Method for coordinating a set of related tasks and events by reducing duplicated effort

• US 7,716,671 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Johnny, Jabbour, Fadi, Lee, David, Patel, Labhesh
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): To; Jennifer N
• Application Number:
  US11/177,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 718100-108, 709201-206, 709/248, 705/1, 705 7- 9, 705 5- 6, 704/275
• US Class Current: 718/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A template listing one or more associated tasks is distributed to one or more devices, each device having a respective user. A task is selectively designated as either shared or individual. When information indicating that an action associated with a particular task has been performed is received at a first one of the devices, the template is updated at the first device, and optionally at others of the devices to indicate to others of the users that the action has been performed. The associated action of a shared task is performed once for all users, and the associated action of an individual task is performed separately by one or more of the users. Task information is optionally communicated between a template on a particular one of the devices and a personal information manager of the respective user of a particular device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

designating a task associated with a respective action that is completed once for a plurality of individuals as being a shared task, where being said shared task is designated on a computer-generated template comprising a task list, and where said computer-generated template is configured so that each of said plurality of individuals is authorized to complete said shared task on behalf of all of said plurality of individuals;

designating a task associated with a respective action that is completed separately by one individual of said plurality of individuals as being an individual task, where being said individual task is designated on said computer-generated template, and where said computer-generated template is configured so that said one individual is authorized to complete said individual task specific to said one individual;

subsequent to completing said respective actions of said designated tasks, distributing a result of said designated tasks in parallel to a plurality of devices associated with said plurality of individuals; and

updating said task list in parallel on said computer-generated template at each of said plurality of devices according to said distributed result to indicate that one or more of said designated tasks have been completed, where said respective action of said individual task is not viewable by others of said plurality of individuals.

2. The method of claim 1 where said respective action of said designated task is completed using an automated system for determining an availability of an external agent associated with performing said designated task, said automated system external to said plurality of devices.

3. The method of claim 2 where said automated system has voice capability and is configured to automatically communicate with said external agent.

4. The method of claim 2 where said automated system is configured to browse a web page to determine information associated with said designated task.

5. The method of claim 4 where said designated task comprises making a reservation.

6. The method of claim 1 where said individual task is separately completed by each of said plurality of individuals, and where said shared task is completed the same for all of said plurality of individuals.

7. The method of claim 1 where said individual task is common to and viewable by more than one of said plurality of individuals, and is not designated as being a shared task, and where said respective action of said individual task is independently completed by each of said plurality of individuals.

9. The method of claim 1 where said designated task is updated at said plurality of devices, indicating that said respective action is completed for all of said plurality of users, once said respective action is completed by one of said plurality of users.

8. A computer-readable medium having a set of instructions stored therein which when executed by a processing device causes the processing device to perform procedures comprising:

designating a task as being a shared task, where being said shared task is designated on a computer-generated template comprising a task list, where said shared task is completed in common for a plurality of users, where said computer-generated task list is configured so that each of said plurality of users are authorized to complete said shared task, and where said shared task comprises an action that when completed by one of said plurality of users is completed for all of said plurality of users;

designating a task comprising a respective action that is separately completed by one or more users as an individual task, where said individual task is further designated as confidential;

distributing a result of said designated tasks to a plurality of devices associated with said plurality of users; and

updating said task list on said computer-generated template in parallel at said plurality of devices to indicate that one or more of said designated tasks have been completed, where said respective action of said individual task is not viewable by others of said plurality of users.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 where the procedures further comprise prompting an automated system associated with said plurality of devices to perform said action.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein said automated system has voice recognition capability, and where said action comprises:

contacting a third party; and

determining an expected wait time before being connected to an operator of said third party.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 where the procedures further comprise automatically transferring information associated with one or more of said plurality of users to an external agent, where said action comprises making a reservation.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 where said automated system is configured to:

crawl a web page identified by said shared task; and

automatically transfer information associated with one or more of said plurality of users to said web page.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 where said procedures further comprise:

designating a task that is completed separately by one individual of said plurality of users as being said individual task, where said one individual is authorized to complete said individual task specific to said one individual, and where said individual task is independently completed by each of said plurality of users.

15. A computer system for managing shared tasks, said computer system comprising:

means for designating a task comprising a respective action that is separately completed by one or more individuals as being an individual task, where being said individual task is designated on a computer-generated task list;

means for designating a task comprising a respective action that when completed by one of said individuals is completed for all of said individuals as being a shared task, where each of said individuals are authorized to complete said shared task, and where being said shared task is designated on said computer-generated task list;

means for distributing said computer-generated task list comprising a plurality of designated tasks in parallel to a plurality of devices associated with said individuals;

means for identifying that said respective actions of said designated tasks have been performed;

means for updating said computer-generated task list in parallel at said plurality of devices to indicate that one or more of said designated tasks are completed; and

a display device for displaying said computer-generated task list, where said respective action is determined to be completed for said individuals according to the designation of said designated task as being individual or shared, and where said respective action of said individual task is not viewable by others of said plurality of individuals.

16. The computer system of claim 15 where said respective action of said individual task is performed differently by a plurality of said individuals, and where said respective action of said shared task is performed the same for said plurality of individuals.

17. A system comprising:

a computer system enabled to execute a template generator that generates a list of one or more tasks, where each of said one or more tasks is designated on said list as being either an individual task or a shared task, where said individual task comprises a respective action that is separately performed by one or more of a plurality of individuals, where said individual task is common to and viewable by more than one of said plurality of individuals and is not designated as shared, where said shared task is common to said plurality of individuals and comprises a respective action that when performed by any one of said plurality of individuals is designated on said list as being performed on behalf of all of said plurality of individuals, where said shared task is completed the same for all of said plurality of individuals, where each of said plurality of individuals are authorized to complete said shared task, and where said list is distributed in parallel to a plurality of devices associated with said plurality of individuals; and

an intelligent scheduler that receives information identifying that said respective actions of said one or more designated tasks have been performed by one or more of said plurality of individuals, and updates said list at said plurality of devices in parallel to indicate one or more of said designated tasks have been completed, wherein said respective action of said individual task completed by one of said plurality of individuals is not viewable by others of said plurality of individuals.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said designated task is designated as individual, where said individual task is independently completed by each of said plurality of individuals, and where said intelligent scheduler tracks a separate progress of each of said plurality of individuals in completing said individual task.

19. The system of claim 18 where said individual task is completed differently by more than one of said plurality of individuals.

20. The system of claim 17 where said intelligent scheduler provides an alert when a condition applied to an external agent associated with performing said respective action of said designated task is satisfied.