Simultaneous display of multiple calendar systems

• US 7,349,920 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Feinberg, Yaniv, Alwan, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US10/778,273
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/9, 707/10, 707/102, 707/104.1, 709/224, 715/703
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A calendar display, method and system are disclosed that can provide a calendar display showing a period of one or more days and simultaneously showing information for the days in the display period in more than one calendar system. The calendar system displays calendar data in calendar display based on a primary calendar system. The calendar system also calculates and displays information in a second calendar system so the user is simultaneously provided with information the primary and secondary calendar systems.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of displaying calendar data to a user comprising:

receiving a user selection of a primary calendar system and a secondary calendar system, wherein the primary calendar system comprises one of, and the secondary calendar system comprises a different one of, the following calendar systems;

Gregorian, Hijri, Jewish, Chinese, Saka Era, International Standard Organization, or Julian;

accessing calendar data, the calendar data including a plurality of events, wherein each of the plurality of events has a description and wherein each of the plurality of events are associated with at least one respective date in the primary calendar system;

converting each of the at least one respective date for each of the plurality of events to the secondary calendar system;

generating a first calendar display, the first calendar display being a graphical representation of dates of two or more consecutive days in the primary calendar system within a display period, and indicating the occurrence of the plurality of events in the first calendar display;

generating a second calendar display, the second calendar display being a graphical representation in the secondary calendar system of at least the dates within the display period and indicating the occurrence of the plurality of events in the second calendar display;

simultaneously displaying the first calendar display and the second calendar display to the user;

receiving a user selection of a date on the first calendar display of the second calendar display; and

highlighting the user selected date on both the first calendar display and the second calendar display in response to the user selection of the date.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first calendar display and the second calendar display are presented side by side.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user command to create a recurring event in the secondary calendar system, the recurring event being a series of recurrences separated by a secondary calendar system period, each recurrence associated with a date;

indicating, for each recurrence associated with a date within the display period, the occurrence of the recurring event in the second calendar display and in the first calendar display.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

converting each recurrence of the recurring event in the secondary calendar system into a corresponding non-recurring event in the primary calendar system.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

associating, with each recurrence displayed in the first calendar display, information indicating that the recurrence is part of a recurring event in the secondary calendar system.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user-selection of a two calendar display mode.

7. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving a command to delete the recurring event;

removing, for each recurrence associated with a date within the display period, the indication of occurrence of the recurring event in the second calendar display and in the first calendar display.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user command to change at least one date associated with one of the plurality of events displayed on the first calendar display to a new date in the primary calendar system; and

changing the first calendar display to display the event on the new date;

changing the second display to display the event on a date in the secondary calendar system that corresponds to the new date in the primary calendar system.

9. A computer implemented method of displaying a first set of calendar data to a user comprising:

receiving a user selection of a primary language from a plurality of language selections;

receiving a user selection of a primary calendar system from a set of calendar systems;

receiving a user selection of a secondary language from the plurality of language selections;

receiving a user selection of a secondary calendar system from the set of calendar systems, wherein the primary calendar system comprises one of, and the secondary calendar system comprises a different one of, the following calendar systems;

Gregorian, Hijri, Jewish, Chinese, Saka Era, International Standard Organization, or Julian;

receiving a user command to display calendar data in a first display period based on the primary calendar system, wherein the first display period comprises a plurality of days;

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation of a second display period, the second display period including at least the first display period;

calculating a primary calendar system description of the first display period;

calculating a secondary calendar system description of the second display period;

displaying in the calendar display the first set of calendar data, the primary calendar system description in the primary language, and the secondary calendar system description in the secondary language; and

receiving a user command to create a recurring event in the secondary calendar system, the recurring event being a series of recurrences separated by a secondary calendar system period, each recurrence associated with a date and each event comprising at least one of an appointment, holiday, meeting or deadline;

indicating, for each recurrence associated with a date within the second display period, the occurrence of the recurring event in the calendar display in both of the primary calendar system and the secondary calendar system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the primary calendar system description of the first display period includes a primary calendar system description for each day in the second display period, and wherein the secondary calendar system description of the display period includes a secondary calendar system description for each day in the second display period.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the secondary language is different than the primary language.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the second display period is a period of time within each of a work week of five days and further comprising:

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation of each of the five days in the work week; and

displaying in a header above the graphical representations the primary calendar system description and the secondary calendar description.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the second display period is a period of time within each of a work week of five days and further comprising:

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation for each of the five days in the work week; and

displaying in each graphical representation the primary calendar system description and the secondary calendar description of the day associated with the graphical representation.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second display period is a period of time within a week of seven days and further comprising:

