Method and system for managing conflicting calendar entries

• US 8,086,478 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Morgan, Fabian F., Walker, Keith Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell, Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): DELICH, STEPHANIE ZAGARELLA
• Application Number:
  US11/692,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.18, 705/7.19, 705/7.24
• US Class Current: 705/7.19
• 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

Abstract

The present invention enables a user to schedule meetings and detect scheduling conflicts. A system user such as an employee schedules a meeting. The time and date of the meeting is stored in an account for that user. When the same user schedules another meeting, that meeting is detected and compared with any previously and scheduled and stored meetings for that user. If there is a conflict between the presently scheduled meeting and any previously scheduled meeting, then the present invention alerts the user and gives the user the opportunity to select the new meeting for that time or to retain the currently scheduled meeting. The present invention can also store and track the unscheduled meetings. In the event the scheduled meeting is postponed or canceled, the user can be notified and given the opportunity to schedule and attend a previously declined meeting that was scheduled for that same time.

Claims

1. A method performed in a data processing system for a scenario in which conflicting calendar meeting entries are managed, said method comprising:

a computer of the data processing system monitoring one or more meeting entries in meetings scheduled for a particular user that are stored in a database, the database containing scheduling information comprising meeting time, date and location of each meeting;

said computer detecting a first new meeting entry of a newly detected meeting B for the particular user;

responsive to said detecting the first new meeting entry, said computer determining that there is a first scheduling conflict between the newly detected meeting B and a previously scheduled meeting A for the particular user stored in the database with respect to a first time period during which meeting A has been scheduled;

responsive to said determining that there is said first scheduling conflict, said computer notifying the particular user of the first scheduling conflict;

after said notifying the particular user of the first scheduling conflict, said computer receiving from the particular user an indication that meeting B has a higher priority than meeting A;

after said receiving the indication that meeting B has a higher priority than meeting A, said computer ascertaining whether (i) to replace meeting A by meeting B for the particular user in light of meeting B having said higher priority than meeting A or (ii) to decline meeting B for the particular user due to an overriding consideration communicated to the computer;

if said ascertaining ascertains to replace meeting A by meeting B, then said computer (i) sending a decline message to an originator of meeting A which informs the originator of meeting A that the particular user has declined meeting A, and (ii) initiating tracking of meeting A, thus meeting B is selected as a currently scheduled meeting while meeting A is a declined meeting;

if said ascertaining ascertains to decline meeting B, then said computer (i) sending a decline message to an originator of meeting B which informs the originator of meeting B that the particular user has declined meeting B and (ii) initiating tracking of meeting B, thus meeting A is selected as the currently scheduled meeting while meeting B is the declined meeting;

wherein meeting A or meeting B is selected in the scenario via said ascertaining to be the currently scheduled meeting while the unselected meeting of meeting B or meeting A, respectively, is the declined meeting, and

wherein the method performed for the scenario further comprises;

said computer detecting a second new meeting entry of a newly detected meeting C for the particular user;

responsive to said detecting the second new meeting entry, said computer determining that there is a second scheduling conflict between the second newly detected meeting C and the declined meeting for the particular user stored in the database with respect to the first time period;

responsive to said determining that there is said second scheduling conflict, said computer notifying the particular user of the second scheduling conflict;

after said notifying the particular user of the second scheduling conflict, said computer receiving from the particular user an indication that the currently scheduled meeting has a higher priority than meeting C and that meeting C has a higher priority than the declined meeting;

responsive to said receiving from the particular user the indication that the currently scheduled meeting has a higher priority than meeting C and that meeting C has a higher priority than the declined meeting, said computer (i) declining meeting C for the user by informing the originator of meeting C that the particular user has declined meeting C and (ii) initiating tracking of meeting C;

after said informing the originator of meeting C that the particular user has declined meeting C and initiating tracking of meeting C, said computer detecting a third new meeting entry of a newly detected meeting D for the particular user;

responsive to said detecting the third new meeting entry, said computer determining that there is a third scheduling conflict between the third newly detected meeting D and the declined meetings for the particular user stored in the database with respect to the first time period;

responsive to said determining that there is said third scheduling conflict, said computer notifying the particular user of the third scheduling conflict;

after said notifying the particular user of the third scheduling conflict, said computer receiving from the particular user an indication that meeting D has a higher priority than the currently scheduled meeting; and

responsive to said receiving from the particular user the indication that meeting D has a higher priority than the currently scheduled meeting, said computer (i) declining the currently scheduled meeting for the user by informing the originator of the currently scheduled meeting that the particular user has declined the currently scheduled meeting and (ii) initiating tracking of the newly declined currently scheduled meeting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining ascertains to replace meeting A by meeting B.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular user'"'"'s presence at meeting A is required such that meeting A cannot be held unless the particular user attends meeting A, and wherein the method further comprises:

said computer receiving a message from the originator of meeting A that meeting A has been rescheduled to a second time period when the particular user can attend meeting A due to the particular user'"'"'s presence at meeting A being required.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

after meeting A has been rescheduled to the second time period, said computer receiving notification that meeting B has been rescheduled to a third time period that does not conflict with the first time period; and

after said receiving notification that meeting B has been rescheduled to the third time period, said computer rescheduling meeting A to the first time period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining ascertains to decline meeting B.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the overriding consideration is that the particular user'"'"'s presence at meeting A is required such that meeting A cannot be held unless the particular user attends meeting A.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the overriding consideration is that the particular user'"'"'s manager has indicated that the particular user must attend meeting A.