Information sharing system for personal electronic time management systems

• US 6,571,281 B1
• Filed: 08/27/1999
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Nickerson, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/384,759
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/245, 707/10, 707/200, 707/201, 707/203, 707/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A data processing system is disclosed. The system comprising a downloading subsystem for creating a first event related entry including a first upload indicator and a second event related entry including a second upload indicator and a first uploading subsystem and a second uploading subsystem, both of which are communicatively coupled with the downloading subsystem. The downloading subsystem includes a database communicatively coupled to each of the first uploading subsystem and the second uploading subsystem, the database storing the first and second event related entries along with their respective first and second upload indicators wherein the first upload indicator is used for permitting the first uploading subsystem to upload a copy of at least a portion of the first event related entry, but not any portion of the second event related entry, and the second upload indicator is used for permitting the second uploading subsystem to upload at least a portion of the second event related entry, but not any portion of the first event related entry.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

a downloading subsystem for creating a first event related entry including a first storage indicator and a second event related entry including a second storage indicator;

a first database and a second database, both of which first and second databases communicate with said downloading subsystem;

wherein,(i) the first storage indicator is used for causing a copy of the first event related entry to be stored in the first database, but not the second database, and (ii) the second storage indicator is used for causing a copy of the second event related entry to be stored in the second database, but not the first database.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, further comprising a first client and a second client, wherein said first client is corresponded with the first database and said second client is corresponded with the second database.

3. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein said downloading subsystem includes a personal electronic time management system, and wherein the first and second event related entries are created with said personal electronic time management system.

4. The data processing system of claim 3, wherein said downloading subsystem includes a personal computer communicating with said personal electronic time management system, and wherein said personal computer is used to store the first and second event related entries with their respective first and second upload indicators in said first and second databases.

5. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein said downloading subsystem includes a client communicatively coupled with a server by way of a network connection, further comprising configuring the server to include each of said first and second databases.

6. The data processing system of claim 5, wherein the network comprises an internet connection, the server comprises an internet server, and the client includes a subsystem for transmitting information over the internet connection to the internet server, and wherein the first and second event related entries are transmitted over the internet connection to the internet server with the subsystem for transmitting.

7. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the first storage indicator corresponds with a first user and the second storage indicator corresponds with a second user.

8. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the first storage indicator corresponds with a first client apparatus and the second storage indicator corresponds with a second client apparatus.

9. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the first storage indicator corresponds with a client apparatus and the second storage indicator corresponds with a user.

10. A data processing system, comprising:

a downloading subsystem for creating a first event related entry including a first upload indicator and a second event related entry including a second upload indicator;

a first uploading subsystem and a second uploading subsystem, both of which are communicatively coupled with said downloading subsystem;

said downloading subsystem including a database communicatively coupled to each of said first uploading subsystem and said second uploading subsystem, said database storing the first and second event related entries along with their respective first and second upload indicators; and

wherein, (i) the first upload indicator is used for permitting the first uploading subsystem to upload a copy of at least a portion of the first event related entry, but not any portion of the second event related entry, and (ii) the second upload indicator is used for permitting the second uploading subsystem to upload at least a portion of the second event related entry, but not any portion of the first event related entry.

16. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the first upload indicator corresponds with a first user and the second upload indicator corresponds with a second user.

17. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the first upload indicator corresponds with a first client apparatus and the second upload indicator corresponds with a second client apparatus.

18. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the first upload indicator corresponds with a client apparatus and the second upload indicator corresponds with a user.

11. The data processing system of 10, wherein said downloading subsystem includes a personal electronic time management system for creating the first and second event related entries.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein said downloading subsystem includes a personal computer communicating with the personal electronic time management system, wherein said personal computer is used to store the first and second event related entries with their respective first and second upload indicators in the database.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein said downloading subsystem further includes a server communicating with said personal computer by way of a network connection, and wherein said database is configured in said database.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein:

the downloading subsystem and the first uploading subsystem are communicatively coupled with one another by way of an internet connection;

each of the downloading subsystem and the first uploading subsystem include a subsystem for transmitting and/or receiving information by way of the internet connection; and

said downloading subsystem stores the first and second event related entries in said database with its corresponding subsystem for transmitting and receiving, and said first uploading subsystem uploads the copy of the at least portion of the first event related entry via the internet connection with its corresponding subsystem for transmitting and/or receiving.

15. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein said downloading subsystem includes an internet based server disposed remotely of said first uploading subsystem, and wherein said database is configured on the internet based server.

19. In a data processing system in which a downloading subsystem communicates with both a first uploading subsystem and a second uploading subsystem, wherein a database for storing event related entries is communicatively coupled with each of the downloading subsystem, the first uploading subsystem and the second uploading subsystem, a method for controlling the flow of information associated with the event related entries between the downloading subsystem and each of the first and second uploading subsystems, comprising:

a) creating, with the downloading subsystem, a first event related entry including a first upload indicator and a second event related entry including a second upload indicator;

b) storing the first and second related entries in the database; and

c) using, (i) the first upload indicator to permit the first uploading subsystem to upload a copy of at least a portion of the first event related entry, but not any of the second event related entry, and (ii) the second upload indicator to permit the second uploading subsystem to upload at least a portion of the second event related entry, but not any of the first event related entry.

20. The method of claim 19, in which the downloading subsystem includes a personal electronic time management system, wherein said (a) includes creating the first and second event related entries on the personal electronic time management system.

21. The method of claim 20, in which the downloading subsystem includes a personal computer communicating with the personal electronic time management system, wherein said (b) includes using the personal computer to store the first and second event related entries with their respective first and second upload indicators in the database.

22. The method of claim 21, in which the downloading subsystem includes a server communicating with the personal computer via a network connection, further comprising configuring the database in the server.

23. The method of claim 22, in which the downloading subsystem and the first uploading subsystem are communicatively coupled with one another by way of an internet connection, and in which each of the downloading subsystem and the first uploading subsystem include a subsystem for transmitting and/or receiving information by way of the internet connection, wherein the downloading subsystem stores the first and second event related entries in the database with its corresponding subsystem for transmitting and/or receiving, and the first uploading subsystem uploads the first event related off the internet connection with its corresponding subsystem for transmitting and/or receiving.

24. The method of claim 23, in which the downloading subsystem includes an internet based server disposed remotely of the first uploading subsystem, further comprising configuring the database on the internet based server.

25. The method of claim 19, in which the data processing system includes a third uploading subsystem communicatively coupled with the downloading subsystem, further comprising permitting the third uploading subsystem to upload respective copies of at least a portion of the first event related entry and at least a portion of the second event related entry.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

(d) creating a third event related entry with the downloading subsystem, wherein the third event related entry includes a third upload indicator;

(e) storing the third event related entry in the database; and

(f) using the third upload indicator to permit each of the first and second uploading subsystems to upload a copy at least a portion of the third event related entry.

27. In a data processing system in which a downloading subsystem communicates with both a first database and a second database, wherein one or more event related entries are stored in each of the first and second databases, a method for controlling the flow of information between the downloading subsystem and each of the first and second databases, comprising:

a) creating, with the downloading subsystem, a first event related entry including a first storage indicator and a second event related entry including a second storage indicator; and

b) using, (i) the first storage indicator to cause a copy of the first event related entry to be stored in the first database, but not the second database, and (ii) the second storage indicator to cause a copy of the second event related entry to be stored in the second database, but not the first database.

28. The method of claim 27, in which the data processing system further includes a first client and a second client, further comprising corresponding the first database with the first client, but not the second client, and corresponding the second client with the second database, but not the first database.

29. The method of claim 28, in which the downloading subsystem includes a personal electronic time management system, wherein said (a) includes creating the first and second event related entries on the personal electronic time management system.

30. The method of claim 29, in which the downloading subsystem includes a personal computer communicating with the personal electronic time management system, wherein said (b) includes using the personal computer to store the first and second event related entries with their respective first and second upload indicators in the first and second databases.

31. The method of claim 29, in which the downloading subsystem includes a client communicatively coupled with a server by way of a network connection, further comprising configuring the server to include each of the first and second databases.

32. The method of claim 31, in which the network comprises an internet connection, the server comprises an internet server, and the client includes a subsystem for transmitting information over the internet connection to the internet server, further comprising transmitting the first and second event related entries over the internet connection to the internet server with the subsystem for transmitting.