Personal activity scheduling apparatus

• US 5,855,006 A
• Filed: 03/01/1996
• Issued: 12/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Humware, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Humware, Inc.
• Inventors: Huemoeller, Mark Alan, Huemoeller, John Walter II
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M.
• Application Number:
  US08/609,847
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9, 705/5, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

The personal activity scheduling system accesses data from various sources to provide the user with information that is required to enable the user to conveniently and expeditiously schedule activities without requiring access to other sources of information. The personal activity scheduling system can include schedules of various sports activities, cultural events, birthdays and anniversaries, professional meetings and deadlines, and any other temporally based items of interest to the particular individual. Each of these temporally based activities can be associated with data representative of information required by the user to schedule an activity from the list of potential activities into the individual'"'"'s personal calendar as well as make reservations and ticket purchases using this system.

Claims

1. A calendar system executing on a processor, which has a real-time clock, for temporally coordinating application data, comprising:

means, responsive to said real-time clock, for maintaining a time scheduling calendar;

at least one application which produces application data, comprising at least one of;

1.) trivia means comprising;

means for storing data indicative of date based trivia,

means, responsive to data output by said real-time clock indicative of a present date, for retrieving data from said means for storing corresponding to at least one of said date based trivia,

means for displaying said date based trivia;

2.) trivia quiz program means, comprising;

means for enabling a user to be tested on trivia knowledge,

means, responsive to a user scoring greater than a predetermined score in said trivia quiz program, for printing a predetermined coupon for redemption at a predetermined commercial establishment;

3.) means for displaying advertising, including at least one of;

coupon means, comprising;

means for storing data indicative of predetermined coupons,

means, responsive to data output by said real-time clock indicative of a present date, for retrieving data from said means for storing corresponding to at least one of said predetermined coupons,

means for transmitting said retrieved data to a printer for printing said predetermined coupon;

means for loading said advertising into said calendar system from an external interface;

means for integrating said application data into said time scheduling calendar; and

means for displaying said time scheduling calendar, containing said application data, to a user.

2. The calendar system of claim 1 wherein said at least one application comprises:

means for maintaining a schedule for a plurality of events from at least one of the classes of events comprising;

sports schedules, entertainment events, cultural events, personal events, financial events, travel events.

3. The calendar system of claim 2 wherein said integrating means comprises:

means for storing data indicative of said schedule for said plurality of events; and

means for associating said data indicative of said schedule for said plurality of events with temporal entries in said time scheduling calendar for display by said means for displaying.

4. The calendar system of claim 2 wherein said integrating means comprises:

means for storing data indicative of said schedule for said plurality of events;

means, responsive to a user selecting at least one of said events for excerpting schedule data, associated with said selected events, from said stored data; and

means for associating said excerpted schedule data with temporal entries in said time scheduling calendar for display by said means for displaying.

5. The calendar system of claim 2 wherein said at least one application further comprises:

means for storing a display of physical facilities of a location at which said plurality of events is to be held;

means, responsive to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, for retrieving data from said storing means indicative of a display of physical facilities of a location at which said selected event is to be held; and

means for transmitting said retrieved data to said means for displaying to present a display to said user of said physical facilities.

6. The calendar system of claim 2 wherein said at least one application further comprises:

means for storing data indicative of a schedule for said plurality of events;

means, responsive to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, for retrieving data from said storing means indicative of a list of presentations of said selected event; and

means for transmitting said retrieved data to said means for displaying to present a display to said user of said list.

7. The calendar system of claim 2 wherein said at least one application further comprises:

means for storing data indicative of ticket information for said plurality of events;

means, responsive to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, for retrieving data from said storing means indicative of ticket information for said selected event; and

means for transmitting said retrieved data to said means for displaying to present a display to said user of said ticket information.

8. The calendar system of claim 7 wherein said at least one application further comprises:

means, responsive to user activation, for establishing a communication connection from said processor to a remotely located system for ticket ordering.

9. The calendar system of claim 8 wherein said at least one application further comprises:

means, responsive to data received from said remotely located system for ticket ordering, for printing tickets to said selected event.

