PERSISTENT NEXT CALENDAR ITEM SURFACED IN ELECTRONIC MAILBOX

• US 20180341923A1
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Published: 11/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: NALLIAH, Selvaraj, SOMMERS, Deborah Eileen, LIMONT, David Paul, SIMPSON, JR., Russell Lee, ALI, Zohaib Haider, GRAY, Linda Chen, SAULNIER, William Dean
• Granted Patent: US 10,692,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

An electronic mail (e-mail) display is generated for a user, showing a mailbox for the user. A next calendar item indication is persistently displayed on the e-mail display. The next calendar item includes a countdown timer showing a time until the next calendar item is scheduled to begin.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

electronic mail (email) functionality displaying an email display corresponding to a user;

a next calendar item search system that identifies a next calendar item on a calendar for the user and generates a next item representation that includes a countdown time indicator indicative of a time until a scheduled start time for the identified next calendar item; and

visualization logic that surfaces the next item representation on the email display.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the next calendar item search system comprises:

query generation/execution logic configured to search calendar data, for the calendar corresponding to the user, to identify the next calendar item, relative to a current time.

3. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the next calendar item search system comprises:

countdown generator logic configured to generate the countdown time indicator by determining a time period from the current time to the scheduled start time of the identified calendar item, the countdown generator logic being configured to update the countdown time indicator on the surfaced next item representation.

4. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the countdown generator logic is configured to update the countdown time indicator until a threshold time period after the scheduled start time of the identified next calendar item.

5. The computing system of claim 4 wherein the countdown generator logic is configured to update the countdown time indicator until a variable threshold time period after the scheduled start time of the identified next calendar item, the variable threshold time period varying based on a duration of the identified next calendar item.

6. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the next calendar item search system comprises:

filter logic configured to apply a filter criterion to the identified next calendar item to filter out the identified next calendar item if it meets the filter criterion.

7. The computing system of claim 6 wherein, if the filter logic filters the next calendar item, then the query generation/execution logic is configured to identify a subsequent calendar item as the identified next calendar item.

8. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the next calendar item search system comprises:

search initiation logic configured to determine that a calendar search is to be performed to identify the next calendar item and initiate the query generation/execution system to search the calendar data.

9. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the next calendar item search system comprises:

a metadata identifier configured to identify metadata corresponding to of the identified next calendar item; and

a service identifier configured to identify a service to be searched to obtain additional information corresponding to the identified next calendar item, based on the metadata corresponding to the identified next calendar item.

10. The computing system of claim 9 wherein the query generation/execution logic comprises:

search logic that searches the identified service to obtain the additional information corresponding to the identified next calendar item.

11. The computing system of claim 10 wherein the visualization logic surfaces the additional information on the next item representation on the email display.

12. A computer implemented method, comprising:

displaying an email display corresponding to a user;

identifying a next calendar item on a calendar for the user;

generating a next item representation that includes a countdown time indicator indicative of a time until a scheduled start time for the identified next calendar item; and

surfacing the next item representation on the email display.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12 wherein identifying the next calendar item comprises:

searching calendar data, for the calendar corresponding to the user, to identify the next calendar item, relative to a current time.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13 wherein identifying the next calendar item comprises:

generating the countdown time indicator by determining a time period from the current time to the scheduled start time of the identified calendar item; and

updating the countdown time indicator on the surfaced next item representation.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein updating the countdown time indicator comprises:

updating the countdown time indicator until a threshold time period after the scheduled start time of the identified next calendar item.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein updating the countdown time indicator comprises:

updating the countdown time indicator until a variable threshold time period after the scheduled start time of the identified next calendar item, the variable threshold time period varying based on a duration of the identified next calendar item.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein identifying the next calendar item comprises:

applying a filter criterion to the identified next calendar item to filter out the identified next calendar item if it meets the filter criterion; and

if the next calendar item is filtered out, identifying a subsequent calendar item as the identified next calendar item.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein identifying the next calendar item comprises:

identifying metadata corresponding to the identified next calendar item;

identifying a service to be searched to obtain additional information corresponding to the identified next calendar item, based on the metadata corresponding to the identified next calendar item; and

searching the identified service to obtain the additional information corresponding to the identified next calendar item.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18 wherein surfacing the next item representation comprises:

surfacing the additional information on the next item representation on the email display.

20. A computing system, comprising:

electronic mail (email) functionality displaying an email display corresponding to a user;

query generation/execution logic configured to search calendar data, for a calendar corresponding to the user, to identify a next calendar item, relative to a current time, on the calendar corresponding to the user;

countdown generator logic configured to generate a countdown time indicator by determining a time period from the current time to a scheduled start time of the identified calendar item, the countdown generator logic being configured to update the countdown time indicator; and

visualization logic that surfaces a next item representation on the email display, the next item representation including a next item identifier identifying the identified next calendar item and the countdown time indicator.