Portable calendaring device having perceptual agent managing calendar entries

• US 5,790,974 A
• Filed: 04/29/1996
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Tognazzini, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): PEESO, THOMAS R
• Application Number:
  US08/639,816
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/202, 701/204, 701/207, 701/209, 701/213, 701/220, 701/300, 395/200.32, 395/200.47, 395/200.57, 395/200.61, 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/991, 340/992, 340/994, 340/995
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A personal calendaring system includes a portable calendaring system and a complementary office calendar system, each synchronizing calendar entries by two-way wireless transmission. The portable calendaring system includes a GPS receiver interface providing location data. The office calendar system and the portable calendar system each includes a calendar memory storing calendar entries, a wireless paging interface for exchanging schedule change requests and location data, a traffic receiver interface receiving wireless traffic data from an external source, and a perceptual software agent that automatically updates stored calendar entries in response to detected events. The perceptual agents of the respective portable and office systems communicate using the two-way wireless paging interfaces to ensure the stored schedules are synchronized, and to minimize conflicts between schedule change requests entered at respective locations. If a conflict is generated between the stored schedule and a schedule request, the agents arbitrate resolution of the generated conflict. The perceptual agents also update scheduled travel times and associated reminder alarms in response to detected changes in traffic or the location of the portable calendaring system, and advise the user if a schedule conflict arises due to the updated travel time.

Claims

1. A portable calendar system comprising:

a wireless transceiver interface receiving a first calendar entry from a transmitting calendar system complementary to the portable calendar system, the first calendar entry identifying a first location;

a first wireless receiver interface receiving location data and determining a current location of the portable calendar system;

a mapping database storing geographic coordinate data and travel time information between identified locations; and

an agent generating a second calendar entry input by a user and identifying a second location, the agent identifying one of the first and second calendar entries as a next appointment entry and calculating an estimated travel time for the next appointment entry in response to the determined current location, the location of the next appointment entry, and the corresponding stored travel time information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent calculates a second estimated travel time between the first and second locations in accordance with the respective geographic coordinate data and travel time information of the first and second locations.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second wireless receiver interface receiving traffic data, the agent calculating a revised travel time for the next appointment entry in response to the determined current location, the received traffic data, and the stored travel time information corresponding to the next appointment entry.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a traffic database collecting the received traffic data, the agent calculating the estimated travel time in accordance with the collected traffic data.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the mapping database stores a plurality of travel routes from the determined current location to the location of the next appointment entry, the agent identifying one of the travel routes as corresponding to the revised travel time.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the agent calculates a second estimated travel time for the next appointment entry corresponding to another one of the travel routes in response to a conflict detected between the revised travel time and the time of the next appointment entry.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a location register storing the determined current location.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a display outputting a graphic illustration of the determined current location and the location identified by a selected one of the calendar entries.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent outputs the second calendar entry via the first transceiver interface for updating the transmitting calendar system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver interface sends and receives calendar entries to and from the transmitting calendar system via a wireless paging system.

11. A method of managing a personal calendar in a portable device, comprising:

receiving from a remote calendar system a first calendar entry having a first time entry and identifying a first location;

determining a current location from wireless location data received from a wireless location detection system;

receiving wireless traffic data; and

calculating an estimated travel time, based on the received wireless traffic data, between one of (1) the determined current location and the first location, and (2) the first location and a second location of a second calendar entry stored in the personal calendar and having a second time entry.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving user inputs of a third calendar entry having a third time entry after the first time entry and identifying a third location; and

calculating a second estimated travel time between the first location and the third location based on the received wireless traffic data and stored travel time data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending the third calendar entry and the second estimated travel time to the remote calendar system;

receiving a conflict message from the remote calendar system identifying a scheduling conflict between the third calendar entry and a fourth calendar entry generated at the remote calendar system;

selecting one of the third and fourth calendar entries;

storing the selected entry in the personal calendar; and

sending the selected entry to the remote calendar system.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing a digitized map having coordinate data including the determined current location and the first and second locations; and

