Web calendar architecture and uses thereof

• US 6,380,959 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vivint Incorporated (NRG Energy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Timequarter Computing Corporation
• Inventors: Hseush, Wenwey, Ma, Anthony, Wang, Shou-Chung
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/269,431
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 345/331, 345/335, 345/348, 345/349, 345/357, 345/356, 345/963, 345/751, 345/744, 345/835, 345/839, 345/854, 345/853, 345/971, 345/808
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

An architecture for facilitating Web based Calendar client side event scheduling and, the association process between Java calendar applet (“Capplet”) and calendar event. Intent scheduling and calendaring groupware that coordinates group schedules. It features concurrent Capplets running within any of the four calendar grids, namely, monthly, weekly, multiple days and daily.

Claims

1. A method of multimedia information interaction with a user on a Web calendar platform, comprising:

providing a Web calendar base to the user, the Web calendar base including a plurality of Web-based programs and displaying a plurality of Web calendar events;

providing an event interface for associating each Web calendar event with a corresponding one or more of the Web-based programs; and

providing a multimedia program interface for executing, when one of the Web calendar events is selected by the user through the Web calendar base, the one or more Web-based programs associated with the selected Web calendar event, to provide multimedia content associated with the selected Web calendar event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content includes animated graphics.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content includes video.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content includes audio effects.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content includes multimedia interaction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when two or more of the Web calendar events are selected by the user through the Web calendar base, the respective multimedia content associated with the two or more Web calendar events are simultaneously displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more Web-based programs associated with the Web calendar event selected by the user provide continuous multimedia effects.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the Web calendar base includes a plurality of icons corresponding to respective views, and each view is associated with one or more corresponding Web calendar events and is enabled when the corresponding icon is selected.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the enabled view provides means for interaction with multimedia objects corresponding to the one or more associated Web calendar events.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a Web-based program associated with the one or more associated Web calendar events is activated when the user selects the multimedia objects corresponding to the one or more associated Web calendar events.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein a Web-based program associated with one or more corresponding Web calendar events is activated when a view associated with the one or more Web calendar events is enabled.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a Web-based program associated with one or more corresponding Web calendar events is activated when the Web calendar event associated with the Web-based program is triggered.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein when the user selects two or more of the Web calendar events, the respective Web-based programs associated with the two or more Web calendar events run concurrently.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

providing an executive interface for executing the respective Web-based programs associated with the two or more Web calendar events concurrently using multiple threads.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a calendar event modification interface, wherein the calendar event modification interface monitors user input through the Web calendar base, and creates, modifies or deletes selected ones of the Web calendar events according to the user input.

16. A method of multimedia information interaction with a user on a Web calendar platform, comprising:

providing a Web calendar base, the Web calendar base including a plurality of Capplets and displaying a plurality of Web calendar events;

providing a user interface for user selection of selected ones of the Web calendar events in the Web calendar base; and

providing a multimedia program interface for executing, when one of the Web calendar events is selected by the user through the Web calendar base, one or more of the Capplets associated with the selected Web calendar event, to provide multimedia interaction associated with the selected Web calendar event.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing an instantiation interface for creating, when one of the Web calendar events is selected by the user through the Web calendar base, a Capplet instance corresponding to a Capplet associated with the selected Web calendar event, and associating the Capplet instance with the selected Web calendar event.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing a commerce program interface, wherein the Web calendar base interacts with electronic commerce applets through said commerce program interface.

19. An apparatus for multimedia information interaction with a user on a Web calendar platform, comprising:

a Web calendar base including a plurality of Web-based programs and adapted to display a plurality of Web calendar events;

an event interface adapted to associate each Web calendar event with a corresponding one or more of the Web-based programs; and

a multimedia program interface,

wherein the multimedia program interface, when one of the Web calendar events is selected by the user through the Web calendar base, executes the one or more Web-based programs associated with the selected Web calendar event, to provide multimedia content associated with the selected Web calendar event.