Cross-platform calendar notifications

• US 8,078,476 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alperin, Jordan, Cerami, Rich
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Amee A
• Application Number:
  US11/399,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/27, 705/1.1, 705/26.1, 709/219
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

Systems, methods, and machine-readable media to provide notification of calendar events across multiple platforms of potentially diverse types. In one embodiment, a method of cross-platform calendar notification can comprise detecting an occurrence of a previously set calendar event. Profile information for a user associated with the calendar event can be read and one or more end devices to which to provide notification of the occurrence of the calendar event can be determined based on the profile information. A notification message can be generated indicating occurrence of the calendar event. The notification message can be sent to each of the one or more end devices.

Claims

1. A method of providing cross-platform calendar notifications, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer system, a request to set a calendar event, the request including event definition information;

reading the event definition information from the request to set the calendar event;

storing at least some of the event definition information in a user profile for a user associated with the calendar event, the user profile stored in a user profile database;

setting, in a calendar system, a calendar event based at least in part on the event definition information, the calendar system being separate from the user profile database;

detecting, with the computer system, an occurrence of the previously set calendar event;

reading, with the computer system, profile information, including at least some of the stored event definition information, from the user profile of the user associated with the calendar event; and

determining, with the computer system and based on the profile information, two or more end devices to which to provide notification of occurrence of the calendar event wherein, the two or more end devices comprises a plurality of different device types, each of the two or more end devices adapted to send and receive common language messages and translate received common language messages to a format specific to the end device based on the device type.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a common language notification message indicating occurrence of the calendar event.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending the common language notification message to each of the two or more end devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining from the profile information whether calendar notifications are enabled prior to determining two or more end devices to which to provide notification of the calendar event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining two or more end devices to which to provide notification of the calendar event is performed in response to determining calendar notifications are enabled.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the user associated with the calendar event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the two or more end devices to which to provide notification of the calendar event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of an event type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the event.

10. A system for providing cross-platform calendar notifications, the system comprising:

a communications bus;

a user profile database communicatively coupled with the communications bus and adapted to maintain profile information for a plurality of users;

a plurality of end devices of different types, each end device communicatively coupled with the communications bus and adapted to send and receive common language messages via the communications bus, to translate common language messages received from the communications bus to a format specific to the end device based on the type, and to store user profile information in the user profile database;

a manager communicatively coupled with the communications bus and configured to;

receive a request to set a calendar event, the request including event definition information;

read the event definition information from the request to set the calendar event;

store at least some of the event definition information in a user profile for a user associated with the calendar event, the user profile stored in a user profile database;

set, in a calendar system, a calendar event based at least in part on the event definition information, the calendar system being separate from the user profile database;

detect an occurrence of the previously set calendar event;

read profile information, including at least some of the stored event definition information, from the user profile of the user associated with the calendar event; and

determine, based on the profile information, two or more end devices to which to provide notification of occurrence of the calendar event.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the manager is further adapted to determine from the profile information for the user associated with the calendar event whether calendar notifications are enabled prior to determining one or more recipient end devices.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining one or more recipient end devices, generating a common language message comprising a notification message indicating occurrence of the calendar event, and sending the notification message to each of the one or more recipient end devices is performed in response to determining calendar notifications are enabled.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the user associated with the calendar event.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the one or more end devices to which to provide notification of the calendar event.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of an event type.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the event.

17. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon a series of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform cross-platform calendar notifications by:

receiving a request to set a calendar event, the request including event definition information;

reading the event definition information from the request to set the calendar event;

storing at least some of the event definition information in a user profile for a user associated with the calendar event, the user profile stored in a user profile database;

setting, in a calendar system, a calendar event based at least in part on the event definition information, the calendar system being separate from the user profile database;

detecting an occurrence of the previously set calendar event;

reading profile information, including at least some of the stored event definition information, from the user profile of the user associated with the calendar event; and

determining based on the profile information two or more end devices to which to provide notification of occurrence of the calendar event, wherein, the two or more end devices comprises a plurality of different device types, each of the two or more end devices adapted to send and receive common language messages and translate received common language messages to a format specific to the end device based on the device type.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising generating a common language notification message indicating occurrence of the calendar event.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising sending the common language notification message to each of the two or more end devices.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the user associated with the calendar event.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the two or more end devices to which to provide notification of the calendar event.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of an event type.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the event definition information comprises an indication of the event.