Method and system for expansion of recurring calendar events

• US 7,016,909 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chan, Kok Wai, Kiilerich, Dennis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAUBAIDI, HAYTHIM J
• Application Number:
  US10/162,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20030225732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/7, 707/101, 707/205, 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method for expanding recurring calendar events such that the retrieval of recurring calendar appointments is expedited. A recurring appointment is saved as a data structure including a recurrence pattern. When a recurring appointment is saved by a client that has sufficient processing and memory resources to perform the computations necessary to expand recurring appointments (i.e., a thick client), a background thread is notified. The background thread increases its priority to normal when idle processing capacity is available and calls a routine requesting calendar information for a defined time period. The routine causes the expansion of the data structure into the individual instances of the recurring appointment for a defined time period, and the individual instances are saved for later retrieval. A later query from a client without sufficient processing and memory resources to perform the calculations necessary to expand recurring appointments (i.e., a thin client), therefore, does not require that the expansion computations be performed contemporaneously.

Claims

1. A method of expanding a master data structure including a recurrence pattern into individual instances of a recurring appointment according to the recurrence pattern for a defined time period, comprising:

placing an identifier identifying a calendar folder containing the master data structure in a queue for further processing;

signaling a first thread having a priority level, the priority level being a first priority level that the calendar folder containing the master data structure is queued for further processing;

changing the priority level of the first thread from the first priority level to a second, higher priority level;

calling a first routine for expanding the master data structure;

saving the individual instances of the recurring appointment to the calendar folder on a computer readable medium; and

calling a second routine to perform the steps of placing the identifier in the queue and signaling the first thread.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second routine executes in a separate thread.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving the calendar folder containing the master data structure in the computer readable medium, wherein the calendar folder containing the master data structure is saved to the computer readable medium based on a request from a thick client.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the thick client is compliant with the MAPI architecture.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first thread performs the step of calling the first routine.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first thread calls the first routine by simulating a query from a thin client.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the thin client is a web browser.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first priority level of the first thread is a low priority level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second priority level of the first thread is a normal priority level.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second priority level of the first thread is a high priority level.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of changing the priority level and calling the first routine occur when idle processing capacity is available.

12. A system for expanding a master data structure including a recurrence pattern contained in a calendar folder maintained by a server executing a calendaring application into individual instances of a recurring appointment, comprising,

a database logically accessible to the calendaring application on the server for maintaining the calendar folder;

a status message implemented by the calendaring application, the status message indicating whether the calendar folder contains the master data structure that requires expanding;

a first thread executing at a low priority level on the server; and

a first routine for computing the individual instances of the recurring appointment from the recurrence pattern of the master data structure;

saving the individual instances in the calendar folder, wherein the first thread calls the first routine;

and wherein the priority level of the first thread is increased; and

calling a second routine for signaling the first thread that the calendar folder contains the master data structure that requires expansion.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second routine executes in a separate thread.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first thread calls the first routine by simulating a query from a thin client.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the priority level of the first thread is increased prior to the first thread calling the first routine.

16. A system for expanding a master data structure including a recurrence pattern contained in a calendar folder maintained by a server executing a calendaring application into individual instances of a recurring appointment, comprising,

a database logically accessible to the calendaring application on the server for maintaining the calendar folder;

a status message implemented by the calendaring application, the status message indicating whether the calendar folder contains the master data structure that requires expanding;

a first thread executing at a low priority level on the server; and

a first routine for computing the individual instances of the recurring appointment from the recurrence pattern of the master data structure; and

saving the individual instances in the calendar folder, wherein the first thread calls the first routine; and

wherein the priority level of the first thread is increased prior to the first thread calling the first routine and when idle processing capacity is available on the server.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the priority level of the first thread is increased to normal.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the priority level of the first thread is increased to high.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first thread calls the first routine by simulating a query from a thin client.

20. A method of expediting the display of recurring calendar information on a thin client, comprising:

detecting whether a master data structure including a recurrence pattern of a recurring appointment was saved by a thick client;

placing the calendar folder including the master data structure in a queue of calendar folders requiring further processing;

signaling a simulator thread running in the background that the calendar folder has been placed in the queue;

increasing a priority level of the simulator thread;

expanding the master data structure into individual instances of the recurring appointment;

saving the individual instances of the recurring appointment to a computer readable medium;

receiving a calendar query from a thin client for a defined time period;

checking the status message to ensure that the master data structure has already been expanded into the individual instances of the recurring appointment for the defined time period; and

returning the individual instances of the recurring appointment within the defined time period to the thin client without expanding the master data structure contemporaneously with the request.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising changing a status message associated with the master data structure to indicate that the master data structure has to be expanded.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising changing the status message associated with the master data structure to indicate that the master data structure has been expanded.

23. A method of expanding a master data structure including a recurrence pattern into individual instances of a recurring appointment according to the recurrence pattern for a defined time period, comprising:

placing an identifier identifying the master data structure in a queue for further processing;

signaling a first thread having a priority level, the priority level being a first priority level that the master data structure is queued for further processing;

changing the priority level of the first thread from the first priority level to a second, higher priority level;

calling a first routine that expands the master data structure;

saving the individual instances of the recurring appointment to a computer readable medium; and

calling a second routine to perform the step of placing the identifier in the queue and signaling the first thread.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first thread calls the first routine that expands the master data structure.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first thread calls the first routine by simulating a query from a thin client for calendar information for a defined time period.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the thin client is a web browser.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the first priority level of the first thread is a low priority level.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the second priority level of the first thread is a normal priority level.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the second priority level of the first thread is a high priority level.

30. A method of expanding a master data structure including a recurrence pattern into individual instances of a recurring appointment according to the recurrence pattern for a defined time period, comprising:

placing an identifier identifying the master data structure in a queue for further processing;

signaling a first thread having a priority level, the priority level being a first priority level that the master data structure is queued for further processing;

changing the priority level of the first thread from the first priority level to a second, higher priority level;

calling a first routine that expands the master data structure;

saving the individual instances of the recurring appointment to a computer readable medium; and

wherein the steps of changing of the priority level and calling the first routine occur when idle processing capacity is available.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first thread calls the first routine that expands the master data structure.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the first thread calls the first routine by simulating a query from a thin client for calendar information for a defined time period.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the thin client is a web browser.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the first priority level of the first thread is a low priority level.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the second priority level of the first thread is a normal priority level.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the second priority level of the first thread is a high priority level.