726,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184768A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• 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 method and system for determining suggested meeting locations based on previously booked calendar events is described. One aspect of the invention involves: receiving a meeting request including one or more participants, determining preferred meeting locations based on previously booked calendar events for at least some of the participants, determining suggested meeting locations based on the preferred meeting locations, and preparing them for presentation. The determining may be based on historical calendar activity or on previously booked calendar events during a time period corresponding to the request. Locations used most often by all the participants, or just one important participant, such as the meeting requestor may be preferred. Sometimes locations near the previously booked calendar events occurring before or after the meeting request time are preferred. Sometimes locations near the participant'"'"'s base locations are preferred. Sometimes locations used by groups of a similar size are preferred.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of determining suggested meeting locations, performed on a system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors to perform the method, comprising:

receiving from a meeting requestor, a request to schedule a meeting including one or more participants;

determining one or more preferred meeting locations associated with at least one of the one or more participants based on calendar information selected from the group consisting of;

a respective participant'"'"'s historical calendar activity over a predetermined period of time and previously booked calendar events of the respective participant during a time period corresponding to the request;

determining one or more suggested meeting locations based on the preferred meeting locations; and

preparing for presentation at least a subset of the one or more suggested meeting locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to a location, if any, most often used by all of the participants.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to the location used most often by the meeting requestor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to the location used most often by a most important participant of the one or more participants.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the important participant is:

a required attendee, an attendee specified as important, an attendee with a high seniority, and an attendee with a high rank.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations used by groups having a same number of participants or a larger number of participants as the requested meeting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations used by groups having a similar number of participants as the requested meeting.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of time corresponding to the request is restricted to a predefined number of hours before and predefined number of hours after the request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to locations near previously booked calendar events of the respective participant during the time period corresponding to the request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to locations near previously booked calendar events of a plurality of the one or more participants during the time period corresponding to the request.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations nearest base locations of a plurality of the participants.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a respective participant'"'"'s base location is determined based on one or more of:

the participant'"'"'s historical calendar activity over a predetermined period of time and previously booked calendar events of the participant during a time period corresponding to the request.

13. The method of claim 1, when the requested meeting is one of a series of meetings, determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations used for previous meetings in the series.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein an event is one of a series when the event shares a same title and at least one of the following characteristic with a previously booked calendar event:

same participants, same time of day, same day of the week, same day of the month, same relative day of the month

15. A calendar system, for determining suggested meeting locations, comprising:

one or more central processing units for executing programs;

memory storing one or more programs be executed by the one or more central processing units;

the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

receiving from a meeting requestor, a request to schedule a meeting including one or more participants;

determining one or more preferred meeting locations associated with at least one of the one or more participants based on calendar information selected from the group consisting of;

a respective participant'"'"'s historical calendar activity over a predetermined period of time and previously booked calendar events of the respective participant during a time period corresponding to the request;

determining one or more suggested meeting locations based on the preferred meeting locations; and

preparing for presentation at least a subset of the one or more suggested meeting locations.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to a location, if any, most often used by all of the participants.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to the location used most often by the most important participant of the one or more participants.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations used by groups having a similar number of participants as the requested meeting.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to locations near previously booked calendar events of a plurality of the one or more participants during the time period corresponding to the request.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations nearest base locations of a plurality of the participants.

21. The system of claim 15, when the requested meeting is one of a series of meetings, determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations used for previous meetings in the series.

22. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by a computer, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

receiving from a meeting requestor, a request to schedule a meeting including one or more participants;

determining one or more preferred meeting locations associated with at least one of the one or more participants based on calendar information selected from the group consisting of;

a respective participant'"'"'s historical calendar activity over a predetermined period of time and previously booked calendar events of the respective participant during a time period corresponding to the request;

determining one or more suggested meeting locations based on the preferred meeting locations; and

preparing for presentation at least a subset of the one or more suggested meeting locations.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to a location, if any, most often used by all of the participants.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to the location used most often by the most important participant of the one or more participants.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations used by groups having a similar number of participants as the requested meeting.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to locations near previously booked calendar events of a plurality of the one or more participants during the time period corresponding to the request.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations nearest base locations of a plurality of the participants.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, when the requested meeting is one of a series of meetings, determining one or more suggested meeting locations includes giving preference to meeting locations used for previous meetings in the series.