Predicting and adjusting users' working hours and electronic calendar events

• US 7,318,040 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sundstrom, Robert J., Kovales, Renee M., Doss, J. Smith, Pozefsky, Diane P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell; James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boyce; Andre
• Application Number:
  US10/245,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/7.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for predicting and adjusting future working hours and calendar events for users of electronic calendars. Predictions may be made based on historical calendar data (e.g., a user'"'"'s scheduled working hours/events and that user'"'"'s actual working hours/events); based on updates to working hours or events; and/or based on external information. Rules are used in preferred embodiments to indicate the actions that should be taken when a particular condition occurs.

Claims

1. A method of programmatically adjusting working hours for electronic calendars, comprising steps of:

analyzing historical calendar data for a calendar user to determine patterns in the user'"'"'s historical working hours, wherein the analyzing further comprises comparing the user'"'"'s historical scheduled working hours to his historical actual working hours;

using the determined patterns to programmatically predict the user'"'"'s future working hours, wherein the determined patterns comprise discrepancies between the historical scheduled working hours and the historical actual working hours; and

automatically programmatically adjusting the user'"'"'s scheduled working hours for an electronic calendar of the user, for at least one future date, based on the predicted future working hours, wherein the programmatic adjustments comprise at least one of;

adding scheduled working hours to the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

deleting scheduled working hours from the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

or changing scheduled working hours on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein rules are used in at least one of the analyzing, using, and programmatically adjusting steps.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the user to confirm the predicted future working hours and wherein the programmatic adjustments are only made if the user confirms them.

4. A method of programmatically adjusting calendar events on electronic calendars, comprising steps of:

analyzing historical calendar data for a calendar user to determine patterns in the user'"'"'s historical calendar events, wherein the analyzing further comprises comparing the calendar user'"'"'s historical scheduled calendar events to his historical actual calendar events;

using the determined patterns to programmatically predict at least one future calendar event for the user, wherein the determined patterns comprise discrepancies between the historical scheduled calendar events and the historical actual calendar events; and

programmatically adjusting at least one of the user'"'"'s scheduled calendar events on an electronic calendar of the user, based on the predicted at least one future calendar event, wherein the at least one programmatic adjustment comprises at least one of;

adding a newly-scheduled calendar event to the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

deleting an already-scheduled calendar event from the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

or changing an already-scheduled event on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein rules are used in at least one of the analyzing, using, and programmatically adjusting steps.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of enabling the user to confirm each of the at least one predicted programmatic adjustments, and wherein the programmatic adjustments are only made if the user confirms them.

7. A system for programmatically adjusting working hours for electronic calendars, comprising:

stored historical calendar data comprising historical working hours for a user of an electronic calendar;

means for analyzing the stored historical calendar data for the user to determine patterns in the user'"'"'s historical working hours, wherein the analyzing further comprises comparing the user'"'"'s historical scheduled working hours to his historical actual working hours;

means for using the determined patterns to programmatically predict the user'"'"'s future working hours, wherein the determined patterns comprise discrepancies between the historical scheduled working hours and the historical actual working hours; and

means for automatically programmatically adjusting the user'"'"'s scheduled working hours for the electronic calendar of the user, for at least one future date, based on the predicted future working hours, wherein the programmatic adjustments comprise at least one of;

adding scheduled working hours to the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

deleting scheduled working hours from the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

or changing scheduled working hours on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

8. A computer program product for programmatically adjusting working hours for electronic calendars, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising computer-readable program code for:

analyzing historical calendar data for a calendar user to determine patterns in the user'"'"'s historical working hours, wherein the analyzing further comprises comparing the user'"'"'s historical scheduled working hours to his historical actual working hours;

using the determined patterns to programmatically predict the user'"'"'s future working hours, wherein the determined patterns comprise discrepancies between the historical scheduled working hours and the historical actual working hours; and

automatically programmatically adjusting the user'"'"'s scheduled working hours for an electronic calendar of the user, for at least one future date, based on the predicted future working hours, wherein the programmatic adjustments comprise at least one of;

adding scheduled working hours to the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

deleting scheduled working hours from the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

or changing scheduled working hours on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

9. A system for programmatically adjusting electronic calendars, comprising:

stored historical calendar data comprising historical calendar events for a user of an electronic calendar;

means for analyzing the stored historical calendar data for the user to determine at least one pattern in the user'"'"'s historical calendar events, wherein the analyzing further comprises comparing the calendar user'"'"'s historical scheduled calendar events to his historical actual calendar events;

means for using the determined at least one pattern to programmatically predict at least one future calendar event for the user, wherein the determined patterns comprise discrepancies between the historical scheduled calendar events and the historical actual calendar events; and

means for programmatically adjusting at one of the user'"'"'s scheduled calendar events on the electronic calendar of the user, based on the predicted at least one future calendar event, wherein the at least one programmatic adjustment comprises at least one of;

adding a newly-scheduled calendar event to the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

deleting an already-scheduled calendar event from the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

or changing an already-scheduled event on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

10. A computer program product for programmatically adjusting electronic calendars, the computer program embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising computer-readable program code for:

analyzing historical calendar data for a calendar user to determine at least one pattern in the user'"'"'s historical calendar events, wherein the analyzing further comprises comparing the calendar user'"'"'s historical scheduled calendar events to his historical actual calendar events;

using the determined at least one pattern to programmatically predict at least one future calendar event for the user, wherein the determined patterns comprise discrepancies between the historical scheduled calendar events and the historical actual calendar events; and

programmatically adjusting at least one of the user'"'"'s scheduled calendar events on an electronic calendar of the user, based on the predicted at least one future calendar event, wherein the at least one programmatic adjustment comprises at least one of;

adding a newly-scheduled calendar event to the user'"'"'electronic calendar;

deleting an already-scheduled calendar event from the user'"'"'s electronic calendar;

or changing an already-scheduled event on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.