Grouping and displaying multiple tasks within an event object of an electronic calendar

• US 7,370,282 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James C. Cary
• Original Assignee: James C. Cary
• Inventors: Cary, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECKER, SHASHI KAMALA
• Application Number:
  US11/098,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20050222971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 715/772, 715/963
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A system for the display and editing of scheduled tasks and timeslots represented in the form of user interface elements embedded in the calendar regions of the graphical user interface of electronic calendaring systems. It provides structures and methods for editing schedule data in the form of individual tasks and timeslots, sub-groups of tasks and timeslots, and related collections of scheduled tasks and timeslots. It provides for the automated generation of scheduled tasks and timeslots information using a template structure, thereby reducing the amount of decisions and key strokes required for the user to generate and load into their personal calendars a predefined program of recurring tasks and timeslots. Methods are employed to minimize routine program maintenance requirements. In particular, a structure is provided which allows scheduled tasks information to be defined in such a way that particular tasks may be added or removed from a user'"'"'s schedule either after predefined intervals of time, or, dynamically in response to changes in a predefined metric such as might be used to measure a user'"'"'s skill level or efficiency.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying scheduled tasks within a calendar having a day agenda view, the day agenda view graphically depicting, for each of one or more days, a time scale of less than or equal to a day, the method comprising:

displaying at least two event objects within the day agenda view of the calendar, each event object graphically depicting a time period less than the time scale of the day agenda view, wherein the at least two event objects are independently movable by a user relative to the time scale of the day agenda view to change a start time for each of the event objects; and

displaying at least two task objects within a first event object, each task object representing a task scheduled to be performed within the time period graphically depicted by the first event object, each task object being defined by a separate data structure, each task object being independently moveable, using a drag and drop operation, from the first event object to a second event object, such that a task object so moved is displayed within the second event object, and the task represented by the task object is scheduled to be performed within the time period graphically depicted by the second event object.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the task objects are independently manipulable within the calendar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one event object comprises a displayable container object representing a time period, and wherein the container object is independently manipulable within the day agenda view to change a duration of the event object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a spatial relationship between the first event object and the time scale of the day agenda view indicates the at least one time period within which the at least two tasks are scheduled to be undertaken.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of and dragging the first event object to a second event object of the calendar, modifying occurrence information for the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the occurrence information comprises at least one of a starting time, an ending time, a start date, an end date, an occurrence date, a recurrence calculation type identifier, a day of week indicator, a days of week indicator, a week of month indicator, a month of year indicator, a user identifier, a user group identifier, a time interval in which an event repeats, a number of time intervals between occurrences of an event, a non-recurring event indicator, an indicator that exception occurrences exist, a listing of event occurrences, and a listing of any exception occurrences.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to a second event object of the calendar, modifying occurrence information of the selected task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to a first date-related object of the calendar, modifying occurrence date information of the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to a date represented by the first date-related object.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to a first date-related object of the calendar, modifying occurrence date information of the selected task object to conform to a date represented by the first date-related object.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to a first user-related object of the calendar, modifying user identity information associated with the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to user identity information represented by the first user-related object.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the least two task objects within the first event object to a first user-related object of the calendar, modifying user identity information associated with the selected task object to conform to user identity information represented by the first user-related object.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to the first event object, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the date-related object, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to a second date-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the first date-related object, and modifying occurrence date information of the found task objects to conform to a date represented by the second date-related object.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar;

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to a first user-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the first date-related object, and modifying user identity information associated with the found task objects to conform to a user identity represented by the first user-related object.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to the first event object, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar;

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to a first date-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying occurrence date information of the found tasks objects to conform to a date represented by the first date-related object.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to a second user-related object of the calendar, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying user identity information associated with the found task objects to conform to a user identity represented by the second user-related object.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a third task object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to the third task object, modifying occurrence information of the at least two task objects within the first event object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a third task object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to the third task object, modifying occurrence information of the selected task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of date-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first date-related object to the first task object, finding any task objects associated with a current user identity and a date associated with the first date-related object, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first user-related object to the first task object, finding any task objects associated with a user identity associated with the first user-related object and a current date, and modifying occurrence information of the found task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the first event object.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one sub-group object within the calendar;

displaying the at least one sub-group object within the first event object; and

associating at least one task object in a subordinate graphical relationship with the at least one sub-group object.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the at least one sub-group object to a second event object of the calendar, modifying occurrence information of the at least one task object which is in a subordinate graphical relationship to the at least one sub-group object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a plurality of user-related objects within the calendar; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the at least one sub-group object to a first user-related object of the calendar, modifying user identity information associated with the at least one task object which is in a subordinate graphical relationship to the at least one sub-group object to conform to user identity information represented by the first user-related object.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first event object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the at least two task objects to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a selected one of the at least two task objects within the first event object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the selected task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of a first task object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the first task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

representing a second sub-group object within a second event object; and

in response to a user selection of and dragging of the first sub-group object to the second sub-group object, modifying occurrence information of the at least one task object to conform to occurrence information represented by the second event object.

29. A system for displaying scheduled tasks within a calendar having a day agenda view, the day agenda view graphically depicting, for each of one or more days, a time scale of less than or equal to a day, comprising:

means for displaying at least two event objects within the day agenda view of the calendar, each event object graphically depicting a time period less than the time scale of the day agenda view, wherein the at least two event objects are independently movable by a user relative to the time scale of the day agenda view to change a start time for each of the event objects;

means for displaying at least two task objects within a first event object, each task object representing a task scheduled to be undertaken within a time period graphically depicted by the first event object, each task object being defined by a separate data structure, the first event object associating the at least two task objects with a single header; and

means for moving a selected task object from the first event object to a second event object in response to a drag and drop operation, wherein the moved task object is displayed within the second event object, and the task represented by the moved task object is scheduled to be performed within the time period graphically depicted by the second event object.

30. A method comprising:

providing at least two displayable event objects within a day agenda view of a calendar, the day agenda view graphically depicting, for each of one or more days, a time scale of less than or equal to a day, each event object graphically depicting a time period less than a day;

displaying a sub-group object within the first event object in the day agenda view of the calendar;

displaying at least two task objects within the first event object, in a subordinate graphical relationship with the sub-group object, each task object representing a task scheduled to be performed within the time period graphically depicted by the first event object, each task object being defined by a separate data structure, each task being independently movable to a second event object in response to a drag and drop operation, such that a task object so moved is displayed within the second event object. and the task represented by the task object is scheduled to be performed within the time period graphically depicted by the second event object.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the sub-group object corresponds to a room in a house.