Meeting management device
First Claim
1. Apparatus for scheduling a meeting in which potential invitees each have a personal calendar of events stored in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:
- scheduling file means for indicating available dates and times of potential invitees, the scheduling file means being a separate accessible memory element from the personal calendars but having contents determined from contents of the personal calendars, the personal calendars of respective potential invitees being inaccessible by others to provide privacy; and
management means for determining common available dates and times of specified invitees from the scheduling file means in a manner free of access to the persona calendars to maintain privacy thereof, the management means providing an indication of at least one common available date and time to schedule a meeting.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A meeting management device of a computer system determines the optimal meeting date and time for a specified group of invitees within a set of specified time parameters. A subset of the invitees are designated as critical along with any specified pieces of equipment and desired meeting sites. Remote from personal calendars of the invitees, the device compares available dates and times of each critical invitee with each other and that of any critical pieces of equipment and meeting sites. The comparison determines common available dates and times in which to schedule the meeting. Available or unavailable dates and times of each invitee are defined in part by the invitee and in part by other scheduled meetings to which the invitee has been invited. The invitee may define available or unavailable dates and times automatically through his personal calendar or manually to mirror as much of his calendar as desired.
246 Citations
45 Claims
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1. Apparatus for scheduling a meeting in which potential invitees each have a personal calendar of events stored in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:
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scheduling file means for indicating available dates and times of potential invitees, the scheduling file means being a separate accessible memory element from the personal calendars but having contents determined from contents of the personal calendars, the personal calendars of respective potential invitees being inaccessible by others to provide privacy; and management means for determining common available dates and times of specified invitees from the scheduling file means in a manner free of access to the persona calendars to maintain privacy thereof, the management means providing an indication of at least one common available date and time to schedule a meeting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Apparatus for scheduling a meeting, the apparatus comprising:
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schedule file means for indicating available dates and times of potential invitees, said schedule file means comprising a plurality of bit-maps each ahving bits which represent time increments, and each bitmap providing available dates and times of a potential invitee; means for specifying invitees and for designating attendance by certain specified invitees as critical, the remaining specified invitees being designated as non-critical, the means for specifying and designating providing a list of specified invitees; and management means for determining from the schedule file means, common available dates and times of only the critical specified invitees according to the list of specified invitees, the management means distinguishing critical specified invitees from non-critical specified invitees in the list of specified invitees, and providing an indication of at least one common available date and time to schedule a meeting. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. Apparatus for scheduling a meeting, the apparatus comprising:
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schedule file means for indicating available dates and times of potential invitees, said schedule file means comprising; (a) first means for each potential invitee to designate desired dates and times in which he is to appear to be unavailable; and (b) second means for designating dates and times for which a potential invitee is unavailable due to proposed meetings, the designated dates and times including dates and times that have been selected to schedule proposed meetings to which the potentia invitee has been invited but which are unentered on his personal calendar such that the dates and times of the proposed meetings are dates and times of outstanding invitations involving the potential invitee; means for specifying invitees and for designating attendance by certain specified invitees as critical, the remaining specified invitees being designated as non-critical, the means for specifying and designating providing a list of specified invitees; and management means for determining from the schedule file means, common available dates and time of only the critical specified invitees according to the list of specified invitees, the management means distinguishing critical specified invitees from non-critical specified invitees in the list of specified invitees, and providing an indication of at least one common available date and time to schedule a meeting. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. Apparatus for scheduling a meeting, the apparatus comprising:
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schedule file means for indicating available dates and times of potential invitees, means for specifying invitees and for designating attendance by certain specified invitees as critical, the remaining specified invitees being designated as non-critical, the means for specifying and designating providing a list of specified invitees; and management means for determining from the schedule file means, common available dates and time of only the critical specified invitees according to the list of specified invitees, the management means distinguishing critical specified invitees from non-critical specified invitees in the list of specified invitees, and providing an indication of at least one common available date and time to schedule a meeting, said management means including user specified parameters for defining available times of critical specified invitees as a percentage up to 100% of a specified time duration of the meeting. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. Apparatus for scheduling a meeting comprising:
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schedule file means for indicating available dates and times of potential invitees, and potential meeting rooms independently of a calendar of events, the schedule file means being separately accessible from the calendar of events, and the calendar of events being private to certain users and inaccessible to other users; and management means for determingin common available dates andtimes of specified invitees and specified meeting rooms from the schedule file means in a manner free of access to the calendar of events to maintain privacy therof, the management means providing an indication of at least one common available date and time to schedule a meeting. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A method of scheduling a meeting with personal calendars of potential invitees stored ina computer system, the steps comprising:
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specifying invitees, a range of dates and times within which the meeting is desired to be held, and a desired time duration of the meeting, the range of dates and times with the time duration defining time requirements of the meeting; comparing in said computer system, in a manner free of access to the personal calendars, available dates andtimes, which are witin the time requirements of the meeting, of each of the specified invitees with each other to determine common available dates and times, within the time requirements, of the specified invitees, the personal calendars being private to respective invitees and inaccessible to others; and selecting from the determined common available dates and timesm a date andtime to schedule the meeting. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method of scheduling a meeting, using a compueter system, the steps comprising:
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specifyign critical and non-critical physical components of the meeting, a range of dates and times within which the meeting is to be held, and a time duration fo the meeting, the range of dates and times with the time duration definign time requirements of the meeting; comparing within said computer system available dates and times, within the time requirements, of each of the critical physical components with each other to determine at least one common available date and time within the time requirements, the comparing performed in a manner free of access to stored calendars of events of respective physical components, the stored calendars being private to certain users and inaccessible to tohers; and selecting a determined common available date and time. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification