SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UPDATING AN ELECTRONIC CALENDAR

• US 20130073662A1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Majandro LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Meunier, Jean-Luc, Hagege, Caroline, Castellani, Stefania, Proux, Denys, Cheminot, Eric, Segond, Frederique
• Granted Patent: US 9,436,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A computer implemented system and method are disclosed for updating an electronic calendar. The method includes receiving an electronic message in a natural language in which a change in role is expressed and, with a natural language processor implemented by a computer processor, automatically detecting the change in role within the email message, optionally storing the change in role in a contacts database, and proposing updates for entries in an electronic calendar based on the detected change in role.

Claims

1. A method for updating an electronic calendar comprising:

receiving a user-generated electronic out-of-office message in a natural language in which a time window of absence and at least one alternate named contact are expressed;

based on the out-of-office message, with a computer processor;

generating a normalized representation of the time window, and

generating a structured representation of the out-of-office message which links the alternate contact to the normalized representation of the time window;

storing the structured representation of the out-of-office message in a database; and

proposing updates for entries in an electronic calendar based on the structured representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the alternate named contact includes recognizing named entities from text content of the user'"'"'s out of office message and cross-referencing the recognized named entities with a named entity directory for identifying an alternate named contact corresponding to one of the recognized named entities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the structured representation includes:

identifying and normalizing a temporal expression from text content of the out-of-office message related to the time window of absence.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the temporal expression includes at least one of absolute dates, referential dates, durations, intervals, and frequencies.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the structured representation includes:

identifying the at least one alternate named contact from a named entity directory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a display to the user of the structured representation for confirmation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured representation comprises a directed link from the user to each of the identified at least one alternate named contacts and the normalized representation of the time window.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a circularity between the current user'"'"'s out-of-office message and at least one alternate named contact'"'"'s out-of-office message when a structured representation associated with the at least one alternate named contact expresses the current user as an alternate contact during an overlapping time window.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a cascade of out-of-office messages when a structured representation associated with the at least one alternate named contact expresses another user as an alternate contact during an overlapping time window.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

suggesting to the user, a candidate alternate contact with a relevant organizational role.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternate named contact is identified based on at least one of a name, electronic mail address, telephone number, and facsimile number defined in the electronic out-of-office message.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory medium on which a computer program is recorded which when executed by a computer performs the method of claim 1.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of a plurality of prior users;

receiving an electronic out-of-office message in a natural language in which a time window of absence and at least one alternate named contact are expressed;

with a computer processor, based on the out-of-office message,

generating a normalized representation of the time window of absence,

generating a structured representation of the out-of-office message which links the alternate contact to the normalized representation of the time window of absence; and

storing the structured representation of the out-of-office message in a database;

determining, from the database, whether a current user'"'"'s out-of-office message conflicts with one of the prior users'"'"' out-of-office message; and

if a conflict is detected, notifying the current user of the conflict.

14. A method for updating an electronic calendar comprising:

receiving an electronic message in a natural language in which a change in role is expressed;

with a natural language processor implemented by a computer processor, automatically detecting the change in role within the email message;

optionally, storing the change in role in a contacts database; and

proposing updates for entries in an electronic calendar based on the detected change in role.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory medium on which a computer program is recorded which when executed by a computer performs the method of claim 14.

16. A system for updating an electronic calendar comprising:

a natural language processing module implemented by a computer processor for parsing the content of a received incoming electronic message in a natural language;

a role change detection module for automatically detecting a change in role that is expressed within the parsed email message;

optionally, a contacts database for storing the change in role; and

a calendar checking module for proposing updates for entries in an electronic calendar based on the detected change in role.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the calendar checking module looks for people associated with a role change in already scheduled meetings that appear in the user'"'"'s calendar and for a meeting which is detected with the name of someone involved in a role change within the list of participants, notifies the user.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein for each person involved in a role change, the role change detection module extracts former job title/department;

new job title/department; and

person that will now be in charge.

20. A network computer system comprising the system of claim 16 and a plurality of client computers, each configured for generating out-of-office messages, the system for updating an electronic calendar being resident on at least one of the client computers and a server computer in communication therewith via a network and wherein the database is linked to the at least one of the client computers and the server computer via the network.

19. The system of claim 29, further comprising a mailer module comprising instructions stored in memory for receiving an electronic out-of-office message for a user in a natural language in which a time window of absence and at least one alternate named contact are expressed.