Displaying overlaid calendars

• US 7,721,229 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Frankel, Glenn, Leukart, Richard Henry III
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell; Joshua D
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US11/599,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835, 715/963
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Displaying calendars may be provided. In response to a first input initiated by a user, a first calendar may be displayed comprising a user'"'"'s calendar. Next, a second calendar may be overlaid over the first calendar. The second calendar may be displayed transparently with respect to the first calendar. Then, a third calendar may be displayed beside the first calendar. The second or third calendar may each comprise an event calendar, a project calendar, or a calendar of another user not associated with the first calendar. In addition, a second user initiated input may be received selecting an entry on the second calendar. In response to the received second user initiated input, the second calendar may be redisplayed not transparently with respect to the first calendar. Moreover, in response to the received second user initiated input, the first calendar may be redisplayed transparently with respect to the redisplayed second calendar.

Claims

1. A method for displaying calendars, the method comprising:

displaying a first calendar in a first area configured to provide an overlaid calendar representation;

overlaying a second calendar over the first calendar, wherein overlaying the second calendar over the first calendar comprises displaying the first calendar in a full color state and displaying the second calendar in a faded color state, wherein overlaying the second calendar over the first calendar comprises displaying information from the first calendar and information from the second calendar simultaneously;

displaying a third calendar in a second area beside the first area, the second area being configured to provide a side-by-side calendar representation; and

switching, upon user indication, the third calendar with one of the first calendar and the second calendar, wherein switching, upon the user indication, the third calendar with one of the first calendar and the second calendar comprises switching the third calendar from the side-by-side calendar representation to the overlaid calendar representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first calendar comprises displaying the first calendar in response to an input initiated by a user associated with the first calendar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein overlaying the second calendar comprises overlaying the second calendar comprising one of the following:

an event calendar, a project calendar, and a calendar of another user not associated with the first calendar.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the third calendar comprises displaying the third calendar comprising one of the following:

an event calendar, a project calendar, and a calendar of another user not associated with the first calendar.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second user initiated input selecting a first entry from one of the following;

the second calendar and the third calendar; and

entering the selected first entry into the first calendar.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising overlaying a fourth calendar over the first calendar and the second calendar, wherein overlaying the fourth calendar over the first calendar and the second calendar comprises displaying the fourth calendar in the foreground and displaying the first calendar and the second calendar in the background, wherein displaying the first calendar and the second calendar in the background comprises displaying the fourth calendar so that information from the first calendar, information from the second calendar, and information from the fourth calendar is displayed simultaneously.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first calendar, the second calendar, and the third calendar comprises displaying at least one downloaded calendar.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first user initiated input selecting an entry on the first calendar; and

redisplaying, in response to the received first user initiated input, the second calendar in the full color state and the first calendar in the faded color state.

9. A system for displaying calendars, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

receive a first set of inputs respectively identifying a first calendar, a second calendar, and a third calendar;

receive a second input indicating two of the following calendars to overlay;

the first calendar, the second calendar, and the third calendar;

display, overlaid in a first area, the two calendars indicated by the second input, wherein a first one of the two calendars is displayed in a foreground and a second one of the two calendars is displayed in a background;

display, in a second area, one of the following calendars not displayed in the first area;

the first calendar, the second calendar, and the third calendar;

receive a third input for switching the one calendar displayed in the second area with one of the two overlaid calendars in the first area; and

switch, in response to the third input, the one calendar displayed in the second area with one of the two overlaid calendars in the first area, wherein the processing unit being operative to switch, in response to the third input, the one calendar displayed in the second area with one of the two overlaid calendars in the first area comprises the processing unit being operative to;

display, in the first area, the one calendar initially displayed in the second area overlaid with a remaining one of the two calendars initial displayed in the first area.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first calendar comprises a user'"'"'s calendar.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the second calendar comprises one of the following:

an event calendar, a project calendar, and a calendar of another user not associated with the first calendar.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the third calendar comprises one of the following:

an event calendar, a project calendar, and a calendar of another user not associated with the first calendar.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising the processing unit being operative to:

receive a fourth input selecting a second entry from a one of the calendars in the first area; and

enter the selected first entry into another of the calendars in the first area.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising the processing unit being operative to overlay a fourth calendar in the first area.

15. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for displaying calendars, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

providing a first area on a display, the first area configured to provide a first visual comparison of a first calendar to a second calendar by overlaying the first calendar with the second calendar, the second calendar being displayed transparently with respect to the first calendar;

providing a second area on the display, the second area configured to display the third calendar and provide a second visual comparison of the overlaid first calendar and second calendar to the third calendar by providing a side-by-side comparison of the overlaid first calendar and second calendar to the third calendar, wherein a user is enabled to switch the third calendar'"'"'s display to the overlaid first visual comparison display in the first area;

receiving a first user initiated input selecting an entry on the first calendar;

redisplaying, in response to the received first user initiated input, the second calendar in a full color, non-transparent state; and

redisplaying, in response to the received first user initiated input, the first calendar in a faded, transparent state.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein providing the first area on the display, the first area configured to provide the first visual comparison of the first calendar to the second calendar, comprises providing the first area on the display wherein the first calendar comprises a user'"'"'s calendar.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein providing the first area on the display, the first area configured to provide the first visual comparison of the first calendar to the second calendar, comprises providing the first area on the display wherein the second calendar comprises one of the following:

an event calendar, a project calendar, and a calendar of another user not associated with the first calendar.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein providing the second area on the display, the second area configured to display the third calendar, comprises providing the second area on the display, the second area configured to display the third calendar comprising one of the following:

an event calendar, a project calendar, and a calendar of another user not associated with the first calendar.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a second user initiated input selecting a first entry from one of the following;

the second calendar and the third calendar; and

entering the selected first entry into the first calendar.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising overlaying a fourth calendar over the first calendar and the second calendar, the fourth calendar being displayed transparently with respect to the first calendar and more transparently with respect to the second calendar.