Location and time sensitive wireless calendaring

• US 7,813,950 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Menon, Jai, Zhou, Gaiye, Perrella, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): LOFTIS, JOHNNA RONEE
• Application Number:
  US11/592,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/7.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computer-implemented method provides location-sensitive and time-sensitive calendaring to a wireless device, such as a cell phone, pager, PDA, etc. A user'"'"'s calendar is maintained with a number of appointments, start times and end times for the appointments, meeting place and a list of attendees for the appointments. When the present time reading is within a predetermined minimum of a meeting start time of an appointment of a calendar of a user, the location of the user is determined based on the location of the wireless device. The location of the meeting place is also determined. Using historical data (of the user or others), the estimated time of arrival of the user at the meeting place is determined. If the estimated time of arrival is after the meeting start time, then a late message may be sent to the user and/or to the other meeting attendees.

Claims

1. A method for providing a calendar management service in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

determining, at a calendar management server in communication with the wireless communications network, that a start time of a calendar appointment is approaching based upon a present time reading, the calendar appointment comprising the start time, a plurality of appointment attendees, and an appointment location;

the calendar management server sending, in response to the determination that the start time of the calendar appointment is approaching, a roll call request to a plurality of wireless devices operating in the wireless communications network, wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices corresponds to at least one of the plurality of appointment attendees;

receiving, at the calendar management server, in response to the roll call request, a location for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices;

calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, an estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, the estimated time of arrival for each wireless device being based upon the location of each wireless device and a respective velocity of each wireless device;

determining, at the calendar management server, that at least one of the estimated times of arrival is after the start time of the calendar appointment;

rescheduling, at the calendar management server in response to the determination that at least one of the estimated times of arrival is after the start time of the calendar appointment, the calendar appointment to an alternative start time; and

the calendar management server providing a notification to at least one of the plurality of wireless devices, the notification comprising the alternative start time of the calendar appointment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, is further based upon historical data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, is further based upon the historical data, the historical data comprising data collected from the plurality of wireless devices.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, is further based upon the historical data, the historical data comprising a time stamp and a location identification.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, is further based upon the historical data, the historical data comprising a commute time from the location of each of the plurality of wireless devices to the appointment location.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, is further based upon the historical data obtained from a third party source.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, is further based upon the historical data, the historical data comprising an indication of a mode of transportation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating, at the calendar management server, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, is further based upon the location of each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices and the respective velocity of each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the respective velocity of each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices being calculated using a global positioning system (GPS).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the calendar management server, in response to the roll call request, the location for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices comprises receiving, at the calendar management server, in response to the roll call request, the location for each wireless device, the location for each wireless device being determined at each respective wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices using a GPS receiver in each respective wireless device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the calendar management server, in response to the roll call request, the location for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices comprises receiving, at the calendar management server, in response to the roll call request, the location for each wireless device, the location for each wireless device being determined at each respective wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices using a triangulation method.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the calendar management server, in response to the roll call request, the location for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices comprises receiving, at the calendar management server, in response to the roll call request, the location for each wireless device, the location for each wireless device being determined at each respective wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices using an E.911 location information method.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the calendar management server sending a late message to the plurality of wireless devices to inform the plurality of appointment attendees that at least one of the plurality of appointment attendees is late based upon the estimated times of arrival calculated for the plurality of appointment attendees.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the calendar management server notifying the plurality of appointment attendees of a depart time by which to proceed to the appointment location in order to arrive at the appointment location by the alternative start time.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, perform the steps of:

determining that a start time of a calendar appointment is approaching based upon a present time reading, the calendar appointment comprising the start time, a plurality of appointment attendees, and an appointment location;

sending, in response to the determination that the start of the calendar appointment is approaching, a roll call request to a plurality of wireless devices operating in a wireless communications network, wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices corresponds to at least one of the plurality of appointment attendees;

receiving, in response to the roll call request, a location for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices;

calculating, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, an estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, the estimated time of arrival for each wireless device being based upon the location of each wireless device and a respective velocity of each wireless device;

determining that at least one of the estimated times of arrival is after the start time of the calendar appointment;

rescheduling the calendar appointment to an alternative start time in response to the determination that at least one of the estimated times of arrival is after the start time of the calendar appointment;

providing a notification to at least one of the plurality of wireless devices, the notification comprising the alternative start time of the calendar appointment.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the step of notifying the plurality of appointment attendees of a depart time by which to proceed to the appointment location in order to arrive at the appointment location by the alternative start time.

15. A system for providing a calendar management service in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, in communication with the processor, the memory being configured to store instructions that, when executed, perform the steps of;

determining that a start time of a calendar appointment is approaching based upon a present time reading, the calendar appointment comprising the start time, a plurality of appointment attendees, and an appointment location;

sending, in response to the determination that the start of the calendar appointment is approaching, a roll call request to a plurality of wireless devices operating in the wireless communications network, wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices corresponds to at least one of the plurality of appointment attendees;

receiving, in response to the roll call request, a location for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices;

calculating, for each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, an estimated time of arrival at the appointment location, the estimated time of arrival for each wireless device being based upon the location of each wireless device and a respective velocity of each wireless device;

determining that at least one of the estimated times of arrival is after the start time of the calendar appointment;

rescheduling the calendar appointment to an alternative start time in response to the determination that at least one of the estimated times of arrival is after the start time of the calendar appointment;

providing a notification to at least one of the plurality of wireless devices, the notification comprising the alternative start time of the calendar appointment.