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation of each of the days in the week; and

displaying in a header above the graphical representations the primary calendar system description and the secondary calendar description.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the second display period is a week of seven days and further comprising:

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation for each of the days in the week; and

displaying in each graphical representation a primary calendar system description and a secondary calendar description of the day associated with the graphical representation.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the second display period is a period of time within a day and further comprising:

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation of the day; and

displaying in a header above the graphical representation the primary calendar system description and the secondary calendar description.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the second display period is a period of time within a day and further comprising:

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation of the day; and

displaying in the graphical representation the primary calendar system description and the secondary calendar description of the day.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the first display period is a month in the primary calendar system and the calendar display includes a graphical representation of each of the days in the month;

and wherein displaying further comprises;

displaying in a header above the graphical representation a primary calendar system description of the month and the secondary calendar description of the second display period.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the first display period is a month in the primary calendar system and the calendar display includes a graphical representation of each of the days in the month;

and wherein displaying further comprises;

displaying in each graphical representation the primary and secondary calendar system descriptions of the day associated with the graphical representation.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the first display period is a month in the primary calendar system and the calendar display includes a graphical representation of each of the days in the month;

and wherein displaying further comprises;

displaying in a header above the graphical representation a primary calendar system description of the month and the secondary calendar description of the second display period; and

displaying in each graphical representation the primary and secondary calendar system descriptions of the day associated with the graphical representation.

21. The method of claim 9, wherein the primary calendar system description and the secondary calendar description are displayed in a header above the graphical representation.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein the second display period includes a plurality of days and further comprising:

generating a calendar display, the calendar display including a graphical representation of each day in the second display period;

calculating a primary calendar system description for each day in the second display period;

calculating a secondary calendar system description for each day in the second display period; and

displaying in each graphical representation the primary calendar system description and the secondary calendar description for the day associated with the graphical representation.

23. The method of claim 9, wherein the primary calendar system description identifies at least a month and year in the primary calendar system and the secondary calendar system description identifies at least a month and year in the secondary calendar system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the primary calendar system description identifies at least a date, month and year in the primary calendar system and the secondary calendar system description identifies at least a date, month and year in the secondary calendar system.

25. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

identifying a generic date for each day in the second display period;

accessing conversion information for converting a generic date into a primary calendar system description of the generic date; and

accessing conversion information for converting a generic date into a secondary calendar system description of the generic date.

26. A method of displaying a calendar comprising:

specifying a primary calendar system and a first language associated with the primary calendar system;

receiving a user selection to display a secondary calendar system;

receiving a user selection of a second language to be associated with the secondary calendar system;

receiving a user selection of the secondary calendar system, wherein the primary calendar system comprises one of, and the secondary calendar system comprises a different one of, the following calendar systems;

Gregorian, Hijri, Jewish, Chinese, Saka Era, International Standard Organization, or Julian; and

displaying a calendar display with a graphical representation of a plurality of days within a display period, the calendar display comprising a cell or column representing each day, each cell or column containing a representation of a corresponding date in the primary calendar system and a corresponding date in the secondary calendar system;

wherein the calendar display includes text in the first language identifying the display period in the primary calendar system and text in the second language identifying the display period in the secondary calendar system;

wherein the graphical representation is a cell in the calendar display for each day in the display period and wherein each cell includes text in the first language identifying the display period in the primary calendar system and text in the second language identifying the display period in the secondary calendar system;

receiving a user command to create a recurring event in the secondary calendar system, the recurring event being a series of recurrences separated by a secondary calendar system period, each recurrence associated with a date and each event comprising at least one of an appointment, holiday, meeting or deadline; and

indicating, for each recurrence associated with a date within the second display period, the occurrence of the recurring event in the calendar display in both of the primary calendar system and the secondary calendar system.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein specifying comprises:

receiving a user selection of the primary calendar system; and

receiving a user selection of the first language.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the first language and the second language are different.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the primary calendar system is the Gregorian Calendar and the secondary calendar system is selected from a set of calendar systems including the Hijri Calendar, the Chinese Calendar, the Saka Era Calendar, and the Jewish Calendar.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the primary calendar system and the secondary calendar system have a different number of days in a year.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the primary calendar system and the secondary calendar system have a different number of days in a month.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein receiving the selection of the secondary language occurs before receiving the selection of the calendar system.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein each cell or column includes a header bar with text in the first language describing a day of the week in the first calendar system, and text in the second language describing a day of the week in the secondary calendar system.