10. The calendar system of claim 2 wherein said at least one application further comprises:

means, responsive to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, for establishing a communication connection from said processor to a remotely located ticket ordering system;

means, responsive to data received from said retrieving data from said remotely located ticket ordering system indicative of ticket information for said selected event for displaying said ticket information;

means, responsive to user activation, for transmitting data to said remotely located ticket ordering system indicative of ticket ordering information.

11. The calendar system of claim 10 wherein said at least one application further comprises:

means, responsive to data received from said remotely located ticket ordering system, for printing tickets to said selected event.

12. The calendar system of claim 1 wherein said means for displaying produces a visual display of said time scheduling calendar on a one of the bases of:

daily, weekly, monthly and said means for displaying produces an icon indicative of said time-based data, which icon is inserted into a temporally appropriate position on said visual display of said time scheduling calendar.

13. The calendar system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for determining temporal correspondence of a time indication associated with said application data and a time indication output from said real time clock; and

means, responsive to said determining means, for transmitting data to said means for displaying to produce a reminder of at least one of audible and visual in nature indicative of said temporal correspondence.

14. The calendar system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for editing said application data integrated into said calendar system.

15. The calendar system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for searching said application data which has been integrated into said calendar system to locate a selected entry.

16. The calendar system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for maintaining data indicative of address book information; and

means for transmitting a selected set of said maintained data to said means for displaying to present a display to said user of an address book entry corresponding to said selected set of maintained data.

17. The calendar system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for maintaining data indicative of a list of actions to be taken by said user; and

means for transmitting a selected set of said maintained data to said means for displaying to present a display to said user of an action entry corresponding to said selected set of maintained data.

18. The calendar system of claim 17 further comprising:

means for maintaining data indicative of progress made to complete each of said actions; and

means for transmitting a selected set of said maintained progress data to said means for displaying to present a display to said user of progress made on an action entry corresponding to said selected set of maintained progress data.

19. The calendar system of claim 17 further comprising:

means for maintaining data indicative of a preferred order of said actions; and

means for transmitting a selected set of said maintained order data to said means for displaying to present a display to said user of a preferred order of said action entries.

20. The calendar system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for maintaining data indicative of personal events;

means, responsive to data output by said real-time clock indicative of a present date, for retrieving data from said means for maintaining corresponding to at least one of said personal events; and

means for transmitting said retrieved data to said means for displaying to display said personal event data.

21. The calendar system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for loading a one of said at least one application which produces application data and said application data into said calendar system from an external interface comprising a one of;

disk drive device and modem.

22. The calendar system of claim 1 wherein said processor comprises a one of a personal processor system and an Internet server.

33. The method of claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

storing data indicative of date based trivia in a memory;

retrieving, in response to data output by said real-time clock indicative of a present date, for retrieving data from said memory corresponding to at least one of said date based trivia; and

transmitting said retrieved data to said display device to display said date based trivia.

23. A method for temporally coordinating application data, produced by at least one application, with a calendar system executing on a processor, which has a real-time clock, comprising the steps of:

maintaining, in response to said real-time clock, a time scheduling calendar;

executing at least one application which produces application data, comprising at least one of;

1.) trivia application, comprising;

storing, data in a memory indicative of date based trivia,

retrieving, in response to data output by said real-time clock indicative of a present date, for retrieving data from said memory corresponding to at least one of said date based trivia,

displaying to display said date based trivia;

2.) testing a user on trivia knowledge using a trivia quiz program,

printing, in response to a user scoring greater than a predetermined score in said trivia quiz program, a predetermined coupon for redemption at a predetermined commercial establishment;

3.) displaying advertising, including at least one of;

generating coupons, comprising;

storing data in said memory indicative of predetermined coupons,

retrieving, in response to data output by said real-time clock indicative of a present date, data from said memory corresponding to at least one of said predetermined coupons,

printing said predetermined coupon;

loading said advertising into said calendar system from an external interface;

integrating said application data into said time scheduling calendar; and

displaying said time scheduling calendar, containing said application data, to a user on a display device.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said at least one application comprises a system for maintaining a schedule for a plurality of events from at least one of the classes of events comprising:

sports schedules, entertainment events, cultural events, personal events, financial events, travel events, said step of integrating comprises;

