Method and system for collective calendaring

• US 7,757,176 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amy Muntz, Max Carlson, Philip, Sanj Romanik, Sanjay Vakil, Wendy Mceachern, Wyatt, Gerber & O'Rourke
• Original Assignee: Amy Muntz, Max Carlson, Philip, Sanj Romanik, Sanjay Vakil, Wendy Mceachern, Wyatt, Gerber & O'Rourke
• Inventors: Vakil, Sanjay, Rose, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chuong; Truc T
• Application Number:
  US11/796,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/762, 715/783, 715/804, 715/963
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A confluence calendar system and method is provided having a user platform with a user calendar having a number of events of importance to the user. Each of the user events can include date information, location information, and other event detail information. In addition, a serendipity server is provided for generating serendipitous events, based on information received from the user and third parties. The serendipity server sends the serendipitous events to the user for viewing, and for adding the serendipitous event to the user'"'"'s calendar.

Claims

1. A confluence calendar system for use in a network of systems comprising:

at least one user platform comprising a user calendaring tool and a user network application, wherein the user calendaring tool comprises a plurality of user calendar events and preference information, said plurality of user calendar events including personal calendar data comprising time information associated with the user calendar events, location information associated with the user calendar events, and event detail information associated with the user calendar events;

said preference information comprising at least a user default location, and

a serendipity server comprising a serendipitous event generator;

wherein the user network application is operatively connected to the serendipity server;

wherein the serendipity server is adapted to receive a plurality of third party calendar events from at least one third party calendar source, said third party calendar events including third party calendar data comprising time information associated with the third party calendar events, location information associated with the third party calendar events, and event detail information associated with the third party calendar events;

wherein the serendipity server receives at least a portion of the plurality of user calendar events;

wherein the serendipitous event generator is adapted to search for at least one serendipitous event by comparing at least the time information, location information, and at least a portion of the preference information of the user calendar data with at least the time information and location information of the third party calendar data, wherein the time information of the user calendar data is future time information and the time information of the third party calendar data is future time information

wherein the serendipity server further comprises a preference and feedback processor wherein the preference and feedback processor is adapted to receive feedback data from the user platform, and wherein the serendipitous event generator is further adapted to generate serendipitous events based on the feedback data, wherein said feedback data is selected from the group comprising data indicating a user'"'"'s selection of a previously presented serendipitous event, and data indicating a user'"'"'s rating of a previously presented serendipitous event by degree of interest to the user;

wherein the serendipity server receiving and parsing the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events, wherein matching and harvesting said third party calendar events comprise flattening the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events, said flattening comprising assigning non-overlapping time information for the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events.

2. The confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipity server further comprises a calendar processor for parsing the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events to obtain personal calendar data and third party calendar data;

wherein the serendipity server is further adapted to harvest harvested user events from the personal calendar data;

wherein the serendipity server is further adapted to harvest harvested third party events from the third party calendar data, and wherein the serendipitous event generator is further adapted to generate serendipitous events by comparing at least the time information and location information of the harvested user events with the third party calendar data of the harvested third party events, wherein said serendipitous events are future serendipitous events.

3. The confluence calendar system according to claim 2, wherein the event generator is further adapted to generate at least one additional serendipitous event by prioritizing the serendipitous events according to prioritizing criteria, said prioritizing criteria being selected from the group comprising event identification information, time information, location information and event detail information.

4. The confluence calendar system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one third party calendar source, wherein the third party calendar source comprises a plurality of third party calendar events, said third party calendar events including third party calendar data selected from the group of date information, location information, and event detail information.

5. The confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipity server further comprises a preference and feedback processor, wherein the preference and feedback processor is adapted to receive preference data from the user platform, and wherein the serendipitous event generator is adapted to search for serendipitous events based on the preference data, wherein said serendipitous events exclude events having matching default location.

