APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING

• US 20150178688A1
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Moore, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US14/138,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20150178688A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

A proposed appointment time may be selected by determining a timeframe for a proposed appointment, where the proposed appointment is at least one month from a current time. After a first period of time, a request to narrow the timeframe for the proposed appointment may be sent to a client device. A response to the request to narrow the timeframe may be received. After a second period of time, a proposed appointment may be selected within the narrowed time frame and a request including the proposed appointment time may be sent to the client. A response to the request may confirm the proposed appointment time or suggest an alternative appointment time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining a timeframe for an appointment;

after a first period of time, sending, to a client device, a request to narrow the timeframe for the appointment;

receiving a response to the request to narrow the timeframe;

after a second period of time, sending, to the client device, a request including a proposed appointment time, the proposed appointment time being within the narrowed timeframe; and

receiving a response to the request including the proposed appointment time, the response confirming the proposed appointment time or suggesting an alternative appointment time.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a storage with the narrowed timeframe; and

selecting the proposed appointment time based on the stored narrowed timeframe.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

randomly selecting the proposed appointment time within the narrowed timeframe.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a first available appointment time within the narrowed timeframe as the proposed appointment time.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

after a third period of time, sending to the client device a request for a second narrowed time timeframe; and

receiving the second narrowed time frame in response to the request for the second narrowed timeframe.

6. A device comprising:

storage to store an appointment schedule;

an appointment selector to

generate one or more communications to a client device to narrow an appointment timeframe,

receive responses to the one or more communications to the client device to narrow the appointment timeframe, and

select a proposed appointment time based on the narrowed appointment timeframe; and

an appointment schedule manager to manage the appointment schedule and to update information stored in the appointment schedule based on the responses received from the client device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the appointment selector is to:

determine a timeframe of an appointment;

after a first period of time, send to the client device a request to narrow the timeframe for the appointment;

receive a response to the request to narrow the timeframe;

after a second period of time, send to the client device a request including a proposed appointment time, the proposed appointment time being within the narrowed timeframe; and

receive a response to the request including the proposed appointment time, the response confirming the proposed appointment time or suggesting an alternative appointment time.

8. The device of claim 7, where the appointment schedule manager is further to:

update information in the appointment schedule based on the responses received from the client device.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the appointment selector selects the proposed appointment randomly from the appointment schedule within the narrowed timeframe.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the appointment selector selects the first available appointment from the appointment schedule within the narrowed timeframe.

11. The device of claim 6, where the appointment selector is further to:

after a third period of time, send to the client device a request for a second narrowed time timeframe; and

receive the second narrowed time frame in response to the request for the second narrowed timeframe.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instruction that cause one or more processors to perform a method to:

determine a timeframe for a proposed appointment, the proposed appointment being at least one month from a current time;

after a first period of time, send to a client device a request to narrow the timeframe for the proposed appointment;

receive a response to the request to narrow the timeframe;

after a second period of time, select the proposed appointment within the narrowed time frame and send to the client device a request including the proposed appointment time; and

receive a response to the request including the proposed appointment time, the response confirming the proposed appointment time or suggesting an alternative appointment time.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, the method further to:

update information in the appointment schedule based on the responses received from the client device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the proposed appointment time is selected randomly from the appointment schedule within the narrowed timeframe.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the proposed appointment time selected is a first available appointment from the appointment schedule within the narrowed timeframe.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method is further to:

after a third period of time, send to the client device a request for a second narrowed time timeframe; and

receive the second narrowed time frame in response to the request for the second narrowed timeframe.