storing data indicative of said schedule for said plurality of events in a memory; and

associating said data indicative of said schedule for said plurality of events with temporal entries in said time scheduling calendar for display on said display device.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said at least one application comprises a system for maintaining a schedule for a plurality of events from at least one of the classes of events comprising:

sports schedules, entertainment events, cultural events, personal events, financial events, travel events, further comprising the steps of;

storing data indicative of said schedule for said plurality of events in a memory;

excerpting, in response to a user selecting at least one of said events, schedule data, associated with said selected events, from said stored data; and

associating said excerpted schedule data with temporal entries in said time scheduling calendar for display by said display device.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said at least one application comprises a system for maintaining a schedule for a plurality of events from at least one of the classes of events comprising:

sports schedules, entertainment events, cultural events, personal events, financial events, travel events, further comprising the steps of;

storing a display of physical facilities of a location at which said plurality of events is to be held in a memory;

retrieving, in response to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, data from said memory indicative of a display of physical facilities of a location at which said selected event is to be held; and

transmitting said retrieved data to said display device to present a display to said user of said physical facilities.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein said at least one application comprises a system for maintaining a schedule for a plurality of events from at least one of the classes of events comprising:

sports schedules, entertainment events, cultural events, personal events, financial events, travel events, further comprising the steps of;

storing data indicative of a schedule for said plurality of events;

retrieving, in response to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, data from said storing means indicative of a list of presentations of said selected event; and

transmitting said retrieved data to said display device to present a display to said user of said list.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein said at least one application comprises a system for maintaining a schedule for a plurality of events from at least one of the classes of events comprising:

sports schedules, entertainment events, cultural events, personal events, financial events, travel events, further comprising the steps of;

storing data indicative of ticket information for said plurality of events in a memory;

retrieving, in response to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, data from said memory indicative of ticket information for said selected event; and

transmitting said retrieved data to said display device to present a display to said user of said ticket information.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of:

establishing, in response to user activation, a communication connection from said processor to a remotely located system for ticket ordering.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of:

printing, in response to data received from said remotely located system for ticket ordering, tickets to said selected event.

31. The method of claim 23 wherein said at least one application comprises a system for maintaining a schedule for a plurality of events from at least one of the classes of events comprising:

sports schedules, entertainment events, cultural events, personal events, financial events, travel events, further comprising the steps of;

establishing, in response to a user selecting a one of said plurality of events, a communication connection from said processor to a remotely located ticket ordering system;

displaying, in response to data received from said retrieving data from said remotely located ticket ordering system indicative of ticket information for said selected event, said ticket information;

transmitting, in response to user activation, data to said remotely located ticket ordering system indicative of ticket ordering information.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of:

printing, in response to data received from said remotely located ticket ordering system, tickets to said selected event.

34. The method of claim 23 wherein said display device produces a visual display of said time scheduling calendar on a one of the bases of:

daily, weekly, monthly and said display device produces an icon indicative of said time-based data, which icon is inserted into a temporally appropriate position on said visual display of said time scheduling calendar.

35. The method of claim 23 further comprising the steps of:

determining temporal correspondence of a time indication associated with said application data and a time indication output from said real time clock; and

transmitting said application data to said display device to produce a reminder of at least one of audible and visual in nature indicative of said temporal correspondence.

36. The method of claim 23 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining data indicative of a list of actions to be taken by said user; and

transmitting a selected set of said maintained data to said display device to present a display to said user of an action entry corresponding to said selected set of maintained data.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining data indicative of progress made to complete each of said actions; and

transmitting a selected set of said maintained progress data to said display device to present a display to said user of progress made on an action entry corresponding to said selected set of maintained progress data.

38. The method of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining data indicative of a preferred order of said actions; and

transmitting a selected set of said maintained order data to said display device to present a display to said user of a preferred order of said action entries.

39. The method of claim 23 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining data indicative of personal events in a memory;

retrieving, in response to data output by said real-time clock indicative of a present date, data from said memory corresponding to at least one of said personal events; and

transmitting said retrieved data to said display device to display said personal event data.

40. The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of:

loading a one of said at least one application which produces application data and said application data into said calendar system from an external interface comprising a one of;

disk drive device and modem.