6. The confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipity server is further adapted to flatten the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events, whereby the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events are assigned non-overlapping time information, whereby the location of an event continuing later in time than an earlier event, and beginning later than an earlier event, takes precedence over the location of the event earlier in time when the locations conflict.

7. The confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipity server is further adapted to generate a confluence calendar and is adapted to send the confluence calendar to the user platform, wherein the confluence calendar includes third party calendar data.

8. The confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipity server is further adapted to send at least a portion of the plurality of user calendar events, and is further adapted to receive a plurality of third party calendar events from at least one third party calendar source, said third party calendar events including third party calendar data tailored to the at least a portion of the plurality of user calendar events.

9. A confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipitous event generator is further adapted to search the user calendar data for at least one user unscheduled time period, and to search for at least one third party event having third party location information matching user location information associated with the at least one user unscheduled time period, wherein the user location information is different than the user default location.

10. A confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipitous event generator is further adapted to search the user calendar data for at least one user unscheduled time period, to search the third party calendar data for at least one third party unscheduled time period, and to search for at least one third party unscheduled time period having third party location information matching user location information associated with the at least one user unscheduled time period, wherein the user location information is different than the user default location.

11. A confluence calendar system according to claim 1, wherein the serendipitous event generator is further adapted to search the user calendar data for at least one user unscheduled time period, to search the third party calendar data for at least one third party unscheduled time period, and to search for at least one third party unscheduled time period having third party location information matching user location information associated with the at least one user unscheduled time period, wherein the third party location information is different than the third party default location.

12. A method of collective calendaring comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of user calendar events and user preference information from at least one user, said user calendar events comprising at least one user event information comprising future time information associated with the user calendar events, location information associated with the user calendar events, and event detail information associated with the user calendar events, said preference information comprising at least a user default location;

receiving a plurality of third party calendar events from at least one third party calendar source, said third party calendar events comprising at least one third party event information comprising future time information associated with the third party calendar events, location information associated with the third party calendar events, and event detail information associated with the third party calendar events;

harvesting at least one matching event by matching said user calendar events with said third party calendar events based on at least one matching criteria, said matching criteria chosen from the group of event identification, time and location, preference information and event detail information; and

generating at least one future serendipitous event from the at least one matching events, and

receiving feedback data from at least one user, and wherein the step of generating serendipitous events includes generating serendipitous events based on the feedback data, wherein said feedback data is selected from the group comprising data indicating a user'"'"'s selection of a previously presented serendipitous event, and data indicating a user'"'"'s rating of a previously presented serendipitous event by degree of interest to the user,

wherein the receiving step comprises parsing the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events, wherein the harvesting step comprises flattening the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events, said flattening comprising assigning non-overlapping time information for the plurality of user calendar events and the plurality of third party calendar events.

13. The method of collective calendaring according to claim 12, wherein the step of generating at least one serendipitous event further comprises consolidating the at least one harvested event.

14. The method of collective calendaring according to claim 12, wherein the step of generating at least one serendipitous event further comprising the step of prioritizing the at least one serendipitous event based on at least one prioritizing criteria selected from the group comprising event identification information, time information, location information and event detail information.

15. The method of collective calendaring according to claim 12, further comprising receiving preference information from the at least one user, said preference information selected from the group comprising event identification information, time information, location information and event detail information.

16. The method of collective calendaring according to claim 15, wherein the step of generating serendipitous events includes comparing user calendar events with said third party calendar events based on at least one comparison criteria, said comparison criteria chosen from the group of event identification, time and location, event detail information, and preference information.

17. The method of collective calendaring according to claim 15, wherein the step of generating at least one serendipitous event further comprises prioritizing the at least one serendipitous event based on at least one prioritizing criteria selected from the group comprising event identification information, time information, location information, event detail information, and preference information.

18. The method of collective calendaring according to claim 12, wherein the flattening step includes assigning default location information to at least one of said plurality of user calendar events.

19. The method of collective calendaring according to claim 12, wherein the harvesting step includes approximating at least one of the comparison criteria.