identifying a first travel route corresponding to the estimated travel time.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving updated wireless traffic data;

calculating an updated estimated travel time based on the received updated wireless traffic data and the determined current location; and

alerting the user if the updated estimated travel time conflicts with the first time entry.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the alerting step comprises:

identifying a second travel route having an alternate path between endpoints of the first route;

calculating an alternate estimated travel time corresponding to the second travel route based on the determined current location and the received updated wireless traffic data; and

displaying the second travel route if the alternate estimated travel time is less than the updated estimated travel time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the alerting step comprises:

prompting the user to change the first time entry;

changing the first time entry in response to a user input; and

wireless transmitting the changed first time entry to the remote calendar system.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

changing the first time entry in response to a user input; and

wireless transmitting the changed first time entry to the remote calendar system.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing a schedule change request having a third time entry and identifying a third location in response to a user input;

calculating a second estimated travel time, based on the received wireless traffic data, between one of (1) the determined current location and the third location, and (2) the second and third locations;

determining if a conflict is detected between the calculated second estimated travel time and the third time entry; and

alerting the user if the conflict is detected.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising sending the schedule change request by wireless transmission to the remote calendar system if no conflict is detected.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the first calendar entry receiving step comprises receiving a wireless paging signal carrying the first calendar entry.

22. A personal calendar system comprising:

an office calendar system comprising;

(a) a first interface receiving primary user calendar information from a transceiver,

(b) a second interface receiving secondary user calendar information, and

(c) a first agent generating the office calendar in response to the primary user calendar information and the secondary user calendar information and outputting office calendar information representing selected portions of the office calendar to the first interface; and

a portable calendar system comprising;

(a) a first wireless transceiver interface receiving the office calendar information,

(b) a second wireless receiver interface receiving location data, and

(c) a second agent generating a personal calendar in the portable calendar system in response to the received office calendar information and the location data, the second agent outputting the secondary user calendar information including changes in the personal calendar relative to the received office calendar information.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the portable calendar system further comprises a third wireless receiver interface receiving traffic data, the second agent calculating an estimated travel time in accordance with the received location data, the personal calendar data, and the received traffic data.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the personal calendar data includes location data, the second agent calculating the estimated travel time in response to the location data and the reception of the traffic data.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the second agent generates an updated estimated travel time in response to reception of updated traffic data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the second agent determines an alternate travel route if the updated estimated travel time creates a conflict with the stored personal calendar data.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the second agent updates the personal calendar with the updated estimated travel time and alerts the user of the updated travel time.

28. A method of implementing a personal calendar in a portable device, comprising:

providing an element for performing the step of receiving a first calendar entry from a remote calendar system, the first calendar entry having a first time entry and identifying a first location;

providing an element for performing the step of determining a current location from wireless location data received by the portable device;

providing an element for performing the step of receiving wireless traffic data; and

providing an element for performing the step of calculating an estimated travel time, based on the received wireless traffic data, between one of (1) the determined current location and the first location, and (2) the first location and a second location of a second calendar entry stored in the personal calendar and having a second time entry.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

providing an element for performing the step of storing a digitized map having coordinate data including the determined current location and the first and second locations; and

providing an element for performing the step of identifying a first travel route corresponding to the estimated travel time.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

providing an element for performing the step of changing the first time entry in response to a user input; and

providing an element for performing the step of wireless transmitting the changed first time entry to the remote calendar system.

31. A computer program product for implementing a portable calendar system, comprising:

a computer readable memory medium; and

a computer program including;

(1) a routine for receiving a first calendar entry from a transmitting calendar system, the first calendar entry identifying a first location,

(2) a routine for receiving location data and determining a current physical location,

(3) a routine providing geographic coordinate data and travel time information between identified locations, and

(4) a routine accepting a second calendar entry identifying a second location and identifying one of the first and second calendar entries as a next appointment entry and calculating an estimated travel time for the next appointment entry in response to the determined current physical location, the location of the next appointment entry, and the corresponding stored travel time information.