SCHEDULING EVENTS FROM ELECTRONIC MESSAGES

• US 20130239016A1
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Adams, Neil Patrick, Vander Veen, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 9,148,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Scheduling an event on an electronic communications device configured for sending and receiving electronic messages over a communications network, including extracting information from an electronic message at the communications device; displaying on a display of the communications device an event scheduling interface for scheduling an event, the event scheduling interface having a plurality of input fields for receiving information about the event; and automatically populating at least one of the input fields in dependence on the extracted information.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing device, the method comprising operations of:

presenting an electronic message that contains a temporal string in a body of the electronic message;

receiving a selection during the presenting operation;

displaying a user interface according to the selection received during the receiving operation, the user interface configured with input fields to receive information about a calendar event related to the electronic message; and

populating, concurrently with the displaying operation, at least one of a day and a time associated with the temporal string into an input field of the user interface according to a predetermined criteria instead of another temporal string contained in the body of the electronic message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic message is a threaded message containing another electronic message in the body of the electronic message.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the predetermined criteria specifies exclusion of temporal information contained in a header of the another electronic message.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the populating operation comprises:

scanning the threaded message to distinguish header information of the another electronic message from other information in the body of the electronic message; and

extracting the temporal string from the other information in the body of the electronic message after the scanning.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein populating further comprises:

identifying in the header of the another electronic message a recipient of the threaded message;

including, in an attendee input field of the user interface, the recipient from the identifying as an invitee to the calendar event; and

sending the calendar event as an electronic notification to the invitee.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein populating further comprises:

identifying location information in the body of the electronic message; and

including the location information in a location input field of the user interface.

7. A computing device comprising:

a interface device configured to present an electronic message that contains a temporal string in a body of the electronic message, and configured to receive a selection while the electronic message is presented;

a display configured to show a user interface according to the selection, the user interface including input fields to receive information about a calendar event related to the electronic message; and

a processor configured to cause population, concurrently with showing the user interface, of at least one of a day and a time associated with the temporal string into an input field of the user interface rather than another temporal string contained in the body of the electronic message according to a predetermined criteria.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the electronic message is a threaded message containing another electronic message in the body of the electronic message.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the predetermined criteria specifies exclusion of temporal information contained in a header of the another electronic message.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the processor is configured to cause the population by:

scanning the threaded message to distinguish header information of the another electronic message from other information in the body of the electronic message; and

extracting the temporal string from the other information in the body of the electronic message after the scanning.

11. The device of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the population by:

identifying in the header of the another electronic message a recipient of the threaded message;

including, in an attendee input field of the user interface, the recipient from the identifying as an invitee to the calendar event; and

sending the calendar event as an electronic notification to the attendee.

12. The device of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the population by:

identifying location information in the body of the electronic message; and

including the location information in a location input field of the user interface.

13. A server computer comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate an electronic message to a communications device for presentation of the electronic message that contains a temporal string in a body of the electronic message, and configured to receive a selection during presentation of the electronic message;

a processor configured to cause the communications device to display a user interface according to the selection, the user interface including input fields to receive information about a calendar event related to the electronic message,

wherein the processor is further configured to cause population of at least one of a day and a time associated with the temporal string into an input field of the user interface according to a predetermined criteria instead of another temporal string contained in the body of the electronic message.

14. The server computer of claim 13 wherein the electronic message is a threaded message containing another electronic message in the body of the electronic message.

15. The server computer of claim 14 wherein the predetermined criteria specifies exclusion of temporal information contained in a header of the another electronic message.

16. The server computer of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the population by:

scanning the threaded message to distinguish header information of the another electronic message from other information in the body of the electronic message; and

extracting the temporal string from the other information in the body of the electronic message after the scanning.

17. The server computer of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the population by:

identifying in the header of the another electronic message a recipient of the threaded message;

including, in an attendee input field of the user interface, the recipient from the identifying as an invitee to the calendar event; and

sending the calendar event as an electronic notification to the attendee.

18. The server computer of claim 13 wherein the predetermined criteria specifies identification of the temporal string based on at least one of a keyword, and a proximity of the temporal string to the keyword.

19. The server computer of claim 18 wherein the keyword contains ‘

meet’

as a string.

20. The server computer of claim 13 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the population by:

identifying location information in the body of the electronic message; and

including the location information in a location input field of the user interface.