Multiple mode electronic scheduler

• US 5,093,813 A
• Filed: 08/09/1988
• Issued: 03/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alfred B. Levine
• Original Assignee: Alfred B. Levine
• Inventors: Levine, Alfred B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US07/230,229
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/28-30, 368/41-43, 364/569, 364/705, 364/709, 364/710
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/432 Arrangements for calling a subscriber at a specific time, e.g. morning call service

Abstract

An electronic scheduler for making appointments that provides for a greater degree of automatic operation in locating an available time-of-day time slot for appointment. Multiple modes of operation are selectively provided to a user to quickly find an available time slot that conforms to the user'"'"'s preferences and prior time committments. For use in office environments, the scheduler may be adapted for use with a series of different persons, with the user selecting one of those persons for an appointment. The scheduler may be used locally or may be connected to a telephone line for remotely controlled operation by a caller. In any of such different embodiments, the scheduler may be provided with interactive features, including the communication of instructions to the user for the selection of one of the plural modes of operation that is most useful for the user'"'"'s needs and preferences. The scheduler further notifies the user in the event that a free time slot for appointment is not available on the day, time-of-day, or other time parameter selected by the user, and instructs the user to select a different mode-of-operation or time parameter.

Claims

1. A multiple mode of operation automatic electronic scheduler comprising:

an electronic memory for storing plural time-of-day appointments for each of a series of different days or time periods, and for each of a plurality of different persons,

manually operates multiple mode selection mean controlled by a user for selecting one of a series of different modes of operation for locating a free time slot for appointment with a selected one of said persons and in conformance with a desired time parameter selected by a user,

automatic memory interrogator means responsive to said multiple mode selection means for automatically interrogating said memory in the mode of operation selected by the user to locate a free time slot for appointment with said selected person and in accordance with the time parameter selected by the user,

each different one of said modes-of-operation searching different portions of the memory that are allocated to the storage of appointments at different fractional portions of at least on daily time period,

and output means responsive to the automatic interrogation of the memory to communicate said free time slot to the user.

2. In the automatic electronic scheduler of claim 1,

said multiple mode selection means including means responsive to the selection of a desired time-of-day mode for controlling the automatic interrogation of only selected portions of said memory (to) allocated to storage of appointments at a desired time-of-day to locate an available time slot for appointment with said selected person at said selected time-of-day.

3. In the automatic electronic scheduler of claim 1,

said selection means responsive to the selection of a specific day made for automatically interrogating portion of said memory allocated to said specific day to locate an available time slot for appointment with said selected person on said specific day.

4. In the automatic electronic scheduler of claim 1,

said selection means responsive to the selection of a desired portion of a day or time period mode, for person controlling the automatic interrogation portions of said memory allocated to storage of appointments for that portion of a day to locate a free time slot available for appointment with said selected person during the desired portion of a day or time period.

5. In the automatic electronic scheduler of claim 1,

said multiple mode selection means responsive the users selection of a desired week mode for appointment,

whereby the scheduler automatically interrogates said memory, in the portions thereof corresponding to the desired week, in a chronological manner for an available time slot during said desired week.

6. In the automatic electronic scheduler of claim 1,

said multiple mode selection means responsive to a users selection of an appointment on only one specific day of the week,

whereby the scheduler automatically interrogates those portions of said memory that are allocated to the storage of appointments for that specific day-of-the-week for an available time slot during the selected day of the week.

7. In the multiple mode of operation electronic scheduler of claim 1,

said series of different modes of operation including selective searching of the memory portions corresponding to one of a specific time-of-day;

a specific day;

a specific week; and

a specific day of the week.

8. In the multiple mode of operation electronic scheduler of claim 1,

instruction message generating means,

said generating means responsive to said multiple mode selection means for communicating instructional messages to a user pertaining to the selection of the different modes of operation and to the selection of different time parameters associated with said modes of operation.

9. In the multiple mode of operation electronic scheduler of claim 1,

said output means responsive to the automatic interrogation of the memory failing to locate an available time slot for appointment to interactively instruct the user to select one of a different mode of operation or a different time parameter.

