APPOINTMENT NEGOTIATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130290058A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calendar Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Atlas Apps, LLC
• Inventors: Gray, Michael Hunter, Bayan, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 10,803,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices includes a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices. The server further includes a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices. In one embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for two users, allowing the two users to schedule an appointment with each other. In another embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for a first user and a plurality of second users, allowing the multiple users to schedule an appointment with one another.

Claims

1. A method for providing a scheduling service to two remote devices, comprising:

receiving a request from a first remote device to generate an appointment request, wherein the request comprises two or more possible appointment times;

transmitting the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the second remote device;

receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from the second remote device;

transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device; and

synchronizing the appointment between the two remote devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two remote devices are configured to display the appointment request and appointment time information via a graphical user interface;

wherein receiving a request from the first remote device and selection from the second remote device comprises receiving a user input via the graphical user interface;

wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the two remote devices;

wherein transmitting the appointment request to the second remote device further comprises;

creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device comprises:

creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first status is “

tentative” and

the second status is “

confirmed”

.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the two remote devices are mobile devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a mobile device and the second remote device is a non-mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the appointment request transmitted to the second remote device comprises:

a link to a website;

wherein the website includes one or more user interfaces for interacting with the appointment request and indicating one or more selections relating to the appointment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time;

transmitting the first counter offer to the first remote device;

receiving a second counter offer from the first remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; and

transmitting the second counter offer to the second remote device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time;

transmitting the counter offer to the first remote device; and

receiving a selection of an appointment time of the counter offer from the first remote device; and

transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the second remote device.

12. A method for providing a scheduling service to a first remote device and a plurality of second remote devices, comprising:

receiving a request from the first remote device to generate an appointment request, wherein the request comprises two or more possible appointment times;

transmitting the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the plurality of second remote devices;

receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from at least one of the second remote devices;

transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices;

receiving a selection of an appointment time from the first remote device;

transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices; and

synchronizing the appointment between the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices are configured to display the appointment request and appointment time information via a graphical user interface;

wherein receiving a request from the first remote device and selection from the plurality of second remote devices comprises receiving a user input via the graphical user interface;

wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the appointment request to the plurality of second remote device further comprises:

creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times;

wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices comprises;

creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first status is “

tentative” and

the second status is “

confirmed”

.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times is received from all of the second remote devices before selecting an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmission of the selection of appointment times to the first remote device may comprise a selection of appointment times from a subset of the plurality of second remote devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the selections of an appointment time is received from a second remote device identified as a remote device of a primary user.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection of an appointment time may comprise:

an indication, for each appointment time, that the appointment time is “

ideal”

, “

okay”

, or “

not okay”

.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

after receiving a selection of an appointment time from a second remote device, transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device and the plurality of second remote devices.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices comprises:

transmitting the indication for each appointment time;

wherein a user interface of the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices is configured to display indication information for each second user.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices are mobile devices.

24. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of the second remote devices is a non-mobile device;

wherein the appointment request transmitted to the at least one non-mobile device comprises;

a link to a website;

wherein the website includes one or more user interfaces for interacting with the appointment request and indicating one or more selections relating to the appointment.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device.

26. A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices, comprising:

a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices; and

a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices.

27. The server of claim 26, wherein the communications interface receives a user input from a first remote device and transmits scheduling options to a second remote device;

wherein the communications interface further receives a user input from the second remote device;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to manage scheduling services for the first remote device and second remote device based on the user input from the second remote device.

28. The server of claim 27, wherein the user input from the first remote device comprises an appointment request comprising two or more possible appointment times;

and

wherein the user input from the second remote device comprises a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times.

29. The server of claim 26, wherein the communications interface receives a user input from a first remote device and transmits scheduling options to a plurality of second remote devices;

wherein the communications interface further receives user input from at least one of the second remote devices;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to manage scheduling services for the first remote device and second remote devices based on the at least one user input from the second remote devices.

30. The server of claim 29, wherein the user input from the first remote device comprises an appointment request comprising two or more possible appointment times;

and

wherein the at least one user input from the plurality of second remote devices comprises a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times.

31. The server of claim 30, wherein the processing circuit further receives selection of an appointment time from the first remote device based on a determination of a best appointment time.

32. The server of claim 26, wherein managing scheduling services for the at least two remote devices comprises:

synchronizing an appointment between the two or more remote devices; and