10. A multiple mode-of-operation electronic appointment scheduler comprising:

an electronic memory for storing plural appointments for each daily time period for a number of different calendar dates,

a plurality of different dedicated interrogating circuits for the memory,

each different interrogating circuit operating in a different mode-of-operation for searching the memory for a different fractional portion of a daily time period than the other interrogating circuits,

manually operated switching means for enabling a user to select one of said different interrogating circuits to search the memory in a desired mode-of-operation,

additional switching means for enabling said user to select the calendar dates of interest to be searched in that selected mode-of-operation, by the selected interrogating circuit,

an output circuit for outputting the results of searching the memory,

a communicating means for the output circuit for communicating to the user the results of searching the memory,

wherein a user can select a desired fractional portion of a daily period to be searched for any one or more calendar dates.

11. In the electronic scheduler of claim 10,

an instruction generating means for producing instructions to a user,

and control means responsive to access and operation of the scheduler by a user for communicating instructions to the user pertaining to the selection of the different modes of operation and the selection of a time parameter for use in locating a free time slot for appointment.

12. In the multiple mode of operation scheduler of claim 10,

said output means responsive to the interrogation of the memory failing to locate an available time slot for appointment to instruct the user to select one of a different mode of operation or a different time parameter.

13. In the multiple mode of operation scheduler of claim 10,

said time-of-day appointments stored in said memory each being specifically identified as being one of a PRIORITY appointment or a NON-PRIORITY appointment,

and said multiple mode selection means including means responsive to the selection of one of a PRIORITY or NON-PRIORITY mode of operation for controlling the interrogation means for selectively reading out of the memory a schedule of plural PRIORITY or NON-PRIORITY appointments.

14. In the electronic scheduler of claim 10,

one of said different modes-of-operation comprising a "time-of-day" mode wherein only a selected portion of the memory is searched that is allocated to storing appointments at a selected time-of-day.

15. In the electronic scheduler of claim 10,

one of said different modes-of-operation comprising a "fraction of a day mode" wherein only a fraction of a selected daily time period is searched in the memory to find a free time slot during that fraction of the daily time period.

16. In the electronic scheduler of claim 10,

one of said different modes-of-operation comprising a "morning" mode wherein only a portion of the memory is searched that is allocated for the storage of appointments during the morning hours of a daily time period.

17. In the electronic scheduler of claim 10,

one of said different modes-of-operation comprising an "afternoon" mode wherein only a selected portion of the memory is searched that is allocated to storage of appointments during fixed daily periods in the afternoon hours.

18. In the electronic scheduler of claim 10,

one of the different modes-of-operation comprising a "week" mode wherein a selected portion of the memory is searched that is allocated to storage of appointments for the selected weekly time period.

19. In the electronic appointment scheduler of claim 10,

one of the different modes-of-operation comprising a "day-of-the-week" mode wherein a portion of the memory is searched that is allocated to the storage of appointments only for a selected day-of-the-week.

21. In the electronic scheduler of claim 10,

the addition of interfacing circuits for interconnecting the scheduler to a telephone line,

said interfacing circuits being responsive to signals received over the telephone line to actuate said multiple mode selection circuits,

whereby a caller over the telephone line can remotely select a different one of said switchable circuits for interrogating the memory.

20. In the electronic scheduler of clam 10,

the addition of still further selection circuits controllable by a user to search only selected portion of the memory that are allocated to the storage of appointments for a selected person for whom the user desires an appointment.

22. In a multiple mode-of-operation electronic scheduler for enabling a user to promptly find a free time slot for appointment,

said scheduler having an electronic memory for storing plural appointments each daily period for a number of calendar daily periods, with the different appointments being stored at different allocated portions of the memory corresponding to different times-of-day, different daily time periods, and different weekly time periods,

a plurality of interrogating circuits for the memory,

each interrogating circuit being configured for searching only selected portions of the memory corresponding to a different one of a plurality of different modes-of-operation.

in one mode-of-operation, the interrogating circuit searching only a selected fraction of a daily time period to find a free time slot,

in another mode-of-operation, the interrogating circuit searching only a selected daily time period to find a free time slot,

in a further mode-of-operation, the interrogating circuit searching only a selected series of daily time periods to find a free time slot,

in a still further mode-of-operation, the interrogating circuit searching only a selected weekly period to locate a free time slot,

manually operated switching means for enabling a user to select one of said interrogating circuits according to the mode-of-operation that is desired for searching the memory,

and output means for the memory for communicating to the user an available time slot developed by the selected interrogating circuit.